Review of God's Not Dead (2014) by Benjaminstevens — 06 Apr 2020

This movie did a most excellent job of presenting real life issues that many people regularly face today. It provides a rather accurate portrayal of "evangelical atheism," whose followers are not simply content with their own belief in the nonexistence of God but who frequently elevate themselves above others – often using scare tactics, demeaning language, and any other harsh means necessary – to try to make as many others as possible join them in their campaign against God. It vividly depicts individuals who sincerely desire to inquire into the truth of their Maker and His provisions and purpose for them, at the risk of losing the support of their family, friends, and other loved ones, who do not know Him and want nothing to do with Him. It even shows those who are confronted with their own imminent deaths, in the face of which they are finally willing to seek out the God whom they denied for most of their lives.

I did enjoy a lot of the specific topics that were brought up in the classroom with the Christian student who was willing to take a stand against the evangelical atheistic professor. These debates allowed the movie watcher to consider the fact that many who feel that science has "proven" that there is no God are simply placing their trust in those who are regarded as experts in the field, so they put their faith in the notion that some scientist, or combination of scientists, out there has all the answers and can explain all of existence, without there being any need for a master designer. The movie makes the truth of the matter very clear, however, for no scientist to date has ever received credit for having fully explained how absolutely everything, including time itself, could have sprung from absolutely nothing, not to mention how that which is nonliving, regardless of how it originally came into existence, could have ever developed into something that is living, without the aid of an intelligent agent. The movie brought home the point that certain statements made by prominent scientists in this regard have been shown to fall victim to circular reasoning.

I do wish, however, that the movie would have spent more time focusing on the historical figure known as Jesus Christ. Some of the debates in the classroom could have addressed the fact that even the biggest of skeptics and critics, who have performed extensive research into Jesus of Nazareth, have had to admit that he was an actual man who walked the earth around 2,000 years ago, who became nailed to a cross, who appeared to have died as a result of it, and was actually buried, and afterwards was seen alive again by many, who were so convinced that He had truly risen from the dead that they were willing to sacrifice their own lives to proclaim Him to others, with the hope that others would realize their need to trust in His death and resurrection, in order to receive the forgiveness of all of their sins, ensuring that they will one day be with Him – along with all others who put their faith and trust in Him in this life – in Heaven once this life is over. Sadly, the movie did not spend a whole lot of time explaining Jesus as the historical figure that He truly is, but it did nevertheless make it clear that there is an urgent need for everyone to trust in Him to be saved, while touching on the danger that is waiting in eternity for those who do not.