Summary: The 2006 film Christian vs. Athiest, is part of the 30 days series by Morgan Spurlock, from Supersize Me. This film follows Brenda Frei, and atheist, who spends a month in the house of Michael and Tracy Shores, exposing herself to the Christian faith in a country which is 75% Christian, and merely 5% Athiest. Before filming, Brenda has agreed to certain terms, which require her to attend Sunday church and bible study sessions in a book club with the host family's neighbors. Brought up in a Christian family, Brenda did not remain Christian throughout her adult life, and believes in the morals of peace and compassion, as apposed to Michael and Tracy, whom have strong roots in Christianity, and have integrated daily prayers and bible readings into their family's everyday life. This episode of the iconic series 30 days exposing the different stereotypes these two group have about each other, as well the differences they have, and the importance of acceptance.
Review: Even through just the first 10 minutes of the film, the assumptions that the two groups have for one another are already quite prominent, mainly from the Christian host family, towards the atheist Brenda. It is shown that many Christians view atheist as in fact, not atheist, but as anti-theist. They do not understand that in fact, and atheist is simply one who does not believe in the existence of God, not all atheist are in fact, anti-theists whom actively portray their atheistic beliefs and tend to show some aggression towards the religious community. Many Christians, like Michael and Tracy, as well as followers of various other religions, choose to be a part of it, as being a part of religion has given them a sense of community, as well as answers to questions, and a purpose in life. For them, daily bible readings and prayers, as well as weekly church services, provide a sense of, 'You're not alone'. It is human nature to be social and to feel lonely without community. It is also human nature to want to know our origin, as well as where we will go after death. These give one a purpose in life. This may also be the reason why atheists are so ostracized by mainly Christians, as shown in the film, Tracy and Michael had a hard time believing how Brenda could be happy and living her life without having a spiritual purpose, and without religious practices integrated into her way of life.
Throughout the film, there were many heated debates and discussion between Brenda and the Shores as well as member of the Christian book club. This is not unexpected, as any two of opposing sides are bound to have disagreements, also shown in another 30 days film in which an Christian lives in an Muslim community. The constant feud between the Christian and Atheist communities of America are endless, and the numbers of atheists grow. I think that what is portrayed in the video is merely a small-scale portrayal of this continuous battle. This disagreement plays roles in various current affairs, such as governmental elections. For example, in the U.S. many primarily eastern states, whom have a strong base in Christianity, strongly dislike any atheist candidates, and it is not uncommon for Christian candidates to have an advantage amongst those states. This film just represents this ever-growing feud at a small scale, simply between one woman and her host family. With the amount of disagreements they had, imagine how much that would increase on a national scale. On a global scale.
Rating: 4/5 I think the concept of the whole 30 days is very interesting, as it encourages one to understand someone else, or another perspective. Most of the people who go on the show, in their final interview, like Brenda, Michael, and Tracy state they do not necessarily change their faith, but instead gain a better understanding and respect for the opposite party. The whole film wasn't too long and draggy, but gave just enough information to portray the issue. The reason why I gave a 4/5 was because I didn't think it was a completely fair portrayal, as Brenda had a Christian upbringing and thus, if it was an atheist without any religious upbringing, the amount of disagreements may increase a lot. Brenda generally seemed quite understanding, and only defended herself when necessary, and that may be because of her Christian childhood, which helped her to understand Michael and Tracy's perspective.
0 out of 1 found this helpful.
Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink