Aliens

Yesterday I went to the movie "Knowing" with my father, as part of his trip here from Georgia. Let me begin by saying that I was lobbying hard to see "Slumdog Millionaire" instead, but he insisted on, and paid to see, "Knowing."

You can read more about the synopsis HERE, and get a Christian perspective of the movie's good, bad and ugly parts HERE. But I want to address a particular part of the film.

Somehow, the mysterious "whisper people" who appear throughout the movie are guiding these two kids, showing them the horrors coming to Earth and directing them towards safety.

But scattered throughout this sci-fi thriller is a mishmash of Biblical literature, including an interpretation that Ezekiel's wheel (mentioned in Chapter 1 of that book) is the prophet's description of an alien craft. The movie takes this a step farther by showing us that what the ancient writers of scripture described as angels actually were aliens with translucent bodies and wings made of light.

My dad said, "Ummm... I'm a bit offended." Yep, shoulda saw "Slumdog."

I think that the claim that our concepts of God and angels and the divine are somehow connected to "little green men" or whatever is stupid. It doesn't answer the question, "Where did we come from?" because it doesn't answer where these supposed "other" life forms came from. Are we the celestial ant farm of some superior civilization? Yeah right. Now THAT takes faith.

But I found myself in the theater thinking about how God, and the things of God, are indeed, very ALIEN.

Consider these definitions of the word "alien":
- extraterrestrial being: a form of life assumed to exist outside the Earth or its atmosphere
- being or from or characteristic of another place or part of the world;

In both of these cases, God and the Heavenly hosts (and the demonic) fit the bill. God is outside of our realm of understanding, superior beyond comprehension. His hands created our little blue ball and everything on it. His angels are beings that, upon looking at them, probably would really creep us out. (And, really... why are some so quick to say that Ezekiel saw a ship? Many scholars believe the wheels were a symbol. Plus, when you're dealing with some crazy things of God, your vocabulary's not going to suffice, y'know?)

Yes, God is not like us. But... we are like Him! The Bible says we were made in His image. We're not dealing with a cold, unconnected race of scientists... we're dealing with the Creator of all things, the One who ... is. Alien to our ways, but never very far. Beyond our comprehension, but close enough to understand us.

Yes, the divine is very alien, but then again, those of us who believe in Christ -- the man from another kingdom -- are in a constant state of changing our citizenship from this place to Heaven, which is another world, another dimension, another reality. We become alien to the broken things that have been presented to us.

I think understanding the holiness of God -- the fact that He is SO different from us, yet so willing to meet us, brings us to a place of worship, and to a place of awe.

And isn't it great to know that our Creator is not some little green being in a saucer, but the King of all things... the One whose very essence is love!