Congratulations to Frontline and PBS for an awesome program.
They did a great job providing a balanced and thoughtful look at the role of religion in tragedy.
It was disturbing and thought provoking to see how people and religion hold up under stress. How could God let this happen and how simplistic the words “It was God’s plan” can be to someone struggling to understand their loss. How this answer can drive folks away from their faith and how some folks can find comfort in these words.
Great reporting, great story telling, and entirely appropriate.
I, too made it a point to tune is, as did one of my children. It’s the type of discussion that doesn’t appear often enough in TV – or mainstream media at all.
I couldn’t watch it . . . For one thing, I am trying my damndest to avoid any Sept. 11-related programming. I chanced on a minute or so of this last night, and found myself being annoyed at two guys explaining God’s reasons for doing or allowing this or that, and turned off the set. Did the show feature any atheists?
i thought it was rather interesting that the pastor from the missouri synod was nearly burned at the stake as a heretic. i knew msl take strict to new levels, but the reaction of his fellow clergy to him praying at the memorial service highlighted the way that strict, repressive, rigid, doctrine can cause the destruction we witnessed on sept 11.
i thought it was very interesting that the various religious leaders were not surprised at the thought that the highjackers were using the name of god for their plans.
there is an interesting interview in time mag. this week with a survivour of the north tower. she has become extremely religious.
The whole gambit was interviewed. Atheists, Christians, Muslums, Jews etc etc. It was an extrodinary and moving program. Watching how some lost their faith and others kept it despite the disidence the incident caused.
The sadest moment was watching a father espouse his belief in God in the face of the horrible death of his son and it seemed at times his face betrayed doubt in what he was saying.
If you get a chance to see this do so, it is worth watching to see the human condition in times of crisis of belief.