The Invention of Lying free essay sample

Invention of Lying Henry Wadsworth Longfellow said, â€Å"Silently, one by one, in the infinite meadows of heaven, blossomed the lovely stars, the forget-me-nots of the angels. † There has been a lot of talk about heaven over the years. Many people who have claimed that they know what heaven is like or what we experience when we die. While this can be comforting to some, it raises questions of how they could know given the fact that one would have to either be a prophet of God or someone who has actually been there. In the Universal Pictures movie, The Invention of Lying, Mark Bellison is a man who claims to know what happens when we die. He fabricates these images for the comfort of his dying mother. His satirical dialogue on the topic jokingly mocks the parallels from the bible as well as ideas that mainstream religious â€Å"prophets† claim to know. We will write a custom essay sample on The Invention of Lying or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page That being said, how do we really know what to believe? Are there prophets sent by God who know? Are there people who have been to heaven? Newsweek Magazine and a book titled, â€Å"90 Minutes in Heaven† suggest yes. Mark’s character in this movie is a nerdy single guy just trying to make it in the world. When he is down on his luck, he experiences a â€Å"switch† in his conscience that allows him to be able to lie. Prior to his shift where he begins to use it more for his own personal gain, we see him using this for others like the lonely people in his mother’s nursing home and those who are homeless. On the night that his mother takes a turn for the worst, Mark is upset to see his mother so frightened of death. Her fears of â€Å"falling into an eternity of nothingness† (Invention of Lying, Universal Pictures, 2010) prompts him to ease her fears by telling her, â€Å"You are wrong about where you go after you die. You don’t have an eternity of nothingness. You go to your favorite place and everyone that you ever loved will be there. You will be young again and you can dance. Everyone gets a mansion, to live out their eternity in happiness. †(Invention of Lying, Universal Pictures, 2010) To see her fear ease allows Mark to deal with her death. While this makes for great reviews with the box-office, there are actual stories that correspond with this ideology, minus the mansions of course. In the book, 90 Minutes in Heaven Reverend Donald Piper was struck head on by a semi-truck driven by a Texas Department of Corrections inmate. Paramedics declared him dead at the scene. In his book Piper goes on to highlight his experience in heaven citing that while he did not see Jesus Christ, he did see many of his congregation members who were committed to their faith and to God, those who had been in parts of his life and that he heard people singing numerous songs praising God. He speaks of a change in his mind where he was unable to think of bad thoughts or sad things and that he caught a glimpse of the gates of heaven, which he describes as â€Å"pearl white†. While this was going on, another minister, Reverend Dick Onrecker came to the scene and was permitted to sit in the car with Piper’s body. While he sat there he began to sing, â€Å"What a Friend We Have in Jesus†. Shockingly, Piper began to sing along. The paramedics got him out of the vehicle and to the hospital where he recovered. This is not the first flirtation with what we can expect in heaven. As the movie progresses people gather outside of Bellison’s apartment waiting for information on what happens when they die. As he emerges, his prophetic satire takes over. He speaks of the man in the sky and how he controls everything. While from an atheistic standpoint, he is mocking religion and how gullible Christians appear to be, at least he got most of it right. God does control everything, who lives, who dies etc, but what he missed in his understanding is that God created us to make our own choices. He does not decide what pair of pants we put on in the morning or whether or not we choose to rape and murder. He created us pure, and it is up to us to stay that way. He designed us for mistakes and sin, but it is up to us to accept our individual wrongdoings and ask for forgiveness. Where the movie lays claim to â€Å"the man in the sky may do bad stuff to us, but he makes up for it in the good place† (Invention of Lying, Universal Pictures, 2010) is along the right principle, they are essentially, correct, it is like a test; a test to deem us worthy of heaven. What makes us worthy of heaven? According to the movie it is simply, not doing bad things. For life in the real world sometimes those answers are not so clear cut. According to the book, Heaven: Our Fascination With the Afterlife, people can agree on one thing, that heaven is the good place you go after death as a reward for struggle and faithfulness on earth. Author, Lisa Miller, explains that people have very common conceptions of heaven, and that many are looking to reunite with loved ones who have gone before them. She goes on to outline that while there is no clear-cut answer to what guarantees our ticket to heaven, as long as you are a believer, upon your passing your soul will â€Å"leave your body to attach itself to God. † (Miller, Newsweek. com) This theory does not â€Å"wash† for everyone. Philosophers and rationalists do not buy into the theories of the soul and heaven. Miller goes on to suggest that resurrection deniers and those who believe in the afterlife take an â€Å"alternate route†. This battle for knowledge of heaven and progressive’s beliefs that it does not exist leaves much room for debate. The age old war between philosophy and logic versus that of religion and the belief of one omnibenevolent power leaves many lost. While the parallel and insinuation that lying and belief in God go hand in hand, this movie portrays how it also goes to show how powerful religion and faith can actually be. Prior to Mark’s ability to lie, the people in this movie seemed to be very dull and boring. Almost like ants just doing the same thing all day then repeating it the next day. However, after Bellison introduces â€Å"The Man in the Sky† people seem to be more enthusiastic about life and how they live it. This is a clear example of how God can affect our day to day lives. There is comfort and excitement in knowing that He is looking out for us and helping us lead our lives in a fulfilling and good way. What many fail to see is that despite the fact that Mark eventually begins to use his â€Å"gift† of lying for his own personal gain, the â€Å"Man in the Sky† helps him to become a better person. He is able to see others for more than their surface attributes but on a deeper level. This is evident during the scene in the park where he is talking to Anna. He has the opportunity to lie to her when she asks if being rich and famous changes your genetic make-up. He could have lied but he didn’t because he knew it would be wrong and because he loved her. With this bizarre way of attempting to mock religion, for me, they opened a pantheon of possibilities and thoughts of heaven and my faith. With all of the debate over whether or not heaven truly exists and what we can expect to find there, this movie made me realize the power that movies have on things such as this. Whether or not we believe in God or an organized religion, people take comfort in the thought of heaven; of a good place after we die. Perhaps not as many movies would portray it to be, laden with gold and silver over every cloud, Seraphim singing to those entering the â€Å"pearly gates† but rather a place for our souls to spend eternity. According to several polls done, almost every one wants ultimately to go to heaven. According to the Newsweek article, Heaven Help Us, many people, when asked about heaven, describe it according to things they have seen in movies related to heaven or death. Others strictly go by biblical passages or by magnificent images painted by evangelical ministers highlighting how supporting the church monetarily will get them into heaven. Author, Lisa Miller, explains that often directors have issues dealing with heaven, â€Å"It is, by tradition and in the popular imagination, a place of supernatural hyperbole. It represents whats most beautiful, most just, most perfect, most true. † (Heaven Help Us, Newsweek) Miller explains that the most profitable movies with a theme of heaven focus on only one aspect, much like that of The Invention of Lying.