Year One
Is following God a stupid idea?
Are you:
• Easily wound up about historical inaccuracies in film?
• Wishing that Jack Black would retire his rock and roll ladies’ man character and do something different?
• Someone who thinks poo jokes are not funny?
• Against any attempts to use the Bible in comedy?
Do you fit into one or more of those categories? Then let me save you 2 hours of your life. Do not see Year One.
Year One is set at the dawn of time. Two cavemen, Zed (Black) and Oh (Cera), are cast out from their tribe after Zed eats from the Tree of Knowledge. What follows is a romp through the book of Genesis as they interact with Cain and Abel, Adam, and Abraham, before ending up in the infamous city of Soddom. The whole time they’re trying to discover their place in this world and save the two girls from their tribe they have they’re eye on. Funny stuff ensues.
If you’re a history buff, you’re going to be annoyed by this film. We go from cave men to cities with steel weaponry in a matter of weeks. Cain kills Abel a couple of days before Abraham attempts to sacrifice Isaac. This is one of those movies where you just have to ignore the logic and go with the flow. A lot of the jokes can be hit and miss, but over all there are a lot of laughs to be had. As long as you can look past the occasional poo, fart, or sex joke.
It wasn’t difficult to pick out the message of this film. The film makers seem to hit you over the head with it every ten minutes or so. Putting your faith in a God or gods who may or may not exist is stupid. Following the rules because that’s the way things are done is what idiots do. We shouldn’t be sheep but instead take control of our own destiny. And they would be right. But only if God did not exist.
In the movie, Abraham is shown as a religious whack job who wants to sacrifice his son to God, circumcise everyone, and warns that Sodom is going to be destroyed in a blaze of fire. If I was living in Abraham’s day and heard him say those things, I’d think he was crazy too. Until I saw God follow through on his promises.
If I saw an elderly woman give birth, I’d be inclined to believe that when her and her husband said God was giving them a child, I’d think twice about mocking Abraham. If I saw Sodom destroyed, just like Abraham said God would do, then I’d be thinking he was onto something. Year One shows us all the crazy talk of the Bible, without backing it up with God faithfully fulfilling his promises. The crazy talk isn’t crazy talk if it’s true!
It’s not crazy to put our lives in the hands of the loving creator of the universe. It’s not crazy to believe that God knows what’s best for your life. It’s not crazy to follow him, to read his word, and to do what he says. Because he is real and has proven, through the events in the Bible, that he is faithful and that he will do as he has promised. He has promised you a right relationship with him and a life eternal with him, all because of what Jesus did on the cross. Jesus rose from the dead to show that he wasn’t making it up, that he wasn’t a false god.
Don’t be afraid to stand up for your belief in God. Year One might want to tell you that following God is stupid. What is more stupid is not following the God that has proven himself time and time again.
For more articles by Joel A Moroney, head on over to Pop Culture Christ.
Read more about
Stay in the loop