Healthy Religion

Or, maybe, what I ought to say is emotionally healthy religion. I think about this often. As a Christian, I debate constantly with my "girlfriends" what it all means. In our little group, we have atheists, lapsed Catholics, and a smattering of other Protestant types. And, the discussions are always lively, especially as relates to how prominent religion seems to play in world politics--From the reported 5 million radical Muslim extremists of the 9-11 philosophy to their moderate Muslims brothers to the right wing Christian zealots embodied in the late Jerry Falwell and Focus on the Family guru James Dobson.

Most of us have various views, often not very objective ones on the power of religion or even how prevalent it is. In our American society, religion surely gets prominent lip service. No wonder religion often gets very confusing to the average person. Recently, when I ran across this wonderful little film, Eve and the Firehorse, on Sundance Channel, I was absolutely fascinated. The little film embodied almost every issue that we face as to religion and a healthy way to look at faith. Eve and Karena, two young Chinese sisters, maybe nine and eleven, living in Canada, are determined to reverse the string of tragedies that have shadowed their working-class family ever since their mother cut down the backyard apple tree. How they go about attempting to reverse these bad fortunes is by becoming good.

In this little family, there's the grandmother, dutifully pouring three cups of tea for the Buddha every single day with a faithfulness that is beyond Eve, the younger of the sisters, who remarks that apparently Buddha isn't thirsty. At some point, Grandma dies but continues to appear to Eve in various visions or apparitions that only Eve can see.

Karena, the older sister, is somewhat sullen and matter of fact in the beginning as the two sisters face the various rigors of the cruelty of kids at their school. The Mother has a miscarriage in rather dramatic fashion, then goes into a deep depression while the kids fend mostly for themselves. The hardworking and committed father has to go back to China to bury the grandmother.

All of Eve and Karena's goodness must be paying off because the father wins a new Cadillac in the lottery and his luck seems to change. The mother comes out of the "ether" and resumes her role with the family. Karena, the older of the two girls embraces Catholicism, trying to live the life of a saint. Eve kind of goes along while the mother adopts a view that the Buddha and Jesus can surely live together and this must be healthy. Eve, in the meantime, constantly has these apparitions where she sees what might be, i. e., Buddha and Jesus dancing and getting along rather famously. Plus, on occasion, Eve throws in a not too saintly angel who joins Jesus and Buddha in their dance. And, occasionally even the Grandma pops up. The movie's rather wry and delicately observed views about faith in particular and religion in general are absolutely delightful.

There are so many precious moments in this movie for those of us who are people of faith. Two notable ones: Karena has become somewhat obsessed with Catholicism and the Nun playing the part could use a little objectivity but her attitude plays well with the story. At one point, Karena gets the idea that in order for Eve to really shape up, i. e., Eve is constantly making up stories and if she gets baptized, she can do better. To the viewer, momentarily this becomes scary as somehow Karena views how long Eve stays under water determines how successful is her baptism. The viewer is left with the idea that here is a potential tragedy. In the next scene, we are transported to the Church where the Priest is baptizing Karena. She is arrayed in white. A voice over tells us that Eve died for a second maybe and that there was a white light that she remembers, along with the Fire Horses. Eve is the voice over and the philosophy of life is real and rich. The movie ends with one of Eve's apparitions as she looks at Karena embracing her faith and dressed all in white watches as Karena floats toward the ceiling.

What makes this such an important little movie is that this is the way religion is suppose to be; mystery, tolerance, embraced with a childlike faith. Amazingly, at least to me, a movie and a director's imagination conveys the real truths of faith, much more so than Churches, Synagogues, Mosques, adinitum.