Theos-Talk Archives (August 1997 Message tt00009)

I saw the movie "Contact" last night as well, and like Rudy I was
mighty impressed. I could go on ad naseum (and often do) but I
will resist temptation and merely list a few highlights:

(1) The movie clearly distinguishes stupid, fundamentalist
religious folks (witness the role played by Rob Lowe and the role
of the suicidal Jesus-freak bomber) from reasonable, questioning,
deeply introspective and wonderful spiritual folks, as in the
Jody Foster's love interest, Matthew McConaughy (or however you
spell his name). Most scientists push ALL religion into the
"loopy" category. Carl Sagan has done a huge service to
spirituality in the eyes of his fellow scientists.

(2) The role of faith -- Jody Foster's character spends most of
the movie denying faith, struggling with the priest character
over the issue of religion, and yet at the end of the movie,
before the Senate, this is exactly what she is asking of them --
faith in her experience. This is not blind, stupid faith, but
reasonable faith which asks that when the evidence ends, a
reasonable leap of faith is pursued.

(3) The existence of life on other planets which is much more
advanced and much more AMAZING than us little humans. These
aliens don't stand alone but invite humanity to (eventually) join
this larger community.

(4) Jody Foster's character leaves a pretty ugly political human
world to find an amazingly beautiful higher world -- offering
hope and backing up Theosophy's claim that there are world
infinitely higher than our own.

(5) The aliens she meets indicate that even HIGHER beings built
the wormhole pathways -- indicating a hierarchy or great chain of
being.

(6) As a non-Theosophist friend of mine pointed out, people in
the movie seem to get what's coming to them, i.e. karma. Which
is cool.

There are other points but I'll call it a day.

Rich