Tuning in signals from Hollywood Heaven<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"It's another day at the mall multiplex, where hip witches are looking for love, Oprah's fighting her demons, free will and sin are invading a suburban\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/tmatt\/1998\/11\/tuning-in-signals-from-hollywood-heaven\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Tuning in signals from Hollywood Heaven\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"It's another day at the mall multiplex, where hip witches are looking for love, Oprah's fighting her demons, free will and sin are invading a suburban\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/tmatt\/1998\/11\/tuning-in-signals-from-hollywood-heaven\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Terry Mattingly\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"1998-11-04T13:00:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2013-01-30T18:34:17+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"tmatt\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"tmatt\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/tmatt\/1998\/11\/tuning-in-signals-from-hollywood-heaven\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/tmatt\/1998\/11\/tuning-in-signals-from-hollywood-heaven\/\",\"name\":\"Tuning in signals from Hollywood Heaven\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/tmatt\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"1998-11-04T13:00:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2013-01-30T18:34:17+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/tmatt\/#\/schema\/person\/76ce2260a572ff41a28fb285de9350f1\"},\"description\":\"It's another day at the mall multiplex, where hip witches are looking for love, Oprah's fighting her demons, free will and sin are invading a suburban\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/tmatt\/1998\/11\/tuning-in-signals-from-hollywood-heaven\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/tmatt\/1998\/11\/tuning-in-signals-from-hollywood-heaven\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/tmatt\/1998\/11\/tuning-in-signals-from-hollywood-heaven\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/tmatt\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Tuning in signals from Hollywood Heaven\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/tmatt\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/tmatt\/\",\"name\":\"Terry Mattingly\",\"description\":\"On Religion\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/tmatt\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/tmatt\/#\/schema\/person\/76ce2260a572ff41a28fb285de9350f1\",\"name\":\"tmatt\",\"description\":\"Terry Mattingly directs the Washington Journalism Center at the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities. 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{"id":1051,"date":"1998-11-04T08:00:00","date_gmt":"1998-11-04T13:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/tmatt\/1998\/11\/04\/tuning-in-signals-from-hollywood-heaven\/"},"modified":"2013-01-30T13:34:17","modified_gmt":"2013-01-30T18:34:17","slug":"tuning-in-signals-from-hollywood-heaven","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/tmatt\/1998\/11\/tuning-in-signals-from-hollywood-heaven\/","title":{"rendered":"Tuning in signals from Hollywood Heaven"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

Moviegoers also have the option right now of going to heaven and hell with superstar Robin Williams in \u201cWhat Dreams May Come.\u201d The big news in this latest \u201cHollywood Heaven\u201d opus is that some gatekeepers in America\u2019s dream factory are trying to take eternity seriously \u2014 perhaps more seriously than most conventional religious leaders.<\/p>\n\n

\u201cThis movie wasn\u2019t nearly as bad as I thought it would be. In even contains some hopeful signs for those who believe heaven and hell are real,\u201d said Boston College philosopher Peter Kreeft, author of 30-plus books including \u201cHeaven, the Heart\u2019s Deepest Longing.\u201d In terms of America\u2019s growing fascination with spirituality, he added, it\u2019s clear that \u201cpeople are asking some of the right questions, right now. They are spiritually hungry, even if they are choosing to eat poisonous food.\u201d<\/p>\n\n

As was the case with \u201cGhost\u201d and numerous other modern movies in this genre, Kreeft said that \u201cWhat Dreams May Come\u201d appears to be \u201cessentially a Buddhist<\/a> or Hindu movie\u201d created for audiences that remain comfortable with Judeo-Christian images. After death, the characters learn that there are no rules that govern eternity, reincarnation is a viable option and that reality is a simple matter of perception. \u201cWhat\u2019s true in our minds is true, whether people know it or not,\u201d explains one heavenly teacher.<\/p>\n\n

Early on, Williams\u2019 Everyman character asks an angelic figure what role God plays in this dreamlike heaven. \u201cHe\u2019s up there somewhere, shouting down that He loves us,\u201d says the spirit.<\/p>\n\n

An ad for a Los Angeles seminar on \u201cMetaphysical Filmmaking,\u201d led by producer Stephen Simon, sums of his goals: \u201cAs we approach the new millennium, film is the natural medium for the expression of transformational consciousness. Metaphysical films can illuminate new landscapes, chart new maps and model new paradigms for relating to life.\u201d The result is part Dante\u2019s \u201cInferno,\u201d part Star Trek, served up with waves of special effects and pop psychology.<\/p>\n\n

But it would be wrong to dismiss this as mere New Age propaganda, stressed Kreeft, who is a very traditional Roman Catholic. The movie focuses on a crucial subject \u2013 eternal life \u2013 which churches have all but ignored for at least a generation. And while the doctrine is unorthodox, it contains images of heaven and hell that are almost shockingly traditional.<\/p>\n\n

\u201cThis movie was gorgeous and fascinating to look at, but there was more to it than that,\u201d he said. \u201cThis wasn\u2019t a kind of minimalist kind of beauty. It was opulent. It was an old- fashioned, natural kind of beauty. That\u2019s important. We need to be able to say that heaven is beautiful.\u201d<\/p>\n\n

In addition to affirming the existence of heaven and hell, the movie shows that decisions in this life impact the life to come. It teaches that people must not lose faith and to let fear dominate their lives. It stresses the need for courage, forgiveness and gratitude.<\/p>\n\n

Above all, \u201cWhat Dreams May Come\u201d takes love seriously. This is, conceded Kreeft, human love, instead of divine love. But at least the human love depicted in this movie is noble and beautiful. Many critics have savaged the movie because its depiction of marital love is based more on idealism than sexual passion.<\/p>\n\n

\u201cThis movie did get human love right,\u201d said Kreeft. \u201cIt showed love as charity and self-sacrifice. It praises faithfulness \u2026 and this love even includes children. There\u2019s an intact family, for once, and we see many beautiful scenes showing the love in this family. That\u2019s positive.\u201d<\/p>\n\n

There are even scenes of repentance. But everyone repents to each other \u2014 not to God.<\/p>\n\n

\u201cThey do repent to somebody, which is a start,\u201d said Kreeft. \u201cThat\u2019s better than, \u2018Love means never having to say you\u2019re sorry.\u2019 \u2026 What the movie didn\u2019t say, of course, was that God counts and that God judges. It didn\u2019t say that one finds true joy by conforming to God\u2019s reality. \u2026 In a way, the movie was simply too spiritual. It didn\u2019t take reality seriously enough.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"