But there in Aurora, there was no Batman to stop the killer, no director to cut the scene. There was no plan to it, no plot — at least not that we can see. It’s just a tragedy — another senseless horror in a world that’s known far too many.

Of all the words that can be used to describe the Aurora shooting, “senseless” may be the worst word of all — particularly for those of us who call ourselves Christian. We claim to worship a good, just and all-powerful God — a God who loves us with a passion as broad as the universe itself. We are His children, we say. And God wouldn’t let any harm come to His children … would He?

And the question hangs in the air, waiting, pleading for an answer.

It’s sadly appropriate Holmes took on The Joker’s persona. He, among all of Batman’s archvillains, offers the worst possible answer to that hanging question: God? he chirps, brushing a hand through his caterpillar-green hair. How quaint. How precious. There is no God. There is no meaning. There is no reason in this cold, dark place. The only truth is that there is no truth.

Read it all.

Filed under: * Culture-Watch • Movies & Television • Philosophy • Religion & Culture • Violence • * Theology • Theodicy

1. Abbo wrote: All I can say is, Amen! Asay is spot-on on his analysis and his connecting the questions raised by the shooting (and the movie) to Christian faith. He says he’s not a theologian, but he has done a much better job articulating the faith in a relevant way than many so-called theologians do. I’d gladly listen to him preach any day, if his sermons are anything like this article. July 24, 1:35 am | [comment link]

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