When it comes to television, I’m a bit of a Luddite – and I like it that way. We have rabbit ears, that’s it – no cable, no satellite. There are only two shows we keep current on: 24 and LOST.
The West Wing is a show we’ve been watching recently and we just finished season two. This is a show that went seven or eight seasons and is already wrapped up. The writing is superb and so is the acting. It stars Martin Sheen as a Democratic President and chronicles the life of a US President inside and outside the White House.
There have been a few touching moments, more than a few humorous moments, and some sad moments as well, but the finale of season two is something I’ve been thinking about for a few days now since I watched it. I just went and grabbed the clip below off of YouTube and got a chill again as I watched it.
You have to know some of the backstory to understand this fully, but this is President Bartlett (Martin Sheen) at a low point emotionally and spiritually. He is in a cathedral for the funeral of a loved-one, he is about to announce to the American public that he has a degenerative disease, and he refers to a couple of tragic incidents from the past two years, and because of these things he feels completely betrayed by God.
My question: is this a legitimate wrestling with God or is this blasphemy?
(I think it’s the Latin that gives me the chills…)
Let’s hear your opinions first and then I’ll post the text of this monologue and some thoughts from series creator Aaron Sorkin.
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West Wing was a superb show.
I’ve always seen this interaction as Pres Bartlett wrestling with God, very much like Jacob wrestled the angel or David bearing his hurt to God or even Job wondering what he did to deserve such wrath. I see him wondering why, if he’s following the path God has laid out for him, it’s got to be so tough. That’s my two cents.
And you’re right, it’s Latin because we all know that every good Catholic school kid can walk in a cathedral and bear his heart to God in a dead language.
It’s not my place to judge. It’s not what I’d do, though.
Here’s what I think of the west wing fwiw:
http://caughtnottaught.blogspot.com/2008/10/psalm-101-6-7.html
ED…
Blasphemy IS wrestling with God.
Its not an either/or.
How do you define God?
What I didn’t say was that what I’d probably do would be worse. Not saying I’m proud of it…