Pacific Nights

Well, I feel like a hypocrite. Last I succumbed to the influence of peer pressure and mass media hype and finally watched Dogma. Not only that: I was screaming with laughter all the way through. It was really funny. However, I’m interested…Is this really the common view of Catholicism? Is that really what people think that we believe?

I’m referring, in particular to the major thematic theme regarding the Plenary Indulgence. In Dogma, (for those of you who haven’t seen it) Ben Affleck and Matt Damon are fallen angels, who, rather than being condemned to hell, have been banished to earth. They feel that they have been treated unfairly, and concoct a massive plan to get back into heaven. This plan involves cutting off their wings, and thus turning themselves into humans, then walking through the doors of a church that is celebrating its centennial. These doors are only opened once every hundred years, and are equipped with a special blessing; all those who walk through them will gain a plenary indulgence. According to Ben and Matt, the plenary indulgence removes all sin, and once walking through the doors, they will, as mortals, die, and go straight to heaven.

The humor in this movie is great. I especially liked the fun poked at Catholics who attempt to “jazz up” their religion in a push to make it more “modern” (represented in the movie by the “Catholicism Wow!” campaign with its “Buddy Jesus”). I do, however, take serious issue with the theology.

The plenary indulgence does not remove sin. I, as a Catholic, do not believe that if I walk through a special door, and then get hit by a bus, I will go straight to heaven. That’s every bit as ridiculous as the movie makes it appear. What a plenary indulgence does is to remove the temporal punishment for sins that have already been forgiven.

As I’m sure most of you know Catholics believe that sin is absolved in confession, where a priest, as a representative of God, listens to our sins, and, speaking for God, forgives them. What you may not know is that Catholics also believe that even these forgiven sins still carry some modicum of punishment. Confessed sins will not send one to hell, however, they will send one to Purgatory, a place of temporal punishment, where the injury that has been done to the soul by sin is healed. This is what a “plenary indulgence” removes: the necessity for temporal punishment in purgatory. A plenary indulgence can be gained in a variety of ways: The most high profile is still walking through the doors—actually just a representation of the pilgrimage that was taken to get to the doors, however, there are other ways as well (eg. Various prayers, said after making confession and receiving communion, etc. etc.).

Well, this post has been a lot longer than I anticipated, and I apologize for the theology lesson. I can appreciate the humor of a movie like Dogma as well as the next person, but I don’t want it misrepresenting my religion unchallenged. :)