The Dogma set of beliefs shared by many, i.e. Catholics, have been challenged in the film. The film has explored the ideas, looking at them from different angles, through different people and different characters. Quite surprisingly all of the film is based on “fact”, or on the teachings of God, which makes the ideas explored a little more believable, so that the audience can relate to them or start to question or think about it, their own set of “dogmas”.
Different characters are featured in the film and if they were examined closely, we would learn that they are there for a reason, to explore ideas fully and look at them through different perspectives. Each character represents a different group of people, which helps the audience to relate to the content of the film, and so that the feel that what they see could happen to them or implies to them. For example Rufus who plays an apostle, represents the black community, so they are able to relate to the film and consider the ideas offered and explored. The majority of the time he deals with the issue that religion is racist. He challenges that Jesus and apostles were black and that the truth was masked because nobody liked it.
The film raises many issues that some dare not discuss in fear of questioning their religion, everything that happens in the film, is very possible it is just not considered because there is no real answer, and if there was, there are bound to be different interpretations of it from different people of different faiths and backgrounds. All of the issues and ideas raised and explored, have solid evidence, such as the idea raised regarding the gender of God. The two prophets were intrigued by it, and helped to explore the idea with their narrow – mindedness, while the apostle and the muse offered reasons and support to the ideas, which helped to push the story forward and explore and develop ideas fully. This idea, God a woman, may be against many peoples’ beliefs, but it is still possible, because nobody knows God’s gender, some think he is genderless, so anything is possible if you believe it.
The film also explores the idea of Jesus having relatives, this maybe very possible, because they bible does not actually say that Jesus was an only child. There was no contraception back in the days of Jesus Christ so it may be very possible for Mary to have become pregnant several times, and it was normal to have a very big family. So it is possible for someone to be a great, great, great….niece or what ever of Jesus. This idea is mainly explored using the character of Bethany, who needs a bit of persuasion to believe it her self, which makes the possibility, of her being Christ’s great, great, great…great niece, a little more realistic.
Dogma is not a film for those who are very strict with their religion, it is more for those with open minds and those who welcome new ideas and accept new things. The film raised many valid issues and ideas were explored well, all of which had good solid foundations and could be right. These issues and ideas challenged viewers’ beliefs, with the advantage that religion contradicts itself.
