Title: Soldiers in the Army of God
Genre: Documentary
Director: Marc Levin, Daphne Pinkerson
Release: (2000)
Let me just say up front that I am not a particularly religious person. But neither am I at all an avowed atheist. My general perspective on all religions could probably be pretty accurately described as that of a curious on-looker. But if there is one thing that I have absolutely come to believe, one eternal and fundamental truth that I cannot even conceive of the existence of God without, it is this: if there is a God, the vast majority of his time must be almost entirely consumed with the sole activity of greeting new souls from around the world and screaming at them in exasperated frustration, “I did not say that! Why would you think I said that? No! No, I did not tell you to do that! Yes, I’m sure! Do you know who I am? Do you even know anything about me? Why would I say that?” And so forth.
Soldiers in the Army of God, Mark Levin and Daphne Pinkerson’s documentary about the extreme fringe of the Pro-Life movement provides yet another citation in the ever-mounting pile of evidence I have for this theory. Focusing on a few of the more fanatically devoted and self-righteous members of the self-anointed “Army of God”, Levin and Pinkerson produce a depressingly convincing counter-argument to the notion that all people should have the right to vote and raise children. Trust me, if our forefathers had seen this documentary, or any episode of The Real World ever taped, they would have taken some serious red pen to that Bill of Rights. But I’ll get back to this in a bit, so if you’ve already started spitting at your computer screen in offense, please just leave enough room to see the last few paragraphs.
More than just providing a window in on the private conversations of the highly-sheltered and lowly-literate “soldiers” in this “army”, the film traces the growth of their movement from separate and regionally-isolated pockets to a national network of domestic terrorists, thanks to the rise of the internet. Chat rooms, populated with like-minded people, desperate for simple answers to difficult problems and a reason to feel important, provided safe havens where so many could go to try to rationalize the idea of acting on their own psychotic impulses and web sites, such as the now-defunct “Nuremberg Files” site, provided regularly updated lists of abortion clinic doctors’ home and work addresses as well as their current “status” – alive, maimed, or dead. The irony, of course, is that the introduction of the internet to these isolated lives could have been used as an opportunity to expand horizons and be exposed to new perspectives. Instead, it was as if everyone involved moved into a major metropolitan city with unlimited opportunities to try new things, and proceeded to dig a series of tunnels directly between each others’ houses and refused to travel by any other route.
Perhaps the scariest thing about this movie is the fact that the subjects allowed it to happen at all. The smiling access that they granted the filmmakers into their private thoughts, meetings and efforts demonstrates how convinced they are of their own reasoning, and that the insanities and ironies embedded in their own arguments do not occur to them even as they are saying them out loud. In a scene where several members of the group are staging a demonstration outside of a local clinic, not one single member of this group – which is dedicated to praising, supporting and following those jailed martyrs of their cause who have killed any number of doctors and patients in the name of God – even so much as hesitates in the conviction with which they yell at those entering the clinic, “God hate murderers!” I have to imagine that if God were watching that scene, his only reaction could be to let out a resigned sigh and then do that thing where he passes his hand over the top of his head and makes an airplane noise.
Overall, I would describe this movie as equal parts scary, depressing and discouraging. For anyone committed to the idea of an open democracy, it is a scary reminder of the destructive potential of a large group of highly organized stupid people that can come with it. Which brings me back to my earlier disclaimer. Please don’t misinterpret that earlier point as a condemnation of anyone who would vote either Pro-Life or Pro-Choice on any given referendum. It is a condemnation only of those who, like many of the subjects of this film, have no capacity to hear and weigh both sides of any important issue and make informed decisions that they can at least somewhat thoughtfully defend. And, yes, I totally agree that informed decisions and thoughtful defenses can be founded in religious beliefs. But while I am certain that the vast majority of you reading this are able to recognize the difference between “God is the answer” and “God is the excuse” reasoning, films like this one that remind us all too clearly that there are a disheartening number of myopic fanatics who can not.
Grading
Story: N/A
Acting: N/A
Visuals: C (Nothing special, but be warned that there are several graphic images of late-trimester aborted remains embedded within many scenes, usually on the posters of protesters)
Originality/Innovation: B+ (just for choice of subjects, not style)
Enjoyability: C+ (Not real enjoyable doesn’t mean not real interesting)
Overall: B
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