'Question of God' Airs on PBS
by Ed Vitagliano
September 14, 2004
(AgapePress) - In the wake of the huge popular success of Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ, it's probable that religion isn't likely to get short-shrift in the media for a while. In fact, on PBS in September, the issue of religion comes front and center in an outstanding two-part series.The Question of God: Sigmund Freud & C.S. Lewis
, is a four-hour PBS series scheduled to air on consecutive Wednesday nights, September 15 and 22. It is a superb journey into the critical distinctions between the competing worldviews which underlie the cultural war currently convulsing Western Civilization.While many evangelical Christians may mistrust PBS when it comes to accurately and respectfully presenting a Christian view on virtually anything, The Question of God should allay those fears -- at least as far as this program is concerned. C.S. Lewis, whose writings were arguably the most influential among Western Christians in the 20th century, is treated with utmost respect, and his views are sympathetically portrayed.
This series, however, is not for the faint-hearted Christian who dislikes any open discussion of contrary viewpoints. It is, as a review in Christianity Today called it, "Think TV." Freud's argument against the existence of God is laid out as completely as Lewis' faith in Christ.
The series is enhanced by the participation of Dr. Armand Nicholi, Jr., a Harvard University professor and practicing psychiatrist. He is also the author of the book on which the series is based, The Question of God: C.S. Lewis and Sigmund Freud Debate God, Love, Sex, and the Meaning of Life.
An unexpected pleasure was the round-table discussion, lead by Nicholi, that is interwoven throughout the narrative. The participating individuals enthusiastically debate both sides of the issues raised by The Question of God.
Perhaps more than anything else, however, the series portrays the humanity of both Lewis and Freud in a manner that is quite poignant. Christians will suffer along with Lewis, as he mourns the death of his beloved wife to cancer, which threatens to shatter his faith. With Freud, Christians witness in powerful fashion an avowed atheist as he wrestles with death's uncertainty. One almost watches with bated breath to see if the famous father of psychoanalysis, himself battling cancer, embraces God. Sadly, he remains defiant to the very end.
The two-part program was produced by Emmy-Award-winning producer-director Catherine Tatge and producer Dominique Lasseur; WGBH, the PBS affiliate in Boston, Massachusetts; and Walden Media.
The latter company is currently working on a live-action film based on The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, the first book in Lewis' popular series, The Chronicles of Narnia.
Ed Vitagliano, a regular contributor to AgapePress, is news editor for AFA Journal, a monthly publication of the American Family Association.
