God, Death and ‘War of the Worlds’

In Howard Overman’s 2019 rendition of ‘War of the Worlds’ there is a very interesting scene that made me take note. A couple arrive at a military base looking for their son. They first of all find a woman who has lost her two kids. This woman asks the other mother, “Do you believe there is a God?” Of which her response is a very solemn and honest, “No.”

I really appreciated this scene. Generally speaking I really appreciate sci-fi because it enables us to work through different thought-experiments in such interesting ways. One of the most frequently used topics is ‘God and death.’ This scene is a classic example of that.

The mother of the dead children goes on, “Can I ask you to do something for me?” To which the couple promptly and enthusiastically reply, “Yes of course, anything.” The request, “Bury me with my children.” She is going to kill herself. “No! Don’t do this! Not like this!” Comes the couple’s pleas. “What would you do?” Asks the mother… their answer? They do not answer.

I said that I really appreciated this scene, but not because there is something new here. We’ve probably all seen this played out many times in many different shows and genres. Someone loses something of immense value. Then they lose their hope or purpose. So they ask, “Is there a God?” And as often as I have remembered the scene played out, the answer is, “No.”

I think this is a snapshot of humanity in the West (at least the intellectual currents of our time as popularised by media). If my opinion holds some truth, then that is a very damning snapshot. Those that shape the currents of our thinking can provide no answer in the face of the one thing that matters, death. That is because they reject the one answer to this insurmountable problem, God.

What is the outcome? In this scene of ‘War of the Worlds’ it is hopeless resignation for the bereaved mother, or, inconsistent stubborn persistence to live without any lasting purpose.

To reject God is a brutal self damnation.

Thanks Howard Overman for giving us a glimpse of that reality.