IN ISSU Reviews of... “All in the Mind” by Ludovic Kennedy “Unweaving the Rainbow” by Richard Dawkins —s | Richard + Dawkins Lnweaving that Haine we REVIEWS: TV Damien in the lion’s den Living with the Enemy (BBC2) reviewed by Tim Woodcock is recent series of BBC2 documentaries had a simple principle: take a group of people with an extreme or unusual lifestyle and place in their midst one or two people with entirely opposing values. Openly gay men and rugger-bugger homophobes; caravan-dwelling crusties and Tory councillors; and, in the episode ’m concerned with here, Damien, a journalist, living for a week with members of a strongly proselytizing church (The London Church of Christ, branded a cult by the media.) Somehow Damien is meant to represent “the media” - whatever that means - along with worldly, liberal and cynical values. His friends are intensely worried by this flirtation with a cult: if necessary in seven days’ time they will come and pull him away. (“You'd have thought I was going to Mars not Muswell Hill.”) From the start Damien makes it clear that he is not a potential convert; but to the LCC everyone is. Dave says: “We don’t convert anyone. God does it.” Immediately - as if to cover all bases - he adds, “But we’re going to try.” So for a week Damien experiences the cycle of services, bible-studies and quiet times. We encounter Mark Templar, the charismatic leader (who receives a standing ovation after preaching), the brain-dead teaching and the (bores-me-rigid) morality. The flock is actually quite a likeable trendy bunch - fully aware of their image to outsiders. As one cooks, he self-effacingly pretends to add 2 tsps of brainwashing powder and a pinch of spiritual elitism. The atmosphere is suffocating, but the worst you could say about them as individuals is that they are intense and eccentric.
The programme offered some fascinating vignettes about how such blinkered faith is transmitted and fortified. Early on, Damien is taken to a “sin study” - wherein you read bits of Pauline rage and tick off the ones you've done. For this lot, sin and fallenness are the defining characteristics of humanity. They construct their list of sins - drunkenness and fornication seem to be major problems - and help each other steer clear of these vices by having incredibly dull social evenings together.
Still, they claim to be enjoying themselves.
The elder, a particularly smug moralist, expounds: “Is someone who sleeps with his girlfriend and commits sexual immorality - and justifies that - part of the church?
No! Call me arrogant and proud if you want. You see, I don’t set the standards.” Okay mate, so you as an individual don’t - but evidently as a group you do set the standards (make up the rules and decide when to blow the whistle). When we dissect the LCC’s discourse we see a habit that recurs: turning human choices into Godgiven imperatives, hence diminishing human responsibility and the need for analysis. Dave has to tell himself that his will to convert others is actually God’s. For the elder, it is God, not us, who “sets the standards”. Christian fundamentalism may be an inflexible way of looking at God and the bible but it is also an unimaginative way of looking at humanity: it assumes all choices are bad ones (for they express human desires) except for the Godly and timelessly good ones.
Damien attends a homely bible-study. The pastor (who, even in a small room, has:to shout) depicts the crucifixion in all its gruesome detail, sound effects and all.
He is an awesome storyteller. Preach it brother! “He spent all day hanging on that cross. Why? ‘Cos he loves you and me for our sins - drunkenness, drug-abuse, selfishness... everything we have done wrong. You could imagine the scene in heaven, perhaps. Jesus sees the pain of this world and Jesus says ‘Father I want to help them.’ And God says ‘Son, you don’t understand.
I've got to punish the sin of these people. Either I punish them or someone’s got to take it. If you go there I'll punish you for their sins.” Damien’s response is an incisive question: “Where does this dialogue between Jesus and God come from?” The pastor swallows and confesses. “Nowhere. It’s a story I created... that might illustrate the issues I’m presenting.” Of course he doesn’t acknowledge this as a positive action. To realise that the story is (and always will be) created and modified would be to unravel the fundamentalist’s understanding of God. It is a major embarrassment to have been rumbled embellishing scripture... to be thinking beyond approved understandings of God.
Tim Woodcock is editor of “Movement”, the magazine of the Student Christian Movement EACH COMBER 6&5 sic wens: