Omnipotence and Evil in Dogma

Dogma (1999) is a Kevin Smith film about faith and religion. The overall plot of the movie centers around a woman’s pilgrimage to save the universe from being unmade. Two angels, Bartleby and Loki, were cast out of Heaven for defying God’s will. They find out that there is a loophole being promoted by the Catholic Church. On the centennial, a certain archway is being raised in New Jersey that would provide forgiveness for anyone’s sins who chooses to walk beneath it. If the angels walk beneath they can be forgiven, and if they become mortal and die afterwards then they can theoretically go back to heaven. As we find out, this process would prove the infallibility of God, and thus unmake existence. Due to this, Bethany is called upon by the angel Metatron to stop these two fallen angels because she is the last descendant of Christ. Along the way, she meets two prophets, an apostle, and a muse to help her way, while a demon (ex-muse) attempts to stop them.

            Bethany begins the film with many doubts about her faith. She feels apathetic and actively misses having the blind faith of a child. Throughout the film we discover Bethany’s crisis of faith ultimately stems from the question that J.L. Mackie delves into in his essay Evil and Omnipotence. Why is there evil in the world if God is ultimately Good, as well as omnipotent? Having these three things be true is a paradox, because if God is Omnipotent and Good, he would destroy all Evil. If God is Good and there is Evil in the world, then he must not be omnipotent. If God is Omnipotent and there is Evil in the world, then he cannot be Good. While this is a very convincing logical argument that basically discredits Christianity in the way in which we’ve interpreted it, it is also a question asked by common people all the time. It is this question that has driven Bethany to her crises of faith. This question is not really answered in the film. Bethany receives proof of God, heaven, and hell directly, and so no philosophy was necessary to discount this essential logical problem.

            However, throughout the film there is little that appears to be truly evil. The viewer is made to pity the fallen angels and their plight. They are truly pitiful in their emptiness and rage. Their actions seem like the tantrums of children, just seeking attention from a beloved parent figure. Even the demon Azrael becomes pitiful. His existence is so horrible that he would unmake all of existence just to be free of it. While these characters ultimately act in horrible ways, they are extremely relatable. This gives reason and understanding to their actions, and no longer lets the reader just assume that they are just Evil. Through this story the lines of Good and Evil are blurred, and so the question of how can God exist with this much Evil in the world is no longer relevant, because what really is Evil? While I don’t think J.L. Mackie would agree with this response, I think this is an idea that appeals to many people. Can Evil really exist when everyone is acting through basic human emotions? Can you really blame someone for wanting to go home anyway possible? I think it’s an interesting line of debate.

            I also found it interesting that while the movie makes a clear point to claim that it’s the ideas that matter and not the religion, it focuses very specifically on Catholicism. I realize that the reason behind this was likely because of a connection between Catholicism and Kevin Smith (the writer and director), but it’s interesting because the Catholic religion specifically results in the fallacy of Evil and an Omnipotent and Good God. In the Hebrew Bible God is not portrayed as perfectly Good, in fact He is portrayed as vengeful and unforgiving. In many polytheistic religions, gods are not shown to be necessarily Good either. While this film looks at the topic from a Catholic point of view, it is also brings into question whether God is perfectly Good. Was it right that She condoned the mass genocide of people through Loki? Was it right to cast down Azrael for remaining neutral in the war? Is it right to allow any of the injustices that go on in the world? Is the divide between angels and man just? Most of the questions are asked by Bartleby, who becomes unreliable after he finds out Bethany may be trying to kill him and Loki for wanting to return home. While he seems the most philosophical of all the characters, questioning the morality of God’s decisions, he then turns into a megalomaniacal character bent on returning home, and thus, as Loki puts it, declaring war on God. So while the movie brings up the question of God’s innate Goodness, the character that does so the most becomes insane and perhaps the most Evil of all of the characters. So while this may be a valid question, we are dissuaded from asking it by the end of the film.