Posted by
Sam Heath on Saturday, March 08, 2008 2:32:34 PM
“Cabin in the Sky” was a very memorable experience for me. I saw the film at the Fox Theater in Bakersfield when it was released in 1943, and as a youngster the impact on my imagination was considerable. Being born and raised among Christian Fundamentalists and grandad being the preacher in our small Little Oklahoma church on the corner of Cottonwood and Padre in southeast Bakersfield I had considerable Bible learning with which to assess the film, and a pretty good understanding of it throughout. Grandad’s thunderous preaching of hellfire and damnation had made a mighty impression on me, so I was rooting for Gabriel, Little Joe, and Petunia throughout the movie.
It was easy for me to relate to the business of Lucifer Junior and Gabriel doing battle for the soul of Little Joe and Petunia doing everything she could to thwart Junior’s plans, and the scene of the Devil’s headquarters with all that refrigeration equipment reminded me of my grandparents’ ice house on the corner of 4th and Chester downtown; though the teaching I had received about hell being a place of fire and brimstone did cause me to wonder about the Devil and his minions needing such an icebox to be comfortable. I had the idea hell filled with flames was the Devil’s proper abode.
Just goes to show how things can get a little mixed up in a child’s mind when it comes to religious instruction. The Lake of Fire is where the Devil and his angels along with all those damned to perdition are going to end up; so why wouldn’t that refrigeration be appropriate to hell’s headquarters while concocting plans to get the soul of Little Joe? But this still jarred with the idea of hell being the Devil’s domain and his being comfortable in the heat without need of air conditioning. Then to confuse matters further, there is the Bible teaching of the lost being cast into outer darkness. This doesn’t seem to jibe with the flames of hell. Well, the thousands of books, literally, written on the subject have only added to the confusion, which, given it is all speculation anyhow is understandable.
To be fair, it isn’t just religion that becomes confusing about things like heaven and hell; just try to make sense of our own government. I’ll say it again; politics is a dirty business, it attracts only those that want power and authority over others, something no truly good person wants, it appeals to many of the worst traits in human beings and no truly good person wants to become a politician. Politics is a dirty business and it appeals to dirty people that lie to get elected and lie to stay elected, reflecting the opinion of Sam Clemens that an honest politician “is one that hasn’t had time to sell out.” But I go a step further in saying the person has to sell out in order to become elected in the first place, something with which Emerson and Thoreau agreed; and upon further reflection I am sure Sam would have agreed as well.
But I never think of politicians among the “saved” or any of those that are going to escape the flames of hell, or that outer darkness whatever it may consist of. Politicians are among the “lost” of the Bible in my opinion. Jesus said not many are going to be saved, a pretty grim assessment, and I doubt there will be any politicians among them.
However, when it comes to the distinction between saved and lost my mind is drawn to the parable of the Sower and I keep thinking about seed and life. Studies of Soteriology include not only the doctrine of Free Will but that of Election as well, Predestination as some have it. But just who are these “elect” of Scripture? It is virtually impossible to come to agreement on the issue as the literally thousands of books on these subjects bear witness; whole schools of theology have grown up around the issues oftentimes setting “brother against brother” in the process.
The matter of “nurturing a tender conscience” as the Scripture has it requires an effort of the will. But where does this leave those like babies that have not matured to that stage where they can even consider matters of conscience? Now if I were farming I would not choose to plant foxtails, however in thinking about the universe filled with galaxies I do wonder about the Sower of these, if in fact the universe itself is not a reflection of the enemy in the Parable of the Tares coming in under the cloak of darkness and sowing foxtails in the lot. Maybe Jesus was really on to something in this, since in the end the angels are sent in to separate the good from the bad.
This is how I view the world, that both good and bad seed are planted. Some seed does not have the germ of life, some never produce fruit for one reason or another, some grow to be politicians or the monsters that prey on women and children, the tyrants and despots of history. But as Jesus pointed out, every tree is known of its fruit and you don’t expect both bitter water and sweet from the same fountain. And this is how I view politicians in particular.