4/06/2005

Forcing the Redemption

I just finished watching a Flash animation series called "Broken Saints." It was essentially a comic-book series on steroids. Very well done technically, but I can't say I like the underlying philosophy. A lot of people seem to equate the Messianic Age with people being forced to do good. Ergo, if people put together what is essentially a global mind-control network, they can use it to bring about a rough equivalent to the Messianic Age. Simple, right?

In Judaism, there have always been two ways that the Messianic Age could be brought about. Either we could merit it through our deeds, or else it can be imposed by God to prevent a total destruction. But in either event, the purpose of the Messianic Age is to provide people an ideal environment in which to do good. But we would still be left with free will, and the choice to do good or evil remains. It will just be easier to do good.

The drive among some people to deny others their free will is unsettling. They don't seem to realize that it is our freedom of action that makes us human. Not some intrinsic lifeforce, not some collective organism in which we all share. Free will. Remove that, and we are no longer human.

Although this mindset goes a long way towards explaining the attitudes of specific groups of people. The politics of the series were rather distinctive, to say the least. One of the protagonists was an Iraqi terrorist (and this series was begun in 2001!).

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Did you get a DVD, or did you find it online? Do tell :-D.