I came across this post on Think Christian concerning the TV show The X-Files and its spiritual/scientific standings. I thought the following was a pretty dead-on description:
I was a big fan of The X-Files back in the 90s, and was frequently impressed by its earnest and occasionally nuanced exploration of the conflict between a faith-based worldview (Mulder and his ability to believe in most anything) and Scully’s scientific, agnostic worldview (capable of clinging to scientific explanations far beyond the point of reason). I liked that the show tried to depict each worldview respectfully, and over the course of the series pitted each character up against challenges that threatened their particular understanding of the cosmos. I wouldn’t describe the show’s spiritual themes as particularly deep; it never got much more specific than “faith vs. science”—but at the time there weren’t many other shows exploring that theme with the same earnestness.
He couldn’t be any more right. I used to watch The X-Files constantly while growing up. I’ve probably seen every episode. It was always interesting to me because it wasn’t like any other show. Sure, it had “unrealistic” things such as aliens, but that wasn’t anything new: so many sci-fi shows had the same thing. But what made The X-Files so interesting was you walked away from it with a new way of thinking. Unlike most shows, not only was it entertaining, but it was thought-provoking. It walked the line between science and spiritualism very closely, presenting both sides respectfully and inquisitively. TV could use more shows that not only entertain you, but challenge your thoughts and beliefs so that you grow stronger in them and come to full terms with what you actually believe.
I haven’t seen the new X-Files movie, but I’m sure I’ll see it sometime soon.
Testing Disqus
The movie is good my friend, too bad it flopped across the country, not many die-hard fans like me and you I guess, but screw them. . . The movie was excellent, highly recommend you see it.
Thanks for the link–and I hope you’ll share your thoughts about the new X-Files movie on your blog when you do get a chance to see it.
I’m hoping to catch it this weekend sometime…