DOUBT (2008)

Directed by: John Patrick Shanley
Written by: John Patrick Shanley
Studio: Miramax Films
Starring: Meryl Streep, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Adams
Rated: PG

About the film:
A strict nun suspects a parish priest of taking an improper interest in their Catholic school’s newest charge: a twelve-year-old black boy. Her doubt as to the priest’s morality and propriety continue to grow and feed itself as she works to remove him from his office.

Movie Quote:
“Doubt can be a bond as powerful and sustaining as certainty.”
Father Brendan Flynn (Philip Seymour Hoffman) in Doubt (2008)

Bible Quote:
“Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. ‘You of little faith,’ he said, "Why did you doubt?"
Matthew 14:31 (KJV)

Commentary:
As Father Flynn insinuates, doubt can be a powerful bond. It binds us to worry and fear. Doubt is the first chink in the armor of our believing and, if left unresolved in our minds, it will weaken us and leave us spiritually defenseless.

Two people walked on water in the biblical record of Matthew 14. The first was Jesus. The second was Peter who had asked to join him. And he was successful… at first. But when the winds picked up and the water began to churn, he doubted within himself the very thing he was already doing. And he began to sink.

Eliminating doubt requires us to trust in something larger and more powerful than our own eyes. No matter what our senses tell us; No matter what the situation we are in… it is our believing and unwavering faith that enables us to withstand and prevail.

“He who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does.”
James 1:8 (NIV)

Questions to consider while watching the film:
1. Was Sister Aloysius correct in the way she handled her concerns? How could she have better addressed the issue?
2. When doubt presents itself, how are we to react? What steps can we take to keep our believing strong?

Michael Elliott
http://screensermon.blogspot.com