"Caprica"

Caprica is a new television series that has recently premiered on Syfy.  Only three episodes have aired, and they are all currently online (You can watch them on Hulu or Syfy. FYI, this show does contain some heavy PG-13 level content).  Though I have found myself caring about the characters and interested in the story, it is the writers use of worldviews in characterization and conflict that I have appreciated most.

The tagline of the show lets the viewer know there's more to it than mere drama: "The future of humanity begins with a choice."  The writers communicate that no one just makes a choice, but everyone operates from a set of beliefs that inform and move him or her to make the choices he or she makes - one's worldview or belief system.  Episode 1 hints at the larger and more complex use of worldviews to establish characters and conflict, but Episode 2 bothers with no such subtlety.

These worldviews come clashing together as the show's writers begin asking questions and making statements about human life and morality.  Is there absolute good and evil.  Are there absolutes at all?  What makes a human...human?  What constitutes life?  Is a human mind just a really phenomenal biological computer, or are we more?  What is the soul? 

Daniel: What if you could copy all the information that makes up a person and put them in a program and bring them back to life.  What if you could copy the soul.
Joseph: You can't copy a soul.
Daniel: How do you know?
Joseph: I don't know.  I just know what I know.

Those of the monotheistic cult in the show are the only ones that believe in absolutes, that god has declared what is good and what is evil.  The society at large is polytheistic and has its laws and principles, but it is clear they are grounded on nothing - no foundation to base these laws and principles on (Jesus gives a great illustration/metaphor/word picture for this).  As one character said, "You can rationalize anything."

And rationalize the people do as the writers begin to contrast belief systems and how one's beliefs clearly affect how one lives.  The writers accurately portray that a people with no absolutes are a people guided only by selfish desires and ambition.  Belief in the supernatural does not automatically provide a ground for absolutes or real good and evil, and the show reveals this.

The writers of this show also accurately portray the depravity of man.  Even in these first two episodes they have revealed an understanding of man's nature, showing that the time and place of man does not change who he is, all that changes are the methods we use to feed our nature and glory of self.

And here's the truth: We are all evil, selfish through and through, born as totally depraved creatures.  Mankind has not changed from the days of the Colosseum; we have merely changed how we feed those same desires.  Of your own accord you will  never proceed toward a brighter and better future of your own life nor will we as a people.  Each one of us is on our own personal path of destruction toward the dead end of death to spend an eternity in Hell for sinning against a Holy God.

We have sinned against God.  We have wronged and turned our backs on our Creator.  We have given him 'the finger' and yelled, "Screw off!" as we turned and went our own way.  This is a big deal, this is a massive deal because He is holy.  He was our Father and we said, "No, I do not want you.  I don't want your goodness.  I don't want your love.  I don't want to live in such a way that is selfless.  I want to be god.  I want to be the most important thing.  No, take your love and shove it.  Take your holiness, your perfectness (and I mean your perfect justice, patience, kindness, hatred of evil, all that really good perfect stuff you are and have) because I want me," and we lost it.  We chose the path of death and destruction away from God to suffer the consequences forever, in this life and the next.

But God said, "No, I will save you from yourself though you are ill-deserving of it.  Though you have made yourselves My enemies, I will save you.  Though you have dumped gasoline on your lives and lit the match, I will rescue you," and He sent His Son, Jesus Christ -- God become man, the God-man -- and He lived the life we could not and choose not to live, and He died the death and took the punishment we deserve on the cross, and three days later He rose from the dead to the eternal life all of us desire but could not attain in victory over Satan, sin, and death; and He said, "Repent of your sins and believe on Me for salvation - the forgiveness of your sins and eternal life in Heaven, a reconciled and restored relationship with your Heavenly Father - your Creator - to be forever indwelt by the Holy Spirit - God Himself, and a life of purpose, meaning, value, peace, joy, hope, and love - redemption, real salvation."

• (Here's how another person puts it.)

Leave your life of death behind where you glorify yourself to your own end, where you rationalize the evil deeds that destroy you and others and repent: see your sin, sorrow over your sin, confess your sin, hate your sin [1], and turn from your sin to believe on Jesus Christ for salvation - eternal, abundant life.

• (Want another good illustration/metaphor/word picture?  Like candy?  I thought so.  How this looks for a real life situation?  Here's a few: Francis Chan and Johnny Cash and Robert Robinson.  Check out one, two, or all three.).

All that said, I'm looking forward to the third episode.