Soul Surfer and the aftermath

We went out as a family to see Soul Surfer and I was pleasantly surprised by the manner in which it depicted a true story about a person who happens to have lost her arm to a shark...and happens to be a Christian. Her name is Bethany Hamilton.

The shark attack was very realistic - which means, this was not Jaws. It happened, quickly, suddenly, unexpectedly, and then it was over, and the race for survival was on. The focus was never "the shark", and there's a theme here that suggests to us the adversity that punctuates our lives should not be allowed to become the focus. I appreciated how they showed this.It was also nice to see a movie that is advertised for families and does NOT include adult-innuendos and toilet humour that parents hope their kids don't get, or don't ask about - pandering to the lowest common denominator this film did not.

But, another topic presents itself which demands attention. What bothered me is reading reviews by people who say "not bad but they should have warned me it was a Jesus movie" or "decent but the religion angle turned me off" and other such claptrap.

The movie is based on a true story. Bethany Hamilton is who she is, and her story is being told. Why - how - could her faith be removed from her story? Her faith is an integral part of her story.

People who are theophobic are the ones with the problem.

Christians can and must endure the 95% of movies that depict people living Godless lives. Why is it so difficult for a story to be told, fictitious or factual, that happens to include something about faith?

At the end of the day, this young lady is an inspiration. Through ministry and the selfless act of helping others, she came to appreciate that she could still be constructive with her circumstances, dire as they may have appeared to be.

And this had nothing to do with being around people less fortunate in order to feel good about one's situation. She genuinely had a change of heart with respect to her own life, and it propelled her forward.

This movie was good-natured, honest, and inspiring. With all the crap that's out there these days, we could all use a little good-nature, honesty and inspiration.