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TRANSCRIPT:
Episode no. 638
May 23, 2003
BOB ABERNETHY, anchor: Coming up, as war ships return from the Gulf, sailors reflect on war and destruction.
And another MATRIX movie, Hollywood action mingled with spirituality.
Professor LYNN SCHOFIELD CLARK (Director, "Teens and the New Media," School of Journalism and Mass Communication, University of Colorado): One of the things that's really interesting about this film as well as the first film is how much we see a mix of East and West philosophies coming together.
ABERNETHY: Also, it's a right of spring, Catholic second graders making their first communion.
Welcome. I'm Bob Abernethy. It's good to have you with us.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
BOB ABERNETHY: The situation in Iraq moved to yet another new phase this week. The United Nations Security Council overwhelmingly approved a resolution lifting sanctions against Iraq and empowering the U.S. and Britain to govern the nation, using Iraqi oil wealth to rebuild the country. But the U.N. also expressed concerns about the future. Carol Bellamy, head of the U.N. children's agency, UNICEF, conducted an assessment tour of Iraq. She warned that worsening sanitation problems are causing a surge in disease. She also raised concerns about the large amount of potentially lethal ordnance left over from the war.
Meanwhile, thousands of Iraqi Shiite and Sunni Muslims joined together to protest the American occupation. Shiites make up the majority of Iraq's 24 million people, but were long excluded from Saddam Hussein's Sunni Muslim regime.
And more signs of growing Islamic influence: Muslim groups destroyed several breweries in Baghdad and banned the sale of alcohol across the city. Consumption of alcohol is forbidden under strict Islamic law. In Muslim countries, many breweries and liquor stores are owned by Christians.
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BOB ABERNETHY: This Memorial Day weekend, a massive U.S. Navy homecoming at Norfolk, Virginia, as sailors, ships, and planes that had been deployed to support the war in Iraq returned.
One of the ships returning was the guided missile destroyer USS Donald Cook, which opened the war with a missile attack on the bunker in which Saddam Hussein was thought to be. Correspondent Lucky Severson flew out to join the Cook as it approached its home port.
LUCKY SEVERSON: A mighty display of power, heading home from far away places, mostly in the vicinity of Iraq. The 22nd destroyer squadron. And in the middle of this powerful force, the chaplain reminds the sailors that there is an even greater power.
Chaplain MATTHEW STEVENS (USS Donald S. Cook): We recognize your divine providence has gone before us and surrounds us even tonight.
Chaplain Matthew Stevens ministers to the crew of the guided missile destroyer -- USS Donald Cook -- and because there is a shortage of chaplains, he also councils and ministers the young men and women aboard five other warships.
Chaplain STEVENS: What's remarkable is that you'll have a young man or young woman who needed a hall pass only a few years ago to go to the bathroom. Here, after two or three weeks of training, we have them driving the ship.
SEVERSON: There are 340 sailors aboard the Donald Cook. Thirty are women. The average age ranges from 19 to 25, and yet they operate one of the most sophisticated warships ever built.
Commander J.J. Costello is captain of the Donald Cook and he is very proud of the performance of his crew, and so are they. Petty Officer Third Class Duane Anderson:
DUANE ANDERSON (Petty Officer, Third Class): You get a sense of pride because when that Tomahawk leaves the tub and you see it going, you say to yourself, "I just changed history because I launched this Tomahawk this day at this time." We are forever remembered that we were the first to do it.
SEVERSON: History may not have actually been changed, but what the Cook's crew accomplished on March 20 was quite remarkable. It was the first night of the Iraq war, and it was one of the fastest organized cruise missile attacks in naval history. The missiles hit the target, but Saddam had apparently moved on.
Commander J.J. COSTELLO (USS Donald S. Cook): We did it right this time, at least from the Donald Cook perspective, we, you know, we didn't expect to be the center of attention. It just kind of happened by circumstances beyond our control.
SEVERSON: So now the Donald S. Cook is heading home after nearly six long tension-filled months at sea. For the sailors aboard, the war is over. They're proud that they performed their duty, but they'd rather not have to do it again.
Chaplain Stevens says there were many sailors aboard the Cook who were very aware of the devastation they launched toward Iraq.
Chaplain STEVENS: There's been a number of people who've reflected on that at different times. Wondering, speculating, and contemplating the connection between launching the missiles and where the missiles land, what the effect of the missiles are. And it's a serous matter.
SEVERSON: Scott Riley and his younger brother Patrick, like every single sailor we talked with on "the Cook," spoke of duty above all else.
PATRICK RILEY: War is something nobody wants, but when called upon, the ship responded quickly and with training, definitely ready to go.
SCOTT RILEY: We stopped and thought about what was going on, understood what was going on and the consequences. It's nice to know we had the backing of friends and family back home.
SEVERSON: Aboard the newer warships, like the Donald Cook, sailors are now able to watch satellite TV, and so they're not as much in the dark about what is going on in the world as they were in the past. Still, many say they have not seen pictures of Iraqis wounded by stray U.S. missiles, but they have seen pictures of the protesters back home, and have heard the strong criticism of the war from religious leaders, like Catholic bishop Thomas Gumbleton.
Bishop THOMAS GUMBLETON: But I make a special plea to the young people in our military, who I believe have been lied into going to war against the people of Iraq.
SEVERSON: His plea would probably fall on deaf ears aboard the Donald Cook
Chaplain STEVENS: We should look at those protesters and remember that tonight they will go to bed safely in their homes and they will wake up to live a new day of life.
SEVERSON: In Chaplain Stevens' Bible class, it's clear that some sailors have struggled to find a balance between their mission and their religion.
UNIDENTIFIED SAILOR #1: The scripture says there is a time for war and there's a time for peace. This was one such time, that was a time for war. And the end result is, the people are going to be saved and terror is going to be eliminated. So there is much consolation in what we're doing, even though people are going to die.
UNIDENTIFIED SAILOR #2: Every missile firing was a very solemn moment. Nobody was cheering and jumping up and down and stuff like that. It wasn't a fun game, it was a serious event.
SEVERSON: If you look next to the Phalanx Weapon System, you'll see a young sailor reading his Bible. For at least some of the sailors on the Donald Cook, the image is not necessarily a contradiction.
For RELIGION & ETHICS NEWSWEEKLY, I'm Lucky Severson aboard the destroyer Donald Cook.
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BOB ABERNETHY: More than two dozen conservative Christian leaders this week told President Bush they think his road map to peace in the Middle East could lead to a disaster for Israel. In a letter to the president, a coalition of Christian Zionists urged stricter guidelines for the Palestinians. Organizers said the ongoing wave of suicide bombings should prompt a, quote, "fundamental reevaluation" of the road map. While mainline Christians tend to support the Palestinian cause, Christian Zionists support Israel because of its place in biblical prophecy.
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BOB ABERNETHY: The U.S. Justice Department released its most detailed public report yet on how the agency has used its new powers to fight terrorism. Many Muslim groups and civil liberties advocates had worried that the Patriot Act of 2001 would violate rights. But the report contends the FBI used its new powers sparingly with agents from "fewer than 10" field offices visiting mosques during terrorism investigations. Muslim groups had little comment on this week's report. The Islamic Society of North America said every step toward greater FBI transparency eases Muslim apprehensions.
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BOB ABERNETHY: Now, the phenomenon of THE MATRIX. The second MATRIX movie is not only a hugely popular hit but also a provocative topic for theologians, philosophers, and everyone else interested in such questions as what is really real and the relationship of freedom and technology. Kim Lawton has a special report on THE MATRIX RELOADED and the many messages moviegoers are finding in it.
Morpheus, from THE MATRIX RELOADED: What if the prophecy is true? What if tomorrow, the war could be over? Isn't that worth fighting for? Isn't that worth dying for?
KIM LAWTON: THE MATRIX RELOADED is blasting box office records, propelled in large part by dazzling special effects. But underneath the action is an enigmatic story, loaded with theological and philosophical references. Professor Lynn Schofield Clark teaches religion and pop culture at the University of Colorado. She says THE MATRIX reflects many contemporary spiritual trends.
Prof. LYNN SCHOFIELD CLARK (Director, "Teens and the New Media," School of Journalism and Mass Communication, University of Colorado): It really fits well with this younger generation that is really skeptical about religion, and very skeptical about institutions of religion, but at the same time interested in spirituality. It points to the idea that there are much more interesting questions to ask, than finding the answers necessarily.
LAWTON: It's a complex, often confusing tale that began with the first "Matrix" film in 1999. Neo, the hero, learns the world he has been living in is actually a computer-generated program -- the Matrix -- which is dominating humankind.
Morpheus, from THE MATRIX: You could feel it when you go to work, when you go to church, when you pay your taxes. It is the world that has been pulled over your eyes to blind you from the truth. What truth? You are a slave, Neo.
LAWTON: Neo is unplugged from the Matrix and reborn into the real world. He joins up with other rebels who believe he is "The One," prophesied about -- "The One" who will free all humanity from the tyranny of technology.
Morpheus, from THE MATRIX: There is only one way to save our city: Neo.
LAWTON: In the second film, Neo continues to explore his mission as the cataclysmic battle builds between man and machine. Along the way, he confronts questions about the meaning of life, purpose, destiny, good versus evil -- and the old philosophical question over what is real.
Avid viewers have identified allusions to Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism, Taoism, the Ba'hai religion, Greek mythology, Postmodernism, Gnosticism, and Nihilism -- just to name a few.
Prof. CLARK: One of the things that's really interesting about this film as well as the first film is how much we see a mix of East and West philosophies coming together.
LAWTON: Professor Clark is author of a new book, FROM ANGELS TO ALIENS: TEENAGERS, THE MEDIA, AND THE SUPERNATURAL.
Prof. CLARK: Young people are much more interested in the possibilities in all religions or the idea that there might be similarities in different religions because this is a generation that is multicultural and comes with a varied background. And so they've been in interaction with different people and are intrigued by that, that you can learn from different paths.
LAWTON: Some of the religious references are subtle; others more overt.
Morpheus, from THE MATRIX: He is The One.
Prof. CLARK: Neo is identified as "The One." So clearly, those of us who come from a Christian perspective are going to see that he is like the Messiah, but there is also a very clear Buddhist message as well, and that is that "The One" in Buddhism means "the enlightened one," or "the one who has come to a full awareness of what reality really is."
LAWTON: Neo's partner is Trinity, who raises him from the dead in the first film and offers herself as a sacrifice in the second. Neo's mentor is Morpheus. In Greek mythology, Morpheus is the god of dreams. THE MATRIX's Morpheus has been likened to Moses, John the Baptist, and a Zen priest.
Morpheus, from THE MATRIX RELOADED: Tonight, let us make them remember: This is Zion and we are not afraid.
LAWTON: Liberated humans live in Zion. In the Bible, the city of Zion was the capital of God's chosen people and also a prophetic symbol for redeemed humanity.
Morpheus is captain of a ship called the Nebuchadnezzar -- the ancient Babylonian king who sacked Jerusalem and in the "Book of Daniel," had disturbing dreams about future kingdoms. Also clear is Neo's affinity for the Eastern-infused martial arts.
Prof. CLARK: People who are practitioners of the martial arts say that you really have to have a sense of Buddhism and Taoism when you are practicing the martial arts to really reach the higher levels of the art.
LAWTON: Professor Clark believes the film works because different people come away with different interpretations of its meaning.
Prof. CLARK: You can find Christian Web sites that talk about the gospel and THE MATRIX and read it very allegorically from that perspective. And another really interesting thing that I found, the Soka Gakkai is one of the fastest-growing Buddhist groups in the U.S., very popular on university campuses -- they actually use THE MATRIX as a way to open discussions about Buddhism, about Buddhist practices among young people.
LAWTON: THE MATRIX raises many ultimate questions that transcend specific traditions. While the first film dealt largely with concepts of truth, reality, and the material world, the second explores themes of purpose and control.
Prof. CLARK: I think that's a really interesting question: "Who controls who in the Matrix?" There's that struggle between -- are we controlling the machines or are they really controlling us? There is a constant question going on in the movie: "How much free choice do we really have and how much of it is that we are just playing out the destiny of our lives?"
LAWTON: The questions of THE MATRIX are many, the answers few, and mostly cryptic.
Prof. CLARK: You see that in Buddhism as well as Christian parables. The idea there is a riddle to solve, a story that we can't know exactly what it means, a lot of different ways to understand it. But we know there is some truth in it.
LAWTON: Perhaps many truths to be further revealed in the third MATRIX movie due in November.
I'm Kim Lawton reporting.
ABERNETHY: The creators of the MATRIX movies are reclusive brothers, Larry and Andy Wachowski. The Wachowskis have refused to talk about their beliefs or what they think are the religious and philosophical messages of their films.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
BOB ABERNETHY: The Supreme Court has agreed to consider whether government money can be spent on religious education. The case involves a student in Washington State. He had won a scholarship to attend a college affiliated with the Assemblies of God. But when the state learned he was going to major in theology, it withheld the funds. Fifteen states prohibit the use of their money to pay for theology training. The issue is whether these bans infringe on the freedom to practice religion.
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BOB ABERNETHY: Twenty-four different groups, including vegetarians, Hindus, and Sikhs, are going to share a $10 million settlement in the case of McDonald's French fries. The plaintiffs, who don't eat meat for personal or religious reasons, had thought they were eating fries flavored with pure vegetable oil until McDonald's acknowledged it had been using oil flavored by beef. McDonald's agreed to the settlement last year. It took until this week for a judge to decide how the $10 million would be split up.
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BOB ABERNETHY: International humanitarian groups are asking for guidelines on the use of genetically modified food in their emergency programs to combat famine. Because of food safety concerns, some European nations bar the importation of genetically modified food. One suggestion is that food used in relief and development programs have a certificate of origin.
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BOB ABERNETHY: From time to time on this program we have done stories on the Trappist monastery Mepkin Abbey in South Carolina and its remarkable Abbot, Father Francis Kline.
Today, an update. If you are a monk who has taken a vow of poverty, what do you do if someone gives you several million dollars worth of art?
Seven times a day, the 30 monks of Mepkin Abbey gather to chant the Psalms and pray. But especially for their Abbot, Father Francis, the outside world keeps coming in. First, there was a $3 million fund-raising campaign to build a library for Mepkin's 35,000 books, many of them rare. Father Francis is a world-class organist, and he raised some of the money giving concerts.
Then last weekend in Charleston, another fund-raiser and the first exhibition of a huge new gift -- more than 1,000 paintings worth several million dollars. The late Italian artist, Ugo Tesoriere, left all his work to Father Francis, an old friend. But because of his vow of poverty, the Abbot gave everything to the monastery.
Father FRANCIS KLINE (Abbot, Mepkin Abbey): The ancient monastic views would include the possibility of no personal ownership. It would exclude that.
ABERNETHY: The artist had wanted the Abbot personally to promote his work.
Father KLINE: He was very explicit about that. "You will make me known. You will make sure that people appreciate this." That was very clear, yes. It wasn't given to me or the monastery as a gift, but as a responsibility.
ABERNETHY: Mepkin will sell most of the paintings and keep about 100 to exhibit to its 20,000 visitors a year.
Father KLINE: It all goes together. All art endeavors refine the human spirit, and that's what we are about. The beauty of the landscapes that we own and that we steward and especially anything that is left with us as an artistic legacy that somehow furthers the contemplation of God.
ABERNETHY: But how to care for books and gardens and now a huge collection of paintings without interfering with the other work the monks came to Mepkin to do? Father Francis says the key is to proceed with all his new responsibilities very slowly.
Father KLINE: "I say to the Lord, 'You are my Lord.'"
ABERNETHY: What Mepkin Abbey is doing continues an old tradition. Monasteries have been safeguarding artwork and manuscripts for at least 1,000 years.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
BOB ABERNETHY: This week, a Belief and Practice segment. May is the time of year when Catholic second-graders -- seven-year-olds -- make their first communion.
In Catholic practice, receiving the Eucharist means children can now participate fully in the Mass. First Communion is a milestone in the life of a Catholic child.
Recently, at St. John Fisher parish in Chicago there were 84 first-time communicants. Elena Chermak, director of religious education, describes the service.
ELENA CHERMAK (Director of Religious Education, St. John Fisher Parish, Chicago): Years ago, when I received my First Communion, we knew it was a sacred event. We learned it was a sacrament. A sacrament was an outward sign instituted by Christ to give grace.
At age seven children have reached the age of reason. They understand the idea that they are responsible for their actions.
They are invited to come to church, to join everyone at the most significant part, which is actually receiving the Eucharist. And so they feel more grown up and they feel, now we can really see what it means to be Catholic and Christian.
Unidentified Girl: Help our families become one big family around this table with You and Jesus and the Holy Spirit.
Ms. CHERMAK: We allow them to taste the host ahead of time -- it's flour and water.
The word Eucharist actually means "thanksgiving." Jesus had, at the end of his life, a meal with his friends.
Unidentified Priest: He broke the bread, and gave it to his friends, saying, take this, all of you, and eat it. This is my body, which will be given up for you. In the same way, he took a cup of wine. Again he gave you thanks. He handed the cup to his disciples, saying: take this, all of you, and drink from it. This is the cup of my blood.
Ms. CHERMAK: It's the prayer of the priest -- the prayer of the entire congregation. And the intervention of God that allows this flour and water, and this wine, to become the sacred meal: the body and blood of Jesus. Then they proclaim the mystery of our faith: "Christ has died, Christ is risen."
Congregation: Christ will come again.
Ms. CHERMAK: Children, 30 years ago or so, received by opening their mouths because they felt they were not worthy to touch the host and that only the consecrated hands of the priest were deemed to distribute this host and that understanding has changed.
Children receive the Eucharist in their hands today because they have a notion that they are feeding themselves. When they receive the Eucharist, we're saying you have one of the most powerful forces in the universe within you. So now, with this powerful food, go out and serve other people.
Will the children receive wine today? Yes, they will receive the wine. They should receive both forms, the body and blood of Jesus: bread and wine. To prepare them we give them just a little sip of wine in their classrooms. We say, "Just take a little sip," so they aren't surprised with the taste of it.
Now they know that when they come to church that they sing, say the responses, they listen to the readings, and they go to communion. So we're teaching them to take a more active role in the Catholic Church.
The families are very excited about this day. They baptized their children seven or eight years ago and now they are so very proud to see that that little child they brought so long ago has grown up to be someone who can stand on their own and proudly sing and pray and proclaim that they are part of God's family now, too. On their own.
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BOB ABERNETHY: While those children are at the beginning of their religious life, Pope John Paul II is contemplating the end of his. The Pope celebrated his 83rd birthday last Sunday. He said as he begins his 84th year, quote, "I am increasingly aware that the day is drawing near when I will have to present myself to God and make an accounting of my whole life." He reminded a crowd of birthday well-wishers that no age can be considered an obstacle to a perfect life. Meanwhile, for the first time, Vatican officials have confirmed what observers have long suspected. John Paul is indeed suffering from Parkinson's disease.
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BOB ABERNETHY: That's our program for now. I'm Bob Abernethy. There's much more on our Web site. For audio and video clips from this program and special interviews, essays, commentaries, and links to other resources, join us at PBS.org or American Online keyword: PBS.
As we leave you this week, the liturgical dance at the First Communion Services at St. John Fisher Parish in Chicago.
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