Noah Movie is an Adaptation from the Original Genesis Story And So Is the Church

The Noah movie with Russel Crowe follows the pattern of all book adaptations that I have seen. The movie departs substantially from the book. The question is, how much departure is too much?

Image source: http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2014/02/21/do-christians-care-if-noah-movie-jibes-with-bible-survey-says-yep/

Here are three takes on the question:

(1) Fr. Barron "Noah: A Post-Modern Midrash" ("The midrashim—extremely popular in ancient Israel—were imaginative elaborations of the often spare Scriptural narratives.")

[Update 4/15/2014 YouTube: "Fr. Barron comments on 'Noah'"]

(2) The Catholic World Report "Noah: A Theological Reflection: Darren Aronofsky’s controversial film is sometimes divisive and divided, but is also deeply serious about Scripture and essential questions"

(3) Alfonzo Rachel "ZoNATION: Does the Noah Movie Float?"
"Zo knows that liberal Hollywood has long leeched off the Bible to promote their world view. Whether it's making characters that are religious fanatics to make people prejudiced against the Bible, or cherry picking scriptures and twisting what they don't even really believe in to justify their world view. The 2014 Noah movie is no exception."

The traditional Christian understanding of Noah's ark compares it to the Church. The word Church comes from the Latin word ecclēsia (ecclesiastical is the adjective in English). It literally means to "call out from".

In a similar way that Noah, his family, and animals were called out from the fallen, disordered world, Jesus and His Bride the Church are to call all of humanity from its fallen-ness, or sinfulness onto the boat of the Church. We are all called to be passengers on the boat that Jesus built, and baptism is the way onto the boat. We just have to answer the call and follow Jesus on His Way.

Image source: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Arche_No%C3%A9_Vaisseau_Eglise.jpg

So, maybe the latest Noah movie departed from the original Genesis Noah story in some substantial ways. The Church also has in some aspects, but She relies on Jesus for the Way to depart from the world today.

 (The picture above shows Noah's Ark in the upper portion, while the lower portion shows Jesus in the boat with His followers, the Church. Many church building show Noah's ark which represents the Church.)

The Search for Spock and the gods of Genesis

***Spoilers Alert!*** Between Star Trek II and III, there were really three main people who wanted the Genesis device and its "secrets": Dr. David Marcus (Kirk's son), Khan, and Klingon Captain Kruge.

Image source: http://cdn.filmschoolrejects.com/images/startrek2_commentary3.jpg

The Genesis device was capable of bringing to life a dead planet or killing a live one for its "new matrix" (or creating a new planet all by itself from nebula matter some how). In either case, already existing matter had to be present to reorganize matter at the subatomic level.

Dr. David Marcus, Khan, and Captain Kruge wanted the power to create or destroy for themselves (for honor and/or "ultimate power"). It was like the battle of the Roman or Greek gods once again, except now, the mortals used science.

The battle raged between them until they were all dead.

On the other hand, God created the universe (or multiverse, etc.) out of nothing. He (not male, just subject placeholder) created all time, matter, and dimensions. The Book of Genesis describes this in a poetic manner, where the point is that God created it out of love, not domination.

For more on this see this video by Fr. Barron.

The Search for Spock and the Secrets of Genesis

***Spoilers Alert!*** The Klingon Kruge had his mind sent on "ultimate power" in his pursuit of Genesis. He destroyed two vessels with their crew (including his love interest on a cargo vessel; the other one was the science vessel Grissom pictured below) and Kirk's son for its secrets for use as a planet-civilization-destroying weapon.

Image source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/calsidyrose/5421361985/meta/

Just like the devil in the Garden of Eden in the Book of Genesis, Captain Kruge wanted ultimate power and destruction of his enemies. He was jealous of what others had, here the Genesis device. The devil was jealous of the relationship humans had with God.

May we not turn into Klingons.

The Search for Spock and The Fall Guy

***Spoilers Alert!*** Why did David die in Star Trek III: The Search for Spock? The short answer is that he sacrificed himself as the fall guy in order that Spock and Saavik could live.

Image source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/40346087@N02/5314148058/meta/

When the Klingon Captain Kruge ordered that someone be executed on the planet for Project Genesis' secrets, Saavik was the soon-to-be target. Instead, David was executed when he chose to attack the Klingon that was carrying out the execution. David seemed to do it in order to save Saavik, at least temporarily.

I think an alternative explanation below is more interesting and even more relevant to David's motive.

In the scientific-research stage of Project Genesis, it was revealed in this movie that Dr. David Marcus (at least) used proto-matter. Saavik was stunned when David revealed this fact to her in the movie since proto-matter was banned by the scientific community as being too unpredictable. Kirk's son made the excuse that using the contra-banned substance helped solve certain problems in the project.

God made creation for us to prosper in, to love and to be loved. There are almost an infinite number of things that we could legitimately do, with relatively fewer things that God forbids us to do. The main forbidden fruit is to decide for oneself the criteria for good and for bad apart from God. That's God's domain.

In the Genesis story of the Judea-Christian Bible, the forbidden fruit tree in the Garden of Eden represents this knowledge. God said of it, "The LORD God gave the man [Adam] this order: You are free to eat from any of the trees of the garden except the tree of knowledge of good and evil. From that tree you shall not eat; when you eat from it you shall die." (Genesis 2:16-17)

In The Genesis Device's development, when David took the shortcut in using proto-matter, he took to himself the prerogative to decide what was acceptable and unacceptable, or perhaps decided that there is neither criteria for good nor for ill.

Just like when Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit in the Book of Genesis, in what Christians call "The Fall", they did not die right away, it took some time before David took the fall for his actions in Project Genesis. In a similar way that Adam and Eve were thrown out of the Garden of Eden for eating the forbidden fruit, once the forbidden proto-matter did its dirty work, the Genesis Planet creation essentially threw David out of paradise to his death.

David realized that none of the events on the Genesis planet would be happening at all if he had not eaten the proto-matter forbidden fruit. He must have thought that it was a just act to volunteer for the execution. He was the Fall Guy.