I watched The Truman Show a few years ago. It didn't make a huge impression on me though I thought it was kind of cute. It didn't seem to be realistic. Duh.
I watched it again on TV a few weeks ago and it fascinated me. So I bought it and have watched it six or seven times in the last week. I don't pretend to know if a meaning was intended by the author or the producers. I haven't read up on that. But the whole idea spawned a number of theological observations - probably obvious to most, but "insights" to me.
SPOILER ALERT: IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THE MOVIE GO WATCH IT SEVERAL TIMES BEFORE PROCEEDING - FOCUS ON THE LAST 10 MINUTES OR SO.
Free will versus God's will. How can we claim God's will is being done in the world without the acknowledging that means He controls things, at least when He wants to? How can I be "free" if at any time He can reach in and make happen what He wants to happen. As when the Creator discusses how they had to contrive things to keep Truman on the island.
This issue strikes at the center of my (obviously limited) understanding of the Theistic and Deistic worldviews. Theism says (among other things) that God created and is involved. Deism says God created and then left things to carry on to natural consequences.
In that respect, Truman did not seem to have free will as long as he was totally ignorant of his world. His situation was controlled, unlike a deist view of natural consequences. He moved to free will by breaking away, fooling the Creator. The implication is that he "grew up." Much as the serpent said to Eve "you will be like gods."
But the direction of the movie has a person rooting for Truman to "escape." That is contrary to traditional Christian views but shown to be the better way. To carry it the direction a Christian would go, Truman should have stopped, realized the Creator was providing him his best life and stayed in his little town - adoring the Creator for having given him so much.
So, we are given free will and then our best decision is to not use it? OK, sometimes I overthink.
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