User:Jtabo

Introduction:

The God Committee is a film about a group of Doctors that gather together and make decisions on who should receive an organ. This film took place in NY in a Hospital of the time where it’s known for Doctors to work and where Doctors can hold confidential information for patients. It starts in 2014 with an organ of a young boy and jumps through different periods. One of the main characters, Doctor Boxer goes after his goals and tries to achieve his ability to provide every human being with an organ of an animal. So he can no longer have to say no to patients who don't meet the criteria. He does as well go through his hardship within his heart failing him. Investors that are donating to his goal eventually stop donating after one of the investors stops donating due to Doctor Boxer's heart failure. Doctor Boxer in a sense feels guilty asking for a heart organ when so many people out there need one. They base who receives an organ on who has the support of their family and income to pay off the medical debt. In this case, they were debating on who shall receive a heart of a young boy. This is a ritual they go through every day. It shows how we as humans are experiential, materialistic, practical, and even mythical morally and ethically. It goes to show we want things of God in ourselves.

Ninian Smart's Seven Dimensions of Religion

Ritual Dimension: In this film, the ritual that was done every day was announcing the pros and cons of an individual receiving an organ. Saying either yes or no to a human being and to see if they are worthy of life. By going through their formal questions in an informal format.

Experiential Dimension: The film showed observations of why some people should and/or shouldn't have another person's organ. For example, It showed mixed feelings and trauma for a Doctor who's a father of his daughter's death through mental illness and a father going through a mental disorder and providing for his family. This Doctor couldn't make a vote because it hit too close to home, at least in the beginning.

Mythological Dimension: The mythological dimension in this film was the way Doctor Boxer hoped to be able to provide everyone with an organ instead of turning anyone away. He showed bitterness and determination to become successful in achieving his goal for everyone to have an organ without being turned down and having to die. The exception of Doctor Boxer does not believe in God because he has never seen him.

Ethical Dimension: Due to the Doctors' moral values they all came across and chose to pick who gets a heart organ. They decided who gets the organ by deciding whether they are good or bad people. For example, they were debating between a man who had mental health issues with a family that all depended on him, a woman who didn't want an organ, and a young man who was starting to create a family and was wealthy.

Institutional Dimension: In this case, it revolved around the 2014 committee meeting. Each character showed they got along well with others and had pure intentions, this was helping people. Which is why most of the time people choose to become Doctors.

Material Dimension: In this film, they show they are very materialistic in their final decision without caring about the individual's health, whether the patient can live or die through the surgery. They choose the one that was donating money to the hospital. Although he was allergic to some medication that can potentially kill the patient.

Doctrinal Dimension: In this film, they have a system of questions they follow to make the right decisions to give the right person the heart organ. They end up giving the heart organ to someone who ends up dying because of an allergic reaction and the Doctor in the first chair loses her position for making a decision knowing that it can kill the young man.

Conclusion:

To conclude, Ninian Smart's Seven Dimensions of Religion are in this film, some more than others. Overall this movie was not so bad. Definitely out of your norm when it comes to religion but it does have factors of the Seven Dimensions of Religion. They are played differently in this film. Less spirituality and more of a physical environment.