Ordet

"Something happened." "Was it love?" "No, it was Søren Kierkegaard." Amid the seriousness of the film, I didn't expect there was a line that drew a laugh. I haven't finished reading Kierkegaard's Either/Or, or any of his, but I know this film challenges the same way Kierkegaard challenged the church back in the 1800s--do we practice and live up to what we say about our faith? Most people would belittle Johannes for his loss of sense of reality, but were his ravings and preaches merely delusion? His disparaging of his father is equivalent to Jesus disparaging his disciples for their lack of faith. His father, Morten, may believe that he had the most unwavering faith, but he seems to have extreme doubts towards the possibility of him experiencing a miracle. Ordet is full of paradoxes: one who believes that he has the firmest faith yet, he doubts a miracle; the doctor who relies more on scientific skills rather than God's intervention yet is the one who holds the pastor from interfering with Johannes; the pastor who supposed to have a rather undoubtedly faith but doubts for a miracle, and so on. Faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.