Review of The Believer

As the title of this review says, I now have really noticed how much me and the character Danny Balint had in common about "God." I was raised a Roman Catholic Christian. However, it wasn't until I learned of the fanatical born-again Christian movement that pretty much consumed me at a time of my life when I was vulnerable and weak to the whole notion of depending on "God" as my only hope and happiness. Then I learned from the born-again perspective about a "God" that they said was all loving, yet, if you didn't believe this, this, and this, you were going to the lake of fire, also known as hell. Me being very hard on myself and negative already, thought of myself going to hell, because I couldn't seem to believe what they said as true Christianity or feel that "saved" experience. It really frustrated me and I developed an anger against "God" and Jesus. It made me feel so intense at how a "God" could just damn people who thought differently, especially the "if you don't believe this, this and this you will burn" thought process. However, times have changed, and I now realize that these born-again Christian people for the most part, are dysfunctional people who need to believe this fantasy. They are weak, insecure, ignorant and can't think for themselves. Many had serious problems already for them needing to be "born-again." Now of course this doesn't apply to all born-again Christians, some are less fanatical than others and don't have or to a lesser degree of ignorance and non-realistic views. But it applies to a lot of them. I didn't join an anti-Christian group and attack Christians but I felt the anger and rage that Danny felt. I was going back and forth on my beliefs. One minute i'm a bible believer, the next i'm not a bible believer, I loved "God" and next I hated "God", first I was against catholics (as Born agains are and vica versa) next I was with catholics against born agains...I had a messed up psychological concept of having double and contradicting beliefs, I didn't know who I was and wanted to be what others were. I see Danny Balint and I know what he went through because I feel I went through a similar thought process. All though I still have a loyalty to Roman Catholicism as a heritage feeling and I do feel if any "church" has a right to be called "The Church" it is the Roman Catholic Church due to historical facts. I consider myself an agnostic, because to be honest with you, I REALLY DON'T KNOW and as my life gets more interesting, I really don't care. I think Ryan Gosling is a little overrated, a little stiff. But, he did a decent job here. People can believe what they want, if it makes them a better person than that is all that matters. It is when they impose their beliefs - and that is all they are...beliefs - on others that it becomes ignorant and wrong. And it isn't only the ridiculous born-again cult-like movement that has grown over the years, the same goes for Roman Catholicism, other Protestant sects, Judaism, Islam and other religions. They all to me have ignorant and wrong belief systems that make me shake my head, lol. But, back to the movie, I can relate big time.