Opinion: The battle of the DVDs: Moore vs. the Word of God

10/27/04With the presidential election rapidly approaching, both John Kerry and George Bush have taken the fight to the video store. In one corner, you have filmmaker Michael Moore, relying on well-documented facts as his weapons of choice. In the other corner, you have filmmaker David Balsiger, relying on none other than what he says is the Word of God.

On Tuesday, October 5, Moore's film "Fahrenheit 9/11" was released on DVD and became one of the best selling documentaries of all time. Public showings on college campuses and in activist meetings throughout the country made sure that Americans would be exposed to Moore's argument against the President: he is a weak-minded, lying, manipulator that cannot be trusted.

On that same day, filmmaker and Bush-advocate David Balsiger released "George W. Bush: Faith in the White House" on DVD. Three-hundred-thousand copies of the film were immediately distributed to churches around the country. Religious groups have been touting it as a factual alternative to Moore's film which, they say, is pure propaganda.

In Balsiger's film, Bush is depicted as a man of deep conviction and faith that turns to God in difficult times. Young actors trace his life through childhood, a reckless and misspent mid-life, and the ultimate transformation into a divinely-inspired leader ready to launch America into the new century. Basically, Bush, as the prodigal son turned Christ. One scene even displays a split-screen image of the President and Jesus in front of an American flag.

Any arguments rooted in facts (i.e. Moore's) are shunned as non-relevant in the face of God's plan for America. The film leads to the conclusion that, in times like these, we have to have faith in God and our leader, God's representative in our nation. The film closes with the narrator asking, "Will George W. Bush be allowed to finish the battle against the forces of evil that threaten our very existence?" Basically, a vote for anyone but Bush equals the end of time.

"Faith in the White House" is not likely to play a huge role in the election's outcome. The film targets the President's pre-existing, religious base. "Fahrenheit 9/11," on the other hand, has been well-received in the American mainstream and Michael Moore has personally registered thousands of young voters during his Slacker Uprising Tour. Kerry can only hope that the majority of Americans, especially the precious swing voters, are typically swayed more by fact than fiction.

The real issue here is the growing divide between faith and reason in America. Films like "Faith in the White House" only serve to reinforce the feeling amongst evangelicals and other faithful that you're either with Bush or against God.