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During my first year at university I had a copy of Mulder's "I Want to Believe" poster on my wall. It seems somewhat ironic now that, at the time, I would've been willing to embrace almost any worldview or philosophy ... except biblical Christianity! Obviously I've changed my mind since then, but I think that sentiment (someone says/thinks "I'm open-minded" when in reality they are quite closed-minded to Christianity and open to nearly anything else) is prevalent in universities.

I am both a fan of the X-Files and a Christian. One of the things that I have always appreciated about the show is that it does not exclude Christian thought; rather, it can be shown to embrace it. Despite her firm belief in science, Scully is a Christian who struggles with her faith many times throughout the show. The quote I always remember is from season one, "Miracle Man." She says, " I was raised a Catholic, and I have a certain familiarity with the scriptures. And God never lets the Devil steal the show." Perhaps most notable of this commitment is the trademark cross necklace she wears for all nine years of the series. After her struggle with cancer, she overcomes her belief that she has lost her faith and returns to church. After witnessing an alien spaceship which the shows' main villian claims proves that "There is no God," Scully gets on her knees and prays. This ends up saving her partner's life. It's a quite powerful juxtaposition in a genre of horrror/thrillers/the paranormal. Most similar shows have used the same precepts to attempt to show that God and the unexplained cannot coexist.

Scully is an example of how science does not cast out faith. Instead, it complements faith. When one witnesses so many evils in the world (represented in Scully's fictional world by "conspiracies, mutants, and aliens") , one cannot help but turn to God. It is faith that shows us that these things are wrong, and it is faith that gives us a hope and a future despite what we see.

When I saw the newer X-Files film, I was quite shocked and pleased by the layers of Christian meaning interlaced in the plot. This does not mean that the movie is perfect for all viewers (it does contain suspense and blood, etc.) , but it does show that it is a good teaching tool for those who know what to look for.

SPOILERS BELOW!

In the new movie, Scully feels that she has lost a bit of her faith in God. She and Mulder have been on the run for six years, hiding out from a government conspiracy that tried to bring them down when the show ended in 2001. There was really no happy ending to the series so this show is quite a nice capstone. Furthermore, it is a stand-alone, so you can see it without ever having watched the show! (no aliens or conspiracies, although we are hoping for more of that in the third movie that we will hopefully get!)

Because Mulder and Scully are in exile, don't expect them to be running about with guns and badges like they did in the series. There are already over 200 episodes of that in the main show! Instead, Scully has taken a job as a pediatrician in a Catholic hospital. Mulder seems to be lounging about at home. He's the one who was framed for murder at the end of the series, so he can't exactly get a job.

To help the FBI, Mulder and Scully are pardoned and contracted to talk to a priest who has witnessed a series of murders. The problem is, this priest isn't actually seeing the murders...he's having visions which he claims are sent from God. Furthermore, he is an ex priest because he abused young boys (again, nothing is shown but be aware of the subject matter for younger viewers). The priest is first seen praying, and Scully demands to know why. He says that he is "praying for the salvation of my eternal soul." He wants forgiveness for what he has done and believes that God is sending him the visions so that he can help save lives. This is, for me, the best part of the movie. Scully spends the whole movie learning to accept that God can forgive anyone, even the worst of sinners (like the disgraced priest). This is a great topic for discussion.

Furthermore, she learns that she must be willing to follow what she believes God is telling her to do...whether it is fighting the hospital to allow a procedure for her young and dying patient, or acting on faith (and a Bible verse, actually) to lead her to a missing partner. In the end, she does what she believes God is telling her to do. The intersting thing is that both Scully (with her patient) and the villian (with his same-sex partner) are attempting to save the life of someone else. The difference is that Scully goes through the right channels, while the villian chooses to kill others. The question for discussion is: Does one life count for more than another? How far can you go to save life? Is the villian's sin justified even if he means it for a good cause? All of these are good questions for discussion sparked by this movie.

Now for the controversial parts:

Please note that although her treatment of the patient does involve stem cell research, I'm pretty sure that it is not embryonic (probably actually adult stem cells taken from the young boy). After all, stem cell research is not exactly very well researched due to legislation and I think that the producers would have mentioned the use of embryonic stem cells if it was intended as a controversial portion of the plot.

Furthermore, Scully and Mulder are on the run together and as such are living in the same house. When the priest mistakes Mulder for her husband, Scully essentially screams at him, "He is not my husband!" Many fans have speculated that Scully is feeling guilt at living with a man she is not married to (and could not be married to, due to Mulder still being on the government's blacklist). In the end, they decide to run away together and Mulder finally says that he will give up everything to be with her - even his quest for "the truth." (It is not stated that they get married, but I like to think that, romantic that I am.)

I think that it was a nice touch of the writers of the movie to acknowledge this internal struggle of Scully's, as a rather chaste romance was always a major theme of the X-Files. Unlike most shows today, the characters did not consort with other people or even with each other. Both characters have an episode where they are drugged by someone and loose a bit of their inhibitions with a member of the opposite sex, but nevertheless they are shown waking up clothed and in another room. Even under the influence of a villian they keep their morals. The result was that even a simple touch of the hand became very romantic, and the show was for the most part very clean to watch (excluding of course language and gore associated with a thriller/law enforcement show).

So that is my very long review of the Christian overtones of this show! It is very much an intellectual, artsy type film. The filming is beautiful and the acting of the leads (especially Gillian Anderson, who plays Dana Scully) is fantastic. Don't expect action or gunfights. The suspense is used only as a means to an end...to encourage the audiance to ask questions about faith, morality, and the search for truth. Some X-Files will make you scared, some will make you laugh, some will make you tear up a bit. But the best ones are those that make you think. This movie will, as the title suggests, make you examine your faith and ultimately "Want to Believe."