Do you believe in God, Alex?

This afternoon on Antenna TV I happened upon the two-part episode of the 80s sitcom Family Ties in which Alex Keaton (Michael J. Fox) loses his friend in a car accident. My Name is Alex (aired in 1987) is a departure from the typical weekly episode; the theme behind the plot-- death-- caught my attention for a couple of reasons. The first and most obvious is that the death of a friend or a loved one stings with a pain like nothing else in this life. The second is that death, the same death that so callously wounds the living, without empathy, yet with great chutzpah, presses a bony finger into the chest of the aggrieved and whispers "Do you believe in God?"

Even an atheist has to wonder at the gaping hole left by death.

The first half of the episode sets up the second half, which is a semi-soliloquy by Alex, who after wrestling with the regret and guilt and shame and disruption of life that accompanies the loss of someone close-- which I have experienced first-hand-- is asked by a counselor whether he believes in God. His response is very real.

While the theological implications of this story are intentionally generic and the message is not necessarily Christian, the questions we ask as fragile, emotional, irrational, and self-serving creatures in death's wake invariably turn to God. And, typically, it is in a moment of weakness or anger when the question of God comes up. Because we want answers.

If you have the time, watch both parts of this episode. Compare the Alex in the first 10 minutes to the Alex in the last 10 minutes. Then consider his answer to the question and what he should do next with it...

С Богом!  :)

My Name is Alex, Part 1

My Name is Alex, Part 2