"In my restless dreams, I see that town. Silent Hill.
You promised you'd take me there again someday. But you never did. Well, I'm
alone there now... In our 'special place'... Waiting for you..."
I’ve already written a short review of Silent Hill 2, but after
consideration, I believe that the game deserves more analysis. Many people seem
to think that video games cannot fundamentally be art, that they’re just
children’s playthings. Put simply, this is not true and is slander to the
hardworking developers of this 40 year industry. Direct proof of this is Silent
Hill 2 alone. As I’ve said, this is the only game to ever make me cry.
SH2 begins with James Sunderland getting a letter from his
wife. There’s just one problem: his wife died of a sickness years ago. It must
be a trick, right? But it was in her handwriting… It said to meet her in their
special place, Silent Hill.
When James arrives, everything is filled with fog, but more
sinister than that are the monsters that hide in it. Pyramid Head, a creature
wrought out of hellfire itself stalks James with a giant cleaver. What’s going
on in this town? It’s not a nightmare, though it should be.
After narrowly escaping death on numerous occasions, James
finds himself in a hotel… the same hotel that he and Mary stayed in. It’s here
that he finds a videotape with his name on it… so he plays it. James watches
the screen in horror as he sees himself strangling his own wife in a hospital
bed. Finally, he realizes what he’s repressed subconsciously: That he murdered Mary.
Soon after, he accepts what he’s done, and he also realizes
what Pyramid Head’s true symbolism is: James’ punishment of himself. James then
speaks to Pyramid Head, saying “I was weak… that's why I needed you… I needed
someone to punish me for my sins… but that's all over now. I know the truth.
Now it's time to end this.” Silent Hill was James’ personal Hell.
After conquering his demons, James is then briefly reunited
with his beloved Mary. James, in tears, tells Mary that he killed her because
he wanted his life back. Mary lovingly says to him, “James, if that were true,
then why do you look so sad?” She forgives him, and tells James to go on with
his life. This scene profoundly touched me.
Honestly, SH2 is not merely a fantastic story, it also
touches on many spiritual questions. The central ones being salvation and Hell.
Let me preface what I’m about to talk about with this: I am not a theologian,
pastor, or an expert of any kind. That being said, I do wonder about Heaven and
Hell quite a bit as a Christian.
What I’ve neglected to mention so far is that there were
actually two other people that Silent Hill beckoned. One was a man who was badly bullied named Eddie. The other was a young woman named Angela, who was
raped by both her father and brother as a child. The two of them later
committed sins against their abusers. Eddie shot a football player who made fun
of him, while Angela stabbed her father and brother to death. James encounters
both of them, and they sadly choose damnation over salvation. James rescues
Angela in one part of the game, but it proves to be in vain as she chooses to
walk up a burning staircase. Her last words to James show her acceptance of
being in Silent Hill, “Or maybe, you think you can save me. Will
you love me? Take care of me? Heal all my pain?
...[Hmph]...That's what I thought."
I bring all this up to highlight our understanding of Hell.
I just sincerely doubt that most people truly understand what it’s like to be
in absolute agony. I can attest, as someone who struggles daily with severe,
suicidal depression, that it is Hell. I do believe that a literal, physical
Hell does exist. I also believe that some will not be saved. However, I just
don’t accept that Christendom’s traditional understanding of the Inferno is
accurate.
I believe the Bible reveals that God’s central attribute,
above all else, is love. Above sovereignty, holiness, wrath, and whatever else
you can think of. A predominantly wrathful God would not save a sinful humanity
from what we deserve… only an overwhelming love would do that. As John 3:16
says, “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only
Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal
life.”
So, I view with skepticism this centrally Calvinist soteriology
that permeates the church. At bottom, I do think that we as Christians can make
progress. Clearly, this is true from social justice standards by abolishing
slavery. It is also true scientifically, by shedding light on how the Earth
orbits the Sun and not vice-versa. It’s even shown to be true theologically, by
Martin Luther splitting from the historic Catholic Church.
When I play Silent Hill 2, and weep at the sight of such
grace offered by Mary, a video game character, I can only imagine how much more
God delights in loving His children. Does God’s love really stop at the
grave? Is it possible that some of those who die in sin can be redeemed even in
Hell? I don’t know… but it’s worth thinking about.
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