I found out this year for the first time that God is not happy with Cornerstone. It’s an evil place that encourages those who attend to succumb to their baser natures. It’s a very “worldly” event and we, of course, should not be of this world. So said the front gate protesters with their pamphlets.

We didn’t actually see them out front. Being the influential, power-wielding folks that we are, we had early access tickets and arrived on the first day, probably before the protesters. But I think I saw some of them at the seminars, specifically the one on anarchism and then at the Imaginarium, where this year’s theme was death and how different cultures deal with it. They were actually quite polite folk as they raised objections to some of the speakers’ comments. Their shirts with a huge American flag and the slogans "love it or leave it" or "these colors don't run" were kind of a give away though as this is not typical Cornerstone apparel.

Most of the films during the week tied in to this theme of death and dying. One evening I decided to watch two full feature length films in a row—“The Body Snatchers” and “Donnie Darko.” I had never heard of that second movie before that very day so I didn’t know what to expect. I asked my kids if they knew anything about it. My oldest son said that he had seen it twice. All I could get out of him was that it was weird, but good. And that was enough of an endorsement for me, so off I went. (Besides the popcorn is only 50 cents there.) These films were followed by some great discussion into the wee hours of the morning. I left before midnight (my curfew.)

“Donnie Darko” played to a standing room only crowd, about half of which were part of the Goth crowd, dressed primarily in black. The guy introducing the film asked how many of the group had seen the movie before. About two-thirds raised their hands. Then he asked how many of us had seen it more than once. Not many hands came down. Then he asked, “How many have seen it five times or more.” Almost a third still held their hands high. As he counted ever higher, the hands remained held high. I started to anticipate an addicting, or at least engaging, film.

While watching “Donnie Darko” though, I could hear a group of people just outside of the tent singing songs like “Light of the World” and “Jesus is the Light” over and over. This vigil lasted for at least an hour. I guess they were quite concerned about this year’s theme at the Imaginarium and this film in particular. At first I wasn’t sure what to make of it. Should I be sympathetic with them and also be concerned about this “dark” film? It was quite confusing in the beginning and the language was a bit course. But as the story unfolded I became very intrigued with the characters, their plight, and some of the futuristic issues they were addressing, i.e. time-travel specifically, and the freedom of our choices in general.

By the end I was a fan of the movie. I might even have to see it again. It made me wonder if any of the protesters actually saw the movie. Although the writer (and director) claims to be an agnostic, the strongest themes in the film (and especially the final act) seem to me to be quite “Christian.”

It was good to spend some time contemplating the temperal nature of this life, those who have gone on before us, and the importance of how we live the days we've been given. It's sometimes easier to appreciate the light when it is juxtaposed with the dark. And besides darkness is a great time to sleep, which is what I must now do.