The Power of Questions

Written By Mr. Anthony Buttacy, Head of School

Last weekend my wife and I took our kids to see Small Foot (I know, it came out a while ago. We were a little busy unpacking from the move). The movie opens with Migo, the main character, explaining the Yeti creation story and how everything in the village is done in accordance with what is written on the stone tablets. As the opening progresses, we meet a few Yeti that question what is written on the stones. Migo is quick to point out to the children that they are strange and when we have questions, we need to “push them down” and make them go away. Naturally, as soon as I heard this I began to question where the movie was going and if this was going to be an anti-faith film.

SPOILER ALERT

As the opening act progresses, Migo sees a plane crash on the mountain and finds a Small Foot, a human. This radically impacts Migo’s worldview. The stones say the small foots do not exist, yet he has now seen one. He runs back to the village, tells everyone, and brings them back to show them the evidence, which has fallen off the mountain while he was gone. As panic ensues and the village starts to question the stone, the Stone Keeper enters, reminds the village that the stones are never wrong, and tells them that Migo probably saw a yak. He asks Migo to agree. When he refuses, he is banished from the village. The rest of the movie focuses on Migo joining other Yetis (including the Stone Keeper’s daughter) in proving the small foot exists. Once they do, the main message of the movie truly comes out, question everything. One of the characters openly states that their goal isn’t to tear down old ideas, it’s to find new ones.

Of course the small foot is found, brought to the village, and truth comes out. How the Stone Keeper reacts to everything lays out the major worldview challenge. He brings Migo into his secret Stone Keeper vault where the truth is kept. Here we are told that the stones are not true, but they are designed to keep the Yetis safe from the small foots. He explains how the small foots were violent people that killed the Yeti. To be safe, the Yeti climbed to the top of the mountain where the small foots could not survive. Migo is outraged that they have been lied to for so long. In response, the Stone Keeper explains that truth is in the eye of the beholder and that these “truths” kept everyone safe. If people began to question the stones, the small foots would find them and kill them. Fast forward to the end of the movie and it resolves in the Stone Keeper admitting the truth to everyone and the Yetis and humans meeting and living in peace, a happy ending.

As I sat back and thought about the movie, I saw some good life lessons for kids to learn, such as integrity (they actually used the word and showed how it was good), and the importance to look for truth, and friendship. I was wrestling though with the concept of questioning the stones and how a child might interpret that. It could very easily look as if the goal was to question the authority of the Bible and demonstrate that the truths were written for a different time or were man made for a certain purpose. Almost immediately after, I realized that if someone walked away from the movie with this idea (whether it was intentional or not) there was nothing to worry about. The Bible is true and holds up to all levels to questioning. In fact, if we are honest in our quest for truth, questioning the world around us leads us to a deeper understanding of God and who is his. Asking why God has put something in scripture can also lead to deeper understanding. After all, God is a big God. He can handle and welcomes our questions.

The other important takeaway from this is for all of us that are parents, educators, mentors, and church leaders. While questions can be scary sometimes and make us uncomfortable, they are not dangerous. Encourage your students, children, and church members to question things. Don’t be afraid of the what you can’t answer, instead look at it as an opportunity for you to grow in your understanding. This also models the learning process for those you are leading. In 1 Corinthians 11:1 Paul tells us to “Follow my example as I follow Christ.” What better example to set for our children than to show them how to question and find truth!