By Mike McGranaghan

The furor over Dogma - the new film from writer/director Kevin Smith - has been well documented. Various Catholic groups have protested the movie, which satirizes certain elements of the religion. The antipathy these groups have comes despite the fact that Smith, from the very beginning of his career, has announced himself a practicing Catholic with a deep devotion to Jesus Christ. The Dogma script has floated around the internet for years, with Smith promising he would eventually make the film as a testament to his strong faith.

I am wondering if the people who are protesting have even bothered to see the film. Dogma is not only as wickedly funny as Smith's other movies (Clerks, Mallrats, Chasing Amy), but it is also one of the most intelligent, heartfelt films about religious faith that I have ever seen.

The story is complex and I will try to avoid elaborating too much so as not to take away the impact of certain revelations (no pun intended). The film begins with a New Jersey cardinal (George Carlin) spearheading a campaign to bring a more upbeat Catholicism to the younger masses (again, no pun intended). The campaign - whose slogan is "Catholicism - WOW!" - will coincide with the 100th anniversary of his church. Another part of the celebration will be a new holy archway into the church. This archway will be part of something the Catholic church calls "plenary indulgence", essentially meaning that anyone who passes through it will automatically be forgiven of all sin and allowed into Heaven when they die.

Meanwhile, two fallen angels, Loki (Matt Damon) and Bartleby (Ben Affleck), see this as a chance to regain entrance into heaven. If they can cut off their wings, become human, and pass through the arch, then they can "go home." However, this would mean reversing the balance God has created; in other words, if there's a loophole in God's rules, then He is fallible and all existence will cease. To solve the problem, a seraphim (Alan Rickman) named Metatron is sent to earth to find Bethany (Linda Fiorentino), an abortion clinic worker who has lost her faith. He tells her that she must make a pilgrimage to New Jersey to stop the angels from entering the church.

Along the way, Bethany receives help from an oddball assortment of people. Accompanying her are two "prophets" - a.k.a. Jay and Silent Bob (Jason Mewes and Kevin Smith himself) who, as fans know, are recurring characters in every Smith movie. There is also Rufus (Chris Rock), the forgotten "13th apostle" and a muse (Salma Hayek) who moonlights as a stripper. Another fallen angel named Azreal (Jason Lee) tries to stop this group from stopping Loki and Bartleby. As you may have heard through the grapevine, the Lord also appears in the film, in the person of singer Alanis Morrisette (it sounds like mockery on paper, but is played affectionately and reverently in the film).

Having just typed all that, I realize that Dogma appears to have an exhaustingly complicated plot. True, I suppose, but to Smith's credit it is easily followed on-screen. There are so many things to say and think about this film that my entire review could easily be ten times as long as my plot synopsis. Instead of dissecting the whole film, I will instead hit a few highlights with the hope that you will experience the picture for yourself.

First, Dogma is hysterically funny. Smith has cooked up some unforgettable sight gags and punch lines. One of the highlights is a "shit demon" that oozes forth from a public restroom and attempts to destroy Bethany by spewing a fountain of excrement. I also got a big laugh from a lengthy disclaimer at the beginning of the film that addresses and deconstructs the controversy (it is electrifying to sit in dead silence as the audience reads the disclaimer and then bursts simultaneously into laughter). There are also many witty lines of dialogue that illustrate Smith's interesting theological ideas. For instance, Rufus reveals to the other characters that, like himself, Jesus was black. When greeted with protests, he says, "Oh, sure, a black man can steal your stereo but he can't be your savior!"

This line, stingingly funny, also illustrates something else that's special about Dogma: it dares to think about religion. Scenes like that one probably contribute to the ire directed at the film by protest groups, but think about it. If God created man, and man comes in different colors, then isn't it wrong to assume that He could only be white? And which is more important - the color of Christ's skin or his message? (I remember a college religion professor who once told us to consider the geographic location in which Christ lived and then to visualize what people who live in that region look like. It was a crucial moment in my life because I realized that Christ may not have had the anglicized look I'd always seen depicted and people who vehemently insisted that he was white probably had their own agendas. Dr. Donald Byrne of Lebanon Valley College, I thank you for opening my eyes.)

There are so many good, thoughtful ideas in Dogma that it is undoubtedly a pro-faith, pro-Christianity film. Among them:

• That terrible acts are often committed by human beings in God's name
• That God created all races and to be prejudiced means to go against His will
• That no matter how much your faith is tested, you will be rewarded if you hang onto it
• That although there are theological differences between the various sects of Christianity, the fundamental tenements are the same, which is what's most important
• That man-made rules are sometimes contradictory to the rules of God

And here again is where the protest groups get angry. Yes, Dogma does poke some good-natured fun at the rigidity of the Catholic church's self-imposed rules (Bartleby at one point says, "I remember when it was a sin to eat meat on a Friday. What happened to that?"). But in a way, the protests are only proving Smith's point. Man cannot - and should not - try to second-guess the Lord Almighty. It's interesting that Smith, a self-described master of "dick and fart jokes," should also be so intensely spiritual and philosophical.

Dogma is not anti-Catholic, which I wish protesters could understand. In many ways, this movie is actually a poster child for religious faith. It is intelligently written, superbly acted by everyone, and it has a finale that reaffirms the greatness of the Lord and all His works.

Like Kevin Smith, I am a practicing Catholic. I attend church every week, and my relationship with Jesus Christ is the single most important thing in my life. That said, I can tell you that there is nothing in Dogma that warrants all the protests. I walked out of the theater wanting to explore the ideas of my own faith even more. This is a riotously funny, thoroughly original and deeply poignant movie that encourages the audience to love and respect God, and always, always take the time to enjoy a good laugh. After all, God wouldn't have created humor if He had no sense of it.

(**** out of four)

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