'Real Time with Bill Maher' Writer Pens Bible Play Encouraging People to Ask 'Big Questions' About God
Scott Carter, a writer for HBO's "Real Time with Bill Maher," said he hopes his play, "The Gospel According to Thomas Jefferson, Charles Dickens and Count Leo Tolstoy: Discord," will lead people to seek out God and the spiritual side of life, now, rather than later.
"There were a lot of issues I put to the side … I thought, 'oh well, I'll deal with that when I'm older.' Or a lot of people find themselves asking questions when someone around them dies or has a terminal illness, or when they themselves are diagnosed with a terminal illness, or there's some extreme disappointment in life. And that's when they go to think about spiritual philosophy or religion, and I would like people to be compelled coming out of this play to think, 'Maybe I better be thinking about this now,'" Carter told The Christian Post.
In "Discord," the third president of the United States of America, the English author of "A Christmas Carol," and the Russian writer behind the novel Anna Karenina, are trapped together in a sterile interrogation room as ghosts on a layover from their ultimate destinations. The uniting force between them is that they all rewrote the Bible. Together Thomas Jefferson, Charles Dickens and Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy – played by Larry Cedar, David Melville, and Armin Shimerman, respectively – agonize over their beliefs about God, the teachings of Jesus and the details of His life, death and resurrection.
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Carter began questioning his belief in God and His goodness after experienced a severe asthma attack in 1986.
He recalled, "I have been a lifelong asthmatic and in 1986 I had a near-death asthma attack. I was put in the hospital for about a week and when I came out I had an epiphany experience like Saul on the road to Damascus. Saul becomes Paul, scales fall from [his] eyes, and instantly a lot of issues that I had heretofore been hostile or indifferent about became a prime driving force of my life. I had a very clear notion of God which has not left me since then."
The experience led Carter to open himself up to faith. "So when I had this very clear notion of God that has been unshakeable, I then wanted to start going out into the world to see who else might be sharing or who else might be guiding me towards something else. So I began to open myself up to anyone who wanted to talk to me about religion or any kind of spiritual philosophy, anyone who wanted me to go to a ceremony I would go. If you wanted me to read something, I would read it. Or if you just wanted to talk, I would talk with you."
It was during that time that Carter, who considers himself as an "unaffiliated deist," discovered the Bibles featured in his play "Discord."
"I was led to the Jefferson Bible through a television program by Bill Moyers in 1988 called 'A World of Ideas,' and then the Jefferson Bible then led me a few years later to the Dickens Bible, which I hadn't known about (I had known about Jefferson). And then two years after I found out about Tolstoy's Bible."
The attempts by these notable men to create their own versions of the gospels struck Carter. He explained, "As I was searching it was a liberating thought to me to realize that three of the most intelligent and accomplished men who ever lived also wanted to pick and choose that which they affirmed in the Bible and I found that to be a revelation to me that one can do that and it became incumbent upon me to also go piece by piece through that which I heard or witnessed or read and try to be honest with myself about what I was actually accepting."
Carter hopes that "Discord" leads the audience to explore the Bible and begin to figure what they believe.
While "Discord" has its funny moments, the figures' interactions in the play are in fact guided by historical details of their lives and beliefs. Together they go through the gospels and examine their thoughts about many of Christianity's main tenants.
When asked about the thoughts behind the characters' dialogues, Carter said, "I think that Jefferson and Tolstoy would … readily admit that they are not the doctrinaire Christians that Dickens was, but they would, I think, say they are the true Christians… In a letter Jefferson said, 'I think that I am a true Christian in that I accept His doctrines as holy and I think that's the only way in which Jesus wanted people to follow Him—was to follow his actual words,' and I think Tolstoy would feel the same way. Tolstoy felt that he was the first person in 1800 years to find the truth of Christ and I think that they think that there's a lot of hypocrisy within the Church. Dickens was, I think, naturally more conservative to many institutions – not as radical as Jefferson and Tolstoy – and affirmed [the Bible] as it was taught."
The play, which opened in the NoHo Arts Center in January, is already creating waves. Carter recalled "One of my favorite reactions to the play was the fellow who plays Dickens, David Melville, said he got a phone call from a friend, or a friend said after the show that I hate this play and then, two weeks later the friend calls him up and says forget what I said about hating the play and I just started reading the Bible."
The play has even received praise from Carter's boss, Bill Maher. "He came to see it at the NoHo Arts Center in January. I sat him next to Larry David and when it was over he led the audience in a standing ovation," said Carter.
"The Gospel According to Thomas Jefferson, Charles Dickens and Count Leo Tolstoy: Discord" is currently playing at the Geffen Playhouse in Los Angeles. The show opened there October 7 and will continue through November 23.
