The Satan Pit, Part 1: "I didn't ask"

(Picture courtesy of shadowproclamation.net, which is possibly the most epic name for a DW blog/podcast EVER. Check it out.)

This is the first installment of a two- or three-part analysis of series 2's The Satan Pit. Believe it or not, but there have been legitimate theses written on the theological questions raised by this Ten and Rose story. I'm not particularly interested in such an academic review of the religious paradigms explored in the episode, myself, but it's cool to know that other people have talked about it before me. (What? Other sci fi nerds with an interest in theology exist? WHERE ARE YOU AND LET'S BE BESTIES! *ahem*)

First, I want to say that the quote in the above collage is terribly romantic and lovely and comes at the end of a fascinating speech by my beloved Tenth Doctor. His monologue about "fake gods...would-be gods" is enough material for a post in its own right, and I might return to it in the future (or the past...this darn vortex manipulator's on the fritz). The subject of this particular post, however, is an interchange between the Doctor and Ida before Ten goes down into the pit to confront the Beast. The part I'm talking about is about a minute into the clip (SPOILERS):

Coming off the heels of my Gospel of Who post, in which I called myself out on not sharing my faith more, I thought it would be appropriate to take a look at what the Doctor does when it comes to discussing faith.

1. He gets to know Ida.

This scene is I think about halfway through The Satan Pit, which is the continuation of The Impossible Planet. In the meantime, Ten and Rose have been working with the crew of Sanctuary Base Six to get free and save themselves from the evil creature controlling the Ood. ("We must feed...you! If you are hungry." Love an Ood.) He's gotten himself and Ida stuck ten miles down from the surface of the base after they went down to explore. As he lowers himself into the pit (in her place, the dashing hero), he asks her what she believes, in a tone that says two things to me: 1) He's been talking to her about her other beliefs and is maybe a little surprised this question slipped his mind, considering the circumstances, and 2) He genuinely wants to know.

If you're building a relationship with someone, especially if that person is already a friend, it's only inevitable that you broach the subject of religion and worldviews. They affect a person so strongly and completely that you'll never really know someone unless you get down to the baseline fundamentals of how they see and interact with reality. There's such a stigma against discussing religion and politics with people, particularly strangers, but that's primarily because of how people go about it. Generally, when asked for an opinion on a "controversial" subject like religion, people immediately raise their emotional defenses. Why? Because in a room of twenty people, there will be thirty strongly held beliefs and, invariably, people will get snippy or even antagonistic if their position isn't immediately validated. It's frustrating at best and seriously damaging at worst when people, especially Christians, don't listen to others and respect their beliefs.

There is a huge difference between entertaining another person's point of view for the sake of conversation and condoning it. There is also a huge difference between sharing your own opinions and forcing them on people. The sooner you know how to represent your beliefs in a graceful manner, the sooner you'll be able to have deep conversations about religion in an open and genuine environment that actually lead somewhere. (If you want to learn how to do this, check out Art of Eloquence. I highly encourage it.)

Back to the Doctor: He asks Ida what she believes because he's a curious fellow, he cares about her and he's about to meet the devil, so it's all rather fitting. The next thing he does, though, is my favorite thing in the world.

2. He listens and asks questions.

Ever had someone ask you something but you know while you're talking that they don't really care about your answer? Or feel like they're waiting for you to shut up so they can say something else? Yeah. Well, Ten doesn't do that. Ida responds about her faith growing up and lack of it, then he asks a follow-up question about the mechanics of her parent's religion. Then he listens more and makes an insightful comment along the same theme! You may be thinking, "Well, duh, he's having a chat." But that's the part of witnessing that so many people miss! The listening bit! If you don't pay attention to what your conversation partner is saying, honor and take stock of their emotions, and invest in their side of the talk, you're having two monologues. Total failure to communicate, don't pass Go and don't collect $200.

There really is an art to listening, and it is pretty much always rewarding. I wish more people would practice it, nowadays. Nothing says "I value you as an individual" like listening to someone be honest with you. And, almost always, people will turn right around and extend to you the same respect and courtesy. Like Ida does.

3. He thinks about his reply and answers truthfully.

I love the little pause between Ida asking him about his own beliefs and him answering. It speaks volumes about Ten's character. I could analyze this to pieces, and I think I will in the next post (from a slightly different angle), but for now I'll keep it brief. I think he pauses because a) He didn't bring up the subject to talk about himself (I mean, let's face it, when does the Doctor really volunteer information about himself? Besides, I already said he was interested in learning about her),  b) Perhaps no one has asked him this before and he doesn't know what to say, and c) He wants to give her a good and honest answer. And his honest answer is basically, "I don't know."

There is nothing wrong with "I don't know" if it's true. As a believer in anything, you are expected to be able to explain the basics of what you think, but sometimes you haven't quite figured it out, and that's okay. When Ten responds to Ida, he is completely straightforward with the way he sees things, but he is humble enough to admit that he could be wrong. He could quickly rattle off something logical and philosophical, like he normally might, but instead he stops, considers himself and returns her vulnerability with his own. It's a beautiful picture, really. One we would do well to emulate.

"Know this, my beloved brothers: Let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God." -- James 1:19-20 (ESV)

Until next time! May your sonic screwdriver finally work on wood.

Katya