The Catholic Influence: The X-Files

Most of the older crowd reading this blog probably knows this show, but for my age group, I shall enlighten you. The X-Files was a show made in the late 90s early 00s starring the very handsome David Duchovny and beautiful Gillian Anderson. The plot is pretty much that FBI Agent Fox Mulder and his partner Dana Scully are assigned to the X-Files, government files that have been deemed unexplainable. While chasing monsters, ghosts, and UFOs, we see that Mulder is the gullible and "Wants to believe," Scully is cynical, skeptical, and "Trusts No One."

How could a show that deals with monsters and aliens have a Catholic influence? Well, it's all because of my favorite character, Scully. Scully was born a Catholic, and where Mulder is ready to chase after any proof of UFOs, Scully is just as ready to chase after proof of God.

For example, in the episode "Revelations," *Scully and Mulder investigate the murder of a popular evangelist who claimed, falsely as it turns out, to bear the stigmata. Mulder is aware that there have been other similar murders but when they are called to a nearby school, they meet Kevin Kryder, a 12 year-old who seems to genuinely show the signs of stigmata. The boy's father is in prison for child abuse and Mulder is skeptical about it all. Scully however struggles with her own religious views and comes to believe that the boy may be genuine. She also comes to believe that she is there to protect him. * taken from IMDb

At the end of that episode, Scully goes to confession for the first time in 6 years and we get this great dialog between her and the priest:

Priest: Sometimes we must come full circle to find the truth. Why does that surprise you?
Scully: Mostly it just makes me afraid.
Priest: Afraid?
Scully: Afraid that God is speaking, but that no one's listening.

So, overall, I guess what I want to say is that creator Chris Carter did a great job dealing with Catholicism in a way that makes it seem real, and not bogus, which isn't done very often. I mean, he could have made Scully, the great scientific mind, atheist, which I guess would have been typical. But he didn't, he made her an avid Catholic, for which I thank him.

Oh, and did I mention she always wears the cross her mother gave her? :)