In the film, "Bruce Almighty," protagonist Bruce Nolan finds himself angry with God and unsatisfied with life as nothing seems to happen in his favor. After claiming that God is not “doing his job right,” Bruce gets a visit from the man upstairs and is given God’s power for a week. Unfortunately, the experience is not as rewarding as Bruce anticipates and he eventually realizes that the task of “being God” is too much to handle. That being said, Bruce’s worldview experiences some drastic changes as he is left with a completely different outlook on life by the end of the film.
In the beginning of the film, I would argue that Bruce holds a Deistic worldview. He describes God as “a mean kid” who takes pleasure in watching his creation try and fail as humans attempt to figure out life. To Bruce, God is uninvolved and separate, simply watching the world from a distance. Because God is not helping him, Bruce believes that nothing in his life is going right (particularly his career as a TV anchor). From Bruce’s perspective, God is simply letting him fail. Bruce also criticizes his girlfriend, Grace, for praying as he believes prayers are useless since God does not listen. Bruce views religion as something for people but not a way to truly be close with God which also lines up with deism.
After God gives Bruce his powers, it can be argued that Bruce takes on a humanistic worldview. He begins to use his powers for his own advantage such as separating tomato soup as if it were the Red Sea, causing a woman’s skirt to fly up, and sexually impressing his girlfriend. He acts as a free agent since he now has ultimate power and authority. Bruce literally holds his destiny in his hands after being given his powers. He has the ability to do whatever he wants. Humanists believe that people are in charge of their own destiny, autonomous from a higher being, and make themselves who they are which Bruce demonstrates through his actions at this point in the film. Humans are the ones of prime importance, not supernatural beings.
Regarding Bruce’s deistic outlook, my personal opinion is that this view falls apart as it bases the idea of God solely on human reason. One cannot possibly come to know God through his or her reason alone. Truly knowing God means praying and studying the divine revelation of Scripture which ultimately disproves deism. The gospels alone speak of a personal God who sent his only son as the incarnation of the Word (John 1:1) to die for his creation (John 3:16). In addition, God calls believers children or sons and daughters (Galatians 3:26) and the apostles often referred to him as father (1 Corinthians 8:5-6). The Bible talks about a personal, father like God which is inconsistent with the deistic view of a detached, separate God. If knowing and obeying God means to have a personal relationship with him, how could deism possibly be valid according to the bible?
In light of Bruce’s later, humanistic worldview, this belief falls apart when one gives thought to the natural order of things. For one, if humans are the supreme beings of the highest importance, where then does nature come from if man did not create it? Also, things like thoughts or consciousness could not possibly be validated by anyone with a humanistic worldview as secular humanists cannot provide a metaphysical foundation for their belief. Anything supernatural is rejected as only the material world matters.
By the end of Bruce Almighty, it becomes apparent that the hero, Bruce Nolan, finally adopts the worldview of Christian theism. Towards the end of his journey as God, Bruce is on the verge of losing his long-term girlfriend. He tells God that he wishes for his girlfriend, Grace, to be happy, even if that means she finds another man. Bruce loves Grace so much that he is willing to let her go. This reflects themes in Christian theism such as “do unto others” or “love your neighbor as yourself.” Then, after a near-death experience, Bruce tells God he can no longer handle God’s “job.” He appears to have put his faith back in God and has a better appreciation for his current life. Bruce even takes on a “lesser” job to serve the community. He realizes that there is so much more to life than his own perspective and that the key to a happy, fulfilled life is to serve others which is also a central part of Christian theism.
