"Monumental" Movie Review

“Monumental” is a powerful documentary created by Kirk Cameron. In it, he takes a hard and honest look at America’s past and our forefathers. The documentary starts off looking at the current state of our society. The picture is pretty bleak. Families are falling apart, divorce is becoming more common, and things like teen pregnancy, suicide, and drug use are on the rise. We are $15 trillion dollars in debt. He compares America to the Roman Empire. America has reached the top, and is standing on the brink of her fall.

Cameron says that we have forgotten what made our nation great in the first place. The Pilgrims knew what a bad culture was like, but they didn’t duck and run. Cameron then travels back to England to take a good look at who the pilgrims really were and why they really left England.

What he discovers is not the history lesson you received in school. They weren’t a merry little band of families that wanted a new adventure and new land. At the time, you could be burned in England for possessing an English Bible. The persecution was coming from the government which controlled the church, which then controlled the people. Leaving the church was tantamount to treason.

The pilgrims decided that if the church in England couldn’t be made holy, then they should separate themselves (why they were called Separatists.) They tried to escape to Holland, but the ship captain was double-dealing and they all ended up in jail. But they didn’t allow that to stop them. Time and again they tried to escape the tyrannical rule of the King of England. They ended up in jail many times and their families were broken up and separated.

Over and over, doors kept slamming on their attempts to leave. They weren’t simply trying to escape the persecution; they wanted to have religious freedom so they could freely read and study the word of God (in their own language) and then RETURN to England and set the people there free!

They finally make it to America, by the grace of God alone. These people were incredible! As one person in the documentary put it, the parents were willing to lay face down in the mud so their children could walk over them to a better future. They sacrificed everything so that their children would benefit later. They truly possessed generational vision!

The movie documents the incredible faith of not only our forefathers, but also our founding fathers. You will be amazed at the revision of our history in schools today, and the attempts to downplay the faith of our ancestors. These were men of incredible courage and deep faith in God.

Here are a few of my favorite quotes from the film:

“If we are to lose our lives in this endeavor, at least we know that our cause is just and our cause is honorable.” –William Bradford

“Their perspective was ‘Do the right thing over the long haul and in the long run, God will bless it.’” –Marshall Foster

“There’s nothing like bones to remind you of your heritage.” –Marshall Foster

The movie culminates at an incredible monument that clearly shows the beliefs of the Pilgrims, and their formula for forming America.

One of the ending quotes of “Monumental” says that people think the American culture cannot be reversed. But the Renaissance and Reformation did just that centuries ago. They moved forward by going back. The American culture is not lost. But the change begins in our own homes. Are we living like the Pilgrims, with a generational vision for our children and for the United States of America?

This is a documentary that I would highly recommend for ages 13 and up. It gives an excellent overview of American history from a Christian perspective, and how we can return to the principles our country was founded upon.