Science and Religion in the Decalogue

In the Decalogue, the film which illustrates the commandment “Thou shalt have no other gods before me”, we see a tension between science and religion. Pavel’s father relies on science, and is contrasted to his sister, Pavel’s aunt, who relies on religion. Having given Pavel new ice skates, his father goes to check the ice over the pond to see if it is thick enough to hold Pavel’s weight. On his way to check the ice, his father walks by a shrine, communicating to the viewer the distance between him and the praying community. The simplicity of faith and the complexity of the machine are held in stark contrast. Tragically, Pavel tries out his new skates, falls through the ice and dies. His father had made science and logic his god, which failed him in the end. The father’s calculations fail and his son falls through, relaying the idea that thinking you can measure everything doesn’t rule God out of the equation. After his son’s death, Pavel’s father goes to the shrine, takes the frozen holy water from the basin and puts it on his head, perhaps communicating his realization of his error and a submission to a being greater than himself.