Perhaps I should explore Nark's and Kid-A 's analogy of a written script a little more.
Three young men, all very good friends decide to pull up to a movie theater after cruising around for a while. One happens to be an athiest, another is a christian and the other is agnostic. Only two movies are about to start. The rest are already playing. One movie is "The Return of Walton Mountain", the other is "Braveheart". Since they have seen neither, they read the captions.
One reads, "A heart warming story of family values. John Boy fights recurrent acne and Mary Ellen learns Grandma's secret cookie recipie. Features the longest "good night" scene in Walton family history."
The other reads, "In a world dominated by an evil, waring and invading King - Edward 'Longshanks' I of England, a new wind is about to blow.... William Wallace, a commoner and true patriot of Scotland. His desire for peace and freedom united the clans, gained the loyalty of the people, struck fear into his enemies and defied the cruel hand of the King. - a true story"
Which movie will all the young men choose to see? Which movie reflects actual reality more, Mary Ellen endlessly whipping up cookie dough with a perma-smile or William Wallace experiencing injustice and deciding to confront it rather than doing nothing? Now, there is a place and a useful purpose for the Walton-style script, it's for children because they aren't capable of handling real life yet. Real life is punctuated with many hard choices with real dangers and real consequences. I believe that God has somehow imprinted the ultimate story of confronting evil into our psyches. Something mythic just seems to click inside as we watch or read similar stories of conflict involving these familiar archetypes.
Hollywood, the world's greatest story-teller knows this, and churns out movie after movie on this basic theme. The typical story of good vs. evil goes something like this:
The Hero was simply minding his own business, usually busy loving and providing for his family when the Villian shows up , unprovoked and steals or destroys the object of his greatest love .... a wife, a parent or if you really want a tear jerker, have the children murdered. The Hero thens begins his long struggle against the powerful enemy. Other commoners are at first scared but when they observe some of the Hero's actions, prowess, confidence and minor victories they are encouraged and eventually are convinced to struggle with him, usually without pay but for honor and for freedom. The point is they have a choice.
Recall how Morpheus gave Neil the choice of the red pill or the blue pill in the Matrix? Take the red pill and you can never go back to the illusion of reality program fed to you by the mechines. Take the blue pill and you go back to your routine and "believe whatever you want".
Recall how William Wallace confronted his army when they had all but decided to go home when faced with Longshank's army? He told them that they could go home if they wanted to and go back to their lives and die old men. No one could blame them. Or, they could stay there with him, on the battlefield of honor. He said its true that many of you will die today. But know this, that you will die as free men and not slaves to tyranny. Their battle cry was "For Freedom"
Longshanks was truly surprised at this turn of events. The Enemy always tries to avoid a battle through fear and intimidation because he is a coward at heart.
By Contrast, The Villian's supporters usually are paid or the Villain holds something over them that they desperately want or need like a bully. They are in a slavery to him of sorts.
During the overall struggle something happens to our perception of the Hero that we didn't expect. Our sypmathy for him is transformed a little by his new found power and by his commanding others into battle where some do not come home. We are still in agremment with the overall necessity of the conflict but somehow there is a feeling that the hero should experience what he has asked others to do. Also, somehow he is tainted by all the blood shed.
And so, William Wallace dies a slow, torturous death for refusing to "recant". Neil, locked in mortal combat with Mr. Smith seems to explode at the end, and God dies on a cross.
"Listen carefully: Unless a grain of wheat is buried in the ground, dead to the world, it is never any more than a grain of wheat. But if it is buried, it sprouts and reproduces itself many times over. 
