The Theology of "24"

So Jack thinks he is going to die and he has one phone call. Who does he call? His long lost daughter? The lovely and suddenly single agent Walker? The President? Ghostbusters? No, the Muslim spiritual leader he had met hours earlier. Aside from being sad that it was a Muslim cleric who got the chance to "witness" to Jack, I think there are some great theological implications to the encounter.

First of all, when Jack senses his mortality he has a sense of guilt over the mistakes he has made and a need to make peace. I think this is something that we can all relate to and imagine. So here is this spiritual leader at the bedside of a dying man who clearly expresses his need for forgiveness. Then we hear the prayer, "Help us both to forgive ourselves." What? Did I just hear that? So essentially the theology here is to forgive yourself and die with a clear conscience. While we do need to forgive ourselves, we also need the forgiveness of God. Color me disappointed.