In "Tombstone" Wyatt was asked if he believed, he replied,"Hell, I don't know". Is he an agnostic or atheist?

Question

This scene...

Morgan: I read this book on spiritualism �

Virgil: Oh God, here he goes.

Morgan: � said a lot of people, when they're dyin', they see this light, like in a tunnel. They say it's the light leading you to heaven.

Wyatt: Really? What about hell? They got a sign or what?

Answer 1

In the case of the movie, the exchange is probably intended to show Wyatt as being a very practical person focused on the here-and-now and not too concerned about lofty philosophies and theories. I don't think that it was intended to reflect any larger religious views beyond that he was not going to spend much time thinking about his death before it happened.

As for the real historical Wyatt Earp... contrary to the poster above, neither he nor John 'Doc' Holliday were particulary religious men, although I doubt that either would have called themselves an agnostic or atheist. Both their lives are pretty well documented and there is nothing to indicate that they ever expressed any strong spiritual beliefs, regularly attended church, made religious remarks in conversation, or made any attempt to live their life based on any religious guidelines.

Holliday was raised Catholic and likely baptized, but there is no evidence that he stayed with the church or followed any regular Catholic rites (confession, communion, etc) until perhaps the very end of his life which was spent in a Catholic-run hospital.

Both men were gamblers, often involved with prostitutes, and frequently engaged in other acts that would not be in line with most practicing Christians (or observant Jews) at the time. Like many frontier people, they probably believed in God in an abstract way and occasionally prayed in time of hardship, but did not spend much time thinking about it on a day to day basis.

It is true that Earp was buried in a Jewish cemetary, but that is because his wife Josephine was Jewish and this is where her family's plot was. However, there is no indication that Josephine herself was particulary religious, ever attended synagoge with any frequency and she certainly did not follow kosher or other orthadox rules. (Jewish is an ethnicity as well as religion, you can be both Jewish and not religious). There is no indication that Wyatt ever officially converted and he certainly had no fights with Doc about it.

Keep in mind that Josephine Marcus Earp (the Marcus papers referred to above) are largely discredited by the historical community. Josephine was known to be less than honest in her later years when retelling her story and the writer who ended up with her papers (and published them as the book "I Married Wyatt Earp") later admitted that he had made up much of it. Very little material accredit to her can be taken as accurate.

Answer 2

Ah, my favourite film.

So, what is your question? Is it about the movie or about Wyatt Earp?

The film portrays Marshal Earp as ambivalent about many things. Using modern sensibilities about the business that the Earps were in, director Cosmotos could not show Wyatt as being a philosophical or religious man. Therefore, the script writer came up with the agnostic line you quoted. The businesses of gambling, saloons, and prostitution were not out of the ordinary in the West, nor were they looked down upon as they are nowadays, but the movie was made for modern day viewers, who frequently confuse eastern Xtian attitudes with those of life on the "frontier" and in mining camps. .

The fact is, however, that Wyatt Earp was a religious man. Indeed, he and Doc Holliday had one serious falling out -- and it was over Wyatt's conversion to Judaism. If you ever want to visit his grave, you will find in in a Jewish cemetery in southern California. (Doc's return to his Catholic faith at the end of his life is well documented -- but that is not the question here.) Those of you who are not Jewish might not be aware that a non-Jew, even one who had a Jewish spouse, cannot be buried in consecrated ground (i.e a Jewish cemetery) One may be disappointed to learn that one of the "heroes" of the Old West believed in Hashem, but denying it will not change the facts.

There is a strong historical revisionist movement among non-believers who would like to recast American historical heroes into their own agnostic/atheistic images. It is especially galling to discover some might have been Jews - terribly embarrassing and all that.

The facts do not take away from a great movie, with great lines, including the ones quoted in the question. My personal favourite is usually the one after Billy Clanton says, referring to Doc, that the drunk piano player is probably seeing double - and Doc replies, "I have two guns. One for each of you.".

Enjoy the movie -- I'm your huckleberry.

Answer 3

Agnostic.

Answer 4

That's a great movie. If he said I don't know, that makes him Agnostic.

Answer 5

Are you asking what the difference is between agnostic and atheist? Do you have a dictionary?
www.m-w.com
www.dictionary.com

Answer 6

He's an actor, playing a part, in a movie, spouting word from a script.

Answer 7

well from that i would assume agnostic.

Answer 8

he has'nt thought about it and doesn't feel the need to.