I knew that the movie "E.T." would be a bore and that there would be nothing in it for me. Science fiction has never been an interest of mine. Tolkien's little creatures bored me. I just knew that a movie about an ugly little creature from outer space could not hold my attention. The first few minutes of the movie confirmed my reservations. But then, after somehow staying awake, I began to succumb to the charms of that movie. It spoke a different message than is usually wrapped around such matters. Beyond a telling portrayal of the openness of children to new truth, it also hinted that the unknown is potentially friendly, and gentle, and caring. Had I walked out I would have missed a powerful, but subtle, theological affirmation of the goodness of creation - extending even to the unknown reaches of outer space.