I'm in. I'll start as IT. If you do not live near me, feel free to start your own game where you are.
How do you play? Click here.
Also, major update on my upcoming seven month term in the Czech Republic. I know...the suspense is killing me too.
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Monday, January 18, 2010
"Daybreakers"
I saw "Daybreakers" last Thursday night. Yes, it is a vampire movie, and no, it is not for everyone (for a content review click here). It is a vampire movie in the same way that "28 Days Later" is a zombie movie. In "Daybreakers" the vampires are not mystical or magical but biological, turned by a virus from a bat. These former people do not have beating hearts. Instead, they have a low body temperature, burn up if they are hit with sunlight. And, more importantly, they need human blood to survive. Unfortunately, they are running out of humans.
Message and Themes
Well, I could not really find a message in the film, but a major theme revolves around fear of death and fear in general. Who really has fear? The vampires think humans live in fear because they are being hunted; they are outnumbered; they can die, but the vampire cannot die of natural causes. However, as the film continues you realize the vampire has much more to fear than just the sun, and like the humans they were before they were turned, they are still fallen and sinful and selfish and power hungry. Really, you learn that immortality alone does not change someone's heart (whether it beats or not). New powers and abilities do not change how one will use them.
Parallels to Life (Spoilers ahead)
Parallels to life? A vampire movie? Really? Yes. The plot and conflict are similar to that of Will Smith and his plight in "I Am Legend." Throughout the film I saw the vampires as those who do not have new life in Christ, as representative of those all around us who are living a physical life but are at the same time spiritually dead. This is important for the following parallels.
Parallel 1: Due to the lack of humans and thus, human blood, the vampires are looking for a blood substitute. You find out that drinking one's own vampire blood or another vampire's blood does not work. It instead morphs you into a bat-like mutant creature. Just like sin and sinners, when we seek solutions and significance and salvation in any other place but Christ, in more sin, it only ruins us and takes us further down the path of destruction, makes us more selfish, more hard-hearted. Like the vampires could not turn to each other for salvation from their plight, so we cannot turn to creation, to man or beast or plant for salvation from our plight of being dead in our sins, for there is no salvation there.
Parallel 2: You are then introduced to a character who has gone from being a vampire to human. How? The sun. He crashed his car, flew through the windshield into the sun and landed in water where a tunnel to hide him from the sun was. Anyway, that limited exposure to the light made him human again. Brought him back. Just like in life, it is exposure to the light of Christ that reveals the truth of who we are - sinners in need of a savior - that leads to new life. "Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life" (John 8:12), and "you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light" (1 Peter 2:9).
Parallel 3: You then learn that not only do controlled burns from the sun make one human again, but the blood of the former vampires/newly humans turn vampires into humans again. Interesting, we as Christians have been ignited by the light of Christ and are called to proclaim His gospel, His good news of salvation to the world. What we have been given we are called to proclaim and give to the masses. What was inside those who had new life was an antidote to the walking death the vampires lived in. "For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, "The righteous shall live by faith" (Romans 1:16-17).
Parallel 4: Lastly, the vampires did not want it. Reminiscent of Will Smith crying out to the mutants that he had an antidote, that he could save them, so we see the same response in "Daybreakers." However, unlike the inability to respond the mutants had in "I Am Legend" (see Ephesians 2:1-3), the vampires in "Daybreakers" willingly chose to reject the cure, their salvation (see Romans 1:18-23). And so does the vast majority of humanity reject by nature and by choice the salvation offered to them in Jesus Christ. But just as the heroes of "Daybreakers" carry on, seeking to find a way to bring all the vampires back to new life, so we as Christians carry on as Christ's witnesses "that [we] may proclaim the excellencies of him who called [us] out of darkness into his marvelous light."
The Imperfect Christ-type (Spoiler ahead)
A Christ-type in literature is a character whose death brings about redemption for others or society or the hope of redemption (Maximus in "Gladiator," Will Smith in "I Am Legend," Aslan in "The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe"). One former vampire, the brother of the protagonist, having been turned human, ends up standing before a SWAT team of vampires who are starved for blood. He stands his ground, proclaiming the good news that they have an antidote, they do not have to kill anymore, they need no longer be enslaved to their need for blood; however, they do not listen and attack, not knowing this act of brutal violence will in fact be their salvation. And so we as Christians stand, knowing that just as Stephen died proclaiming the good news of salvation in Christ, so we stand in the face of any opposition to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ, knowing that God will use our faithful stance and obedient proclamation to bring even some of our attackers to salvation in His Son, Jesus Christ.
Message and Themes
Well, I could not really find a message in the film, but a major theme revolves around fear of death and fear in general. Who really has fear? The vampires think humans live in fear because they are being hunted; they are outnumbered; they can die, but the vampire cannot die of natural causes. However, as the film continues you realize the vampire has much more to fear than just the sun, and like the humans they were before they were turned, they are still fallen and sinful and selfish and power hungry. Really, you learn that immortality alone does not change someone's heart (whether it beats or not). New powers and abilities do not change how one will use them.
Parallels to Life (Spoilers ahead)
Parallels to life? A vampire movie? Really? Yes. The plot and conflict are similar to that of Will Smith and his plight in "I Am Legend." Throughout the film I saw the vampires as those who do not have new life in Christ, as representative of those all around us who are living a physical life but are at the same time spiritually dead. This is important for the following parallels.
Parallel 1: Due to the lack of humans and thus, human blood, the vampires are looking for a blood substitute. You find out that drinking one's own vampire blood or another vampire's blood does not work. It instead morphs you into a bat-like mutant creature. Just like sin and sinners, when we seek solutions and significance and salvation in any other place but Christ, in more sin, it only ruins us and takes us further down the path of destruction, makes us more selfish, more hard-hearted. Like the vampires could not turn to each other for salvation from their plight, so we cannot turn to creation, to man or beast or plant for salvation from our plight of being dead in our sins, for there is no salvation there.
Parallel 2: You are then introduced to a character who has gone from being a vampire to human. How? The sun. He crashed his car, flew through the windshield into the sun and landed in water where a tunnel to hide him from the sun was. Anyway, that limited exposure to the light made him human again. Brought him back. Just like in life, it is exposure to the light of Christ that reveals the truth of who we are - sinners in need of a savior - that leads to new life. "Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life" (John 8:12), and "you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light" (1 Peter 2:9).
Parallel 3: You then learn that not only do controlled burns from the sun make one human again, but the blood of the former vampires/newly humans turn vampires into humans again. Interesting, we as Christians have been ignited by the light of Christ and are called to proclaim His gospel, His good news of salvation to the world. What we have been given we are called to proclaim and give to the masses. What was inside those who had new life was an antidote to the walking death the vampires lived in. "For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, "The righteous shall live by faith" (Romans 1:16-17).
Parallel 4: Lastly, the vampires did not want it. Reminiscent of Will Smith crying out to the mutants that he had an antidote, that he could save them, so we see the same response in "Daybreakers." However, unlike the inability to respond the mutants had in "I Am Legend" (see Ephesians 2:1-3), the vampires in "Daybreakers" willingly chose to reject the cure, their salvation (see Romans 1:18-23). And so does the vast majority of humanity reject by nature and by choice the salvation offered to them in Jesus Christ. But just as the heroes of "Daybreakers" carry on, seeking to find a way to bring all the vampires back to new life, so we as Christians carry on as Christ's witnesses "that [we] may proclaim the excellencies of him who called [us] out of darkness into his marvelous light."
The Imperfect Christ-type (Spoiler ahead)
A Christ-type in literature is a character whose death brings about redemption for others or society or the hope of redemption (Maximus in "Gladiator," Will Smith in "I Am Legend," Aslan in "The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe"). One former vampire, the brother of the protagonist, having been turned human, ends up standing before a SWAT team of vampires who are starved for blood. He stands his ground, proclaiming the good news that they have an antidote, they do not have to kill anymore, they need no longer be enslaved to their need for blood; however, they do not listen and attack, not knowing this act of brutal violence will in fact be their salvation. And so we as Christians stand, knowing that just as Stephen died proclaiming the good news of salvation in Christ, so we stand in the face of any opposition to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ, knowing that God will use our faithful stance and obedient proclamation to bring even some of our attackers to salvation in His Son, Jesus Christ.
Saturday, January 16, 2010
A reading recommendation: "Stop Going to Church"?
Yep, that's what the reading recommendation is called. Check it out here.
Review of the movie "Daybreakers" coming soon.
Review of the movie "Daybreakers" coming soon.
Saturday, January 9, 2010
From Glory to Humility
There are realities in the Christian faith so awe-inspiring that it seems nearly impossible for me to comprehend, too incredible for me to feel deeply, a realization that to seek to know this truth brings a weight to one's worship and gratitude I can hardly bear. Below is one of these truths.
In Ezekiel 1:22, 25-28, Ezekiel describes his vision of the throne of God:
The distance between the Son of God on His throne, His pure glory, to His death on the cross, His complete humiliation. I can hardly bring myself to think on and feel this more deeply. Like a giant wave coming up and crashing down over my head. I can barely bring myself to stay put and let its truth wash over and in and through me.
"How great the Father's love for us? How vast beyond all measure? That He would give His only Son to make a wretch His pleasure." The Father's love is the Son's love, and how great is His love, how vast? It is the distance from the throne to the cross, from His glory to His humiliation. How great indeed is His love for us, indeed is its vastness beyond all measure, for no one can comprehend the distance that none of us will ever go out of love for another.
May you and I never forget how great is His love. May you and I boldly approach the throne of grace as sons and daughters and ask, "Help me to understand more clearly, help me to feel more deeply the depth and greatness of Your love."
__________________________________________________________________________________
I have been reading Ezekiel, and anyone who has read Ezekiel knows how difficult this book can be to understand or apply, which is why I have been listening to a sermon series on it for further teaching and understanding, which is what God used to teach me this, to remind me how great the distance was for Him to give His life for me.
In Ezekiel 1:22, 25-28, Ezekiel describes his vision of the throne of God:
"Over the heads of the living creatures there was the likeness of an expanse, shining like awe-inspiring crystal, spread out above their heads...And above the expanse over their heads there was the likeness of a throne, in appearance like sapphire; and seated above the likeness of a throne was a likeness with a human appearance. And upward from what had the appearance of his waist I saw as it were gleaming metal, like the appearance of fire enclosed all around. And downward from what had the appearance of his waist I saw as it were the appearance of fire, and there was brightness around him. Like the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud on the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness all around. Such was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. And when I saw it, I fell on my face, and I heard the voice of one speaking."Ezekiel knew this to be God but did not know this person to be the Son, to be Jesus Christ, but it is the Son who reveals the person of God in the ways our physical senses can comprehend, and comparing this passage with Eph. 1:21-22; Phil. 2:9-10; Heb. 1:8; Rev. 1:13-16; 4:2-3; and 5:13 shows clearly that this is indeed Jesus Christ, the Son of God, Ezekiel is witnessing on the throne, and here is the truth I can hardly bring myself to meditate on, this is where it hits home:
"You will never fully grasp and understand the love of God until you grasp and understand the distance between the throne and the cross" (Robert Reyburn).
The distance between the Son of God on His throne, His pure glory, to His death on the cross, His complete humiliation. I can hardly bring myself to think on and feel this more deeply. Like a giant wave coming up and crashing down over my head. I can barely bring myself to stay put and let its truth wash over and in and through me.
"How great the Father's love for us? How vast beyond all measure? That He would give His only Son to make a wretch His pleasure." The Father's love is the Son's love, and how great is His love, how vast? It is the distance from the throne to the cross, from His glory to His humiliation. How great indeed is His love for us, indeed is its vastness beyond all measure, for no one can comprehend the distance that none of us will ever go out of love for another.
May you and I never forget how great is His love. May you and I boldly approach the throne of grace as sons and daughters and ask, "Help me to understand more clearly, help me to feel more deeply the depth and greatness of Your love."
__________________________________________________________________________________
I have been reading Ezekiel, and anyone who has read Ezekiel knows how difficult this book can be to understand or apply, which is why I have been listening to a sermon series on it for further teaching and understanding, which is what God used to teach me this, to remind me how great the distance was for Him to give His life for me.
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Pride and Humility
For your listening pleasure, feel free to enjoy the Artist of the Week while reading this blog. I also encourage you to enjoy him when you can simply take in and reflect on his lyrics and music without distraction.
There are those times that pride unwittingly builds up within a person, and it has recently built up in me. Satan is crafty, and I am more wicked than I know, which is why the body of believers is so necessary in sanctification because they see the areas of our life that we have turned a blind eye too. "Where there is no guidance, a people falls, but in an abundance of counselors there is safety" (Prov. 11:14), and these "counselors" range from people directly in our lives to sermons to the books we read, and it is from a book that this rebuke came, Knowing God by J.I. Packer to be exact.
As Packer brings the reader into the forthcoming study of the Triune God he reminds the reader of the need for humility, quoting Paul he says, “knowledge puffs up” (1 Cor. 8:1). If one’s growth “in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” does not lead one to increasing humility due to the continued realizations of God’s awesome nature and character, then one’s study of God is in vain.
Cut down, realizing I had indeed allowed knowledge to “puff me up,” forgetting who God really is and that no matter how much I know I still “see in a mirror dimly [and only] know in part” (1 Cor. 13:12). Furthermore, whatever knowledge I gain ought to lead me into greater Christlikeness (Rom. 12:2).
Praying that God would again restore me to a state of humility is one that is a tad frightening to pray because you know that God will do so, and you know that it is either by trial or discipline that Christlike humility will be restored. Right now, it is confession and repentance. A good friend has told me there is rebuke coming. As I reflected in the situation and after, I said, “Thank you God for leading me back to humility that I may rightly serve you.” What other response is there when we as Christians are told,
“In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ” (1 Pet. 1:6-7),
And,
“‘My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by him. For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives.’” It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons…He disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness. For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it” (Heb. 12:5-7, 10-11).
So, I seek humility to stand before God as His creation, as His son, being reminded of the prayer of Francis Chan, “God, make me more like Jesus Christ no matter what it takes.”
Friday, December 25, 2009
A gift for friends
Here is a really easy way to share your enjoyment of this holiday season (maybe the year?) with your friends: Your very own "My Life is Christmas" (mlic) text updates. Simply, something happens to you during the day that confirms that your life is indeed Christmas. Just send a text to some friends with the story, and finish it off with a good ol' "mlic."
Inspired by other sites that encourage like particaption. There is one I will not name here, but it's for people who have something really bad and ridiculous happen to them. I just found out about another called "My Life is Average" (mlia), and there is another I have seen called "My Life is Twilight" (mlit); yes, it does exist, and people participate in it, though I believe it is an internet entity that should not exist.
So, share your Christmas joy with your friends (or annoy them with it) this holiday season, and feel free to create your own acronym categories. I have already added a "My Life After Moody" (mlam) for my friends to enjoy (or get tired of).
So, the question is, "What is your life?"
Inspired by other sites that encourage like particaption. There is one I will not name here, but it's for people who have something really bad and ridiculous happen to them. I just found out about another called "My Life is Average" (mlia), and there is another I have seen called "My Life is Twilight" (mlit); yes, it does exist, and people participate in it, though I believe it is an internet entity that should not exist.
So, share your Christmas joy with your friends (or annoy them with it) this holiday season, and feel free to create your own acronym categories. I have already added a "My Life After Moody" (mlam) for my friends to enjoy (or get tired of).
So, the question is, "What is your life?"
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
"Avatar"
I got to see Avatar tonight. Overall, 4 out of 5 stars. If you can, spend the extra money and go see it in IMAX 3D, if you can't see it in IMAX, spend the extra money and see it in 3D, and if you can't do either of those, just go see it in theaters because this movie was made to be seen on the big screen and heard in surround sound. James Cameron's latest film (first feature length since 1997's Titanic) comes with great visuals, quality acting, and unlike Transformers 2, it's story actually lived up to its visual grandeur.
Avatar (for a summary of the film's story click here and read the "Synopsis") is far from just a movie and entertainment. James Cameron has a message, and it rings loud and clear.
For starters, I really enjoy movies, and I really enjoy talking about movies with others after we've seen it. It is a lot of fun to not only discuss the messages of a film but also bring it into contemporary life and ask, "If the message(s) of this film were really true, what kind of implications would that have," and other questions like it. This is my attempt to bring some of my thoughts and discussions from friendly conversation to thoughtful blog entry.
Cameron's worldview and gospel comes through via the characters and peoples in his new film. Viewers may even notice some fairly obvious similarities between this movie's message and the messages of The Lion King, Pocahontas, and Dances With Wolves.
Worldview
The optimal worldview put forth is pantheism (all nature is spiritual and there is a one, or ultimate unity; in Avatar, it is the Great Mother i.e. our own mother nature). Nature itself is spiritual, and the path to peace and enlightenment is one of true connection with nature, but not creation. In fact, there is no "creator" in this film. Everything simply is. The closest thing to a creator is a deity of nature, a spiritual being that is equally connected to all nature. As Richard Dawkins puts it, pantheism is a "sexed-up" atheism/naturalism. It just takes naturalism and religiofies/deifies it.
However, this view of reality is completely contrary to the view of God as the Creator in Christianity and cannot be accepted as truth: "For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things" (Romans 1:21-23).
Furthermore, this belief system falls apart on a very basic level - the value of human life. When Neytiri saves Jake from a pack of alien wolf-dogs, she tells him the killing of the animals is sad and awful, and he asks her, "Then why did you save me? Why didn't you let me die?" Her answer, "You have a strong heart." What does that even mean? Pantheism does not have a clear answer as to why the life of a person is more valuable than any other species in nature - plant or animal. There is no explanation as to why people intrinsically value human life over all other types of life or why they should value it more or if they should value it more.
Christianity
Sigourney Weaver's character is named Dr. Grace Augustine. Though she does not display any Christian practice or statement in the film, her name would seem to be intentional. In the film, Grace identifies with and sympathizes with the Na’vi (the alien species), as one should in light of the injustice and evil (done by the humans) under which they have suffered. However, she has no interest in changing the Na’vi. In fact, at her death she "converts" or becomes fully accepting of their beliefs by becoming one with Pandora (the planet) and with the Great Mother stating, "I am with her. She is real."
In my opinion, Cameron is using Dr. Grace as his messenger to Christians as to what his ideal Christian is like. He is telling Christians to stop trying to proseltyze and change people of different beliefs. This message conveys that other religions are just as good as Christianity, if not better, and Christians ought not claim that their religion is right. After all, all cultures are equally valid if they promote peace and harmony with others and the earth, and the Na’vi are certainly portrayed as a near (if not completely) sinless society.
Good Things
Without going into detail, it is clear that the prejudice and "depersonizing" of the Na’vi is evil, and the blatant destruction and disregard for creation and the lives of others in pursuit of the almighty dollar is evil as well (You will notice the similarities between what happens in Avatar and what took place in North and South America when the Europeans arrived.).
I loved that the mineral they were mining for was called "unobtanium." Again, an intentional name I believe. It would seem that Cameron's message here is that happiness, significance, purpose, security, love, and etcetera are all ultimately unobtainable through the functional savior of financial and material gain, and ultimately, this mineral was unobtainable to those who sought to take it by any means necessary. Likewise, the idols we build will always taunt us. We will never fully reach our created heavens and our functional saviors will never get us there. Just as the deity (the Great Mother) in Avatar crushed the idol the humans had created, so we need to turn to Jesus Christ who will crush our idols as our Lord and Savior.
In Summary
Cameron's "gospel" (his good news to the world) is an empty one. He has no basis for valuing human life over that of any plant or animal. Furthermore, there is no creator in his fable; only a mythical being that is somehow entwined with nature. In reality, there is no one in nature with whom to reconnect at death. There is only the personal, triune, Creator, God, and we, along with all the earth, all that is seen and unseen, are His creation. Cameron's "gospel" is no gospel at all. Unlike his message to Christians, Christians must refuse his "gospel" and his proclamation to stop proclaiming the name and exlusivity of Jesus Christ. "This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:11-12).
To not critically engage such a film is to passively accept its messages, which, especially in this case, is not something that Christians should do.
For further reading on Avatar and James Camerson see:
Avatar (for a summary of the film's story click here and read the "Synopsis") is far from just a movie and entertainment. James Cameron has a message, and it rings loud and clear.
For starters, I really enjoy movies, and I really enjoy talking about movies with others after we've seen it. It is a lot of fun to not only discuss the messages of a film but also bring it into contemporary life and ask, "If the message(s) of this film were really true, what kind of implications would that have," and other questions like it. This is my attempt to bring some of my thoughts and discussions from friendly conversation to thoughtful blog entry.
Cameron's worldview and gospel comes through via the characters and peoples in his new film. Viewers may even notice some fairly obvious similarities between this movie's message and the messages of The Lion King, Pocahontas, and Dances With Wolves.
Worldview
The optimal worldview put forth is pantheism (all nature is spiritual and there is a one, or ultimate unity; in Avatar, it is the Great Mother i.e. our own mother nature). Nature itself is spiritual, and the path to peace and enlightenment is one of true connection with nature, but not creation. In fact, there is no "creator" in this film. Everything simply is. The closest thing to a creator is a deity of nature, a spiritual being that is equally connected to all nature. As Richard Dawkins puts it, pantheism is a "sexed-up" atheism/naturalism. It just takes naturalism and religiofies/deifies it.
However, this view of reality is completely contrary to the view of God as the Creator in Christianity and cannot be accepted as truth: "For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things" (Romans 1:21-23).
Furthermore, this belief system falls apart on a very basic level - the value of human life. When Neytiri saves Jake from a pack of alien wolf-dogs, she tells him the killing of the animals is sad and awful, and he asks her, "Then why did you save me? Why didn't you let me die?" Her answer, "You have a strong heart." What does that even mean? Pantheism does not have a clear answer as to why the life of a person is more valuable than any other species in nature - plant or animal. There is no explanation as to why people intrinsically value human life over all other types of life or why they should value it more or if they should value it more.
Christianity
Sigourney Weaver's character is named Dr. Grace Augustine. Though she does not display any Christian practice or statement in the film, her name would seem to be intentional. In the film, Grace identifies with and sympathizes with the Na’vi (the alien species), as one should in light of the injustice and evil (done by the humans) under which they have suffered. However, she has no interest in changing the Na’vi. In fact, at her death she "converts" or becomes fully accepting of their beliefs by becoming one with Pandora (the planet) and with the Great Mother stating, "I am with her. She is real."
In my opinion, Cameron is using Dr. Grace as his messenger to Christians as to what his ideal Christian is like. He is telling Christians to stop trying to proseltyze and change people of different beliefs. This message conveys that other religions are just as good as Christianity, if not better, and Christians ought not claim that their religion is right. After all, all cultures are equally valid if they promote peace and harmony with others and the earth, and the Na’vi are certainly portrayed as a near (if not completely) sinless society.
Good Things
Without going into detail, it is clear that the prejudice and "depersonizing" of the Na’vi is evil, and the blatant destruction and disregard for creation and the lives of others in pursuit of the almighty dollar is evil as well (You will notice the similarities between what happens in Avatar and what took place in North and South America when the Europeans arrived.).
I loved that the mineral they were mining for was called "unobtanium." Again, an intentional name I believe. It would seem that Cameron's message here is that happiness, significance, purpose, security, love, and etcetera are all ultimately unobtainable through the functional savior of financial and material gain, and ultimately, this mineral was unobtainable to those who sought to take it by any means necessary. Likewise, the idols we build will always taunt us. We will never fully reach our created heavens and our functional saviors will never get us there. Just as the deity (the Great Mother) in Avatar crushed the idol the humans had created, so we need to turn to Jesus Christ who will crush our idols as our Lord and Savior.
In Summary
Cameron's "gospel" (his good news to the world) is an empty one. He has no basis for valuing human life over that of any plant or animal. Furthermore, there is no creator in his fable; only a mythical being that is somehow entwined with nature. In reality, there is no one in nature with whom to reconnect at death. There is only the personal, triune, Creator, God, and we, along with all the earth, all that is seen and unseen, are His creation. Cameron's "gospel" is no gospel at all. Unlike his message to Christians, Christians must refuse his "gospel" and his proclamation to stop proclaiming the name and exlusivity of Jesus Christ. "This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:11-12).
To not critically engage such a film is to passively accept its messages, which, especially in this case, is not something that Christians should do.
For further reading on Avatar and James Camerson see:
Douthat, Ross. "Heaven and Nature." The New York Times. 20 Dec. 2009. Web. 23 Dec. 2009.
-- A great review of and interaction with the film.
Holz, Adam R. "Avatar." Plugged In Online. 18 Dec. 2009. Web. 23 Dec. 2009.
-- Overall, some pretty good things to say about the movie and its messages.
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