It’s fitting that James Cameron’s “Avatar” arrived in theaters at Christmastime. Like the holiday season itself, the science fiction epic is a crass embodiment of capitalistic excess wrapped around a deeply felt religious message. It’s at once the blockbuster to end all blockbusters, and the Gospel According to James.
But not the Christian Gospel. Instead, “Avatar” is Cameron’s long apologia for pantheism — a faith that equates God with Nature, and calls humanity into religious communion with the natural world.
In Cameron’s sci-fi universe, this communion is embodied by the blue-skinned, enviably slender Na’Vi, an alien race whose idyllic existence on the planet Pandora is threatened by rapacious human invaders. The Na’Vi are saved by the movie’s hero, a turncoat Marine, but they’re also saved by their faith in Eywa, the “All Mother,” described variously as a network of energy and the sum total of every living thing.
If this narrative arc sounds familiar, that’s because pantheism has been Hollywood’s religion of choice for a generation now. It’s the truth that Kevin Costner discovered when he went dancing with wolves. It’s the metaphysic woven through Disney cartoons like “The Lion King” and “Pocahontas.” And it’s the dogma of George Lucas’s Jedi, whose mystical Force “surrounds us, penetrates us, and binds the galaxy together.”
Alternatively, Christians might use it as an opportunity to describe the Incarnation – the Na’vi (is he riffing on the Hebrew word for Prophet???) are not saved by their existing religion, but by an outsider assuming their nature to set them free. Not perfect – but perhaps more fruitful than “Your movie sucks lemme tell ya why I know better.”
Movies are what they are. I really don’t see an overt attempt to promote “pantheism” by movie makers. Really, in movies such as this, I tend to notice several themes running through the course of the movie. If critics/analysts choose to combine motifs and arrive at “pantheism,” well, that’s their prerogative but it doesn’t make it true or meaningful for others.
I thought the overall script in that film was so poor that it detracted from the film overall. It was replete with cliche after cliche and not a few (I thought unnecessary) veiled political cheap shots. Great special effects it had, but the plot and dialogue needed serious work. It had great potential to be a compelling story, but I thought all the money went into special effects and not into plot development, as is too often the case these days.
To people like this reviewer I typically say “It’s a friggin MOVIE. Relax.”
Mike I., people are influenced by movies, don’t dismiss the reviewer’s concern so cavalierly.
I think I would enjoy the movie, but the author knows his theology, and echos David Bentley Hart’s essay on the Tsunami.
Panentheism, however, that’s a theology worth comprehending.
[b]Timothy Fountain[/b] [url=”http://new.kendallharmon.net/wp-content/uploads/index.php/t19/article/27202/#403936″][1][/url] suggests:
[quote]Alternatively, Christians might use it as an opportunity to describe the Incarnation … perhaps more fruitful than “Your movie sucks lemme tell ya why I know better.â€[/quote]
No, no!
Once you break out of the traditional litany:
“Murder of the unborn!”
“Stories of gay people!”
“Red church!”
“Blue church!”
“Is so!”
“Is not!”
there’s no telling what might happen.
regards,
JPB
The miners are after “unobtainium” — that’s a joke for us materials engineers. We use that term to describe a metal with perfect properties and no engineering trade-offs, which is simply not possible. when I saw that on the web, I figured “I’ll wait ’til I can get the DVD from Netflix”. throw in the pantheism, and I can definitely wait …
It may be just a movie – but the world view in popular literature, TV, and movies does shape one’s own worldview.
George Lucas did the [i]Star Wars[/i] to give his generation and succeeding generations a myth by which they could shape their views and their values. There are plenty of people who, not having been taught the Bible, have their attitudes and such theology as they might have (even if they cannot state it articulately) profoundly affected by Yoda and “the Force.”
I have had many teens tell me “it’s just a movie,” and “the music I listen to doesn’t affect me,” and then later I see them acting out the values expressed in a movie or popular song. When they can think about an action, they may act in accord with biblical principles – but their predisposition to feel, think, and act is shaped more by what they fill their minds with during the day than it is by Christian teaching. That is why Paul tells us in Phil 4:4-9 to “think on these things” – what is true, good, and honorable.
What you put in is what you get out. True, a reasonably mature Christian can watch something like [i]Avatar[/i] and evaluate it without being affected by it – but such a person goes in with the idea of “Let me see what is going on here; what is valued and what is not,” rather than simply being entertained.
I made the comment above in response to other comments, without having read the review. I just read the review – Wow! I do not know if the reviewer is a professing Christian or not, but he certainly analyzed the spiritual questions and the differences between pantheism and Christianity accurately and succinctly.
[blockquote]There are plenty of people who, not having been taught the Bible, have their attitudes and such theology as they might have (even if they cannot state it articulately) profoundly affected by Yoda and “the Force.â€[/blockquote]
I think this is right–movies like this are not a threat to those who have a consciously held faith, but are bound to influence those who don’t. The best response is not complaint but competition–Christian movie-makers who can make a thoroughly entertaining film that portrays Christian values in a winning way. Clint Eastwood’s [i]Gran Torino[/i] is the best example of this I’ve ever seen, and should be shown to every Youth Group in the country–they’ll rave about it to their non-Christian friends and [i]Avatar[/i] will be blown away. My 18 year old thought it was utterly lame anyway.
I see a whole lot of “moving mountains” in the movie from a far side down.