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Review of 'AVATAR' Movie: A Christian Perspective

Avatar MovieThe late 2009 big buzz in movies is a scifi action film called AVATAR.  The plot is the classic big guy against the little guy, underdog theme.  It is reminiscent of how Native Americans are portrayed as being victims of European expansionism.  An "avatar" is a character controlled by another person, much like any video game you might play -- the character you control is an avatar.  It follows your commands, but when you stop telling it what to do, it does nothing.  In the movie, scientists are controlling hybrid human-alien avatars in an attempt to gain the trust of the indigenous population of a planet called Pandora (alluding to Greek mythology of Pandora, the first woman, and the tale of a box that once opened let's out events that cannot be contained).  But there is also a military and corporate element that is attempting to mine resources from the planet, ironically from the main home site of the indigenous population.

Once you get past the not so nuanced play against the capitalistic mindset, the movie is really a remarkable feat. You have seen movies where the computer generated characters are a bit wobbly and fake looking, but this movie almost has it down to a believable point.  As a matter of fact, since the alien race is supposed to be much like the Native Americans, expect to see some implied nudity.

Now, I know there has been and will be some controversy over the apparent promotion of paganism, as the alien race is very religious or "spiritual" in an evironmentalist way -- but again, if we were recounting the history and culture of the Native Americans, to leave out this aspect would not be framing the entire story.  However, I have noticed something interesting in space-based scifi flicks and tv shows -- humanity seems to never really believe anything.  Are humans to be thought of as having no faith?  I mean, society has been for centuries trying to downplay if not altogether expunge religion and especially Christianity from the human record.  Yet, we see movies and tv shows that fault humanity for being disconnected from "spirituality".  The true history of humanity, especially Europeans is that of a people so connected to a spiritual sense, that it permeated everything.  But for centuries, the elites in societies have shunned that spiritual sense and promoted instead a cold, calculated "scientific" approach.  I just find it a bit ironic if not hypocritical that those same elites are now faulting humanity for not being a spiritual race.

Past all of that, the movie in my opinion ranks as one of the best scifi action movies.  And I suspect AVATAR is really the first of a new kind of film where computer generated characters and scenes will dominate.  I even suspect in the near future, live actors will give way to computer generated actors.  Let's see the paparazzi chase that.

SEE TRAILER OF AVATAR:

 

SEE BEHIND THE SCENES:

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Reply to comment | The Kingdom Come

Hey there! I've been reading your blog for some time now and finally got the courage to go ahead and give you a shout out from Austin Texas! Just wanted to mention keep up the fantastic job!

My Opinion About What The Movie "Avatar" Potrays.

With all respect i see something different in the movie Avatar, from another perspective. I look as pandora as paradise. and the humans who can enter the avatars as us human going in spirit and getting our new bodies that cannot die. I also look as thier god that they worship as THE SUPREME GOD who can bring a human from their earthly bodies to paradise in new bodies permanently.And the way they appreciated the environment and all the plants and leaving things around them, showed how they appreciated Gods beautiful creation.And "pure spirits" which were almost every where to me represented the Holy Spirit.

The 5th commandment

Honor your Father AND Mother! Not just your Father, Christian brothers and sisters.

Not everything is anti-Christian, despite popular belief... :[

Why does no one think about the genre of this movie?

SCI-FI.

Have any of you ever watched Star Wars or Star Trek?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philosophy_and_religion_in_Star_Wars

http://io9.com/5272441/is-star-trek-a-religion

Let your poor kids resume watching Harry Potter and let them finish Avatar, because honestly, just tell them that it's not real, it's make believe, just something created from someone's imagination. Barney was a purple dynosaur, but you didn't say 'you can't watch that because dynosaurs aren't purple.' Did you?

They'll end up finding out that for some people it's all real soon enough, once you stop shielding their eyes from reality. You can't help it once they are 18, or become emancipated minors (like I would if I was being treated like you treat your kids, keeping them in the dark.)

Sci-Fi and Christianity

I am no liberal, neither in my Christianity or my politics but I do agree with J.C. that sometimes we Christians have a bunker mentality where we think we are like the apostles still hiding behind locked doors (John 20:19). Instead, we see the apostle Paul who was bold enough to go right into the heart of the "pagan" world at that time; Mars Hill/the Areopagus (Acts 17:16-34). And Paul went so far as to acknowledge that the pagans believed in gods, and that it was a good thing that they had even that much insight. Paul even quoted from pagan poetry to make his point.

So, yes while Christian parents need to be keen to help their children navigate what is being presented, there could be great benefit in interacting with otherwise pagan ideas. I'm not certain that the makers of Avatar, Star Wars and Star Trek were expressly trying to be "anti-Christian", however the shows do depict pagan ideas...as does most of our culture. We Christians can't and shouldn't keep retreating behind locked doors. We need to boldly go where faithful men have gone before ;-) We need to engage society, and it need not always be in hostility. Paul calmly but matter of factly talked about the One God, the knowable God and preached the Gospel. We are merely messengers. Only God can change the person's heart. But what good is a Gospel under a bushel or locked behind doors? Let us instead, take all things captive for Christ...even the realm of sci-fi.

Re: A little of this and a little of that

I have to tell you, I liked Avatar better the second time. The first time, the allusion to the conquering of the First Nations people by the western europeans was too obvious ... not enough allusion. The second time I knew it was coming and so I could look past it. Yeah, the Na'vi were pagan pantheists. Here's the thing for me, though: the world in the movie is not ours. It's not our universe. It's someone else's idea of a metaphor for our world as they see it. And, truthfully, in the world James Cameron sees, God doesn't exist.

He's wrong, of course, but that doesn't mean he doesn't have the right to view the world however he chooses.

I saw some really excellent stuff in Avatar - outside of the cinematography and the über-cool gadget Cameron invented to create the big blue guys. Incidentally, that's how I interpret "whatever is true, whatever is right, whatever is honorable, ..." etc, on the whole; focus on those things in what I see around me. Because all people - Christ-followers or not - are made in God's image, so they reflect him to the world. And in the same way God's creation reflect Him as their creator, the things we create reflect us ... and so the things we create reflect God in some way. So, there is usually something in what we create that speaks of God.

Yeah, there's criticism of unchecked capitalism, and heartless militarism. However, more disturbing for me is that most movies coming out of Hollywood preach the message that you have to leave your family behind, you have to leave your friends behind, you have to follow your heart and make your own way - Hollywood preaches independence. However, independence isn't much of a Biblical concept. :) We're called to be dependent on God and co-dependent on one another. And Avatar was a beautiful picture of living in community, of family, of denying what is best for one's self to fight for both what is best for the community and what is right, period. I thought it was fantastic to see that on the big screen.

As for the paganism, it doesn't make me angry. Filmmakers have free will the same way I have free will. But it makes me so sad to see them come SO close to the truth ... and miss it. It truly breaks my heart. He IS all around us, and he DOES care for us, and he DOES speak to us through the earth around us ... but he is not the earth. And we don't have to leave all technology - and clothing! - behind to find him. Although putting your cell phone down and picking your Bible up doesn't hurt. :)

Excellent thoughts Jay

I'd never thought of how Hollywood and much of society attempts to disconnect us from our family, but you're right. And Avatar, if nothing else did portray a close knit family unit.

Christianity itself is SUPPOSED to be a "family unit", a community where we all watch out for each other (not in a socialism/communism way) and keep each other on the right path. But even Christianity suffers this concept of radical individualism.

May God's Will be Done

What are you guys really trying to say? Yes we have the apostle Paul who performed acts that at that time seemed nonsensical to the other apostles, but we have to understand that his purpose, from the time he was blinded by Jesus even up to being shipped wrecked was one ordained and navigated by God. This man had a genuine relationship with God that enabled him to hear His voice to go boldly into places because he knew that God always went before him.
His acts was not done with the things of men in mind, but with that of God.
Do you truly think that the bold acts of Jesus' disciples could be mirrored or even compared to us today watching these types of movies as well as interacting with pagan ideas? What in this has God shown you that will help accomplish His Will? How is this removing us from under a bushel? Is it not hypocritical to say "Gal 5:19-21 Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrathi, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will NOT inherit the kingdom of God."
And after saying this say also, "So, yes while Christian parents need to be keen to help their children navigate what is being presented, there could be great benefit in interacting with otherwise pagan ideas."
You see the truth of the matter is, when you have received a true and authentic encounter with God, who opens the eyes of the sinner to see the truth of His Will, these things that you speak casually about becomes repulsive. Instead there are men who study the bible inside out, & even further those studies by checking history books and papers thinking that by this knowledge they will understand God's ways, but truth is, they have never subjected themselves to that very Word they study, neither have they surrendered their hearts totally to Him. But you know something, only until the men of God kneel down and start having real relationships with our heavenly Father, only then will the Holy Spirit reveal His TRUE Will & His True ways, and not the knowledge derived from a Bible school course. For even the disciples were fishermen & unlearned. But to prove that nothing is impossible with God, He used Saul who was once a pharisee intellectually educated & strong in his beliefs. But what changed him? That true & authentic ENCOUNTER with God. We all will be accountable for every idle word spoken, especially when you are at a level of high influence on others. So I plead with you all, be careful of the words spoken/written, because one day you will meet the Master & you will have to account for those un-repented words that justified men of God to watch and even participate in ungodly things, because they were "make believe" and "not intentionally made", without thinking that these very imaginations once created idols that were detestable in God's sight! It is same with the movies!

Respectfully,
Lincoln

these were strong christian

these were strong christian beliefe eywa is a lot like Yahweh the god of abraham isaac and jacob. they quote the bible say eywa will provide instead of god will provide they also follow the christian belief in one marriage. when they died they joined eywa the world was god because there god created it so i dont believ it was pantheism at all

Get a grip, Eliyahu

This movie is loaded with pagan ideas, not Christian beliefs. That's nothing against aboriginal peoples themselves; people we love, lies from the deceiver we do not. Aside from the idea of being mated for life, and not explained beyond that for the record, the worship of their deity is more reminiscent of the worship of the earth ("Gaia", from the Greek word for 'land' or 'earth'). "Gaia is a primordial deity in the Ancient Greek pantheon and considered a Mother Goddess or Great Goddess." (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaia_(mythology)) The hero in the Avatar story once prays to this very similar deity of the indiginous people, saying 'See where we come from ... we killed our mother.' Again I say, this movie does not present Christian ideas in any way. It promotes the worship of the created instead of the Creator, the One True God, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and even makes a not-so-subtle point about demonic (sky people) possession being a good thing. Brothers and sisters, we need to stay awake. Study to show yourselves approved unto God; workers that need not be ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of Truth. This sort of thing will only intensify leading up to the great tribulation before Messiah returns. It comes wrapped with emotional experiences to help you to digest it better, but make no mistake this is brainwashing, used pervasively by marketers. The luciferian new world that is long planned and being implemented all around you may well insist on beliefs not unlike those presented in this film. Again I say, stay awake. Keep your eyes open and your whole being focused on the God of Israel with His strength through His son Jesus, the Messiah.

Yea, and I bet you don't put

Yea, and I bet you don't put up a Christmas tree or buy easter bunnies on Good Friday or put out Halloween candy...get a grip...it's just a movie and you get what you want out of it. If you're looking for trouble and conflict, no doubt, it will find you.

Avatar - A Demonic Movie

I saw the movie today with my wife, 12 year old son and his 12 year old friend.

This was the first time I had been to see a movie in 5 years.

We ended up actually walking out of the cinema.

I was totally disgusted by the constant cursing of God and the taking of Jesus' name in vain.

Have
you ever noticed that American movies always find a way to blaspheme
Jesus's name and to damn God? (Molly Noble Bull, I fully support your
question.)

I had to explain to my son why we walked out of the movies.

There were also many demonic and blasphemous themes in the movie.

When
the white lillies descended on the main character's avatar, this was a
mockery of the baptism of Jesus when the Holy Spirit in the form of a
dove descended on him.

The animals in the movie were all demonic.

There
was a reference to "vampirism" when the mother stuck her knife into the
chest of the main character and then sucked his blood from the knife.

I could go on and on but you get the point.

The technology was really good and that is the only good thing I can say about Avatar.

Francis - Trinidad & Tobago

they are creatures made by Eywa(God in the movie)

Eywa is the name that represented God in the movie Avatar. If Eywa is the one that made them all, then we should respect that. Think of it like this, just try. I'm not forcing my beliefs on anyone, but if this will convince you, then that would be ok. Okay, think of it as this, if you were in the movie, and is one of the Na'vis, then you would still pray over the creatures that died, right? Because even if they looked like demons, (the design was so beautiful, in my opinion. I'm a fantasy fan) God (Eywa, in the movie) was still the one who made them. And according to the bible, we should respect every single living thing, that's why we shall not kill. That's all thank you. (I don't mean to offend anyone.)

Avatar -- do you see demons EVERYWHERE?

I suppose I am not shocked by the response on this site to the movie Avatar. It never ceases to amaze me that, if a work of art (such as this movie) portrays another spiritual belief system, it is branded as demonic by Christians. That simply reflects fear. 

In my opinion, a movie of this type was long overdue. It was good to finally see an "in your face" assault on amoral capitalism and militarism at its worse. Don't misunderstand me: capitalism on a small scale is fine and basically harmless. When huge corporations are involved, however, they don't care about anyone, including those who defend them. As for the military, there is an obvious need for them as well. But aggressive action against peaceful populations is NEVER right, and Christianity should teach that.
As for the poster who pulled his son and friend out of the movie, as a parent of 3 children I would caution you: you are building resentment and anger in your children and hopefully this will cause them, when they are grown and free, to question such dogmatic and prejudiced approaches to life. It will probably have a good effect on him in the long run and perhaps he will not be as stubbornly attached to a belief system that forces worship.

Wrong analogy

First of all Mr. Joesph, please do not lump Christianity into the corporate world. And please do not confuse our duties as messengers for God to that which involves saving the planet. Because if you really understood and studied christianity, it is not the planet that we are trying to bring the message to it's human beings. That is not to say we should neglect our stewardship for the things he created. But there is a major difference between care taking and worshipping. That said, you fail to undersatnd that in the spirit relm lies entities way beyond our finite minds. And it can only be understood by accepting the one who truly created ALL things to include the spirit world. Movies like AVATAR are nothing new to us when it comes to many who foolishly dabble in areas they do not understand. Don't you find it strange that the writer implements a spiritual format to get a secular point across? The worshiping of things animals and unknown gods are supposed to assist in attacking and protecting them form big 'ol bully corporation. But if a christian attempts to implent christainity, it's narrowminded, bigoted and insensative. Every movie has a agenda. some subtle some not so subtle. But the bottom line is that movie makers today are taking things to the next level, even if involves the solicitation of the spirit world. And those who are not in touch with thier creator in the right way will be sucked into these and many other media influences that are contrary to Gods word. And as for your concern about parents alienating thier children by not letting them see certain movies? Another failure on your part to truly understand the God of the bible. He commands us (all parents that is) to "Raise up a child in th eway they should go, and when they get old it will never depart". In other words do what you are suppose to do to properly raise your child and in the end you will see the promised results. Just because rebellion may occur in between there doesn't mean you failed..But I digress. I hold no ill will to these movie makers. They are just excercising thier tools that influenced them. By the same token, I and others like me will excercise ours..in love!

Take off your fear/hate glasses

I am a Christian and I love this movie. I believe that firstly we have a creative God, who created creative beings. This movie is the work of a creative being/s. If creativity is a gift from God then we have the opportunity to perceive the creative works of creative beings as reflective and inspired by what God has already created. The views of the loudest Christians are often promoted the most. I liken these to the terrorists of Islam who destroy and smash down in an attempt to communicate there spirituality. My God is a God of love and upliftment, his first commandment is to love Him, His second commandment is to love others like ourselves. Most people firstly encounter Christians condemnation, hate and abuse. Please dig past the noisy downers to the balanced Christian veiwpoint on things. I view the creatures created in this movie with an eye to their inspiration. If you are a Christian and say that the creatures on Avatar are demonic then you are ignorant of what your God creates. Look at the shark, the scorpion, dinosaurs in general, any creature with sharp teeth and claws can be deemed vicious by those with fear of them. In one of the very first scenes of this movie there is the 'chopper' flying through a flock of purply dinosaury birds. Look at the wings, compare to a them to dragonfly. Neyteri accused Sully of being a baby, who doesnt know how to ac.t He sees the world around him as dark and dangerous and needs the destructive force of fire to keep the enemies at bay. Putting out that fire (Fear) Neyteri exposes a new world full of beautiful luminescence. The true world. Christians take off the fear glasses and put the love glasses on that God instructs you too and your perception of this movie will change. If this is what man can create. Then how much more beautiful a world this will be when Christ returns and restores it to its pre-fallen state. You who fear demons lack faith in your God that He will protect you. He loves you and if you love then the enemy will flee. Those looking for hidden agendas will alway find them, you can find them in any childs storybook or under your bed at night time. So stop looking for the Devil in everything and start looking for God in everything and see how your life changes. This is an incredible movie of beauty and wonder and love.

No glasses here my friend

This is exactly why many in the christian community are never taken seriously. You claim to be a christian and you love this movie. Well for starters you made a couple of major mistakes. You claim to LOVE this movie, which from where I am standing, you love the name of Jesus being taken in vain, You love the pagen acts and idolotry that is praticed. All in all, you love many of the things that are contrary to the bible that are supposed to be recognized as evil by christians. So may I ask you what kind of christian are you? Our beleif system is NOT and indication of hate. What makes you think that by accepting things that are evil is going to put you in good standings with your Judge? Jesus loved sinners as christians should too, but in nowhere did he condolne thier or our sinful actions. Now as for avatar? they are what they are. High tech producers selling a product to gullible audiences with thier subtle message of anti corp and panthesism. I'm not trying to change that. They will be doing this when I'm dead and gone. I got that! But the bigger picture is obviously many of us who claim the name of Christ and can't tell the difference between good and evil. Sounds like we need another trip to the cross!

Mining

Hey Neil, just wanted to say that I couldn't have put it any better myself! You expressed my views EXACTLY. I am glad I found a Christian site that gives a balanced review of this movie and has a lot of positive comments (as well as a few negative ones, but oh well). I have a lot of Christian friends who loved this movie and found the redemptive value in it, but I've also met a few Christians who get all freaked out, and I think they are missing something valuable, and that discourages me. Believe it or not, the CBN website also gave a pretty fair review to this movie! Anyway, it's a pretty sad way to go through life afraid of messages in art. Art demands interpretation, and we have the redeemer living inside of us. Jesus said the Spirit would lead us into all truth. I firmly believe that this Holy Spirit, this same Redeemer, can also redeem and pull the best out of art! And I think that Avatar was a powerful movie especially full of redeemable material, or "treasures hidden in darkness." I think some Christians, especially in a modern/western church setting, just want everything to be neat and tidy as it is presented to them. They want the gold already fashioned into ring, the diamonds set into it. For example, a neat and tidy sermon: all the right ideas set in the right context. Nothing wrong with that, that's valuable too. However, there's something to be said for finding diamonds and gold in some cave or some mine, in a deep dark place, as it is written somewhere: "I will give you treasures hidden in darkness." When precious stone or metal is found in a cave or a mine--a dark place--it is in its raw form, it's not cut or fashioned or put into its context, but it's still precious and worth a fortune. When you pull it out raw from its hiding place, there is something extra special about it; it becomes personal. You could save up for jewelry, or wait for someone to give it to you, or you could learn how to mine. You can see where I am going with this: The same goes for truth that is not set in a Christian context, but is still truth nonetheless, in its raw form. The Christian should be able to mine this raw truth out of the clutter and rock of a different context and see it redeemed, reinterpreted, according to the truth that is in Christ. I'm not meaning to strip the movie. It would be one of my favorite movies apart from these considerations: great visual effects, beautiful love story. However, when you do some mining, it actually becomes a very exciting means of some serious encouragement and hope. Anyway, I think that what happens is that many Christians tend not to recognize the diamond or the gold in the raw form. They may very well see it but call it worthless because it doesn't quite look like the stuff at the jewelry store. Or maybe they would rather find a money tree. Riches in raw form, immediate consumption. They can't see the forest for the trees, so to speak. I'm not meaning to come down too hard on people: the raw diamond or the rocky gold certainly looks different--many are surprised when they see it for the first time--and hey, it's dark in that cave! But the one who knows how to mine and refine will be greatly enriched.

Avatar Neither Christian Nor Satanic

While the movie Avatar may not be Satanic, in that the producers were not attempting to introduce Satan or Satan worship, neither is Avatar a "Christian" movie. It isn't meant to be. It is a political-agenda wrapped up in pretty cgi computer generated graphics. The movie depicts the big, bad capitalists (as if the USA would be the only nation represented if we ever found another life-bearing planet), against the poor, innocent indigenous inhabitants. It is a repeated theme in politically-correct circles.

So, while I'm not joining the cadre of claiming this movie is Satanic or demonic (especially as many Disney cartoons have a more occult theme than Avatar), I also am not going to lead people to believe that the god in Avatar is anything like the One and Only God depicted in the Bible.

Avatar review - demons everywhere

Hello Joseph,
Thanks for commenting.  I think you'd agree that the initial review was even handed.  I never assumed anything nefarious about the movie except that it has the tinge of typical capitalism bashing, environmentalism and all around liberalism -- however, the irony is that Hollywood and the production of such movies is ALSO "big corp".

The real problem that you point out is not a little capitalism compared to a lot of capitalism -- the real problem would be CORRUPTION.  Capitalism, free, open society can become corrupt, but unlike a closed, despotic society a capitalistic society allows for people to oppose corruption usually without bloodshed.

You mention what you think Christianity SHOULD teach.  Christianity isn't something that can be imposed upon.  It is a static system with dynamic expression -- that is, we ought not read our "morals" back into Christianity.  For instance, Jesus didn't really care about the political oppression going on in His day.  The Jews were looking for a Messiah to come and overthrow the Romans -- Jesus had other plans.  Nor does Christianity urge social upheaval -- read these verses for example, 1 Cor 7:20-24.  Jesus was a revolutionary but He was not a wanton, hippie-like rebel ready to uproot everything.

Lastly, as for the parent that removed their children from the movie -- well, they don't tell us the full conversation they had with their children.  Where does their right to raise their children end and other people's right to intrude on that right begin?  Some secularists don't want to allow home-schooling.  Some secularists would forbid a parent from even teaching their children about their religion, as if they should just let the child grow up and "choose for themselves".  This makes no sense, since ALL ethics and morals, character and conduct in which we instruct our children could come under this intrusion -- even the secularists teach their children some form of ethics, morals, character and conduct.  It is just that the secularists really has no basis for any of that except an arbitrary notion of "good" which can change definitions at a drop of a hat.

Anyhow, yes ultimately it was just a movie.  I am more concerned with people led away by their own lusts/desires/thoughts/ideas then by some boogiemen demons or devil tempting them. James 1:4

Thanks again for the comments.

I'm glad you took your son out

Francis, I'm really glad you took your son, who would have a very impressionable mind out of the cinema, he may not have liked what you did, but what you've done will stay with him 'til he gets old. Be consistent in your decisions, and what you view (especially what u watch in his presence) or it will crumble the foundation you've established. Avatar, & most movies today, has so many hidden schemes that many wont detect. But kudos to you my friend. Stay strong, Peace!

The hidden Agenda - Romans 1

My husband and I just saw the movie last night and got into an argument both last night and this morning regarding the hidden agenda that I see in the movie Avatar. On the surface the movie seems great but when you really dissect the movie from a biblical perspective, you have the worship of nature rather than the worship of the true God. There is an agenda not just in Hollywood to push for saving the earth. The bible is very clear that God will destroy this earth and creat a new one. Now, I am not for just wrecklessly destroying the earth but why is it that you can get fined for chopping down x tree or destroying the habitat of the bald eagle or the x whale but millions of unborn babies lose their lives and nothing is done about it. Open your eyes Christian and see the agenda, the deception of Satan. You may think that a harmless movie has nothing to do with what I am saying but it does. Don't be lulled to sleep. Satan has his agenda and he will use any means necessary to get that across. There is no such thing as Mother Earth. Don't get your priorites twisted. We are not called to save the earth but to make disciples and preach the Good news. This earth will be destroyed. Let's make our mission to save souls rather than the inidgenious plants or animals. Yes we have been given a responsibility by God to be stewards over the earth but don't let your affections get too caught up with the earth. God cares moere about souls than trees or animals. He sent his son Jesus Christ to die for you not them. Just remember that. I am not condemning you if you enjoyed the movie but just be aware of the hidden agenda because it's there rather you realize it or not. God bless.

AVATAR the hidden agenda

The first thing I want to point out is that when you LOOK for bad, Opps there it is... When You LOOK for Good, WOW, look how beautiful...
It's all in what you are atught to do .
The movie is a perseption of many things. Maybe all or a lil bit of what EVERY one has said. It is as you see it. As an artist, ( drawer) I see the veins in a flower, the stem, the smell, the color, the height, weight, etc.... Others... well.. SEE A FLOWER.
Did anyone RECOGNISE the people as being BLUE?? well, this is what blue mean: Blue is the overwhelming "favorite color." Blue is seen as trustworthy, dependable and committed. The color of sky and the ocean, blue is perceived as a constant in our lives.
James Cameron said that it was the Huang Shan mountains that inspired him to make the Hallelujah Mountains, which would explain the similar appearance. It is also the place Norm Spellman wants to visit most on Pandora.
The Hallelujah Mountains are also where mountain banshees choose to roost. This location makes the final challenge on the path to becoming a Na'vi hunter (known as Iknimaya) even more difficult and dangerous, as the route taken to the top of the mountains is treacherous. One wrong move will send a candidate plummeting to his or her death. The danger of wild mountain banshees is also present.
Direhorses can be tamed to aid their riders in the hunt and in battle. Everyone is born with one and this is their main source of transportaion. But it has to be earned, kinda like us going to heaven, and earning our reign of supreme beings... The Banshee is a type of direhorse that a great warrior hasto tame, and the only way one can do this, is if his last owner has died. The Banshee being red could symbolize :Red is hot. It's a strong color that conjures up a range of seemingly conflicting emotions from passionate love to violence and warfare.
Eywa is the guiding force and deity of Pandora and the Na'vi. The Na'vi believe that Eywa acts to keep the ecosystem of Pandora in perfect equilibrium. It is sometimes theorized by human scientists that all living things on Pandora connect to Eywa through a system of neuro-conductive antennae;((WE HAVE A HEART)) this often explains why Na'vi can mount their direhorse or mountain banshee steeds and ride them immediately without going through the necessary steps required to domesticate such wild animals.

It all boils down to Good and evil, all movies do. no matter the plot.. You either choose good or evil. and I BELEIVE the avatars are Good and The DEVIL, so to speak is trying to destroy that.

As the collective color of the spirit, it invokes rest and can cause the body to produce chemicals that are calming. Now saying that, I see God sees us as equal, no matter our color...
As far as your TREE goes. This is the TREE OF SOULS... WOuld one not say this tree has the NAMES of the BOOK OF LIFE??? This would then contain the ancestors of the Pandorians, RIGHT? What would happen if OUR book of LIFE as we know it, were destroyed??
The night before the battle, Jake approached the Tree of Souls to ask Eywa for her help in defeating the RDA, pleading with her to examine Grace's memories of urbanized Earth, to understand that the RDA would do the same to Pandora, but was told by Neytiri that Eywa only assists in the balance of life on Pandora and was unlikely to intervene. But if you can recall, God is right on time. He answers praers as he sees fit. This was what he was taught to do as far as prayers go. And his prayers were answered.
This is how I see it, I could go on and on. Again, its a movie..... enjoy it and be happy. and if you gonna criticize the way some of us have, why go see it?
Anna......Takinuaway@aol.com

I agree with you

The closer Jesus second coming approaches the more all demons use strategies to have people blind and be shaped by them instead of Christ. I reject this movie as I reject Da Vinci Code, Harry Potter, the book The Shack. All these trash go to the right place with their followers. The door right door is narrow. May God give to his chosen people discerniment and they can be able to avoid the evil.

Why is everyone convinced that this film is Daemonic?!

My father is both a Methodist Superintendent Minister (Equivalent Bishop) and Doctor of theology, and as such I fully respect his views. To me (and him) this film is anything but satanic, just because something looks nasty or has sharp teeth or six limbs doesn't make it a daemon. on the contrary i think that this film actually has a Christian base to it: The Na'vi believe in a one true God, an afterlife wherein you are in total peace and happiness with God, God is the creator of all things, the believers in God triumph over the forces of evil (the humans in the story), humans are stewards of the Earth... the list goes on.

You are all seeing past the truth and into Satan's trap... he is making you think he still has power. At Christ's death on the Cross he dissolved Satan's power, it is he that is making you fear and to do so is to let him gain a foothold in your life : by making you see a Christian story as fraught with his evils!!

a Methodist Superintendent

a Methodist Superintendent Minister is nowhere near a bishop

I agree with you also

Celita, when i read your response I totally agreed to what you said. In a time when evil is high, when the things we may take for granted, or things that we think are clean, pure or just 'normal' are in fact an unbearable stench in the nostrils of our God. & it is these times when our Helper (Holy Spirit) that Jesus Christ left for us should be ever so present in our lives. For He gives us discernment.
I have had experiences... experiences that I thank God He allowed to happen, for I would not have changed. Where demons have entered my being and tormented me constantly at night, & the sources were music & watching movies. I know I've strayed a bit from the topic but I had to bring it to the thousands of readers on this site. I could remember clearly when I 1st saw someone kill another person on a video clip, now where I'm from at that time you wouldn't hear about or see those things. & I felt so upset that I wanted to throw up. But as time progressed, & I kept seeing the same thing over and over, eventually it was normal to see, then it turned into a craving, that if a movie didn't have blood, I didn't want to see it. & that's what has happened, the devil has used the tool of media to desensitize us to sin. Though I've used a harsh analogy of killing, there are other underlined sins that we think is Okay (e.g. unmarried couples kissing) these things we can no longer detect, in movies, and equally in our daily lifestyles. But thanks to God's Grace, God's Word, the Cleansing Blood of Jesus, & our Helper, we can tap into the eyesight of our Creator & do His Will. We are in the last days, and inevitably things will keep getting worse until the end which has to be shortened because no1 will survive. The gate to destruction is oh so wide.. But that to eternal life is narrow.. Many may disagree to what I've just wrote, but the ways of God are nonsense to carnal men.
Avatar is a definite no no in my view. I use this measure, if I can say "Hi Jesus, lets sit down together and watch a movie with killing, violence, witchcraft and all the other things you are against" then I'll watch it! But you know whats the sad thing? God is always with us when we sit to watch the movies, & we grieve Him time and time again. I hope this has opened at least one person's eyes... God blessings.

Hi Lincoln, I've read your

Hi Lincoln, I've read your comments here and was very impressed from several things and how well you explained them, was wondering if you have a website, blog or at least a Facebook account where I could get in touch with you?

Animals \ Nature

We are to be caretaker's to the earth...  Don't pull the "Satan" card stating that naturist claims are only a distraction.  There are many injustices in the world.  Many problems concerning all types of life...

Stick to the 10 commandments. 
1.) 1 god.
2.) No idols.
3.) No name is vane.  (Do not curse God or his will)
4.) Remember sabbath.
5.) No murder... (Yes this includes killing muslims despite popular belief - can't save\convert a dead man\woman)
6.) Be faithful to Husband\Wife.
7.) Honor your parents.
8.) Don't steal. 
9.) No false witness.
10.) No jealousy.

 

In Genesis 1 we find the creation of all things. It is here that we see God establishing the relationship between man and animal. In verse 28 God gives to man authority over all that was created on earth. Man is to take care of and use the earth. Man is to have the authority over all that was created. This means that man is to assume the control and protection of all that God had created. We must be careful in this role. Many are for protecting every animal no matter the cost both to mankind and to the animals.  So we need to protect the earth and its animals so as to not hurt ourselves, or the animals and earth. 

Very fine line between what's right and wrong in god's eyes. 

 

Remember do and think as Jesus would to the best of your abilities.  What would Jesus think about Avatar? 

I think he would focus on the positive messages and look gracefully past its shortcomings. 

Jesus and Environmentalism

Joshua,
Thanks for the comments and the reminder about the 10 commandments, though Jesus expanded that the 10 commandments are actually just to show that people CAN'T actually be "good" on their own -- since no one has EVER kept all of the commandments.  However, what I would be more interested in, is verses where Jesus talks about animals and the environment in general, especially since as you challenged us, "What would Jesus think about the movie?".  The only way I could know is to read what Jesus thought about concern for animals and environmentalists issues.  Could you point out some verses please?  Thanks

Avatar Observations

Setfree, your observations about the movie are on the mark.  However, even blantant paganism can be used as a ice-breaker to share the Gospel.  Unfortunately, most "Jesus movies" depict Jesus as some sort of 1st-century hippie just going around spouting out of context sayings and being sugarly-sweet all the time.  It is no wonder many people can't seem to contect with Jesus because most of the time He is portrayed falsely.  The Avatar movie can be used to talk about the God of humanity (not aliens), which is revealed in the Bible.  Romans 1:20 and Acts 17:16-34 are good starter verses.  Thanks for the comments.

They depict Jesus as a

They depict Jesus as a hippie because he was one.