I enjoyed Avatar—a lot. But then I generally like sci-fi movies anyway. Of course, Avatar is widely seen as a pro-environmental movie, some might even say that it was radically so. It has already made the top ten green movies of all time in a number of lists.
Christians rightly “pan” the pantheistic themes in the movie. Eywa is an energy force that pervades and binds everything together on the moon, Pandora. The native blue humanoids, the Na’vi, worship Eywa as a mother goddess. But in rejecting the pantheistic elements of Avatar Christians may go to the opposite extreme of separating humans from nature completely and ignoring our connectedness to everything on earth.
It seems to me that when it comes to how we relate to the natural world we are often confronted with only two alternatives. Either we go the pantheistic route or we go the dualistic route. One reacts to the other by going to the opposite extreme. But the opposite of one error is not necessarily the truth. The opposite of one error is often an error itself.
The problem with pantheism is that it does now allow the earth to be what it is, creaturely. It wants to make the earth out to be something that it is not, namely, God. The problem with dualism is that it does not allow us to embrace our creatureliness within creation. It wants to elevate humans above and beyond creation.
Having said that, Avatar makes an important point. The central insight of ecology states that everything on earth is interconnected and interdependent. This accords with the Christian tradition that we are linked with everything on earth by virtue of our creatureliness. We are part of the earth, having been made from the earth for life on the earth. But we need to say more.
Having been made in the image of God we also identify with God’s delight in and care for creation. As his co-workers we have a responsibility to live in harmony with the earth and its processes, that is to say, with the way that God made things. This may require that we reign in our desires and attend to the needs of his living earth.
Ryan Oakes Says:
February 4th, 2010 at 2:41 pmVisit Ryan Oakes
I must admit that I felt conflicted during this movie. While, the plot and many characters were weak. The story certainly enveloped me. My first reaction because of the plot and some dialogue was to react against the movie. But as I saw it again, it gave me pause. The movie really focuses us on the inter-connectivity of the world/creation.
I do think some of it’s themes could be used as a spring board into the true place of Creation and how Christians work within Creation.
tim saleska Says:
February 10th, 2010 at 10:34 pmVisit tim saleska
Now, since I am always thinking environmentally, as you know I do, I wonder if Avatar would be in the “Top Ten All Time Green Movies” if those individuals who keep track of such things included an accounting of all the natural resources consumed in making those lame, non-bio degradable, plastic 3-D glasses.
On the plot of Avatar side, the movie looked like a remake of “Dances with Wolves,” except with blue natives.
arandc Says:
February 12th, 2010 at 3:27 pmVisit arandc
I agree, Ryan. I just wanted to pick up on of those themes that may at times be neglected among us. I like how you expressed it in your last sentence.