Finding the Supernatural in Atheistic Hollywood
by Torrey H. Brinkley
A recently jailed Hollywood celebrity has claimed to have found religion while imprisoned. Another actor, part of a team of brothers, himself professes to be a preacher now. We all know of a certain vain and goofy Hollywood star, who likes to jump up & down off sofas, in between explaining his belief in the most bizarre religious hoax/scam of the last 50 years.
But, by and large, one rarely ever sees actors or actresses coming in or out of a church service (most likely because churches are not paved with red carpets, or lined with flashbulbs going off constantly). The multitude of self-serving interviews made with Hollywood types hardly ever talk about their spiriutality, and only a few actors, writers, producers and directors seek to give any glory to God in their acceptance speeches at award ceremonies.
In contrast, we almost always know about the political leanings of famous actors and actresses. They share articulate and passionate views on a multitude of national and international subjects, even if they have no training or expertise on any of these subjects. We also know how they view material possessions, consumption of legal and illegal substances, and what they view as moral or immoral behaviour.
It is rare to ever see a film, TV show or cartoon that might depict:
--a biblical view of the creation of the world,
--the moral dilema of humankind steeped in sin & selfishness,
--the need for a personal and global Saviour,
--the historical and biblical accounts of prophets of God who stood up to the evil in their societies,
--the workings of God's servants in Old & New Testaments, who performed miracles, to show the power of God over nature,
--and the factual accounts of Jesus of Nazareth, who was immaculately conceived , sinlessly ministered & performed miracles, suffered a cruel death on a Cross, and then suddenly arose from a rock solid tomb.
Nope, Hollywood truly tries to steer away from religious and supernatural stuff. It might be too controversial.
Yet, curiously, why is it that a large percentage of Hollywood offerings, whether in cartoon or dramatic forms, tries to show persons or creatures with supernatural abilities?
....A new box office release, showing currently in theaters, has 4 superheroes, each with special magical "powers", as they fly across the screen in glorious color (all a figment of some writer's imagaination).
....A popular TV series this past year, had more than a dozen characters, who all looked to be "normal", but each of them had a "special ability" to see or do things above & beyond human attributes (a Special Effects Consultant loves this kind of challenge).
....Children have loved their regular dose of Super Heroes for over 60 years of Superman, Batman, Spider Man, Wonder Woman, etc., who first appeared in comic book form, then cartoon TV series, and followed by major block buster movies (none of these special abilities were ever seen, verified or experienced by witnesses, as they were just figments of imagination of a writer or illustrator).
....Even though many actual villains have appeared throughout history performing grizzly deeds, certain authors and producers have decided to add a little more intrigue by giving strange, evil and extraordinary powers to:
-not die, unless shot with a silver bullet
-disappear from sight when pursued by authorities
-regenerate body parts after being blown up in an explosion
-survive even multiple gunshot wounds by police or "good guys."
-fly away from their pursuers right into the sky
-share certain characteristics with animals or other beasts.
A recent cartoon movie release even gave an old house the powers to eat people and their possessions when it felt it was being threatened.....and then get off its foundation and chase its enemies down the street. Oh well.
Should a wise, sane or relgious person worry about all the bizarre productions and emphases of abnormally wicked entertainment industry?
Wise King Solomon said over 3000 years ago:
"Do not fret because of evil men or be envious of the wicked, for the evil man has no future hope." - Proverbs 24: 19-20
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
Please kind in mind that my views or opinions may change on a day to day basis and this is my response based on how I was feeling on this particular day.
~Thanks Joel
So why isn't there more of a Biblical emphasis by the Trinitarian community to make and distribute more films about the Bible and it's teachings or in the case of Hollywood (Stories). Now days they could actually make all the special effects needed to make these stories come to life. Of course no human would be able to sit through an entire movie about the Bible. It would be too long and too hard for someone to take in. God's word is beyond any story,show,film or documentry. It cannot be reproduced in any other form but itself. It's simply too vast and no one person,organization, or studio would be able to take on such a task.
So the next part is deciding what to show. How to interpret it and the message that it (not the director) gives. With Mel Gibson's Passion we saw an interpretation of a director's vision but did it really show the message of why Christ died on the cross?
Churches should begin funding for a media outlet that does aim to teach people about the Gospel through film and television. And do what hollywood does best. Target an audience on each individual project. Sadly we can't just have one movie for eveybody. A teenager's attention span won't last long unless you make things really exciting.
But where does marketing Jesus and sharing the message of his teachings draw the line? That is where I would be conflicted. Why should I have to sell Jesus to you through visual stimulation when you should accept him in your heart based on what he has taught you and generations before you through the Gospel? This could be why we don't see more of a push for Christ in the media. Hollywood could also be a test of Idolatry.
Take the show "American Idol" for example. More people voted for contestants on that show than they did for the President of the United States.
I think most people want to be entertained and don't much care what the film/show is about as long as it has not been done to death.There is nothing wrong with admiring some one for their talent or laughing at sitcoms or talk shows hosts. We are human and we find comfort in humanity. And we can also find and be educated about other places and things we have never seen through documentries and foreign films. These are the benefits of having the option to view films and programs.
However, when you are more concerned with your relationship with these films/programs/events than you are with your relationship with Christ than that may be when your spirituality might be in trouble. That is why it's so important to have a personal relationship with Christ and to follow him. All these things will come and go but Christ will be with us forever. Don't believe me? Just pull the plug : )
P.S. Speaking of idolatry, most celebs in Hollywood would do anything for a statue of a little golden man. I've never seen any actor/actress say "No thank you I have Jesus and that's all I need."
Post a Comment