DISCUSSION
DISCUSSION
Ivonna Yazzie
Dec 15, 2023, 11:23 PM
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The movie I chose is Avatar. I’ve always been fascinated by the movie Avatar and the way pantheism is portrayed throughout the film. The film displays affection and worship towards nature and wildlife. The film teaches humans about the importance and value of respecting both nature and wildlife. The character Neytiri was the main character who helped portray and teach Jake Sully as well as humans about how valuable their home, people, nature, and wildlife are. The “Tree Of Voices” in Avatar is described by Neytiri to Jake Sully, “This is a place for prayers to be heard. And sometimes Answered.” This goes on to describe how valuable, holy, and interconnected this place is in Avatar.
Jacqueline Grohowski
Dec 15, 2023, 5:36 PM
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The movie I Can Only Imagine, is a story about a young man named Bart Millard, who has a rough upbringing by his alcoholic father. After becoming ill, his dad, Arthur, turns his life towards Christ, whom he believes will provide redemption (Brothers, 2018).
The worldview of theism is depicted in I can only imagine, [film]. It is revealed that Arthur turns to Christ in his time of desperation with his illness. The viewer sees that the character believes in the existence of one divine being (Diffey & Holland, 2022), which is God.
References
(Brothers, Erwin). (2018). I can only imagine, [film]. Erwin Brothers Entertainment, Kevin Downes Productions, Mission Pictures International
Diffey, D., & Holland, R. (Eds.). (2022). The beginning of wisdom: An introduction to Christian thought and life (5th ed.). Grand Canyon University
Caden Perkins
Dec 15, 2023, 5:17 PM
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The movie I viewed for this discussion was Dr. Strange. The worldview that is depicted in this movie is pantheism, being that most of the movie attributes itself to the spirits of the universe. During a scene from the movie, the Ancient One held that worldview with a quote on her healing method saying, “…reorient the spirit to better heal the body.” This scene was of importance to show Dr. Strange exactly how infinite the universe is, taking him on a very fast paced and elaborate trip through many different looking dimensions in hopes of expanding his close minded thinking about spirituality.
Wesley Stinson
Dec 15, 2023, 4:33 PM
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Good evening,
I found this to be a rather interesting topic for our discussion. I opted to choose a title that I had not seen which was why I chose Interstellar. I believe that one prominent worldview that was depicted in “Interstellar” is existentialism. The character Cooper embodies this view, as he grapples with the vastness of space and the future of humanity. Two key scenes that I believe illustrate this:
1. Cooper’s quote, “Mankind was born on Earth. It was never meant to die here,” underlines the existential belief in human progress and purpose beyond our immediate surroundings.
2. Then the scene where Cooper chooses to enter the black hole demonstrates a leap of faith in human capabilities and our pursuit of knowledge, further reflecting the existential themes. I personally interpreted this act as one that symbolizes humanity’s constant search for meaning and understanding, even in the face of something as unknown as a black hole.
For me these moments in “Interstellar” were what I felt showcased existentialism. Through the characters’ actions and decisions that they made in the face of cosmic challenges.
Rebecca Lentz
Dec 12, 2023, 9:31 PM
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I watched The Book of Eli for this discussion question.
The worldview that is depicted in this movie is that God can overcome all evil, that the believers are protected from threats and that the word of the bible is able to rebuild the destruction of the world. The movie suggests that the core of Christianity is able to save the world, but that religion itself can be used as a mechanism of control by evil humans.
This movie depicts theism which is centered around Christianity. The main character is Eli who is depicted as near saint like man who is trying to find the west coast after an apocalyptic event. His commitment to delivering the bible to a community dedicated to rebuilding the world is his goal while making his way across the united states. The story is that he has many difficulties to overcome; blindness, evil aggressors, etc. Despite these complications he is supported by God who has given him unworldly protection to be successful. While Eli is praying he says “thank you for guiding me straight and true through many obstacles in my path” acknowledging God for the protection he has been given. Eli eventually succeeds in arriving to the compound on the west coast to deliver the bible that was not longer in his possession. He said that he read it every day and started transcribing the book by memory to the book printer at the compound. He told him “write everything exactly as I say it” to create a replica of the book from his recollection of the book. In the end the purity of the bible and the main character overcome the evil threats and begin to rebuild the world with the bible.
Trenese George
Dec 12, 2023, 9:33 AM
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The Book of Eli
The worldview depicted in this movie is Theism.
Theism is when God is a devine person with a will who is powerful and relational and the universe has physical and Spiritual realms created by God. The character that held the worldview was Eli, the main character in movie, and Carnegie, the evil man who wants the book, which is the Bible, to gain the people’s power and create a more righteous world. Eli is the model of the positive power of religion. After the war, Eli heard a voice, presumably God’s, directing him to find the last copy of the Bible in existence, buried under rubble.
One quote in the movie The Book of Eli was when he said ” He walks by faith and not by sight” and the other quote was “The leader of the small town conveyed to his bodyguard that is not just a book, it’s a weapon”. The book of Eli affirms the power of God and explores the way religion can be used, both positively and negatively. This movie is set 30 years after the apocalyptic war and the cause of the war was unclear but the movie hints that it was religion that caused the war. This movie also incorporated stereotypical images from Westerns: sweeping vistas, a town with a shop-lined street, a saloon, general store, and gun-toting villains
Katyja Anderson
Dec 11, 2023, 10:33 AM(edited)
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Hello everyone,
I believe The Chronicles of Narnia’s worldview is theism . I absolutely love The Chronicles of Narnia! I watched The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe about two nights ago with my family. In the movie, the worldview of self-sacrifice and redemptive love is vividly portrayed. This is illustrated through the character of Aslan, who represents Christ-like qualities. Aslan is the lion who willingly sacrifices himself to save Edmund, representing the theme of penance and redemption. The characters Lucy and Susan, as followers of Aslan, welcome this worldview of sacrificial love. Their actions and decisions reflect a belief in the greater good and the triumph of love over evil.
For example, when she is asked about Aslan’s sacrifice, Lucy says, “He died to save Edmund, but he’s alive again, and that means all is forgiven.” Another scene supporting this worldview is when Susan expresses her trust in Aslan’s plan, saying, “We have to trust him. They say Aslan is on the move.” These quotes highlight the characters’ commitment to a worldview centered on sacrificial love, forgiveness, and trust in a higher purpose.
Heidi Steiner
Dec 11, 2023, 8:05 AM
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It’s a Wonderful Life
Human Nature is the worldview depicted in this film.
The famous quote from this movie is “Every time a bell rings an angel gets its wings.” This tells us that a human is created in the image of God and therefore, through the fallen, is a being who is spiritual, moral, creative, reasoning, loving, and intrinsically valuable. After death, the soul returns to God for judgment.
The overall feel of the movie is purpose. God is working through history. All humans have a general purpose to discover and love Him as well as a specific purpose in life. We all are worthy of God’s love. When George Bailey looks back on his life he sees all the good he has done for all again showing us purpose.
Theism is the basic worldview of the film. They not only represent God and angels and the hope that God gives George in the film, is that of faith, hope, and love.
