Thoughts on the Movie “Avatar” and James Cameron (Not a Review!)

Last night I had the wonderful opportunity to attend a private screening of James Cameron’s new movie, Avatar. It is the first movie I have been to in probably two or three years, as I express my disdain for the tons and tons of garbage dumped into the American mind by Hollywood by refraining from going to the movies. For me, reading about consciousness, free will, or the inner workings of the cell is far more enjoyable anyway. Yet I was pleasantly surprised by Avatar, and couldn’t help but think of the enigma that is James Cameron. It was a creative, spiritual, and inspiring movie where faith, love, and sacrifice triumphed over self-centeredness, evil, and greed, even in the face of great loss. So, without discussing the content of the movie, let me say it will be well worth your time to see it. Some friends have alerted me that there are reviews out there criticizing the movie as being against everything good, or that the movie turns into one espousing a political message, but this was not my experience, even though Cameron does send a message that I believe we all need to hear. My thought is some feel because James Cameron has been critical of people of faith, and in particular, people of the Christian faith, that he is against what is good. My response is while Cameron may be conflicted about Christianity, that doesn’t preclude him from sending a positive message to the world that also exposes the many failings of the human race, regardless of religious persuasion (or lack thereof).

Avatar is a deeply spiritual movie at its core (albeit, pantheistic in its construction), which is why I say that James Cameron is a true enigma. The same man who brought us “The Lost Tomb of Jesus” documentary has also brought us Avatar.  For those who don’t recall Cameron’s offensive and forgettable documentary a few years ago, it claimed that ten ossuaries (small caskets used to store bones), discovered in a Jerusalem suburb in 1980, contain the bones of Jesus, Mary, Mary Magdalene, Joseph, and Jesus’ hitherto unknown son, Judas. Clearly, then, there was no resurrection, yet Jesus miraculously survived a gruesome death that was all but certain when carried out under Roman authority, and went on to live a somewhat normal life by marrying Mary Magdalene and fathering a son named Judas (of all names). Now that’s a story. In any event, the documentary was sorely lacking in scholarship and quickly debunked as bad science by scriptural scholars and archaeologists not involved in the film. For example, one scholar noted it was the ancient equivalent of finding adjacent tombs with the names Smith and Jones. So I can certainly understand that some would, naturally, have a bone to pick with Cameron.

Though I haven’t read any reviews on Avatar, and don’t intend to, my guess is that any negative reviews would be the view that the movie is anti-war and thus anti-military, or that the movie is against greedy capitalists who are fine with raping and pillaging the earth (or other earths) solely for profit, which would include destroying whole “barbarian” civilizations in the process if necessary. I think two historical parallels would obviously be the fate of Native Americans, or the colonization of Africa. It may be the case that this was Cameron’s message, but it was not ostensibly so from my perspective. As a Christian who has read Francis Schaeffer’s book Pollution and the Death of Man, if Cameron’s message was one of stewardship of the earth, then I tip my hat to him. To wit, an excerpt from the product description of Schaeffer’s book on Amazon reads: “The Bible is clear: mankind was meant to exercise godly domination over the earth. Yet today men mine valuable resources by whatever method brings the greatest profit in the shortest time, leaving the earth ravaged. They hunt and fish for pleasure, not food, leaving animal carcasses behind to rot. They worship self and ignore the God who made them.” Amen to that. And if Cameron wishes to further state that we need to respect the lives and customs of indigenous people living in peace and harmony with the earth, then I’m with him on that also.

I would say that the key message of Avatar is to teach us to appreciate and respect the balance and beauty of life, which is a universal message given to all men, and one I believe comes from the Christian God (as a message that does not save, but only convicts us of sin).  Avatar does not mock spirituality in any way, and does not overtly lean towards any particular religion or philosophical system. Also, in the final scene you will find that Cameron, at least in his storytelling, does not believe the mind equals the brain. Our souls do, indeed, transcend our bodies. Again, Cameron is an enigma because of his seeming disdain for Christianity while espousing a love for the earth, the balance of nature, and the spirit (whether human or otherwise). I think his problem with Christianity is the brand he was fed, and that he would wholly agree with Schaeffer in principle. Somewhere, somehow, a Christian or group of Christians failed him and he has only lashed out at Christianity, perhaps not understanding that humans are imperfect vessels. The fact that Christians are imperfect does not invalidate the message of Christianity itself. In fact, the message of Christianity is that we have all fallen short of the glory of God, and that is precisely why we need a savior.

Tagged as: Avatar, James Cameron