Organic Religion
Yes, Virginia, there is a world without soul-destroying alien sky gods, and it is grand. I’m talking about Pandora. It’s not a real world, but for three hours it can be yours, and you can revel in it and enjoy the seething disapproval of conservative Christians at the idea of a fulfilling religion without their god.
It is chock full of spirituality – ethnic spirituality – in other words, Paganism – religion of the place and its inhabitants are truly people of the place. The people are called the Na’vi. And you find them in James Cameron’s Avatar.
It’s exciting. A people so much a part of their environment, and a spirituality so much a part of both. We can imagine that early Paganism was like this, being a religion of the place, shaped by but also shaping the people, shaped by the environment but also shaping understanding of the environment. Organic. It belongs. It belongs in a sense an imposed alien sky religion never can.
You can probably assume that the bulk of the human mercenaries working for the exploiters of the planet are Christian – or at least monotheistic – that would be logical given the balance of the world’s religion is monotheistic. But it’s not even implied. In fact, it’s never mentioned.
The spirituality reminded me of the spirituality of Dances with Wolves. It was, perhaps, even discussed a bit more in this film. The goddess of the natives is a “she” – Eywa - and if you want you can take away from the film the explanation is that the “goddess creator” thing is a spiritual understanding of a scientific explanation mentioned in the film or you can take away the opposite understanding. It doesn’t really matter because what’s important is the spirituality so beautifully expressed.
It was very refreshing. Very beautiful. Very pure. Very much the religion of a world filled with the divine.
The spirituality is so organic to the place that you are transported. And Heathens will not walk away without images of the World Tree – Yggdrasil, in their heads.
Ross Douthat’s 12/21 column in the New York Times http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/21/opinion/21douthat1.html exemplifies the “offended” attitude. For Douthat, pantheism can never be more than a poor replacement for a real religion with a real Jesus to lift folks out of the “mundane” world. He felt threatened by the Force too, in Star Wars. I almost responded on the 21st to Douthat’s column, but I wanted a chance to see the film for myself first.
And now I have.
By no means did all Christian reviewers condemn the movie for its non-Christian spirituality. For example, Christian Spotlight on Entertainment gives it an morality “offensive” rating http://christiananswers.net/spotlight/movies/2009/avatar2009.html but this is for language and misuse of “God’s” name rather than the nature of the film’s spiritual message. Similarly, I have to give credit to Christianity Today’s review as well http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/movies/reviews/2009/avatar.html
It’s also been pointed out that though Disney’s new Princess and the Frog has voodoo but no Christianity. But why should it? The argument I’ve seen raised that because the New Orleans of the era was an in your face Christian city doesn’t mean that there weren’t parts and people in New Orleans that weren’t.
Why should every movie made have a Christian theme, or even a Christian in it, as though Christians are the only people on the planet?
One reviewer http://www.politicsdaily.com/2009/12/18/conservative-christians-dont-crown-princess-and-the-frog/ actually has the temerity to say, “Not so much for the 1920s New Orleans of “The Princess and the Frog.” As with most of the Potter series, there’s not even a tip of the hat toward explicit traditional religion.”
Excuse me, but “traditional religion” is Paganism. It is not Christianity
Very few movies are made today about Paganism – or that even have Pagan themes. Only one recently even portrays it in a sympathetic fashion – Gladiator – and the piety of Maximus to traditional religion was roundly condemned as dangerous – it lacked Jesus after all and so could not possibly be meaningful or fulfilling.
Most movies, regardless of what conservative Christians might say, are full of Christians. Ordinary Christians going about their ordinary lives, not preaching, not witnessing, not bothering anybody but keeping their religious beliefs to themselves. Characters wear crosses around their necks; often, the central characters, one or more of them. They don’t talk about their beliefs but do they need to?
If this is somehow anti-Christian I fail to see it. But the moment any character looks even remotely non-Christian it becomes a bit deal to some of these people. Non-Christian religions should not be portrayed in a sympathetic light, apparently – only Christianity – anything else somehow equates to a Hollywood war on Christianity.
It’s madness I know, but those are the cards we have been dealt as a religious minority – listening to the majority whine because 99.99% isn’t enough – they want 100%. What these critics really want is a return to the days of Ben Hur and Spartacus, where Christianity not only gets mention, but Paganism gets denigrated in the same breath.
It isn’t a question of equal representation for them – it’s a privileging of their viewpoint they demand and a concomitant rejection of all others.
And the suggestion that the release of Avatar at this time of year could be a slap in the face to “believers”? These people need to remember this is our time of the year – a holy time for Pagan peoples across the board, and that even non-Christians are entitled to entertainment on December 25.
New York Times has a good review of the movie here looking at it from yet another perspective: Editorial Observer
Hrafnkell Haraldsson is the author of A Heathen’s Day, which since 2005 has addressed the life and thoughts of a modern day Heathen. He maintains a second blog, Digital Gods (www.digital-gods.com) which focuses on polytheism for the digital age. He is also the founder of the Mos Maiorum Foundation (www.mosmaiorum.org) which is dedicated to the study and support of Paganism as ethnic religion. 
Once again… an interesting read. I just saw Avatar last night and I think your analysis of the film is correct. The concept of a natural religion is prevalent throughout the film, if it’s not the defining element.
Your other comments about the subtle (and not so subtle) Christianity in films has also become apparent to me in the last few years. I can’t think of a film in the last few years where the main character(s) was not wearing a necklace with a cross.
I also saw a trailer before the film for another “heathen” picture: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Lightning_Thief_(film)
I haven’t seen the film, so I have nothing to comment on, but it occured to me that there have been quite a few “heathen” films as of late. Can’t say that it bothers me.
And yes, my first thought when seeing the tree was Yggdrasil.
Interesting. I haven’t seen this yet but I had heard some of the spiritual stuff. I’m glad to see such things popping up in mainstream movies. As to the reviews, I agree with your opinions on them. That first one…I just don’t understand that kind of person.
~But except as dust and ashes, Nature cannot take us back.~
I don’t actually see what’s so bad about that. Clearly he is one of those people that’s terrified of death.
And Sydryd, I’ve noticed some of that “heathen” moviemaking trend too. Actually, The Lightning Thief makes me think of a trend in fantasy books of late. Stories revolving around contemporary characters finding themselves caught up in the conflicts of ancient Gods. Often finding out that they themselves are Gods or the offspring of Gods. And these books are being written for pretty much all age groups. The Percy Jackson books (The Lightning Thief included) are aimed at young adult readers. The Chronicals of Chaos series by John C. Wright and Neil Gaiman’s American Gods are aimed at older readers. All are worth checking out.
An interesting–and interestingly Pagan-friendly–take on the film from an Eastern Orthodox viewpoint can be found at the “Roads from Emmaus” blog: http://roadsfromemmaus.wordpress.com/2009/12/25/ecological-vision-in-james-camerons-avatar/
As for what you refer to as “a Hollywood war on Christianity” (one of the battles in the Culture Wars™), you need to know that Culture Warriors™ operate on three basic principles:
1. Christian Exceptionalism–There is one set of rules for Christians (who get to sit at the front of the bus) and another for everyone else. Thus, for example, the Conference of Catholic Bishops doesn’t have to register as a lobby group, and the Roman Catholic Church retains its tax-exempt status, despite the fact that the church and the bishops are involved in politics up to their noses.
2. Christian Elitism–Christians and Christianity are entitled not only to respect, but also to deference and priority. Thus, for example, it is expected that civic religious displays in December will reflect a Christmas theme. Displays reflecting other religions may or may not be tolerated. Similarly for such exercises as opening prayers at city councils, county boards, school boards, zoning committees, high school graduations, and so on (and why should there be prayers at these events in any case?)
3, Christian Exclusivism–Everything must be all Christianity, all the time, everywhere, and for everyone. If there isn’t a picture of Jesus on their box of cornflakes, they’re being persecuted. If there is a movie or book that portrays Christianity in a bad light, or any other religion in a good light, they’re being martyred. And if a store clerk says “Happy holidays” instead of “Merry Christmas,” the company is propigating anti-Christian hatred.
Once you understand this, it all makes sense–from their point of view. It’s nonsense, of course; but, as the saying goes, it wasn’t reasoned into them, and it won’t be reasoned out of them.
Sydryd, I saw that preview too and also the Clash of the Titans preview. The Lightning Thief looked like a positive portrayal in that “the gods do exist” but the Clash of the Titans is more the gods hate humanity and want to destroy it. I felt they sort of canceled each other out but I should have made some mention of the Lightning Thief when I wrote this.
Ulfrun, and here I’ve been sitting here thinking every book written lately is about vampires. The entire fantasy & sci fi section at my local Borders is Vampires – dark fiction. Hard to find a piece of good old sci fi or fantasy. I’ve been reading more nonfiction than ever before simply because I can’t find speculative fiction without bloodsuckers. Steve Erickson has gods galore but he can’t keep up with my demand, the poor bastard, and of course, S.R. Stirling needs to keep busy as well. What I’d like to see reach Hollywood is more of the historical piece with historical Pagan piety. Fantasy authors have always had far less problem with gods.
Makarios, always a voice of reason!
You have, as usual, hit the nail entirely upon the head, and you always have an interesting link to share as well. I look forward to reading that review once I’ve had a chance to settle in today. Started writing responses, ran to the grocery store while the “believers” are in church (leaving the stores to us Heathens) and now am home with groceries put away and my feet warming up once more.
Interesting contrast between Avatar and watching something like Angels and Demons (which I watched last night for the first time). Even allowing for Dan Brown’s exaggerations and games with historical fact, there is so much more awful stuff he COULD put in that on the whole, his stories are not particularly hostile to monotheism’s history of misdeeds. I think the Church should be happy to get off so lightly.
But its the nature of the religion that, when compared to the simple piety of the Na’vi – contrasts so well with the Catholic Christianity. One is simple and beautiful and fulfilling and the other just comes across as a big lie and entirely unnatural. As I said, an alien, imposed sky god. And for me, anything that has to be imposed has already proven itself unnatural.
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