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Posted At : January 3, 2010 3:59 PM | Posted By : Dr. Chuck Betters
Related Categories: Book & Movie Reviews

Believe me when I say that I am not one who sees a conspiracy behind every bleeding liberal. And, believe me when I say that I am not trying to ruin the good time you have had or will have when you see the newest movie sensation, Avatar. But, after seeing this blockbuster in 3D AND IMAX, let me assure you that it is well worth seeing for the technical genius of the film. The special effects are "from another world," Pandora to be exact. The sheer brilliance of James Cameron in this latest of his liberal propaganda films makes it a must see.

Now, let's move on to the "however" of this blog (you knew there had to be one). This film is unapologetically filled with New Age eastern mysticism. Additionally, to the uniformed this film may appear to be centered in such innocuous themes as good vs. evil, right vs. wrong, old American Indian legends, Greek mythology, ecological stewardship, personal spiritual balance, the true meaning of love, fighting injustice, protecting home, the beauty of nature, adventure, manhood, womanhood, love, faith, and community.

But, there is so much more in this movie that does not meet the average eye. The Na'vi, are the blue inhabitants of Pandora. They are the gentle ten foot giants who move gracefully in performing feats of athletic prowess, spiritual and emotional acts of reincarnation, and combat with great ferocity. Both males and females are beautifully sensual, strong, and androgynous. While the Na'vi are perfect, corporate greed is the source of evil and the military is the embodiment of evil. Mother Earth is real. Back to nature is the holy ethos of the true believer. Pre-emptive strikes are a bad thing. Nature is good. Technology is ugly and bad - strange for a film with so much technology shaping its success.

In Hinduism, Avatar refers to the appearance in physical form, having descended from heaven to earth, of a deity. It is mostly translated into English as "incarnation," though more accurately as "appearance" or "manifestation." The various manifestations of Devi, the Divine Mother principle in Hinduism, are also described as avatars. This is a film loaded with the message and the not so subtle tenets of ancient Gnosticism. Modern Gnosticism extends back at least a century to the great Occult Revival of the late 19th century. However, it was the discovery of a cache of ancient Gnostic scriptures at Nag Hammadi in the Egyptian desert in 1945 that really set off the modern phase of the Gnostic revival. Although their translation into English was not complete until the late 1970s, early access to some of the writings inspired the great psychologist Carl Jung to draw parallels between the ancient Gnostics and modern depth psychology. The publication in 1977 of the Nag Hammadi Library translations, followed in 1978 by religious scholar Elaine Pagels' best-selling exposition, The Gnostic Gospels, guaranteed that Gnosticism would not go away anytime soon.

It was not long ago that Dan Brown produced the controversial movie, The Davinci Code. As I wrote on this blog back then, that movie was steeped in ancient Gnosticism and the above mentioned pseudo-scriptures. In similar fashion, James Cameron's world-view is unfettered Gnosticism and this film is the stage for of his theology. The Davinci Code rattled the cages of evangelical thought due to the fact that it was a frontal assault against the teachings of the Bible. Avatar isn't as much a frontal assault on Christianity as it is a side-door assault, but, nonetheless, an assault. Avatar is not a glorified cartoon. Nor is it a modern remake of Alice in Wonderland. It is nothing less than a sermon wrapped up in high tech genius delivered by one the high priests of modern day Gnosticism, James Cameron. Ancient Gnosticism is in the midst of a modern day revival with the goal of supplanting the Christian faith. How? Well, to answer that question we must ask another - What is Gnosticism?

Next Blog: "The tenets of ancient Gnosticism"

In His Grip,
Dr. Chuck Betters

MARKINC Ministries, its staff, or volunteers accepts no liability for the content of this blog, or for the consequences of any actions taken on the basis of the information provided, unless that information is subsequently confirmed in writing. Any views or opinions presented in this blog are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of MARKINC Ministries.

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Dr. Betters, you have captured what my 'heart' spoke to me during the viewing of that film. Namely, I was being preached at. I was generally offended by the liberty Cameron took with certain subjects. My bigger concern is that this film is getting praise around the world and in the Church, not just for its technological prowess, but for the themes of good and evil you addressed early in your blog. Great points you've made. Will be looking for the comments you have on Gnosticism itself.

# Posted By Paul | 1/3/10 8:15 PM

Thank you, Dr. Betters for challenging movie-goers to view Avatar critically and not only with an eye for innocent entertainment. The visual extravaganza and the captivating, state-of-the-art imagery alone are certainly worth the ticket price, but the eloquent promotion of just about every brand of non-Christian (dare I say anti-Christian) religiosity is blatant and heavily preached throughout; Eastern mysticism, reincarnation, pantheism, humanism, Native American spiritism - they're all there -very persuasively foisted on the uninformed or naive viewer. Then, in the fullness of Cameron's perverted sense of "fair-and-balanced", these "intrinsically-good things" are violently opposed by every popular stereotype of institutionalized "evil" - corporate greed, the military, prejudice, racism, technology - all carefully manipulated and conveniently redefined to convey his own, not-too-subtle, racist message: "Here is the typical, oppressive, white Western-European, capitalist culture (read America) out to dominate, steal, slaughter and ravage everyone (who doesn't look like him) and everything in its path. Why, they'll even bulldoze Pandora's pristine rainforests in their lustful search for strategic minerals! - and while they're at it, they'll thoroughly enjoy the sport of tracking down and racking up a sizable body-count of the indigenous blue savages!
Any reasonable person can recognize the stupidity and intrinsic evil of sacrificing "human" life for material gain, but Cameron's indictment and agenda go way beyond that simple message.
Cameron's legendary leftist, globalist, anti-American, anti-Christian views are carefully woven into all of his movies to varying degrees. Recall the disproportionate emphasis on class warfare, racism and cruelty imposed by the "rich upper class" on the poor, innocent immigrants in steerage aboard the Titanic. It's not that those abuses don't exist, it's that, in his mind, they are the exclusive property of one particular group and nation of people. His one-sided demonizing of America, going back to the Vietnam War and beyond, is a personal calling that Jim has taken quite seriously. If he were to give real "fair-and-balanced" treatment to the fact that America, by no means, holds the exclusive franchise on sin in this fallen world, we might find his work to be less offensive, more inspirational, and his historical objectivity more credible.
How fortunate for him that all of the unjust and oppressive tools of evil American Capitalism with its obscene profits are readily available to him as he carefully drafts each new, obscenely-expensive "cinima-sermon"!People of faith need to look critically at every manifestation of modern culture, whether it's TV, books, Internet or movies, etc., for the hidden - or not-so-hidden, messages. The wise and informed Christian can enjoy many of these venues, while being carefully selective, and taking away lessons that will enable him to engage his circle of influence with intelligent discussion and a heart to draw people to Biblical Truth.Go see Avatar! - Enjoy! - and join in here with your observations!

# Posted By Earle | 1/6/10 12:11 PM

You have got to be kidding! This is a fantasy movie and you see it as an attack on Christianity. Do you get that it is on another planet that Jesus Christ never set foot on? As for "corporate greed is the source of evil" yes sometimes it is. Nature as the higher power is a theme through many religions. I will say that The Da Vinci Code is a movie that challenges the Christian belief, however Avatar is a movie that shows a different planet with a different way of life. Get over yourself. Everything is not an attack on the Christian religion.

# Posted By CJ | 1/7/10 11:04 PM

Thanks CJ. Stay tuned for my next blog that will show you wherein the attack lies. Keep in mind, Cameron has made no bones about what he believes. I have done the same. Does an expression of one's beliefs indicate that they need to, as you say, "Get over themselves?" The DaVinci code, as you admit, was an attack on Christianity. Did you know that the same Gnostic material that Dan Brown drew upon to make his film is the very belief system of Cameron who readily admits that he wants all of his films to speak that doctrine? His pulpit is his incredible film-making ability and his Bible is pseudo-canonical material that is splattered throughout this film. Why then does it surprise you when some challenge the left? Yes, it is fantasy. Yes, it takes place on a fantasy island. But, remember, the film is being shown on earth to real people who need to know the driving force behind Cameron.

# Posted By Chuck Betters | 1/8/10 3:54 PM

No, CJ, I am not kidding! Thank you for taking the time to read and respond to my message. But hear me out, if you will...In the world of literature and entertainment, authors and movie directors regularly and intentionally convey messages by allegory and "fantasy"! That is the essence of why literature and, in today's culture, cinema, are such an effective means of influencing and persuading large groups of people to your point of view. This concept is certainly not lost on Hollywood or anyone, for that matter, who has a point opinion to present - and promote. This is as true for conservative, as it is for liberal persuasions. The fact that a message can be cloaked in an entertaining and heart-warming story does not negate the presence of the message. It, in fact, makes the message more palatable, memorable and effective. You would be hard-pressed to name any piece of literature, poetry, cinema, etc. that was created for no purpose other than pure mindless entertainment. Throughout history, from Aesop's Fables to Disney's Bambi to Cameron's Avatar, writers and movie-makers pride themselves in their ability to cleverly and eloquently package a message in the trappings of an attractive and entertaining story. I strongly suspect that if you were to personally interview James Cameron, he would be insulted by the implication that he intended no broader message in Avatar than the innocuous "fantasy" of large blue people playfully cavorting among the flowers and the funny-looking animals - purely as profitable eye-candy! If you missed the implications underlying James Cameron's purposeful portrayal of one "dominant, militaristic" group of people invading, conquering and stripping the pristine habitat of another group of innocent, peace-loving, "spiritual" people - no matter how brilliant the animation was - then you either didn't see the same movie I saw - or you harbor a naivete that will surely deprive you of the deeper and often rewarding experience of literature and cinema in general. And it doesn't matter whether or not Jesus ever walked among the luminous lilies of Pandora!As the heart of your response seemed to be more directed at my "defensiveness" against real or perceived slights against the Christian faith, I can only reassure you that the current "liberal-progressive" mind-set in our country is, in every way, idiologically antagonistic toward the influence and public expression of Christianity. Take the time to review the recent history and the "progress" made by some (a minority, in fact) in removing God/Christ from the public square and the public classroom - with the pressure continuing against the national motto on our money, the Pledge of Allegiance and simple, traditional displays of crosses and manger scenes - to name but a few. A Christian's sincere concern about the disproportionate influence that an ACLU attorney, a Christian-non-friendly government or a James Cameron has to undermine and discredit the Judeo-Christian under-pinnings of our nation is well justified. We are not blind to history or current developments. Christians do and should have a cautious "paranoia" (i.e. perception and awareness), with good historical cause - as I'm sure you would over your own closely-held principles if they were known to be at risk - but, on the whole, we are not irrational or unjustified. And we can still enjoy a good movie while looking deeper than the "fantasy" and glitzy cinematography! Remember - even "paranoid" people are sometimes actually being pursued!I'll try to "get over myself" if you'll make a sincere effort to wake up and smell the coffee. We're not calling for mass boycots of the movie, or anything, but rather are simply saying, be aware and be informed - while enjoying life!P.S. in keeping with my chronic state of paranoia, I, as ex-military, took particular offense at Cameron's ill-concealed disdain for the military, not only in his stereotyping them as habitual, willful slaughterers of civilians, but also in the scene where Sigourney Weaver's character quips that, when it comes to Marines, blank-mindedness (read stupidity) is a common trait. Tell me again that the script-writer and director had nothing but innocent entertainment in mind! - and I have a couple of swell bridges on the Delaware River I'd like to show you...

# Posted By Earle | 1/8/10 4:19 PM

Dad and Everyone--
Check out this, people are now depressed because Avatar isn't real.

linkhttp://www.cnn.com/2010/SHOWBIZ/Movies/01/11/avata...

# Posted By Chuck L | 1/14/10 8:16 AM

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