July 18, 2010

Finally, a little voodoo. Disney and Theology

Madi and I watched The Princess and the Frog last night.   We have been reluctant to see it--hearing lots about how black magic/voodoo/occultism is utilized throughout the film.  But it was one of the only semi-interesting choices at Redbox, so I authorized it's viewing.
And truly, it does have voodoo, demonic images, obvious satanic overtones, and use of the occult in it. So, it seemed way too much to me for young children and even it's G rating. BUT...as an adult with an almost middle school aged child (eeeek) I found it refreshing.  Yes, refreshing.
I tend to poo-poo the whole demon around every corner version of theology.  While some of my very dear friends (who I respect, admire and learn from),  pray demons out of the new houses they buy, and chalk bad happenings up to the Enemy (which I do too occasionally, just perhaps not as much), and dispose of objects that may have evil significance, I proclaim that as a child of God, the Evil One has no power over me.  So although at times, I have sensed that evil power may be at work in a situation or using the circumstances to make us falter and not believe, overall I tend to fall on the side that I don't need to live in fear of such and with Christ we have victory over the powers of Satan. I do believe that Evil is rampant in the world, but usually in the form of a fallen creation and through people who choose death in their hearts instead of life...(okay, as I type this I am having all kinds of nuances come into my mind and realize that this is really too complex to put down as a "this is what I believe statement" because the power of demons are evident in the world, but I don't live in fear of them through the power of Christ...).
SO.....all that to say, I found The Princess and the Frog refreshing because it called evil what it is: from the Other Side, from the Shadows, from the powers of darkness that will gobble our lives away and take our identities if we choose to make deals with Satan (as small and slip-slidey as they may be).  And what wins over Evil?  LOVE. Yes, love is pretty watered down in a Disney princess movie, but if you really believe that Love triumphs over Evil, you can find this message front and center in this film.  LOVE is by far the strongest force in this world.  It stops evil in its tracks.  Loves keeps us from the Other Side, keeps us from being consumed by the Shadows.
We have to wrestle out our theology of demons and angels, and of Satan and the occult and how it's power manifests in the world.  But one thing I am sure of:  Love will conquer all and Evil will suck our identity and being and drag us to the pit.
All this in a Disney princess film.

3 comments:

  1. Along this line, Hannah Whitall Smith writes, "He who cares for the sparrows, and numbers the hairs of our head, cannot possibly fail us. He is an impregnable fortress into which no evil can enter and no enemy penetrate. I hold it, therefore, as a self-evident truth that the moment I have really committed anything into this divine dwelling place, that moment all fear and anxiety should cease. While I keep anything in my own care, I may well fear and tremble, for it is indeed to the last degree unsafe; but in God's care, no security could be more absolute.

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  2. Hmm, perhaps I should see this movie.

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