Avatar Blues

I haven’ t seen the movie Avatar. Clint, a member of my technical team and our church Young Adult group, just sent me an article from CNN about the movie. So far, the movie has pulled in $1.4 billion worldwide and could very well end up being the highest grossing film of all time.  What caught my attention is the very large amount of people who are experiencing depression and suicidal thoughts after watching the movie. The reason? According to the CNN article,

“these people long to enjoy the beauty of alien world Pandora.” The movie is “set in the future when the Earth’s resources have been pillaged by the human race. A greedy corporation is trying to mine the rare mineral unobtainium from the planet Pandora, which is inhabited by a peace-loving race of 7-foot tall, blue-skinned natives called the Na’vi. In their race to mine for Pandora’s resources, the humans clash with the Na’vi, leading to casualties on both sides. The world of Pandora is reminiscent of a prehistoric fantasyland, filled with dinosaur-like creatures mixed with the kinds of fauna you may find in the deep reaches of the ocean. Compared with life on Earth, Pandora is a beautiful, glowing utopia.”

The CNN article goes into great detail describing the feelings of despair experienced by thousands of people because our world is not like Pandora. People are searching for comfort and answers by joining online forums to discuss their feelings and find hope in community.

This movie shows just how far away from the Bible our country has drifted. There is a Pandora. We call it Heaven. Heaven is real. Pandora is not. I would like to point out several additional observations:

• People are  searching for something.
• People know that Pandora is not real and they are left in despair.
• People have no hope of a bright future.
• The virtual world has a profound and powerful effect on our minds, emotions, and spirit.
• People are searching for comfort in the company of other people.

If this movie has left you empty, depressed, hopeless, and perhaps suicidal, I would like to tell you the Truth. Please consider the following:

• Heaven is a real place. Heaven is Paradise.
• Pandora is an imaginative place in a virtual world, therefore it is not a real place. Tell yourself that over and over.
• Heaven will never be invaded and will never change.
• Because of the Promise of Heaven, you can know that you will one day enter a place where your bliss and peace will never be taken away.
• There is a large group of people around the world who have hope when they contemplate Heaven. Hope is the opposite of depression.

God is the Creator of Heaven and He wants you to go there when you die. How can you get there? Truth. You must accept the Truth. The truth is, there is only one path to Heaven. The way to get on that path is to enter into a relationship with the Creator of Heaven through His Son Jesus Christ of Nazareth.  There is hope for you if you want it. There is a community called the Church that will link arms with you on this journey to a real place called Heaven. This free gift of salvation starts with a simple prayer. Will you pray the following prayer?

Jesus, I don’t know much about You but I sense you are real. I would like to enter into a relationship with You. I ask that you enter into my heart, mind, emotions, and spirit. Please forgive me of my sins. I believe that you died on a cross and rose again for me. Guide me to a community of Believers so that I might learn to know you better each day and have the strength to continue following You. In Jesus’ Name I ask these things. Amen.

If you prayed that prayer, I invite you to use the Contact Us form on this site and let me know. I’ll write back and encourage you.

Brad