NXR Podcast - BONUS EPISODE - AVATAR: The Way Of Water | A Pastor’s Review In Less Than 3 Minutes
Aired: 2023-01-06
Duration: 03:41


=== Traditional Values and Family (03:41) ===

[00:00:00]  All right, listen, guys, I get it.
[00:00:01]  Many of you are unable to financially support this ministry because you're spending your cash and your lives on raising young children in the fear and admonition of the Lord.
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[00:00:39]  God bless.
[00:00:40]  All right, so here's my take on the new Avatar movie pantheism, check.
[00:00:45]  Cultish environmentalism, check.
[00:00:47]  Anti capitalism, check.
[00:00:49]  Demonizing of Western colonization, check.
[00:00:53]  And yet, even though I realize it's cool to say the movie is lame, here's why Christians and conservatives shouldn't dismiss it so quickly.
[00:01:02]  See, despite all the wickedness of Hollywood, the movie still glorifies marriage, children, adoption, and fatherhood.
[00:01:10]  Yes, you heard me correctly, even fatherhood, regardless of what the director may have said about toxic masculinity.
[00:01:18]  See, because if you want a movie to actually be good, it has to mirror God's good design.
[00:01:25]  Now, all that said, the Sky People are clearly meant to represent Western civilization's terrible colonization of the peaceful native peoples and lands in the New World.
[00:01:36]  But in order to contrast the evils of the Sky People, the film is forced to paint a picture of truth, beauty, and goodness within the culture of the native Avatar people.
[00:01:47]  So from the outset of the film, the Avatar are depicted as happy.
[00:01:51]  And how is this happiness achieved?
[00:01:54]  Well, the line is happiness is simple.
[00:01:57]  It comes by traditional family structure and values.
[00:02:02]  In love, a man commits to one woman for life.
[00:02:05]  Their love is fruitful and produces four children.
[00:02:09]  The children present certain challenges, one younger brother in particular, but they are received by their parents as blessings rather than burdens.
[00:02:17]  There is also a hierarchy of authority within individual families and society as a whole, with an equality of dignity regarding the sanctity of every life.
[00:02:27]  Yes, the male tribal leaders seek approval from their wives before making their big decisions.
[00:02:33]  You might think Big Eva's soft complementarianism.
[00:02:37]  But the men still hold the positions of authority, not merely in their homes, but also in the public square.
[00:02:44]  Now, the main repeated line of the film is this A father protects.
[00:02:49]  That's what gives him meaning.
[00:02:52]  The film concludes with the father realizing that he cannot simply keep his head down and protect his family by hiding.
[00:03:00]  He's going to have to fight.
[00:03:02]  And in order to have a chance, he needs more than just his family as his fortress, he needs the fortress of a clan.
[00:03:10]  A community, a tribe.
[00:03:13]  My final takeaway get married, have kids, join a community of like minded people who are willing to fight and resist those who want to destroy the world.
[00:03:23]  Not bad, Hollywood.
[00:03:25]  Thanks so much for listening.
[00:03:26]  But, real quick, before you go, do us a small favor take a moment and leave us a five star review if you enjoyed the show.
[00:03:33]  This is undoubtedly the best way that you can help us get this biblically faithful content to as many people as possible.
[00:03:41]  Thanks so much.