Living a Lie

References:
- Romans 3:9-20 NAS
- 1 John 1:5-10 NAS
- The Village (2004)

I finished watching a very interesting movie not to long ago called, “The Village (2004).” It was written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan. I know that not everyone out there likes spoilers, so I will try to not tell too much. According to the IMDB page, it is considered to be a mystery, drama and a romance movie. Those descriptions definitely do fit. But, I believe there is a very important theological bent to this movie, too. The theological concept of human kind and human nature.

One of the first things that we learn in the movie is that the members of The Village have a pact or truce of sorts. It seems that there is some sort of intelligent creature living in the woods surrounding the village. The agreement comes to light that, as long as they do not wear 'the bad color' and do not venture into the woods, the creatures will not come into their Village and cause harm. This underlined fear of the creatures in the woods in one of the main themes driving the movie. The fear of these creatures and the evil of 'people in the other towns' keep the members of this community totally isolated from anyone else. In fact, there is a continuous fear that if anyone were to visit one of 'those towns,' it could destroy their 'innocent community.'

Watching the movie, set in 'olde Pennsylvania,' we see what appears to be a genuine utopia. There are no weapons seen at all. One starts to wonder if we are observing an Amish-like culture. There are definitely Judeo Christian values, though nothing really overt. At one point in the movie, a young man who has some sort of mental problems is seen hitting some other boys with a stick in a playful manner, and then they all start wrestling. It is soon broken up and the young boy who was 'playing roughly' with the other kids is threatened with punishment. Although things seem a little odd (at least to me), it's all believable.

Two things soon happen that seem to jeopardize everything. One is that two members of the community venture into the woods. One due to the fact that he lacks understanding, the other who chooses to do so. The other threat to everyone's existence is an 'accident' that happens. Because of a love triangle one person is almost fatally injured. The governing counsel must now decide what to do because of the choices that others have made. And, it turns out, a lot of things are not what they seem.

One of the words that is used a lot during the movie is the term “innocence.” It is the hope that The Village Elders that this status quo of 'innocence' is maintained. They go to great lengths to make sure that people do not violate 'the pact' by crossing the boarder/perimeter. They also make sure that people are living good lives of loving each other and not harming others. Although throughout the first half of the movie, things seem to go well. Though there are jealousies and arguments, there does not seem to be any 'overt sin.' But yet, eventually, we realize that evil is still present and a terrible act (this 'accident') happens. Everyone is affected, and it threatens to destroy everything. People seem to be panicky and at wits end with how to deal with all of the events without showing evil.

All in all, I did enjoy the movie. I knew enough of the plot that I was able to pick up on many of the 'hints' throughout the film. But, it also really got me thinking. How often do we try to play this game? That is, how often do we pretend that we can overcome our own evil, sinful nature through our own strength? Many religions teach this idea. That by self-discipline, one can distance ourselves from our sinful nature so as to not act out on it. Throughout Scripture, we see that we are complete incapable of doing so. Sin will rear its ugly head sooner or later. And, there will be consequences when this happens.

Now, it is important to discipline ourselves. We are called to live our life of obedience to God's Laws. The thing is, Scripture teaches is that it is not by our own strength that we can do this. As Jesus tells the Pharisee Nicodemus, one has to be 'born again' or 'born from above.' (John 3:1-21) It is only when the Holy Spirit dwells within us and seek to let It control our lives that we can live a life pleasing to God. The thing is, we will never be 'perfect' and live a 'sinless life' in this world. We will always struggle with sin. But, in our journey in life, as we seek to let God guide our lives, we can become 'more Christ-like.' The theological term for this is sanctification. A good definition of this word is:

“involves more than a mere moral reformation of character, brought about by the power of the truth: it is the work of the Holy Spirit bringing the whole nature more and more under the influences of the new gracious principles implanted in the soul in regeneration. In other words, sanctification is the carrying on to perfection the work begun in regeneration, and it extends to the whole man”. reference here

Movies are wonderful for entertainment. And they can be very good tools for teachings important lessons in life. But, it is important that we take the teachings of God's Word as the foundation of our lives. So relax and read a good book or watch a good movie. They can be wonderful entertainment. But, be discerning in what you take in. Let God's Spirit guide each of us as we learn and grow.