Wednesday, December 4, 2019

Avatar

Watching Avatar with this LDS literature lens opened my eyes to the similarities. The plurality of worlds, superior beings, the supernatural, progression of the body and mentality, the search for the rational were all evident within Avatar. The main character goes to a "new world" and people keep saying things like "you aren't in Kanas anymore." Thats like what happened when we went from our premarital world to earth. His brother and him were part of the same genome so when he died it was like he was resurrected with his brother taking his place. There was also the belief in having the ancestors looking after us. How they link us together. The concept of praying over someone when they aren't well and in need of a miracle to survive is evident. Praying together is another thing they did that we believe.

Burton had me thinking about deity how each Avatar was almost as if they were immortal and God-like. Hadn't thought about the digital world as a second life before connecting that to how the main character felt. At one point he says that waking up from being an Avatar was like the dream rather than the reality being the other way around. The thought and belief that earth has a spirit is a good reminder and is very evident within the movie. Kinda like Jake Sully became a new creature with his body, we did the same thing when we came to earth and obtained bodies. We too had a new range of being and function. This has taught us things that we couldn't possibly learn without them.

3 comments:

  1. I had a similar perspective when it came to the plan of salvation and coming to a "new world", but I think it is interesting that we found it within two different areas of the movie. I also saw a connection with the ancestors and thought there was an interesting connection with that and "guardian angels".

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  2. I agree with the plan of salvation and the progression of our bodies. I also think Marcus's comment about how the avatars are connected with their family history is really interesting. The idea that the spirit world is right there with them resonates with Mormon doctrine.

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  3. I like the correlation discussed about Jake Sully becoming a new creature to experience new things through his avatar. It is interesting to note how many similarities there are when you pay attention to them.

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