Having just seen the preview, I think it’s going to be another movie that leaves me with very mixed reactions.
Naturally, there’s a level at which it’s immediately appealing. Because, well, it has dragons. And Vikings. I love stories about both.
But then there’s the message, which comes through very clearly in the preview. Apparently the whole point of the movie is that dragons are just sweet, friendly, trainable animals … not the world’s most ancient symbol of evil. Don’t be afraid of the dragon. Make friends with it. The dragon wants to be your friend. Especially if you are a tasty, I mean intelligent and sophisticated, young maiden, then the dragon really wants to be your friend.
And by analogy, this must apply to the Dragon himself. We’ve all been wrong! The devil is not evil after all! In fact, there’s no such thing as evil. Satan is just a harmless, Yodalike guru. He may even be wise. After all, how do we know it’s Lucifer who is lying? Maybe it’s God who is lying.
That is the message of this movie.
P.S. April 10, 2010 ... I was wrong about How to Train Your Dragon! I had not actually seen it. Granted, the preveiws gave me every reason to write the review above. But that review is wrong. Click here for a review by someone who's actually seen it. According to this review, (spoilers ahead!), The Dragon IS actually evil in HTTYD. And he is defeated in the end.
This I Vow: Not To Be The Greekules
2 weeks ago
Hi Jen, You found a post of mine about 'natural philosophy' perhaps, and left a comment that I have only just found. They don't come to my gmail inbox for some reason.
ReplyDeleteThere has never been a way for reason and logic to penetrate faith unless, like in my case, there was a hunger to acquire an understanding of human nature and the physical world from testable evidence, 99.9% of which has been collected since biblical times.
I have no need of answers to questions 'why' when asked of nature. Nature itself provides no answers, and does not need reasons to work, any more than a clock does. Is nature less wonderful if there exists no reasons, or if we seek them in vain? Do you really need reasons? If you do, does that mean they HAVE to exist.
You say it is all too complex to understand. Now I am with you, I have a poor brain, but I see others getting answers to natures mysteries, and putting the new understanding to work. They have my respect and admiration, even when they prove each other wrong.
"Why am I here" is not a sensible question if it implies some spiritual entity put me here for a reason I can never understand. "What can I do to help, now I am here" is a wonderful question, with answers we can all understand.
Go with the flow of your own spirituality, as I do mine, says the happy atheist. Go well, Bob