Oh, My Pop-Culture Jesus: Jean Valjean, Javert, and Theology

I am currently in love with the Les Miserables movie, so expect me to be talking about it a lot here. Because, at its heart, Les Miserables isn’t just about how bad things are or a bunch people dying—it’s about God and faith.

Our two male leads, Jean Valjean and Javert, are two characters at the heart of a theological debate. The debate is not simple—it’s more a conflict between two different views of morality. This is a problem a lot of Christians, and a lot of religious people in general, have, and that’s the difference between “the letter of the law” and “the spirit of the law.” This means the difference between obeying specifically what the law says or obeying the overall message.

For example:

“Thou Shall Not Steal” is one of the Ten Commandments. Should good Judeo-Christians obey the Ten Commandments? Of course we should—this is the law of God.

But wait, what if someone is poor and starving and steals bread to feed themselves and their family? Is stealing still wrong then?

Oh, my God, what an oddly appropriate example for Les Miserables.

Valjean stealing and being sent to prison characterizes everything about Javert and Valjean’s relationship. Everything about Valjean in Javert’s mind is defined by this one thing, regardless of any extenuating circumstances.

Now if we interpret this scenario from the understanding of “the spirit of the law”, things work differently. The main message or the spirit of the Bible is, at its core, to love one another. Yes, the Bible contradicts itself all over the place, but that is still the main message. Love others as God has loved you.

Oh, My Pop-Culture Jesus: Manny (Man in Moon)

So Manny, sometimes referred to as Man in Moon or even just MiM, is the God figure in the Rise of the Guardians universe. Just to be clear, I have only read the first half of North’s book in the Guardians of Childhood series, so while some of what I say will come from that, most of this is based on the movie, since that is what I know.

Manny became the very first Guardian many years ago, around the time the Earth got a moon. It is Manny who chooses who to make into spirits for children to believe in and it is Manny who chooses which of those spirits will become Guardians. He watches over the children of the world through both the Guardians and his moonbeams, which act to him as angels might to God.

Oh, My Pop-Culture Jesus: Aerith (aka Aeris)

It’s not often that we find Christian themes in media straight from Japan, except for when we do, because it happens all the time. Japanese culture seems to be very fascinated with Christianity as a whole, and so it comes as no surprise that we may find some Christian themes in the Final Fantasy franchise as well. When I first sat down to outline what I was going to say for this post, I initially planned to discuss Aerith as a Virgin Mary figure, but I don’t think that’s entirely accurate. Aerith has more in common with Jesus than she does Mary. While it’s true that she does share some traits that we would find with a Mary figure—purity of heart, (more than likely) virginal, etc.—these are also traits that Jesus had. And really, the main reason I first thought of Mary and not Jesus is because Aerith is a woman.

So let’s talk about Aerith as a female Christ figure.

Theatre Thursdays: The Devil’s Carnival

Once upon a time, if someone had asked me, what musical I thought was the most sexist and damaging to women I would have said, Grease. Grease, most people will agree has a terrible message, which is basically, “hey, ladies, compromise your morals and integrity in order to get this asshole guy, who doesn’t treat you right anyway, to like you and stay with you—then you’ll be happy!” But what I usually hear people say is, “Yeah, Grease has a terrible message, but at least it has good music.”

That’s a lame excuse for letting a musical get away with being horribly sexist, but I grudgingly admit that the music is good.

Now, if someone were to ask me what I think the most sexist and damaging musical is I could no longer say Grease. Grease now has the number two spot. And on top of being horribly sexist, this musical doesn’t even have the benefit of having decent music.

Ladies and Gentleman, I give you, The Devil’s Carnival!

The Devil’s Carnival is the most heinous pile of crap I have ever seen. It was written by Terrance Zdunich, who also wrote Repo! The Genetic Opera, which I actually love. I love dark gothic musicals, so I was excited to watch The Devil’s Carnival. I tried to like this musical, I really did, but on top of having terrible music, the musical claims everyone who is in hell was sent there by God, because they didn’t fit his idea of perfection, that grief is a sin, and that women who fall for bad guys and then get hurt (killed in this musical as well as implied rape) are sinning, because they trusted someone they shouldn’t. Yeah…

[Warning: Discussion of Rape, Murder, Victim-shaming, and Suicide below.]

Ace and Saika watch Rise of the Guardians

Spoiler Alert!

So the other day, I forced Saika to take me both to the movies and to pay for my ticket. Naturally, we went to see Rise of the Gaurdians, which was a pleasant break from the sword fight the two of us failed to properly have beforehand—more accurately, we swung wooden sticks at each other and it was very awkward—and I have to say that this movie did not reach my expectations. It’s plenty enjoyable—I’ve seen it a few times already—and it’s a good story. But it is nowhere near as epic as everyone made it out to be.

Oh, My Pop-Culture Jesus: If Chuck is God

In season four and five, Supernatural made a pointed effort to avoid putting God in their show, which I actually felt was a good decision. Many shows that incorporate an the apocalypse tend to make Satan as powerful as God, which pisses me off because it is just so theologically inaccurate. However, if God is more powerful than Satan then there is no story, which is boring. Supernatural makes a point to say that God is more powerful than Satan, than anyone really, but God never appears, allowing the story to still have conflict.

This created some theological problems, because God ignores Sam, Dean, and Cas, and actively states that he doesn’t think the apocalypse is his problem. But really, those theological problems aren’t that bad, because it’s something that we all go through. Namely, why does God let bad things happen to good people? God’s reasons for not intervening could have remained mysterious and beyond human comprehension.

But then something happens, at the end of “Swan Song,” Chuck, the prophet is revealed to be God. It’s not exactly stated so fans still debate over whether or not Chuck is God, but it’s pretty much been confirmed.

But if Chuck is God, many more problems arise.

Oh, My Pop-Culture Jesus: Fate Vs. Free Will

I have noticed something when watching television or movies and reading books or comics: we humans seem never to know if we would rather believe in free will or fate. If I had to pick I would say that we are more inclined to approve of free will, but fate still seems to be a hard and fast concept that we cling to, and it shows up in much of our pop culture.

It seems to mean that any time the concept of fate is really introduced into a story the author tends to quickly subvert fate with free will. Take, for example, Harry Potter. In book five when Harry learns that a prophecy predicted he would be the only one that could defeat Voldemort he was upset, until Dumbledore pointed out that after everything Voldemort put him through Harry would want to kill him anyway, regardless of what any prophecy says. Furthermore, Dumbledore stresses that Voldemort had had to choose between Harry and Neville (as the boy to potentially kill him) and if Voldemort had ignored the prophecy, then Voldemort’s choice would have ensured that the prophecy would never have come to pass. And finally, in book seven, Harry has to freely choose to sacrifice himself or else Harry might not have survived his encounter with Voldemort. Despite the strong sense of fate, the books make it clear that the characters’ choices, their free will, is what’s important and not some higher cosmic power.

In the TV show Heroes, a painter has the power to see the future and his prophecy tends to be accurate. However, the prophecies also tend to change. Isaac, the prophetic painter, predicts something vague enough that can be interpreted in numerous ways. The tag line in season one of Heroes for awhile was “Save the Cheerleader, Save the World.” Isaac constantly draws pictures of serial killer Sylar killing Claire, an immortal cheerleader. Isaac’s pictures show a blonde cheerleader with her head sawed off. However, another character, Peter, saves Claire. So doesn’t Isaac’s prediction hold true? Kind of. Sylar mistakes another blonde cheerleader for Claire, so it could be argued that Isaac’s prediction holds true. However, the characters also have often traveled into the future where they see horrible dystopian-like realities, that are later stopped and changed, no matter what Isaac has predicted. In Heroes, the characters act like your fate is inevitable, unless it’s really bad and they decide to change it. The writers couldn’t seem to decide whether to follow fate or free will.

There are many other examples of course (Supernatural, Oedipus, Brave, Thor, Beowulf, Star Wars, Saiyuki, Doctor Who, Into the Woods, Dark Souls), but this theme of fate versus free will is something that consistently comes up in our pop culture. I think it’s because on some level humanity likes fate. We like the idea that God or some other higher power has a plan in which we play a part, maybe even a starring role. However, we find the notion of being bound to a fate, especially one we may not like, distasteful. We like have autonomy, but we also like the idea of being destined for something great or important.

What do you think? Are our lives governed by some kind of fate, free will, or is it a bit of both?

Tune in next week and get some religion.

Oh, My Pop-Culture Jesus: The Savior is Missing

So I wasn’t really sure how to title this, so let me explain what I mean. You know shows that have religious themes, and sometimes even characters who are firmly rooted in specific religious traditions, but avoid ever actually talking about that religious tradition? I can understand that writers and producers want to avoid appearing to advocate one religion or another, both because that can get, well, preachy, and it will probably lose the show viewers who don’t follow that religion. But sometimes it just gets silly. Let’s look at a couple of shows where Christianity exists, and sometimes plays a huge role, but where the J-word is never actually said.

Theatre Thursdays: ‘Fiddler on the Roof’ at the Pittsburgh CLO

This past Sunday I had the great pleasure of seeing Fiddler on the Roof performed at the Benedum Center for the Performing Arts in Pittsburgh PA. I have long loved this musical thanks to the spectacular film and as such was thrilled to finally get a chance to see the show live.

The curtain for the show was a painting of the town of Anatevka (the setting of the show) done in a style which reminded me somewhat of Marc Chagall’s which I found very appropriate since I’ve thought his works should be used as the poster art of the show ever since I learned about him. The theater was packed and the audience was very receptive. They were quick to laugh and applaud and that’s always nice and adds to the enjoyment of the show. Not that this show needed any help, however. The show was a joy from beginning to end and the Pittsburgh CLO once again proved itself a top-notch theatre group.

Lewis J. Stadlen played Tevye and had a great stage presence. He was hilarious and had the audience eating out of the palm of his hand. The only criticism I can raise against his performance is that his emphasis on the comedy was so strong that the sincerity didn’t always show through which is so important to the role. Tevye’s love needs to be genuine and deep because as trite as this may sound, this show really is about love and throughout the story love is tried and challenged and at some points nearly broken. That is what makes this show so wonderful. This family grows and changes so significantly because of their romantic love for others and familial love for each other and never once does this seem hokey or forced.

The show is actually fairly feminist. For those unfamiliar with the story, Tevye has five daughters, the oldest three of whom are reaching marrying age.

Chava, Tzeitel, and Hodel

Each of these three daughters challenge tradition and their patriarchal society, becoming stronger and more independent as they grow and learn. Granted, they do so in their choices of which man to marry and as such they may not exactly be shining examples of feminist ideals, but they are women who are fighting for their autonomy against the pressures of society and (in the context of the story) they were being quite revolutionary so I personally think they are admirable women of strength.

Another thing I love about this show is the religion. The majority of the characters are Jewish and their faith is very important to them. I always loved the way Tevye related to God, whom he addresses as a friend. He regularly converses with God which I find so admirable and refreshing. That kind of relationship with God isn’t usually represented. He talks to God, he complains, he thanks, and he jokes. I would hesitate to call his relationship with God casual because he is certainly respectful, but it’s not such a pious, regulated relationship as is often portrayed.

As I mentioned, in this show love is tried and tested and it’s especially clear in the love between Tevye and his daughters, Tzeitel, Hodel, and Chava. Each daughter challenges him more than the last in who she wants to marry and how she wants to do it. (Tzeitel picks her own husband, rejecting the man given by the matchmaker, but at least asks Tevye’s permission; Hodel picks a revolutionary student and doesn’t even request Tevye’s permission but hopes for his blessing; and finally Chava picks a man of another faith) Tevye learns to let go of many of his long-held prejudices and think critically about his own beliefs for the first time. He also learns where his breaking point is, as he struggles with some of his daughters’ choices.

The Pittsburgh CLO production portrayed these important issues beautifully and every cast member was excellent. My personal favorites were David Perlman as Motel (Tzeitel’s fiance) and Nick Verina as Perchik (Hodel’s fiance). Perlman was just plain funny and appealing. Motel’s a great character to play, starting off as a somewhat gutless comic relief but becoming stronger and braver thanks to Tzeitel and Perlman did a great job in his scenes. Perchik never stood out to me much in the film but seemed so much more important to the story in the play and I think at least part of that was thanks to Nick Verina’s performance. He was clearly bright and passionate and reminded me strongly of Enjolras from Les Miserables. Verina had a fire that made him seem important in every scene he was in.

I highly recommend this show. Its depiction of family, friendship, love, faith, and religion are fantastic. The Pittsburgh CLO production has closed but any time you can see this show you should really take the chance, I’m glad I got to see such a good production, but I’m even more glad just to have seen the show.

Oh, My Pop-Culture Jesus: Warning for Blasphemy in Fanfiction?

Blasphemy (Greek blaptein, “to injure”, and pheme, “reputation”) signifies etymologically gross irreverence towards any person or thing worthy of exalted esteem. In this broad sense the term is used by Bacon when in his “Advancement of Learning” he speaks of “blasphemy against learning”. St. Paul tells of being blasphemed (1 Corinthians 4:13) and the Latin Vulgate employs the word blasphemare to designate abusive language directed either against a people at large (2 Samuel 21:21; 1 Chronicles 20:7) or against individuals (1 Corinthians 10:30; Titus 3:2). (via New Advent)

A lot of authors in the world of Supernatural, Good Omens, and many other fandoms with religious themes warn for blasphemy in their fics. Being not only a religious person but a person studying theology for a living I decided to check a lot of these fics out and find out why these authors thought were blasphemous, especially since I didn’t think they were. I could see three reasons why they warned for this:

1. Someone is having sex with an angel/fallen angel

2. Someone is pissed at God and lets you know that they are pissed at God.

3. The author uses religious themes at all in fanfiction

None of these things seem blasphemous to me, especially in the context of their stories. I really believe blasphemy is a rare occurrence in real life and in fiction. Why? Because if you look at the above definition, blasphemy is specifically to do “harm” to the “reputation” (which is literally what the word means) to a person or being worthy of esteem. It further means to do “harm” to “people at large” or individuals” by use of “abusive language.”

So knowing this definition, are the above three things blasphemous?

1. Someone is having sex with an angel/fallen angel—that happens in the Biblical tradition.

In The Book of Enoch, angels and humans have sex and give birth to giants (super half angel/half human babies). And before you ask, yes, the angels weren’t supposed to do this, but just because something is wrong doesn’t make it blasphemous. If I cheat when playing a game, is it wrong? Yes, but is it blasphemous? Not necessarily.

Furthermore, there are various traditions as to why the angels had sex with these mortal women (the women seduced the angels, the angels raped the women, the angels aren’t supposed to be in bodily form), but in some traditions God actually decrees it’s okay. Noah, Moses, Abraham, for example, are thought to be half angel in certain Jewish traditions. So it being “wrong” isn’t necessarily accurate and even if it was, something being wrong isn’t necessarily blasphemy as stated earlier.

I’m assuming because sex can be considered so taboo that is the main reason people think it’s blasphemous. You’re taking something holy (e.g. an angel) and having sex with it. Associating God and sex must be bad—except if you are religious, then you know God created sex. If anything, incorporating God into one’s sex life is healthy. Shame over sex is very unhealthy.

Now let’s look at two.

2. Someone is pissed at God and lets you know that they are pissed at God—Job was pissed at God and screamed it to God  Many people throughout the Bible get pissed at God. Also, God is God—if you say some nasty things to God I’m pretty sure God can take it. Just a thought.

Furthermore, fighting with God is part of having a relationship with God. If someone is pissed, they have to let it out — that’s fine. Just like how you should let out your emotions with significant others, you need to do the same with God. Job yelled and cried how he was being wronged by God and in the end Job is upheld, while the people telling him to keep silent and repent are reprimanded.

3. Fanfiction is often seen as this dirty thing that needs to be kept a secret, but it’s not; it’s a beautiful means of self expression and a way to expand and explore a well-known and loved universe. There is nothing wrong with incorporating God into anything you love and put your heart and soul into.

Furthermore, most of the fanfiction that incorporates God or religious themes are from fandoms that already have religious themes in their storytelling.

So I don’t think any of these things are blasphemous. To be blasphemous I think you’d have to do something to intentionally harm others in some way. For example: having Jesus, let’s say, physically abuse someone just to piss a bunch of Christians off. Trying to intentionally hurt or harm others or God.

Usually in fics there is a plot — or character-driven reason — that things happen. I would say they only way for it to be blasphemous is to write something with the purpose of defiling God’s “name” (deface God) or intentionally trying to shit on Christian beliefs. I doubt this is the purpose of most, if any fanfic, authors or the intention of the writers of stories such as Supernatural and Good Omens that the fanfics are based on in the first place.

I assume the reason people warn for blasphemy is because the Christians you see on TV are often insane (because moderate and sane people don’t make the news) and probably would think what these authors wrote is blasphemous — but I also doubt that those Christians would like Supernatural, Good Omens, and many other fandoms anyway, let alone read fanfics about it. I wish authors didn’t warn for blasphemy because it keeps up the notion that these things they are writing about are somehow dirty or wrong, and they’re not. But that’s just what I think.

I’d love to know other opinions on this.