Colliding Worlds

So, about a week ago I went with some friends to see the new Harry Potter film (Half Blood Prince). Before you judge me, no I am not a Harry Potter fan/nerd. I haven't read any of the books and until last week I had not seen any of the films. Needless to say, much of the film's story went over my head in light of the missing back story. However, my choices were spend the evening alone or with friends, so I figured I could at least watch the film for the film's sake.

Although the film was not particularly exciting for me, the opening scene did bring about an intriguing question in my mind. For those who have not seen the movie, the film opens with several evil creatures flying through the city and wreaking havoc. The mere mortals suffer and cannot even see/recognize the evil forces behind the acts. In this sense, two worlds are colliding: the mortal world and the world of witchcraft.

As I thought about that, it came to mind that this theme is actually quite common in films. A few years ago, The Matrix cashed in with a plot that centers around the idea of the imaginary world and the real world that lies behind it. We have countless alien/UFO films that carry this theme of invaders from another WORLD that come down and attack our world. Even superhero flicks have an element of this. There is the world of the helpless citizens, and the costumed world of superheros and villains. Even some TV shows use this theme. I remember being in middle school and watching the anime cartoon Digimon (it was middle school; it was OK then). The entire premise of that show was that there is our world, and there is a digital version of our world that is somehow linked to our own. This is a prominent theme indeed.


But why is there such an obsession with parallel worlds? What does this theme say about us as a culture? There are probably numerous things that could be said, but two come quickly to mind. First, I think these plots expose a longing/awareness of something more than just our material world. Within the U.S., we are incredibly materialistic. Even the best of us can easily go throughout our day in total neglect of anything beyond our physical circumstances. We act as if life is nothing more than health, money, possessions, emotions, and the weather. Yet, one cannot read the Bible without noticing that there is a sort of parallel world to our own. Paul talked about "visible AND invisible" powers and authorities (Col. 1:16). The writer of Hebrews talks about the earthly tabernacle as a "copy and shadow" of the heavenly one (Heb. 8). Revelation is constantly alternating between events on the earth and their equivalent happenings in heaven. We cannot escape this truth that, despite what our physical eyes see, there is an entire other world that envelops us.

Perhaps it is this fact that prompts movies/books like Harry Potter to portray our world colliding with others. We as a materialistic culture realize deep down that there is more than meets the eye. For some, there is a longing for something beyond the ordinary world, but to believe that something else could actually exist is to believe in fantasy-no different from believing in Narnia or Harry Potter. For others of us, we are aware that there is more; that there is another world that exists, but this world still often seems so far away and make believe. We all are held captive by this world's concerns and worries. At this point, let me be clear: I am not advocating gnosticism and claiming that this physical world is evil and worthless (as perhaps some Christians sadly advocate). Instead, I merely want to point out that there is something in addition to the physical, something more that we long for, and indeed very much need.

So, while the reality of our worlds sometimes seems distant and fantasy-like, I know that it is still a reality. So when I see films like Harry Potter, in which evil forces fly in to our world and create chaos, I am reminded that such a picture is very close to the truth. While Christ has defeated the powers of evil, their total end has not yet come. For a little while longer they plague this world. This leads to the 2nd point that came to mind after the film, but I will save that for my next post. Until then, may we pray for God to help open our eyes to the totality of the world so that we may better see His Kingdom and the forces that oppose it.