The Greatest Sadness in Avatar the Movie

Was it the senseless murder of Jake Sully’s identical twin, Tommy? This bright young man with a promising career seemingly ahead of him snuffed out, and only for the paper in his wallet? Was it the brutal decimation of a magnificent and awe-inspiring work of creation called Hometree that had sheltered a vibrant community for generations? Was it the tragic death of Trudy, the brave pilot whose thanks for deciding to do the right thing was to perish in the flames of her spiraling aircraft?
For me the saddest thing about Avatar was a realization that came after our family watched the video release of James Cameron’s blockbuster hit. After we finished the video, our kitchen was filled with chatter as family members chimed in about the things that each had enjoyed or disliked when my wife declared, “They served a god that they could destroy!” Her words brought into sharp focus what had been lurking in the shadows of my soul. This sense of malaise and a dull emotional pain that I couldn’t put my finger on was finally identified. Just think of it! What if I actually served a god that I or others could personally destroy? How depressing, how discouraging and how pointless life would seem to me! It’s one thing to try to kill God or to wish that God were dead or shake your fist at God on your death-bed. You could even be like Friedrch Nietzsche the German philosopher who publicly proclaimed, “God is dead!” only to suffer mental breakdown later in life. But it is something dramatically different to worship, to revere a god that could actually be decimated or eliminated.
The movie dialogue informs us that the Na’vi people worshipped “Eywa”, this mother deity made up of all living things. What ensues is an epic battle to save not just the habitat, but the god of the Na’vi. Late in the film, the main character, Jake Sulley who has come to this distant moon from Earth narrates these words. “See the world we come from. There is no green there. They killed their Mother. And they’re gonna do the same here.” Near the end of the film, in a scene where the earthlings are banished from Pandora and and marched onto their space ships to return to their home planet, Jake Sully again narrates, “ The aliens (people from Earth) went back to their dying world…” We’re left with the impression that this god’s survival is dependent upon human behavior. When I heard these passages in the script, I was reminded of a verse in Romans chapter one:
“They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen.” – Romans 1:25 (NIV)
There actually was an attempt to destroy the God that I worship, who came in human form. The attempt was made by political and religious leaders of His day, but He was no “victim”. He made it clear when He said, “The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up again. 18No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father." ( John 10:17,18 - NIV) His only motive for enduring such insult and violence from wicked and ignorant men was His intense love for us, to rescue us from the penalty of our sin and depravity by “taking the rap” for us. We did the crime. He paid the fine, and it cost Him dearly! I think of the Planetshakers lyrics we sing:
Hallelujah, You have won the victory
Hallelujah, You have won it all for me
Death could not hold you down
You are the risen King
Seated in Majesty
You are the risen King There is simply nothing sad about serving the One who is omnipotent and sovereign, the God who authored all of creation and whose destiny is not determined by the hands of mere mortals.