"Mirror, Mirror on the wall . . . where did he go, and why doesn't he call?"

Vatican: Upset Over Message of Avatar Movie





It comes as no surprise that the Vatican is apparently not happy about the message of the new movie "Avatar" by James Cameron. As a matter of fact, they're slamming it. The Vatican feels that the idea of the worship of nature replacing organized religion is preposterous and is a notion that the pope has warned against.

"L'Osservatore said the film "gets bogged down by a spiritualism linked to the worship of nature." Similarly, Vatican Radio said it "cleverly winks at all those pseudo-doctrines that turn ecology into the religion of the millennium."

"Nature is no longer a creation to defend, but a divinity to worship," the radio said.

Vatican spokesman the Rev. Federico Lombardi said that while the movie reviews are just that — film criticism, not theological pronouncements — they do reflect Pope Benedict XVI's views on the dangers of turning nature into a "new divinity."

Benedict has often spoken about the need to protect the environment, earning the nickname of "green pope." But he also has balanced that call with a warning against turning environmentalism into neo-paganism.

In a recent World Day of Peace message, the pontiff warned against any notions that equate human beings with other living things in the name of a "supposedly egalitarian vision." He said such notions "open the way to a new pantheism tinged with neo-paganism, which would see the source of man's salvation in nature alone, understood in purely naturalistic terms."

The pope explained in the message that while many experience tranquillity and peace when coming into contact with nature, a correct relationship between man and the environment should not lead to "absolutizing nature" or "considering it more important than the human person."
~ Vatican Says 'Avatar' is No Masterpiece, Associated Press

Surprised?

It's no secret that the Vatican is suffering these days and apparently, the notion of spirituality taking a majority hold is a threat to them. It's possible that they're going to have bigger problems in the very near future, than nods to spirituality in the movies. Let's face it, we are living in times when science and organized religious teachings are going to begin clashing. I'm sure that the Vatican would agree that their future would look rosier if science would just cease it's searching. Everytime a new discovery is made, it changes the way people think, the way they approach their personal lives, and their personal beliefs. Science has always been a threat to religion and many have tried to protect the organization from it throughout the years. An example would be that of Galileo, regarding his scientific studies which began to contradict religious teachings.

For those of you who may not know, Galileo Galilei was tried in 1633 as a heretic and forced to recant his theory that the Earth revolves around the sun because teachings at that time placed the Earth at the center of our universe. In 1633 Galileo was interrogated for 18 days later when Galileo offers to refute. Regardless, the Pope decides that Galileo should be imprisoned indefinitely. With a threat of torture, Galileo is examined by the Inquisition and sentenced to prison and religious penances. The sentence is signed by 6 of the 10 inquisitors and in a formal ceremony at a the church of Santa Maria Sofia Minerva, Galileo abjures his errors. Galileo is then put under house arrest in Sienna where he remained, despite many medical problems and a deteriorating state of health, until his death in 1642.

The Vatican may have secretly hoped to completely block out their most egregious offenses perpetrated against scientific freedom. After all, they were wrong. However, people did not forget and in 1992 Pope John Paul corrected this error in judgment when he declared that the ruling against Galileo was an error resulting from a "tragic mutual incomprehension."

There's No Doubt That Were Going to See More Disapproval From the Vatican in the Very Near Future

The Vatican is surely going to have it's hands full in the coming decade and it's possible that the leaps in the realm of quantum physics are going to be the ones that really become a threat. These are going to be the leaps that may truly contradict their teachings through scientific findings. But is there not a space where both can meet as one? Regardless of what the future holds, it is my belief that you should be communicating with your God each and every day - and living a life that is full of compassion, kindness and assistance towards your fellow man.

As for the Hollywood movies that are currently ruffling the feathers of the Vatican, they may just be the tip of a giant-iceburg-of-a-problem for them that is soon to reveal itself. Besides, I doubt people are going to burn their bibles and start worshipping trees simply because of a movie . . . .

UPDATE: This really shows my age, but I was going through some music files the other day and this seemed appropriate to the discussion taking place here below. For those of you "in the know," this is a message from the Church of Suicidal. The metal band, Suicidal Tendencies:

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13 Comments:

Anonymous said...

Nature rules all. Screw the pope.

charles blair said...

its not about worship. thats a catholic thing.They are the masters of purpetuating projecting and giving away your personal power.

Avatar was about appreciation, and a new respect for nature and animals.. no longer simply butchering them, but rather thanking them for their sacrifice, Grattitude, and then making their death quick, RESPECT to all life, and then finally appreciation.

This movie is about understanding the insanity of western world so cut of and disconnected to ourselves, nature, and our God Selves.

The Mirror of Aphrodite said...

Thank you for participating in the discussion here, Charles. Your words are so true regarding the Western world - being disconnected to nature, ourselves and our spiritual side.

Things are changing though and I believe a new "awareness" is building. It is my hope that we can all learn to live in harmony with nature and learn the value of leading a balanced life.

I think it's sad that the Vatican decided to publicly slam a movie that has such a truly positive message for mankind. But then again, I am smart enough to understand that the mission of many "organizations" soon becomes lost and replaced by the organizations will to survive.

In other words, the organizations will to survive far outweighs it's original mission.

That's what I see here. An organization that is focusing on survival. . .rather than it's original mission - mankind.

Again, thanks for participating :-)

Anonymous said...

"Peace is not achivable through conflict but through compromise." - me

This movie is about uniting all people under one banner not Black or White not Catholic or Jewish
but the banner of Human.
Vatican shut up and live your lives and stop trying to run others.

and lastly

Virgin Mary didnt stay a virgin so says the bible.
Jesus had brothers and sisters take that.

Anonymous said...

The "pope" is just a bishop of Rome. He has no power over peoples' minds unless they allow him to.

The descendants of Jesus are the Palestinians.

Anonymous said...

That last statement about the Palestinian being the descendents of Jesus, I never heard that one before. I would like more information on that claim.

Jesus died on the cross or torture stake childless, he could not have offspring. If he had descendents other than his mother, step-father, brothers and sisters (the bible does not mention sisters) that would have forfeited the mission God sent him on to become the savor of all mankind, Jesus had to be the counterpart of Adam before Adam had offspring and before Adam had sinned.

The Catholic Church was never suppose to dominate or be the police of the Christian faith, this is an error on their part, but they where suppose to preach and teach and carry on the ministry in a like manner as the Apostles did. After almost two-thousand years the church still was a lot to learn, but scientific advancements and quantum-physics nor any other mathematics will never disprove that there is a God or that the Bible is wrong, It is just a question of how mankind understands the bible, it was written from a human view point and during the writers life time period. That does not make the bible wrong, it’s just how we see and understand it.

If I’m not mistaken, Native American Indians have a very high reverence for nature, they see spirits in land, sea and animals whereas people of European descent and most African Americans place reverence in an un-seen God in heaven, so the Vatican should not be disappointed but should be understanding. The Vatican is entitled to its opinion but rather than being concerned about a movie, they just need to teach as much Bible truth as possible like the Apostles did.

The Mirror of Aphrodite said...

"Jesus died on the cross or torture stake childless, he could not have offspring. If he had descendents other than his mother, step-father, brothers and sisters (the bible does not mention sisters) that would have forfeited the mission God sent him on to become the savor of all mankind, Jesus had to be the counterpart of Adam before Adam had offspring and before Adam had sinned."

And do you really believe that? No disrespect, but . . . this really isn't fact so much as speculation and faith, correct?

Jesus was a man, a human being. And it is not irrational to think that a man of his age during those times did not take a wife or produce offspring. For just as much as there is no proof he did produce offspring, there isn't any solid proof that he didn't either. It's something that the church will have you believe, because it falls in line to support their teachings.

Besides, isn't worshipping a man - Jesus - actually considered paganism? There's so much emphasis on the worship of Jesus in the Catholic church that it seems hypocritical to me.

I don't think quantum physics will disprove that there is a God, as a matter of fact, I think it lends credence to a "life giving spirit" and our ability to manifest our desires is the gift of spirit.

"It is just a question of how mankind understands the bible, it was written from a human view point and during the writers life time period." You make a good point here, about the bible being written during a different time period, reflected from the writer's perspective. However, there's another point when taking that into consideration. . . .

The religious leaders of the day - were also the political leaders of the day. And we all know what politicians are like, no? :-)

"Jesus had to be the counterpart of Adam before Adam had offspring and before Adam had sinned."

Keyword: HAD (Jesus HAD to be)

And when politicians need a good cover story to protect themselves and their agendas . . . they have no problem creating one that hides the truth. So if Jesus did have offspring, I imagine they would've created a pretty good cover story there. . .

Because after all, in order for their teachings to be believed "Jesus HAD to be the counterpart to Adam" ;-)

Thanks for contributing and stopping by!

Anonymous said...

In reply, Jesus was no ordinary man, the bible shows that he had a pre-human existence in haven and of the very highest order under God before coming to earth; he was transformed and made to be born of women. Hence, the words “God sent his Son in order that anyone believing in him might receive everlasting life”, partially taken from John 3.16, different bibles use different words but the meaning is the same. That means that God literally sent his son from somewhere, he was not just a man born of women, he really was someone special.

Furthermore Jesus said that his kingdom is no part of this world, so he was not a politician like those of his day or of these days; he was the highest priest of all times. Some men are capable of being very holy in their ways and Jesus was the holiest of them all so he was capable of carrying out the will of the most high God to redeem mankind. You are right, we are not suppose to worship man, not even Jesus Christ, and not in the name of Marry either, we are suppose to worship Jehovah, the most high God, in the name of Jesus, that just means that you believe in the one God sent, The name Jehovah is found in most bibles at Psalms 83:18.

I am cautious of politics but I do believe in the words of Jesus.

The Mirror of Aphrodite said...

I hear what you're saying and your faith is admirable. However, the bible is a story, a compilation of many stories. One that is open to many different interpretations and one that has been embellished over time. It is not fact and it requires faith in order to be believed. Your faith and belief is admirable, but based on the actions of the Vatican and the fact that many of their darkest secrets are being revealed, I'd be more apt to worship my God without their assistance. I choose not to blindly follow the herd off the edge of the cliff. I can no longer follow an organization that is behaving nefariously behind closed doors and knowingly endangering the welfare of our children in order to protect themselves. It's the PEOPLE, not the ORGANIZATION that's important and they seem to have forgotten that. Had they behaved differently and chosen to protect the people instead of themselves, many children out there would not have suffered at the hands of the church. And yes, it's the church that is responsible for much of the suffering, not the men. Because the church could've protected the children, but chose to protect themselves and their priests instead.

My God would severely frown upon this behavior. And if they've lied about this, what else have they been lieing about?

God is God. He is an ever-present being. The Catholic Church is simply just an organization. They're a corporation after all, and simply act as a "middle man" of sorts. You don't need to subscribe to their channel to talk to God or assist you in worshipping God. He hears your prayers no matter what channel they're broadcast from. And when the middle man is behaving nefariously - it's time to cut him loose from his profits. Anything that is "organized" soon becomes corrupted at the hands of man.

Again, remember, they are a corporation - a business.

But I can respect your beliefs, even if I don't subscribe to them and again, your faith is admirable.

Anonymous said...

"Religion has actually convinced people that there's an invisible man, living in the sky, who watches everything you do every minute of every day. And the invisible man has a special list of 10 things he does not want you to do. And if you do any of these 10 things, he has a special place full of fire and smoke and burning and torture and anguish where he will send *you* to live and suffer and burn and choke and scream and cry forever and ever til the end of time...but he loves you." ~ George Carlin

Anonymous said...

I think some people just talk to be talking. The pope missed the whole point of the movie. Why religion was even brought up in this thing I have no idea. For me it was about the respect of nature, and the respect for each other. It was watching history repeat itself. Where a bunch of selfish individuals were greedy and willing to do anything to get what they wanted even if it was destroying someone elses civilization to do it. Reminds me of Bush and his 8year legacy. Greed destroys...

Anonymous said...

it only makes the vatican look bad, if god is every where, omnipresent, omnipotent, then we should worship all things, if we did this world would be a better place. the vedas say brahman is everything, everywhere, always

Unknown said...

It is our self-importance that has been causing our problems all of this time. Our placing of ourselves above all other life that is the crux of the problem. We are capable of so much more if we choose to live our lives with more of our potential other than just living on an intellectual level. It is just a small part of ourselves. When we can directly sense our spirit and the lifeforce all around us and realize that we are like fish that don't know that they are swimming around in the ocean or that there is such a thing as water. We are walking the earth breathing and living in god conciousness. Most of today's society breeds tools of distraction, to pull our conciousness away from paying attention to this small but most important fact. Keeping our attention misdirected,is this ever present game of maya or self-delusion. Computers, Tv, electronic gadgets to do everything for us. Always the new and interesting to catch the attention and manipulate it away from our feeling sensing selves.
We have to return to our roots of awareness, keep the focus on the inner world as this will help when the energy hits us with the alignment of the galaxy in 2012. Work consistently on being centered in spirit through our attention.
There are avatars living here and now amongst us, that are helping to user us into this new era of god-concious human beings. Peace & Light

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