Book of eli religious themes religion

This essay will discuss the theological themes of the chronicles of narnia. Carnegie needs eli because eli has maybe the last remaining copy of a book that eli believes will allow him to expand and rule many more towns. Eli, the main character, believes that his purpose on earth is to bring the bible out west and to protect it. The book of eli casts bible as a major theme baptist standard. I grew up in a predominantly religious family, in that i grew up as part of a. I understand why ezra was so emphatic about reading the book of the law to the israelites when they returned to the holy city. Many have taken explicity prochristian themes from the film, but is it that simple. Sort of an encyclopedia of religion, the book presents basic religious ideas, from many different traditions, in easily digestible articles. This is a film about faith which in some ways frustrated me because it wasnt more catholic. The book of eli is a 2010 american postapocalyptic neowestern action film directed by the hughes brothers, written by gary whitta, and starring denzel washington, gary oldman, mila kunis, ray stevenson, and jennifer beals. Theological themes in the chronicles of narnia religion essay.

When hannah came to shiloh to pray for a son, eli initially accused her of drunkenness, but when she protested her innocence, eli wished her well. The hughes brothers book of eli isnt all postapocalyptic samurai sword action and ipods. Rowling at first the christian motifs in the harry potter books seemed fairly obvious and common, the sort that pop up everywhere by a kind of cultural osmosis. Lewis, the da vinci code by dan brown, the lion, the witch and the wardrobe by c. A murder inside the louvre, and clues in da vinci paintings, lead to the discovery of a religious mystery protected by a secret society for two thousand years. How hollywood begat yet another insult to christianity. Discover engaging books on buddhism, christianity, islam, judaism, and more. Eli may be short for elijah who was also taken up in a tornado or whirlwind. That question and the film illustrates the ambiguity of the concept of christian anything. This man, eli, has a very difficult task, but he has faith. Only a christian flick to dogmatic believers, says the films codirector allen hughes.

Even though judaism and jewish identity are important factors in eliezers life and in his deportation to concentration camps, he makes very few references to his jewish cultural heritage outside of religion, suggesting that eliezer does not distinguish between religious and cultural jewish heritage. So two different views of the sacred text illustrate how people can use it for good or evil depending on their religious beliefs. Hes been traveling for thirty years through barren wasteland and cities, fighting off roving gangs of cutthroats who kill for food, water, sex, or fun, making this movie a violent action saga with a christian spiritual theme. Eli is protecting a bible so that postapocalyptic dictators cant use it to control their people. Even better, through several memorable scenes, eli begins to show solara the power of the bible not as a tool for conquest, but as a handbook for living. Feb 22, 2014 jesus and the book of eli part 1 remember the book of eli. Eli is a hebrew name and at the end of the movie eli is shown fully shaven and in a white robe this process actually completely mirrored an islamic. A lone wanderer travels the wastes, carrying with him the secret to restoring a postapocalyptic world to its former splendor, and a vast assortment of killing implements, all of which he wields with unerring accuracy. Eli and solara stumble upon these two in their travels, and both actors play their characters with energy and humor. Even though the premise of the movie is a manmade secular end of the world scenario, all of these symbols. The epic of gilgamesh from sumer, although only considered by some scholars as a religious text, has origins as early as 2150 bce, and stands as one of the earliest literary works that includes various mythological figures and themes. And its a foregone conclusion that religious trappings will continue to provide a colorful.

I loved the part when gary said he needed the words of the book to rule over the other towns. Hughes brothers talk religious controversy in the book of eli. There are major sections on the five major religions of humanity hinduism, buddhism, judaism, christianity, and islam and several section with articles based on beliefs of other religious traditions. The book of eli bar fight scene with scriptures from the bible showing the power of proclamation. Throughout the book, eliezer witnesses and experiences things that he cannot reconcile with the idea of a just and allknowing god. Yes, to hear some people tell it, the machetewielding, steeltoed, grenadethrowing missionary denzel plays in the book of eli is allegedly a flagbearer for the christian right. Mixed in with the violence and sepiatones is one giant religious. Perhaps that plot is fuel for controversy, but the hughes brothers dont mind letting that one slip. Religion still has a firm grasp on humanity even in. After having just caught the ending of the book of eli, which features strong performances from both denzel washington and gary oldman, i got thinking about the concept of god once again, and its influence on people. So when the book of eli came out last week i picked up a copy at the local rental joint, bought some good and plenty and sour patch kids at walgreens, and settled in with mrs.

The book of eli is a dystopian symbol for how organized religion is abused in modern society. The ageold debate of god and religion is something i tend to think about a lot. That same industry also recognizes him as a family man of faith, who does. Add to that the number of christian book stores and one can assume all their books have religious themes it is hard to imagine otherwise. Eli came out in 2010, just a year after the road starring vigo mortensen. Wiesel starts to resent the god that he once was fond of and rebels against his beliefs, and in spite of myself, a payer formed inside me, a prayer to this god in whom i no longer believed 91. Its the first movie the hughes brothers albert and allen have. Eliezer becomes the character representing wiesel though with slight differences in the actual events. This page describes some ideas, themes, and beliefs which are common to a number of different religions. The contemporary film, the book of eli directed by albert and allen hughes, the internet movie database focuses on the protagonist and a violent thirty year quest through desert like wastelands of a cataclysmic war ravaged earth.

He is in disbelief and falters with his religion, the almighty, the eternal and terrible master of the universe, choose to be silent 33. What are the top ten religions and what is the holy book for. Denzel washington protects the book of eli christian cinema. Religious implications there are some religious implications in the road, and they are evident through characters such as the man, the boy, and ely. Jan 27, 2010 eli and solara stumble upon these two in their travels, and both actors play their characters with energy and humor. The book of eli fallout 3 the something awful forums. I am forbidden by the critics little rule book from naming the volume, but if youve made a guess after seeing numerous billboards stating religion is power, you may have guessed right. Nov 12, 2009 notes on elie wiesels night november 12, 2009 jeanmichel 6 comments in his night, 1986 nobel peace prize winning author elie wiesel renders a profound account of his experience as a young jewish boy from transylvania who was sent to nazi concentration camps during the second world war. Hannahs eventual child, samuel, was raised by eli in the tabernacle. Protecting the word of god christian research institute.

Jesus and the book of eli part 1 worldviews, worship. Many have taken explicity prochristian themes from the film, but. It shows the theme of gods supernatural power and divine providence all the much more. The book of eli is rated r for adult content, profanity, images of rape, and excessive violence. May 31, 2012 partly inspired by a recent interview with ross douthat, who argues in his new book, bad religion, that great art inspired by religion is vital to the culture, i asked times staffers and contributors to describe their favorite works of fiction that have prominent religious themes or settings. But beyond the bloody scenes and foul language, audiences will discover a compelling story filled with more biblical references and christian thought than any other major motion picture in recent years. Whatever you bring to it, thats what youre going to come out of it with. The chronicles of narnia the lion, the witch and the wardrobe is well known book in the world. Christian themes abound in book of eli the tufts daily. One of the oldest known religious texts is the kesh temple hymn of ancient sumer, a set of inscribed clay tablets which scholars typically date around 2600 bce. Many have taken explicity pro christian themes from the film, but is. Feb 16, 2010 the book of enoch is quoted in the book of james and other epistles though. Apparently theres more detail about that occurance and others in his book. The story revolves around eli, a nomad in a postapocalyptic world, who is told by a voice to deliver his copy of a mysterious book to a safe.

Why is the religious themes of this movie bringing it so. Rowling more or less came out and said that while she herself struggles with her. Although the book of eli, seemingly has a litany of christian themes and motifs there are tons of subtle motifs that can be traced to any of the monotheistic religions. Having seen the book of eli, i now have a better appreciation of the importance of religious scribes who ensured the accuracy in translation and transcription of gods word.

Eli is a crack marksman and expert swordsman uniquely equipped to protect the sacred book. The bible plays a starring role in the book of eli, a postapocalyptic action film. When eli failed to rein in the abusive behavior of his sons, yahweh promised to punish his family. One of the main themes of night is eliezers loss of religious faith. The book of eli is screenwriter, gary whittas, take on a western samurai film. So i just watched this flick expecting something along the lines of a betterthanaverage action drama, and sat through what is possibly the longest christian advertisement in recent history. If you havent heard of it yet are interested then continue if you dont mind the plot being told though i recommend you see it first, good movie. Dear ratheism, i just watched the book of eli without knowing anything but the imdb rating about it. Throughout tracks, the four anishinabe families kashpaw, pillager, nanapush, and puyat struggle to find a balance of the old ways of their people and the aggressively encroaching influence of white civilization. Christianity and the book of eli believe it or not. To find such themes in a coen film is itself a gift, almost a grace. The book of eli is a 2010 american postapocalyptic neo western action film directed by the hughes brothers, written by gary whitta, and starring denzel washington, gary oldman, mila kunis, ray stevenson, and jennifer beals. Simba, the protagonist of the animated feature is like moses or elijah coming out of the wilderness to defeat evil and free.

At first glance, the book of eli appears to be just another violent postapocalyptic film from hollywood. The book of eli is, for good or ill, a perfect, complete knockoff of fallout 3 the video game. What the book of eli tells us about religion duration. However, the book of judges always mentions the years of oppression in contrast to the period of a judges dispensation. The book of eli provokes thoughtful debate about the religious themes in the film, but the oldminus. Some beliefs have passed directly from one religion to another, but in many cases the same idea has arisen independently in different religions. As follow up to last weeks post on st thomas and the virtue of religion, here is a description of a talk i heard recently on the film the book of eli. The book of eli continues hollywoods obsession with postapocalyptic tales, and in many ways feels like it belongs in the same world as the road with its ashladen wastelands and crazed cannibals. The story revolves around eli, a nomad in a postapocalyptic world, who is told by a voice to deliver his copy of a. Now look, i get that the book of eli is a work of fiction. An introduction to the theology of religions is a wellwritten and very useful resource for anyone engaging this field. But eli and the people to whom he seeks believe it is a book of freedom that brings civilized meaning to existence. As far as the road is concerned, it is filled with spiritual themes.

Many have taken explicity pro christian themes from the film, but is it that simple. It also, rather startlingly, has an overt, fairly profound christian theme. The hughes brothers are happy to tell you that the book in the book of eli is the bible. Enoch was a real man in the early chapters of genisis and described as being taken into heaven by god. Mixed in with the violence and sepiatones is one giant religious symbol that we just had to quiz. Litcharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in night, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.

The contemporary film, the book of eli directed by albert. Mixed in with the violence and sepiatones is one giant religious symbol that we just had to quiz the. Books are scarce since apparently many people believed religion was the cause of the desolation, and so all religious books were destroyed. I grew up in a predominantly religious family, in that i grew up as part of a sikh family. This was by far one of the best movies of 2010, and it had a great message, that somehow most people miss. It is also a movie filled with religious and spiritual themes regarding the power of love, confrontation with evil and hate, the power of faith, the power of religious communities, courage, and freedom.

Unfortunately, his character is so righteous, so pure that even though its eli on the screen, its denzel that im feeling. Night by elie wiesel is an account of the events that occurred during the holocaust. Reading suggestions for religious fiction the new york times. Religion ended the world it was hinted that the war, that probably was nuclear, could be based on religious differences or religion can save the world. I was very conscious of the fact that, given some of the themes in the. If the screenplay writer had known about thomas aquinas and the virtue of religion, it might have made it even better. This disney classic is filled with many christian themes.

Your thoughts on the movie if you have not yet seen the movie and dont want it to be spoilt for you then wait until you have seen it before you read any further. Some critics of the novel consider the man a heretic. Loss of faith and religion in ellie wiesels night bartleby. Tradition, assimilation, and religion theme in tracks litcharts. Eli s name, the acolyte, the protagonist ruler of the town, the last remaining bible as the. The book of eli is not only a welldone action picture but an overtly, unabashedly christian one in which denzel washington plays a soldier of god. He is a religious man, regularly reading and praying from the book. Hollywoods sporadic attempts to reach out to christian viewers with films like the blind side, the book of eli and soul surfer will continue. We see elis faith remain steadfast as he faces many trials and tribulations, including.

Eli wanting to bring the message of the bible to somewhere it can be spread. Oct 07, 2012 have you ever read or heard of elmer gantry, the da vinci code, east of eden, the poisonwood bible, or angels and demons. This movie is a perfect choice for discussions about social justice, equality, and civil rights. What the book of eli tells us about religion youtube. The book of eli is one of those postapocalyptic action movies that nimbly straddles the line between being dour and ridiculous. Jul 16, 2015 the secret garden, by frances hodgson burnett plenty of kids, having read this classic book for the first time, will be happy to tell you the titular garden is supposed to be the garden of edenbut while there is a link, thats not the main religious theme hidden in the book. Washington, a twotime academy award winner widely known in hollywood for his christian beliefs, portrays a lone warrior making his way across a desolate american landscape defending the worlds last. Jan 15, 2010 the book of eli continues hollywoods obsession with postapocalyptic tales, and in many ways feels like it belongs in the same world as the road with its ashladen wastelands and crazed cannibals. And denzel washington isnt exactly kirk cameron, either.

Religion and language in contemporary film wikiversity. Something more than a message between the lines 27 jul i dont think its risky to say, if we confine ourselves to the most recent events, that the catholic church, the principle institution within the christian doctrine, is now living through one of the greatest crises it has experienced since its beginnings. Litcharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in tracks, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work. The book of eli was intense, and the plot was awesome. Eli was, according to the books of samuel, a high priest of shiloh. Sep 26, 2018 inserting religious themes into a family drama seems to be an easier sell, as in the cases of the wbs and then the cws 7th heaven and hbos big love. Jesus and the book of eli part 1 remember the book of eli. Hes on a divinelyinspired quest yes, a literal mission from god to take the book to the west as a. Scenes in which eli defends the book with his life are extremely convicting as a christian, and thoughtprovoking for nonbelievers. Abp the bible plays a starring role in the book of eli, a postapocalyptic action film starring denzel washington that opens in theaters jan. Lewis tells several theological themes through this book. But, in the midst of the chaos walks a man in possession of a.