After I posted yesterday, I was led to this video link, in which Fr. Barron talks about The Hunger Games, and today I found this written piece (he is basically saying the same thing in each, so you may watch or read.)
And here is today's update from him, a terrific one at that:
4 comments:
I just love Fr's movie reviews- thanks for posting this!
Hi, I'm a new reader of your blog, and I especially love your homeschooling posts.
I watched the videos and felt I just had to comment. He's a very articulate and well-read man, but I find it odd that he says the Christian influence ended this Scapegoat Mechanism dynamic, when obviously it didn't. In fact, it took it to new horrible heights: the Inquisition, etc. In fact, every Christian group has participated in versions of the Scapegoat Mechanism throughout the history of Christianity. I wonder why he's completely ignoring that?
Megan, he didn't say that it ended the Scapegoat Mechanism dynamic, he said that the Christian influence helped end it for the Romans and the Aztecs. I loved what he was saying. I also compared The Hunger Games to The Lottery, both chilling in their own way. Lord of the Flies also comes to mind. These stories all have things that cause you to feel unsettled, but I think the morals that they spin, violence aside, are worth taking a look at. I think instead of dismissing a book because it is about "kids killing kids" you have to ask the question why? There is probably a lot of literature out there that is gratuitously violent, and features kids being violent, but there is something about The Hunger Games that isn't gratuitous, in my opinion. Thank you for sharing the links, Karen!
Megan, thanks for your question (and your kind words about the homeschooling posts!) and Danae, I agree that he wasn't saying that Christianity completely wiped out the Scapegoat Mechanism, he was saying that the Christian influence helped in those particular civilizations.
Christianity has certainly participated in its share of the Scapegoat Mechanism. We've messed up royally time and again, and I'm sure we can be counted on to continue in that vein, as fallen people are wont to do. I'm reminded of G.K. Chesterton's observation that the only unanswerable argument against Christianity is Christians. And yet, Jesus Christ offers the best and the highest and the most beautiful ideal I've ever found, so I'll keep striving to be worthy of Him, even though I know that I, too, fail miserably most of the time.
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