Tuesday, August 4, 2009

Thoughts on "Dragonball Evolution"

I preached on this on Sunday, and I wanted to give everyone a chance to interact with it. As I said, this movie is terrible. Dragonball is a cult-status manga (Japanese comic) about a hero, Goku, and his quest to collect the seven dragonballs to prevent Piccolo (an evil God) from acquiring them and having the ability to raise Ozaru (an eviler God or an evil assistant God) from the dead to destroy the world. Complicated? Yes. And the movie doesn't help you figure it out because it provides no information whatsoever. Why are there dragonballs? Why does possessing them give the possessor powers? Who lost them? How did that happen? Why does Piccolo have a green head? Why is an evil God named Piccolo anyway?

Goku eventually gets the dragonballs stolen from him, and they fall into Piccolo's hands. Goku comes face to face with Piccolo for the the final showdown, declaring that he is "here to defeat Ozaru." Piccolo, with a chuckle, says, "Defeat Ozaru? You will become Ozaru."

The point, theologically speaking, is that Goku has to come to grips with the Ozaru side of himself in order to have the power to defeat Piccolo. This is old-school, philosophically speaking. Jung called it the "shadow self," Freud called it "the id," and Walt Kelly might have put it best: "We have met the enemy and the enemy is us." For the theologically-inclined, Luther posited that humans are simul justus et peccator: simultaneously justified and sinner.

Goku (justified/righteous) must become "one with himself" (the sinner, Ozaru) in order to defeat Piccolo.

The FINAL WORD: The more a person is aware of and honest about their sinful selves, the more they will rely on the saving grace of Jesus Christ. Far from a process of "becoming more like Christ," this spiritual formation is a continual discovery of how much we need Him. This is true sanctification.

2 comments:

  1. "The more a person is aware of and honest about their sinful selves, the more they will rely on the saving grace of Jesus Christ."

    I agree with this. I would almost go one step further. Once an individual becomes more honest and open about their sinful selves, they also become free. Freedom through Jesus Christ.

    For all, eventually we become free because Jesus died for our sins.

    I guess, some become Free sooner than later...

    Why wait till death to become free. Jesus saves and can help us while we go on our life's journey.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I like that..."why wait till death to become free." Death is one way out from under oppression...Jesus is another!

    ReplyDelete

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