In The Jungle, The Mighty Jungle...

Yes, I'm about to attempt to dissect (without ruining), one of my generations best loved Disney films. I just went to see the Lion King musical on Friday at the Lyceum theatre in Oxford - I had an awesome time, and really enjoyed myself. The sets were absolutely brilliant, the acting/singing fantastic in general, and they even managed to pull off the stampede scene (I was thinking, how on earth will they manage that???). And they managed to change little bits about the story, and add a couple of new songs, without distracting from the nostalgia - it even made it a little unpredictable, and better viewing in my opinion.

Such is my personality that I can't now watch a film or listen to a song or go to the theatre without consciously critiquing it in my head. It doesn't detract from my enjoyment of the object in question; in fact, I enjoy a story more if it has good dialogue, decent scripting, a coherent story and good morals or messages behind it. Too often we blindly watch/listen/read things without actually analysing it in our heads, without thinking "what message is this bit of media trying to get across to me?" It's there in everything we are subjected to every day, including advertising (I think it's the worst offender sometimes).

So here's my critique of Lion King! In general, the story encourages good character, it has a good message. The idea that everyone and everything has its' place in the Circle of Life, that nothing is actually more important than anything else because we all rely on other parts of the system to survive (the lions eat the antelope, but can't just eat what they want because otherwise they'd run out of food), looks quite similiar to the New Testament of church, where each role and responsibility in the church is no more or less important than another. As someone said recently, there may be those with higher "skilled" jobs than others, but is a doctor or a lawyer actually more important than a binman or a sewage worker or the guy in your local Post Office? If you think the answer is "yes", wait until your bins haven't been collected in 3 months and answer that question again!

Responsibility is the other main theme in the Lion King. Granted, Simba is tricked by Scar and believes he has messed up big time, but even when Nala finds him and tries to convince him to return, he shirks his responsibility as King. I've been thinking about this recently in relation to my own work - am I taking responsibility for the fact that I have a part to play? If I don't play my part, I'm actually letting others down by making them work harder, and I'm robbing them of the gifts and skills God has given me to serve them with. Most people spend most of their waking lives in some sort of work (not necessarily paid, voluntary is important too, or raising a family, etc), so we should make sure we have a correct attitude towards it, that we're treating it as it commands - being responsible with our work is part of a fulfilling life. Timone and Pumba have the phrase "Hakuna Matata" or "NO WORRIES" as their personal mantra - they don't actually contribute anything to the wider world, and whilst it's fun for a while, Simba (and his sidekicks) eventually realise they have to take up their responsibility and fight for what's important.

Closely linked to fulfilment is the idea of destiny, and important to that is identity. Perhaps we don't believe in fate (I don't), but I do believe God has given us specific purpose in our lives, to complete certain tasks and live our lives in a certain way, which brings him glory and gives us fulfilment. Our identity is important to that - are we just random accidents in space? If so perhaps the only real incentive to work is for our own benefit, and perhaps those that we personally love (but why do we love, if we're accidents, apart from to satisfy our own desires and needs, ie, loving someone for selfish reasons? I'm being a little facetious here, because it's not immoral to gain something from loving others, to feel good about it, and I doubt anyone lives for purely selfish reasons; in fact, that's probably my point!). If in fact our identity is found in God, as lost children who are welcomed back into the arms of a loving Father, and set free to live according to His will for the glory of His name and for our satisfaction, peace, and joy, then identity is important as to why we work - it's for God, for others, for our own joy! In other words, we find part of life's real fulfilment in working hard, taking on responsibility.

Fatherhood is another strong theme in the Lion King. Simba believes his father has left him, that although he said he'd always be there, he feels alone. I'm sure many Christians feel like that sometimes. I'm sure that many in Haiti are wondering if God really exists right this minute. God's response to this question isn't to say "Get on with it whatever you think of me," but to say, "I am here! Just not in the way you thought I would be." Jesus didn't die to leave us alone here to fend for ourselves, but to give us a Helper, Counsellor and powerful Friend in the Holy Spirit to give us the ability to follow God and live his way. If he didn't leave, the Holy Spirit (who is like having Jesus 24/7 wherever we are, rather than Jesus confined to a physical body) wouldn't have come.

One negative thought though. Because the Lion King is based on African culture, it does mean that it involves the idea of ancestor worship - the kings of the past up there in the skies, looking down on us, who we can talk to but only through certain wise soothsayers and shamans (ie, Rafiki, who is my favourite character despite being the centre of this idea). I came across this in Namibia, where the tribe I visited believed in one God, but we could only know Him through the ancestors, who had to be contacted through traditions and superstitions dating back hundreds, maybe thousands of years. The Bible's claim is very different - God can be accessed, personally, at any time, anywhere, directly, because of Jesus. The Jews believe God is too holy for us to come into His presence, and yet the New Testament claimed that we can walk right into His presence, only because of what Jesus did on the cross. Without His death, we are counted as sinful, and unable to enjoy that friendship with a perfect God. With it, we are made pure as snow, and able to enjoy everlasting friendship with God, starting now, and "ending" ultimately with perfect access in Heaven, enjoying Him forever. What a claim! We don't need traditions to access God like he can be tricked into thinking we're not sinful for a while: in Jesus, God faced our sin head on, didn't shy away from it, but dealt with it, condemning it to the grave forever and offering new life to all those who would recognise that He is in fact that one in control of the whole universe and the only source of true life, the one to be followed, not to gain a place in heaven, but because it is by worshipping (praising/enjoying) and following him (and discovering his will for our lives) that we find fulfilment! What a promise.