An Interview with Myself: On the Avengers and the Scripture

This is an interview with myself.

Why you love to watch movie?

Why you love to eat? Why you love to dance? Why you love to read? All of these are natural for human being. You enjoy food, you love to move with the tune, you love stories. Movie is my source of leisure and entertainment. Movie captured my imaginations and filled me with inspirations. I’m talking about good movies, of course.

How do you differentiate between good and bad movies?

Good movies cause you to think, not just being entertained. This is very important because the thrill of participation with the characters is what makes the movie worth to watch. Worth for my investment, RM13! For me, good movies ought to have moral values without neglecting the reality of bad influences. For action-movies like The Avengers, which is why you interview me right, we must not expecting the movie to be realistic and logic or hoping that the heroes must be perfect and good all the time… come on, movie is a movie, okay?

[In my mind, I asked and answered too many questions to myself which are not quiet appropriate for public to read. Therefore, I skipped most of it.]

So, now, tell me, what you have learned from the movie The Avengers?

Oh, many things. By the way, before I watched The Avengers (again), I watched Captain America: The First Avenger, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Iron Man 1, 2 & 3, Hulk, The Incredible Hulk, Thor, and  Thor: The Dark World. To get the big picture of the movie, I need to do some ‘revision.’ [Smiled]

In summary, The Avengers taught me more than just cliché lessons that you get from self-help or motivational books. The Avengers – this might sound unusual to you – helps me to recaps what some of the Scripture’s values that I have learned as I read and study it. I mean, by watching The Avengers and other Marvel movies, it help me to see how some Biblical values can be seen in each heroes and situations.

For examples, Hulk taught me how to be angry. Almost all references in the Scriptures about angry are negative because by nature angry is a sin. But there is such thing as righteous-angry where anger is not directed to persons but to the injustice, unrighteousness and merciless. Jesus, do you remember, overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves because He was righteously-angry with what He saw in the temple (Read Matthew 21:12-13). When an alien spaceship coming toward him, Captain America said something like this, “You need help to be angry?” “No,” Bruce Banner replied, “This is what you don’t know about me… I’m always angry…” And then he turned into the green beast and smashes the ship! Meaning, he had his anger under control and ‘expressing’ it toward the real enemies. 

Captain America taught me about leadership. He is mentally and physically fit. He is a fighter and strategist. He is probably one of the least members with special power but nevertheless – he is the Avenger’s Captain. He is a patriotic who value teamwork and do whatever it take to achieve the missions. He is the man who believes in God.  I remember one scene after Captain and Iron man caught Loki, Thor with raged came from nowhere took Loki out of the plane. As Iron man followed them from behind with an attack plan – that is “Attack!” – Captain was left behind. Black Widow reminds him, “Are you going after them too? They are Asgardians… they are literally, gods.” The Captain buckled up a parachute and said, “No ma’am,” he’s about to jump, “There is only one God!” He jumped and continues, “And He’s not dressing like one of those.”

Iron man taught me that people can change. He was a playboy, but now in love with one woman, Pepper. He was a billionaire who sells war machines, but now becomes a generous entrepreneur that helps to make the world a better place. He was a selfish genius, but now he fights for justice and even sacrifices himself to save many. He diverts a nuclear missile from blowing the New York City into the black hole all by himself. He, literally, saved the world. “If we can’t protect the earth,” Tony Stark said to Loki, “you can be damn sure we’ll avenge it.” Minus the language and attitude, do you hear his selflessness?

Thor taught me to be humble. He was arrogant, I know, but he now has become a matured and responsible man. When he was on earth – even though it is not relevant – he didn’t take pride of his Asgardian’s title and position. He is the prince of Asgard, heir of the kingdom throne, and god of thunder yet he remains humble, human-like in his character. He slowly learns to become human.

I haven’t told you about Nick Fury, Black Widow, Hawkeye, Maria Hill, Agent Phil, etc… maybe next time bro.

Finally, do you have anything else to say?

Yes. Religious people often told me to “Stop watching worldly movies”, “Don’t watching this and that movie, it’s no good”, “You’re influencing our youth to worldliness.” I appreciate their concerns but I sense their hypocrisy. Even though they didn’t watch movies in cinema, they themselves watch movies on television, gossips in Twitter, watch videos on YouTube, and always read nonsense news on Facebook. I only take advice from those who have integrity and sincere.

Okay, I fully understand that watching too much movies or addicted to it will affect and pollute our mind but in everything we do – whatever it is – balance, priority and discernment are require. Those who make so much fuss with me watching The Avengers and told me to read the Scriptures more, I have two questions for you: 1) Do you know  Spiderman and Superman, Batman and Iron man, Thor and Hulk, Captain America and Wolverine? Maybe the answer is “No.” Then, since you don’t watch movie and love to read the Scripture, do you know Cain and Abel, Miriam and Aaron, Korah and Dathan, Ruth and Naomi, Abigail and Rahab, Ahab and Joshua, Elijah and Elisha, Esther and Mordecai, Amos and Obadiah, Nadab and Abihu, ect.? [Pause]

The Avengers and everything in this world are just faded mirror reflections of what is really real – Jesus Christ and the Kingdom of God. Of course, if The Avengers have taken our hearts and minds over the Scripture, we have issues with God. Therefore, Repent.

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.