Friday, June 5, 2015

Heroes and Villains

Hey all! 

Boy, am I active this week with blogging. 

I thought of something interesting this past week. One of my best friends suggested I watch the show Once Upon A Time. I accepted and watched all the seasons on Netflix, then finished the 4th season on Hulu. And I had a thought. (WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD FOR SEASON FOUR. IF YOU WISH TO REMAIN UNSPOILED, PLEASE SKIP TO THE END OF THE POST OR LEAVE THE PAGE)

One of the main points this past season was about has been the idea of happy endings. (i.e. Rumplestiltskin's quest for the villains and their happy endings, Regina dealing with her own quest while being allied with the heroes...) This was great because in a way, it allowed for character development with Regina, Ursula and Maleficent, allowing for redemption in the latter two's face, whereas the former has been on the path to redemption, along with Hook. 

Another great thing has been the idea that the line between good and evil is not so clear. The idea is not new; Captain America: The Winter Soldier, as well as other countless films, tv shows, and books have dealt with the idea. However, Once Upon a Time took a slight twist on it. This season, mostly through the second half, introduced the thought of the heroes not being as light as one would think, as in Snow and Charming's quest to rid the unborn Emma's potential for darkness by transferring it to Lily. While this is not new, the show mainly used this as a way to illustrate the idea of redemption again. 

Like I said, the idea of black and white vs shades of moral greys is not new. Neither is redemption. But look at what God has done in the lives of believers. "As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us." (Psalms 103:12, KJV) From there people can choose to redeem themselves with God's help.

Look at Paul. Look at Peter. Look at David even, a man after God's own heart. All three were redeemed. For Paul, it took a meeting on the road to Damascus. For Peter, he prayed for forgiveness. For David, he repented. Sin has consequences. David lost his son with Bathsheba. Peter, after he had heard the rooster cry, "wept bitterly". (Matthew 26:75, KJV) 

For Regina this season, her redemption came because she chose to follow the path of good. Yes, God had no effect on her redemption (because of the show's mythology). However, she was like Paul in a way: Both were persecuting people for something they've done in a way (For Paul, it was Christians. For Regina, it was Snow White after the death of Daniel). Both found forgiveness from those who were persecuted. And both did good. 

Maybe you'll get something out of this post. Maybe you won't. But realize that you don't have to be a villain who's done wrong. All have done wrong at some point in your life. It's something we were all born with. We all came into the world with sin. 

But just like Emma, there's a Savior. His name is Jesus. If you want, I can introduce you. :)

~Nate

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