Have you seen Frozen II?
If you have, you probably know what I mean by the title of this article. Paganism is on the rise and building a new foundation for our children. Beware, I’m gonna get religious on you. And guess what? I’m not ashamed I’m going there because Disney already went there. This is my response to this incredibly popular movie that every child on the planet will most likely eventually see (maybe a gross exaggeration, but kids are soaking it all in).
Don’t get me wrong. I adore dancing snowmen like Olaf who share witty facts about the world. I’m all about talking reindeer like Sven. But... I noticed paganism was on the rise long before Frozen II came out, and today I left the movie theater shocked and sickened by what I saw. It seems now more than ever entertainment, media and culture are moving toward a wholly pagan way of looking at the world. They’re getting people to question everything. What is good? What is bad? What is “the way” to the truth? (Which is actually an essentially great question to be asking if you’re seeking).
As a Christian, I’m sad that the children of this world have a better chance of embracing the elements of the earth or some kind of “everlasting human love” than they do of finding Jesus, the God of the Bible who died for them and loves them with an everlasting love.
If you missed the pagan symbols in the movie, let me explain what I saw (because now that I’ve seen it, I can’t stop seeing it everywhere I look).
- The elements of air, fire, water, and earth are pagan concepts. In the religion called Wicca, practitioners call on the four corners and invoke those elements. The fifth element, spirit, is the role that Elsa literally stepped into at the end of the movie. She and her sister stepped in the role together.
- The idea that magick is good was clearly stated (magick with a “k” is the kind of spiritual magick from this movie). When the grandpa said magick was bad, a character (I can’t remember if it was Elsa or her mom) rebuked him for his perspective.
- The grandpa was the one who put up a dam to hold back the people from the forest. In the end, they tore down the dam. This seemed symbolic of tearing down our culture’s negative view of magick. I’m not saying we should hurt witches or anything like that. What I am saying is that I don’t think embracing magick is the answer to this world’s troubles. But I’m a pastor’s wife and I have experienced the radical and overwhelming love of Jesus Christ, the likes of which I’ve found nowhere else.
- Olaf kept saying water has memory. This attribution of humanity to water only leads further down the magickal pathway one might take if they really got into all the spirituality in this movie.
- This next point is a little tricky to explain, but I’ll give it a try. Elsa’s mom warned her not to go too deep so she didn’t drown. Some may disagree with me on this, but I see this as a way to tell people they can get involved with magick, but there are cautions you should take if you’re going to dabble. Go too deep, and you’ll see too much. The ugly backside of paganism (or Wicca) will be exposed. That’s because practicing paganism and Wicca goes against the God of the Bible and demons surely must be released to do their dark work even if you don’t go too deep.
So what should the Christian response be to this flood of paganism in our world?
Some simple answers come to mind. Our response ought to be...
- Love
We must respond in love. Jesus responded in love. The worst thing we could do in response to this is to actively hate those who do magick or prefer to worship as a pagan. If it’s our Christian brothers or sisters who are messing around with this stuff, we should love them enough to show them the error of their ways.
- Truth
Go to the Bible for truth. What does the Bible say about magick? If you read my new novel called The Good Shadows, you’ll find a Bible study at the end. There’s a lot of scripture that addresses issues related to magick and paganism. I think now more than ever, we need to know what the Bible says about all of this because paganism is on the rise. It’s seeping into culture every day.
- Prayer
Lift up everything in prayer. God can move. He can show people He is real and paganism and magick lead down dark paths. He is already on the move. Outspoken pagan leaders are already leaving lucrative careers to preach the gospel. Thank you, Jesus.
- Ask questions
Always ask questions to understand people’s perspectives. There are deep reasons why they believe what they believe. Take the time to listen. Pray for those who hold different perspectives. But if you get a chance, ask questions like these (these may not be the typical questions you think might be necessary for faith conversations, but in this world where the truth is blurred, we need to be having new discussions):
-What is the truth? What is the way? How do you know?
-What is the source of life? How do you know?
-Have you read the Bible? What does God say about how much he loves us?
-Do you believe people sin?
-Where does goodness come from?
-Where does evil come from?
-Can I pray for you? (This is the best question of all. When we pray, God moves. You can be sure He does and He will.)
The world is undergoing “transformation” to use Olaf’s term, and I want to have a voice in this. I feel called to open my mouth about what I see happening. I pray God will use this post to open eyes and drop the veils in front of our faces that keep us from seeing Him.
Feel free to drop a comment and let me know if you saw any of these things in the movie.
Carol Alwood is the author of the newly-released young adult novel titled The Good Shadows.
The Good Shadows
She believed him when he told her some of the shadows were good.