Hello everyone! And welcome back to another blog post here, I hope you all are having a great week. Today I'll be doing something a little different, I want to engage you in a question. Is it okay, as a Christian, to like/promote Doctor Strange?
Ever since the movie came out (you can find my review HERE) it feels like everyone, including Christians, have welcomed this Doctor. Something I find quite interesting is the fact of how little Christians who like Doctor Strange know about their "favorite superhero". I also hear a lot of Christians say that the movie is a Christian movie. Personally I don't like Strange, and it is because I know about him that I dislike this character. But I can see just stating that won't cut it. So let me give you some of my comic book knowledge:
Doctor Strange willingly gives into demon possession when it suits him
On several occasions when the good old Doctor Strange was in a fight that wasn't going his way, he drank (or willingly became possessed by) various demon in order to 'put up a better fight'.
(demon possessed Doctor Strange fighting the Hulk)
Doctor Strange has his feet planted in mysticism and the occult It's not uncommon to see Doctor Strange using summoning circles and other such occult/demonic symbolizes. In fact, he usually "meditates" over summoning circles.
Doctor Strange cares little for rules when it comes to what he wants.
Doctor Strange is one of those guys who would lecture you on end about the "laws and rules of magic use" and how you cannot be used for personal gain. One such example is when Spider-Man asked him to save his dying Ant, Strange refused on the grounds as saving her would be a misuse of his powers. While whenever he sees fit he will break any and all rules to make sure his goals will be achieved.
Doctor Strange likes to make deals with the devil
Now, this is something you all should know by now (if you've seen the movie anyways) Doctor Strange likes to make deals with the devil. More specifically a demon named Dormammu. Right now you may be thinking
No! Dormammu isn't a demon! he's just some guy from another dimension!!!!
Well, he is. Dormammu is and I quote "worse than a demon." And in the ultimate universe (which the movies take inspiration from) Dormammu is the lord of the demon dimension (though he is not satan that is a different guy). And in fact Strange has been possessed by him on more than one occasion
Doctor Strange lives in one strange house
Now, this is where it tends to get really weird. The Sanctum Sanctorum is the current residence of Mr. Steven Strange. It also happens to be a house filled to the brim with all kinds of weird demon infused things. Even Strange finds his home weird.
(2 Chronicles 33:3-6, Micah 5:20, Galatians 5:13-25, Leviticus 19:31, 20:6, 1 Chronicles 10:3, and Deuteronomy 18:9-12)
... Well, the Bible makes it clear that God hates sorcery. You can read it straight from the mouth of God in Deuteronomy 18:9-10. God hates sorcery plan and simple. So where does that leave us as Christians? Well, I think the Bible makes it clear that we should love what God loves and hate what He hates (Psalm 97:10, Romans 12:9, Psalm 145:20, Proverbs 8:13). So if that means not liking Doctor Strange then that means not liking him.
Now just to make it clear I'm only talking to Christians. If you happen to be an unbeliever this post isn't for you. But I won't condemn you, or smack you down, for liking Doctor Strange.
But if you call on the name of Christ as your Savior. If you are being called a "little Christ" then I want to say this. Think long and hard about this. Does it honor God to like/promote Doctor Strange? Or am I liking/promoting something that He hates?
Well if you go by that then there is nothing you can like but the Bible, and your living in sin since you read comic books!
Well no. See There are some things that neither bring Him glory nor are a sin against Him. God knew we would live in a world where things of enjoyment are made by unbelievers. And by no means did God want us to live in caves detached from the world. It is up to us to figure out whether the things of this world that we find enjoyment fall under one of the three categories.
1) Does it please God?
2) Does it neither please God nor is a sin against Him?
3) Is it a sin against God?
Now I'm not saying that your not a Christian if you've watched the movie. And by no mean am I telling you what you can and can't watch. That's between you and God. But what I am saying is please stop calling Doctor Strange Christian. He really is not. In fact, it's more like one demon fighting another demon using two other demons as weapons. And until Next Time, Stay True to the King!
Images and Gifs used are not mine and I don't clam them as my own. All created goes to their rightful owners/creators
This is an interesting post. I watched Doctor Strange when it came out and enjoyed it very much. The thing is, though, I have not read any Marvel comics. I don't know much more about the Marvel characters other than what is revealed in the movies. And in the Doctor Strange movie, none of the things you mentioned are shown or, so far as I can remember, even mentioned. There is an almost "scientific" explanation for the magic that the characters use, and the deal Doctor Strange makes with Dormammu in the movie does not appear to be the same kind of deal he makes with him in the comic books. I was a little leery going into the movie because of the magic elements, but neither I nor the person I went with saw anything objectionable in regards to the magic system. I think it all depends on how much someone knows about the comics, I guess. As far as I can tell, Marvel bases characters off of the comic books and takes certain plots for their own use, but doesn't really follow them that much. If what you say about the comics is true, then I would not recommend them to a friend. However, since none of those things are in the movie, I think it would be fine to watch and recommend it. I would never call Doctor Strange Christian, though, because he isn't one. But I wouldn't agree with the statement that he's a demon, either.
ReplyDeleteHello Anonymous!
DeleteI’m glad you found this post interesting enough to comment! I’ve just watched the movie like 2 days ago (just so you don’t think I’m talking out of ignorance) and must agree with you that it was enjoyable. But everything I mentioned, except for being demon possessed, did happen in the movie. If you scroll up to the top of the post on the title picture (which is an official poster from Marvel) you will see a summoning circle in the middle of Doctor Strange's light thingy. If you look at every scene where they use those light circles in the movie you will see some form of summoning circle. And yes, they did go about the whole magic thing in a very “scientific” way, saying that it was drawing extra dimensional energy. But the Ancient one said, and I’m quoting the movie here, is draw out “using incantations and spell casting” though the only incantations we hear come from the zealots. We also see the good old Doctor breaking almost every rule they give him. He was told he couldn’t read some books about astral projection (sending you spirit out of your body) so he “barrows” the books from Wan. He was not supposed to use the eye of agamotto but he did anyways. He also did make a deal with Dormammu (which the way it happens in the movie is also usually the way it happens in the comics).
And your right, it does all depend on how much someone knows about the comics. Since everything is taken from the comics and reformatted to fit a movie it helps a ton to know the comics. Marvel likes to just re-work the character to fit the movie better (like costume wise and stuff) but there isn’t that much of a difference in the comic character and the movie character (unless you watching an X-Men movie). To barrow another quote from the movie “it’s like your looking through a keyhole” at Doctor Strange when you just see the movie, but since I know more about him, he isn’t obscured to me. All I’m doing is trying to expand your knowledge of this very obscured character. I’m not by any means trying to poke you in the eyes but I do think you should be informed on what/who Doctor Strange is. Oh, what I meant by “he is more like a demon” is just that if people want to say he is “Christian” it would be more accurate to call him a demon since he used things that could be considered demon possessed. Again, I’m not trying to tell you what to do, all I’m trying to do is inform you. What you do with it is up to you, and like I said I won’t slap you down for liking him. Thanks for commenting! I loved reading your thoughts and hope you come back!
Heh. I guess ignorance is bliss. I have no idea what a summoning circle looks like. :) If Strange had used them to actually summon demons, that would've been bad and I would wholeheartedly agree with you. But is it really still called a summoning circle even if that's not what it's being used for? I haven't seen it since it came out, so I didn't remember that line. :) I know Strange was told not to use the Eye, but it was the only thing strong enough to ultimately defeat Dormammu. If he hadn't used it, the world would have been taken over. Speaking of Dormammu, the deal Strange made with him had nothing to do with demon possession and I actually found it refreshing that he found a way out without having to kill everyone. And Marvel portrays Dormammu as an extraterrestrial being, not as a demon. Just because he was a demon in the comics doesn't mean that he's one in the movies. Also, I don't believe anything in the movie was demon possessed. Imbued with magic, yes. Demon-possessed, no. From what I've seen through the "keyhole", he seems to be completely different than he is in the comics, but maybe that's just me. I don't know, I've understood the movies quite well without having read a single comic. :) Also, sorry if I came across as poking you in the eyes. I wasn't trying to, I just tend to get pretty defensive over things I like. :)
DeleteHello again!
DeleteWell Strange is summoning something through those circles, he is summoning extra dimensional energy. I would say they are still in use. I don't know a ton about the occult so I couldn't tell you if they go by another name when not summoning demons. But to my knowledge they are used to summon things not just demons.
Oh I'm not saying Strange makes deals with Dormammu that involve him getting possessed. I'm just letting you know that he often makes deals with him. And sometimes he gets possessed by him.
Well Marvel never said he wasn't a demon, just that he rules the dark dimension. I agree that just because he was a demon in the comics doesn't mean he is one in the movie. But that point was just to let you know what he is based off.
Yeah I know nothing is stated as being demon-possessed, but I never said they where, I did say they could be considered demon possessed.
Naa he really isn't that different in the comics. He is still a narcissistic butthead :D
Don't worry you didn't poke me in the eyes, because I had them closed :P just kidding. But honestly I wasn't offended by your comments. I loved hearing your thoughts! I just want people to know I'm not trying to offend them since I'm talking about Strange in a way that can be viewed as a negative light. I don't want people to feel like I'm attacking them/you. I'm just trying to bring information to the table as you make your own decision. It was nice reading you comments and I hope I didn't offend you. Have a great weekend!
I love this post! It really made me think!
ReplyDeleteFirst, I've never read the comics, so I had basically NO knowledge of Mr. Strange going into the movie. I guess I was a little offset by the whole magic thing and how twisted it was, especially how Strange recklessly pursued it. However, I've never considered any Marvel movies to be Christian at all (such as Thor. Definitely not Christian). Rather than dwelling on that though, I more look for the moral lessons that can be learned from movies such as Dr. Strange, and compare them to what God says to make my opinion of the movie. I wouldn't say that Dr. Strange is at all a Christian movie, though it has important lessons in it. The only things I was impressed with was the story idea (which, granted, was pretty cool), and the mention of healing with positive thoughts, as I've often felt physically healthier the more I smile/laugh/exercise.
Whew, that was a ramble! This was an awesome post though!
Thanks Audrey!
DeleteSince I had some knowledge of Doctor Strange I opted to wait until the DVD came out. The main idea of this post was just to shed a little more light on Strange. I've noticed that no one seem to want to share this kind of information about the character so I though I should share it with you all. I wasn't saying that you guy would call it Christian, but I have been noticing people saying how it was Christian so I just wanted to address that (Yeah Thor definitely is not Christian, though I do like the movie version of Thor not the comic one). That's a good idea, I think the lesion I got would be that a desperate person would do/join anything to get to their goals. Yeah the story idea was pretty cool and the CGI was for the most part nice (I did really like their costumes, eastern with a modern feel to it). Yeah the brain is a powerful thing, and things like smiling/laughing/exercising does have positive effect upon the body!
Thanks for the ramble it was fun to read! I'm glad you enjoyed the post and I hope it helped shed some light on this guy.