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Gamepro, The Matrix and the Gospel |
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Written by Rey
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Wednesday, 05 October 2005 |
I can’t believe it. I was flipping through the October Issue #205 of Gamepro magazine
to see how I can mold some of our ads to better fit in that medium when
I crossed an article about the Matrix that just blew my mind.
Mostly it’s talking about the new game the Path of Neo (which seems pretty interesting) while making some commentary on the Enter the Matrix video game and the future of Matrix Online.
But in the midst of all this is this article by Funky Zealot called
Matrix: Theology Loaded where he asks the question “Do the religious
allusions warrant analysis or are they on the level of Jules quoting
Ezekiel 25:37 in Pulp Fiction?”
Now that was enough of a weird question (in context to the magazine)
to make me actually read the
article instead of skim the highlights. First he points out the
Judeo-Christian themes in the Matrix and then starts talking about the
Fall of man by quoting Romans 8:20-22, the presence of sin in the
world
(Romans 5:12) discussing depravity by touching on (and quoting)
Isaiah 59:10-15.
He then talks about the messianic allusions found in Neo while
quoting and referencing Christ removing the bonds of sin (Rom 5:11) and
the new creation (2 Cor 5:17). Similarly the author talks about
election and it’s flip side while touching on John 15:16 and Mark 5:36.
Mind you, this isn’t a theology magazine: this is Gamepro, age group
17 – 37, often bad in the backend but great in the front-end (willing to
spend the fast cash for the deals but not willing to stay for the long
haul) and very short attention spans. I never thought I’d see the day
where I would open up one of these things and basically see the
condition of man, the gospel and some general thoughts on election
portrayed in it’s pages while referencing and quoting all the verses above! Wow.
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The Matrix specifically and intentionally incorporates many theologies, including Christianity, and Neo is a definite Mesianic figure. And Jules' quote was to contrast the character's profession with his beliefs, and show the dichotomy within him.
But of course this has all been said. What's cool is that the author made these connections, and that the magazine allowed them to be published. That's truly awesome.