Can Christians Enjoy Sci-Fi?

At the start, I have to admit that I love sci-fi. I grew up on Isaac Asimov, Ray Bradbury, C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien. I really enjoyed the movie Avatar. However, a discussion on Facebook has got me thinking. A Christian friend posted that he loved Avatar. However, another Christian friend responded with some snarky comments about everyone being pantheistic in the future. It got me wondering: can you be Christian and love science fiction?

When it comes to Christianity, I think you can divide science fiction into the following categories:

Category 1: Stories which are expressly Christian. This is a small category. As a matter of fact, the only examples I can think of are C.S. Lewis's Out of the Silent Planet and the Chronicles of Narnia. Christianity does not translate well into science fiction. The Christian story is one which takes place on earth in a very specific historical context. Did Jesus die on the cross in Jerusalem only or was this repeated on a million other worlds? Similarly, do other planets have an analogue to Moses leading the Jews out of Egypt? How do you translate these events to other cultures?

Category 2: Stories which do not take a stand on religion. J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings is beloved by many Christians and non-Christians alike. However, it is basically a good vs. evil narrative without a divine element. Star Trek is much the same. Actually, Star Trek is about an idealized United Federation of Plants (a/k/a the United States) which goes about civilizing the galaxy.

Category 3: Stories which have a non-Christian backdrop but do not proselytize. The Force in Star Wars is a very pantheistic concept. However, I don't think anyone would argue that Star Wars was intended to lead viewers from Christianity to Buddhism. It was simply a plot device to help the story along.

Category 4: Stories which seek to negate Christianity. I can't think of any at the moment, but I am sure that there are sci-fi stories out there which mock the idea of religion or a supreme being. Let's face it: part of the appeal of sci-fi is the triumph of reason and technology over superstition. As a result, sci-fi could easily be used for anti-Christian and anti-religious proselytizing.

So, where does Avatar fit on this scale? I think that Avatar falls in category 3. The pantheism is part of the backdrop of the story, but the story is focused on other themes which Christians can identify with.

One theme in Avatar is an outnumbered and outgunned force taking a stand to protect their homeland against alien invaders. There are thematic similarities here to Braveheart and Independence Day. In the Judeo-Christian tradition, there are similarities to the Maccabees and Armageddon.

Another theme in Avatar is a person coming to understand an alien culture and identify with an unlikely neighbor. In the Judeo-Christian tradition, the story of the Good Samaritan, the Sermon on the Mount and the command to love your enemies come close to embracing this theme. I would suggest that this is the spiritual core of the movie.

Certainly there is nature worship in Avatar. As Sigourney Weaver's character is dying, she says, "I have seen Eywa, she is real," referring to the Na'vi's nature deity. When the animals of the forest join in the attack against the warlike humans, the Na'vi attribute this to Eywa. However, pantheism is not the central theme. The humans in the movie are bad because they are greedy and selfish, not because they are Christian. Indeed, the humans do not display any religion other than selfishness. Since Christianity is about the negation of narcissism and selfishness, the movie's repudiation of selfish, narcissistic humans cannot be seen as an anti-Christian message. To my mind,the important thing is to look for the big themes and not worry about the background.