Bulletproofvest
Junior Member
Hey guys can someone reply to this?
The film the Matrix makes people think about what is real and what is not real and also it seems that some of the ideas and themes in the Matrix come from Christianity themes. For example there are similarities between the main character Neo in the movie and Jesus but there are also differences.
The similarities between Neo and Jesus are that Neo and Jesus both died then woke up alive again. They have also got (as some people would say) “Super powers”. Neo used his powers by believing, but Jesus used his powers through god. They were also both well respected. (Neo was respected by the Nebuchadnezzar crew and Jesus was respected by pretty much everyone that has heard of him (except for his enemies) and especially respected by his disciples. Both their names are also Bible references. Neo means (According to Google dictionary): (used as a combining form) recent or new; "`neo' is a combining form in words like `neocolonialism' It also means ‘One’.
Neo is also (Like Jesus) was referred to many times in the movie as a Messiah, and a saviour. He also gives his life for the lives of all the people like Jesus. Neo is able to do ‘cool tricks’ like spoon bending and dodging bullets, that cause others to think he is the ONE and could be seen as miracles, which we know Jesus did miracles as well such as walking on water and sharing a fish and a loaf of bread with many people and helping people who were blind or could not walk to see or walk again which made people believe he was the son of God.
The differences between Jesus and Neo are their styles of handling problems. Jesus sometimes used violence (E.G when he had to cleanse the temple) but most of the time he would just use the tactic of talking his way through things. Neo handled basically all of his problems with violence. E.G when Neo had to kill Agent Smith, he finished him off with violence, but Jesus hardly ever used violence. Jesus and Neo were also around at different times with different technology and in different ages.
A couple of Bible references are how Thomas (Neo’s other name) is one of the 12 Apostles who, according to the New Testament, doubted that Jesus had risen from the dead, until he saw the wounds. Neo also doubts the reality of the Matrix until he actually sees it. As Neo, the character makes miracles: he saves Trinity and even Morpheus, despite the prediction of the Oracle. Also the Ship, named the Nebuchadnezzar, who according to the Bible, he is the one who conquered Judah and Jerusalem.
The Matrix has themes of faith, resurrection and salvation. From the beginning till the end of the movie there are signs that the movie has biblical ideas. The first example of that is Neo; it is anagram for the one, the messiah. For instance, in the beginning of the movie Choi says: “Hallelujah. You’re my saviour, man. My own personal Jesus Christ”. He is the one because he is given the job to free humanity from control. Morpehus appears to be John the Baptist, the guide to Neo, and Trinity stands for three in one such as the father, the son and the Holy Spirit. Zion, the last human city, could be seen as Jerusalem, the holy city. Another character name that has biblical ties is Cypher that would be similar to betrayer Judas. Cypher" sounds similar to "Lucifer". Nebucadnezzar is a king mentioned in the bible who is haunted by bad dreams.
A theme of the Matrix story is that humans need to be saved from the confines of the computer-controlled matrix. Those who discover that the world they take for granted is an illusion then get a kind of "salvation." Christians believe that salvation is necessary because of guilt from sin. In the Matrix, people are controlled by the machines and have no guilt from which they must be saved, they are being controlled because of no fault of their own. They are victims of the computers. Christians believe individuals need salvation because of guilt from their sins – but there is no guilt in the matrix.
Christians put their faith in God. The people trapped in the Matrix must put their faith in themselves in order to gain freedom. The Christian theme of 'resurrection' is similar to that of Neo’s resurrection but not the same. Neo did die and come back to life but the matrix's portrayal of Neo's death and resurrection is not the same as the Christian's understanding of Christ's death and resurrection. The most important point of Christian resurrection is different in the matrix because Neo did not die for other humans like Jesus did. Neo died and transcended the Matrix only for himself. Neo's death and 'resurrection' was only an example to other people and he was not their saviour. Neo did not die for the forgiveness of sins of others and his death did not do anything for the people in the matrix like Jesus’ death did for people here on earth.
I think that the concept of the Matrix is untrue and what we live in now is real. I also believe that there is no other reality other than this one and the Matrix would be impossible. I believe that if I am sitting in my classroom then I am sitting in my classroom because I can see and smell and feel it all. If it were all just an illusion I would not mind anyway and I would just make the most of it the way you do when you are dreaming something when you’re asleep. When you are dreaming your brain thinks you are in that moment and that it is real so you keep dreaming what is going to happen next and you make the most of it. The Matrix includes names and themes familiar to Christianity. The names and themes are probably thought up from Christianity, but are not really the same as the Christian bible’s. The movie is entertaining and has good special effects but it is not a Christian movie.