I just finished a fairly good book on analyzing film through a Religious Studies lens. One of the really interesting parts was about how movies serve as liminal experiences for us. I stopped to think about my own life and couldn’t think of any liminal rituals in my Christian experience. I had to ask why that is.
A quick definition of a liminal experience is a controlled period where someone can do something deemed unacceptable by society to serve as an outlet for them so they can continue to act in an acceptable way. Movies are a great example of this. How many movies have gone to that have…less than virtuous themes? Raunchy comedies are all the rage these days. Most people would never do what is done in those movies, but they go and live vicariously through the characters. This allows them to do the things they can’t actually do in society. There are lots of religious rituals in the world that work similarly.
Christianity is a religion that has quite a few rules. If you tried to live a life according to Paul, you would be worn out within an hour. In a life where you have love your neighbor as your self and turn the other cheek, it makes sense why someone would want to go live vicariously through movies like The Purge.
I used to need things like this. I needed to live vicariously through others for a cathartic release so I could continue in my discipline. Then I realized I was doing Christianity wrong.
If we read Paul closely, he isn’t giving rules, he’s giving a description of the new creation animated by the Holy Spirit. That virtuous life is a byproduct, not the goal. It is through our relationship with Christ that we change our behavior. It is the thinking about Christ and what is good and true is the renewal of our minds. The Christian living a true life with Christ doesn’t need a liminal ritual, or to live vicariously through others, because they are experiencing the fullness of life with Christ, not a repressed one.
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