Seen and Unseen

The theme of many recent movies has been the idea of seen and unseen. What is real, and what isn't. These are fantasy movies that embed an unseen world into a known world.

There have been movies for children, (Horton Hears a Who) OK this one is a bit of a stretch but the idea is there.


Movies for families (any of the Harry Potters, Spiderwick Chronicles, Chronicles of Narnia to name a few.)


Movies for adults (Pan's Labyrinth)


I think that the interesting things about these movies is the idea that finding out about an unseen world, a magic world, doesn't solve all your problems. In fact most of the time it creates new problems.

One of the ongoing questions about faith in God is a selfish one, "What does this do for me?" Like a Santa Claus that brings presents if only you will believe. But the reality of faith is that it means entering into a new way of living, a new way of seeing the world which brings new questions, new problems, new challenges.

Unlike the magic of the movies, where all questions are resolved (one way or another) by the end of the film (or series of films), the challenges and questions of faith are unresolvable.

We struggle in our world today with fundamentalism and rigidity because we want a resolution, instead of engaging in the messy and dangerous world of options, questions, unsettling moments, and unresolved arguments which faith inhabits.

When we open ourselves to faith we need to read the warning label first....

"Open only if you mean it. Nothing will be the same again."