電影推介 || 4 Biblical Lessons about Life, Death and the Afterlife

4 Biblical Lessons from Pixar Movies about Life, Death and the Afterlife

來自皮克斯電影中的四點關於生前死後的信仰啟示

Ever since it released its first movie in 1995, Pixar has explored the deepest questions about humanity. Toy Story tackled the subject of change. A Bug’s Life examined fear. Up analyzed grief.

自從皮克斯1995年起發行第一部電影以來，就一直在探索著關於人性最深處的問題。《玩具總動員》探討了成長與改變的話題，《蟲蟲危機》審視了我們心中的恐懼，《飛屋環遊記》 則詮釋了悲傷。

Pixar isn’t afraid of any subject, and it proved that by releasing two movies about death and the afterlife in 2020 -- the same year people were quarantined at home, questioning their purpose and pondering their mortality. Remember: It takes years to make such films.

皮克斯敢於涉及任何主題，在2020年上映的兩部關於死亡和死後生活的電影中它證明了這一點——在這一年中，人們居家隔離，懷疑著自己人生的目的，同時也思考死亡的意義。請記住，電影的製作周期需要數年時間。

Some would call that a coincidence. I』d call it providential.

有人稱之為巧合，而我則認為這是一種預定。

In Soul (2020), a middle-aged man dies unexpectedly and enters the afterlife.

在影片《心靈奇旅》中，一個中年男人意外死去，從而開始了他的死後生活。

In Onward (2020), two teenage brothers set out on a magical quest to spend one more day with their late father.

在影片《1/2的魔法》中，兩個十幾歲的精靈兄弟開始了魔幻的探索，和他們已故的父親再次共同度過了一天時光。

Soul and Onward weren’t the first Pixar films to explore death. In 2017’s Coco, a young boy meets his ancestors on the Day of the Dead, a Mexican holiday.

這兩部電影並不是皮克斯電影探討死亡課題的開始，在2017年的電影《尋夢環遊記》中，一個墨西哥小男孩在「亡靈紀念日」中與他的先祖見面。

Thus, three of the past five Pixar movies have explored eternal subjects rarely included in children’s films--much less in movies aimed at adults.

因此，在皮克斯過去的五部動畫片中，有三部探討了關於永恆的主題，這在兒童電影中是很少見到——在面向成年人的電影中更少了。

True, they aren’t faith-based movies.

誠然，這些電影不是基於基督教信仰的。

But it would be foolish to ignore the biblical themes they’re promoting, even if the plots stray a bit from Scripture.    

但是我們不難看出，影片所宣揚的與聖經相關的主題是很難忽視的，即使是在情節有所偏離於聖經教導的情況下。

Here are 4 biblical lessons about life, death and the afterlife you』ll find in Pixar’s latest films:

在皮克斯最新的影片中，你會找到四點關乎生與死以及來生的道理，與聖經相關聯。

1. Eventually, You Will Die

1. 人人都有一死

We know death is unavoidable. But we do our best to avoid the subject. We jump from distraction to distraction with an endless strand of social sedatives -- sports, music, movies, hobbies and social media. Like the old Simon and Garfunkel song from 1966, we 「continue to continue to pretend」 our 「life will never end.」

我們知道死亡是不可避免的，但我們儘量避開這個話題。靠著無數的社交鎮靜劑——運動，音樂，電影，個人愛好和社交媒體，我們的心滿了各樣的思慮煩擾，就像西蒙和加芬克爾在1966年一首老歌中所唱的，我們「繼續不斷地假裝」我們的「生活永不會結束。」

Give Pixar credit for forcing us to contemplate death.

感謝皮克斯電影使我們不得不思考死亡。

In Coco, a Mexican family celebrates their deceased relatives. (More on that in a moment.) In Onward, two teen elfs mourn the loss of their late father.

在電影《尋夢環遊記》中，一個墨西哥家庭在鬼節中紀念死去的親人。在電影《1/2的魔法》中，兩個年輕的精靈為他們已故的父親舉哀。

Soul makes mortality the central theme. In fact, it has one of the more jarring -- albeit kid-friendly -- death scenes ever recorded in a film. In one second, our hero, Joe Gardner, is walking away from a jazz band tryout, ecstatic that he’s set to play a nighttime gig alongside one of his musical heroes. (「I did it!」 he says excitedly to strangers as he crosses the street.) A second later, he steps in a manhole and dies, immediately traveling to the afterlife. (「I’m not supposed to be here!」 he tells someone.) 

電影以死亡作為中心主題。在電影《心靈奇旅》中，實際上有一幕令人十分不安的死亡場景——即便因為兒童觀眾比較和諧——我們的主角，喬加德納結束了一個爵士樂隊的面試，因為將要與一位音樂偶像一起進行夜場爵士表演他感到欣喜若狂。（當他過馬路時他興奮地向陌生人大喊「我做到了！」）而一秒鐘之後，他掉進了下水井摔死了，立刻開啟死後生活。（他向別人喊:「我不應該在這裡！」）

Soul sprinkles comedy into the plot, but the lesson is unmistakable: Death is unpredictable. It even can be sudden. It’s also the destination for every single person on the planet.

《奇旅》的情節中揉進了喜劇成分，然而也給予我們明確無誤的教訓：死亡是不可預測的，甚至可能是突然臨到的，它也是每一個人的歸宿。

As James 4:14 says, we are a 「mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.」

就像雅各書4章14節中所說的，我們「原來是一片雲霧，出現少時就不見了。」

Perhaps we should live each day with purpose and with an eternal focus -- as if death really is just around the corner. 

我們也許應該專注於目標與永恆來度過每一天——因為死亡似乎真的就在眼前。

 

2. There Is a Spiritual Realm

2.靈域的存在

Pixar’s movies don’t replicate Christian theology about the afterlife. In fact, a few of the plots -- viewed through a biblical lens -- are nonsense. (There is no after-life do-over as we see in Soul, and the Day of the Dead celebration in Coco has no scriptural foundation.)

皮克斯電影關於死後生活的描述與基督教神學是不一致的。實際上，有一些情節——從聖經的角度來審視是沒有意義的。（在《奇旅》中死後繼續對於生命進行彌補而不是生命的終結，以及在《尋夢環遊記》中鬼節對於亡靈的祭奠也不合乎聖經的依據。）

But that doesn’t mean these films get everything wrong. Soul and Coco teach that there’s more to life than this physical world. In Soul, we actually see Joe’s soul -- and the souls of thousands of others, too. In Coco, we see the spirits of 12-year-old Miguel’s deceased relatives (depicted as skeletons).

但這並不意味著這些電影一無是處。《心靈奇旅》和《尋夢》使我們看到，生命超越了這個實在的物質的世界。在《奇旅》中我們確實看到了喬的靈魂——以及成千上萬其他人的靈魂。在《尋夢環遊記》中，我們看到了12歲的米蓋爾（以骷髏形象呈現的）死去親人的靈魂。

Thus, two of the most popular films in Pixar history convey a core biblical truth: There’s something on the other side of this earthly, physical realm. We’re more than cells, muscle and bone -- despite what the naturalists in academia tell us. You have a soul. In Soul, we even hear a brief discussion about hell. How many Hollywood films do that?

因此，在皮克斯電影史上最受歡迎的兩部電影中，傳遞了一個真真實實的聖經真理：在這個物質的塵世的另一邊存在著一些事物，我們不僅僅是細胞，肌肉和骨骼結合體——儘管學術界的自然主義者是這樣說的。你還擁有靈魂。在影片中，我們甚至聽到了一段關於地獄的簡短議論。有多少好萊塢電影會這樣做呢？

These movies reflect our natural yearnings for something eternal. They reflect our hope that there’s more to this life than this life. The things of this world will never bring true joy because, as Ecclesiastes 3:11 tells us, God 「has planted eternity in the human heart.」 The things of this world won’t satisfy us because they can’t. We were created for something greater.

這些影片映射了我們對於永恆事物的天然嚮往，反映了我們超越這一人生的期望。這個世界的一切永遠不會帶來真正的快樂，因為就像傳道書三章十一節所說的那樣，上帝「將永生安置在世人心裡」。這世上的事物不會使我們滿足，因為這是無法做到的。我們是為著更偉大的緣故而受造的。

 

3. Blessings Are All Around Us

3.福杯滿溢在我們身邊

It’s easy to get caught up in the 「rat race」 and go through the motions each day, failing to appreciate -- much less give thanks for -- the blessings in life.

我們很容易陷入日常快節奏的忙亂生活中，而無法欣賞——更不用說感恩——生命中點點滴滴的福分。

In Soul, 46-year-old Joe shouts to anyone in heaven who will listen: 「My life just started!」 For Joe, a life without a successful career isn’t a life worth living at all. It isn’t until he meets a young soul (No. 22) that he fully appreciates the simple blessings he had overlooked: a beautiful blue sky, a peaceful walk on a cool day, and a mother who loves him unconditionally.

在《奇旅》中，46歲的喬向天堂裡每一個可以聽到他的人大喊：「我的生活才剛剛開始！」對於喬而言，一個沒有成功事業的生命根本不值得活下去。直到遇見一個年輕的靈魂（22號），他才得以充分地品味他曾忽略的一點一滴：美好的藍色天空，在涼爽天氣下漫步，以及母親對他無條件的愛意。

And when he finally reaches his career goal toward the end of the film, he realizes it doesn't bring the satisfaction he envisioned.

當影片接近尾聲，他終於如願以償時，他才意識到職業目標的實現並沒有給他帶來想像中的滿足感。

In Onward, young Ian Lightfoot can only think about what he never had (a father). It isn’t until the end of the movie that he focuses on the blessings he does have: a loving mother and older brother who helped fill the gap in his life, every single day, since he was a baby.

在《1/2的魔法》中，年輕的伊恩·萊特福德只考慮到他未曾擁有過的（一位父親）。直到將近結局他才轉而注意到他所擁有的福分：一位慈愛的母親和一個哥哥，自從他還是一個小嬰兒就開始，幫助他填補了生命中每一天的空白。

For many of us, their story is our story. God has surrounded us with priceless blessings, yet we fail to enjoy life because we’re too distracted. We』ve forgotten how to live life. We’re like the little fish who asked the big fish, 「Where’s the ocean?」 The little fish was swimming in it. Often, we’re chasing something we already have.

對於我們許多人而言，他們的故事就是我們的故事。上帝用上好的福分將我們滿滿環繞，然而我們卻無法享受生活，因為有太多事物使我們分心。我們已經忘記該如何生活。就像小魚問大魚：「海洋在哪裡？」而海裡就是小魚遊泳的地方。我們經常在追求著我們已經擁有的東西。

The Bible tells us that 「every good and perfect gift is from above」 (James 1:17). But like the nine lepers who were healed by Jesus and never returned, we rarely stop and give thanks (Luke 17).

聖經教導我們「各樣的美善的恩賜和各樣全備的賞賜都是從上頭來的」（雅各書1章17節），然而就像那九個被耶穌治癒卻從未回來的麻風病人一樣，我們很少停下來為之感恩（路加福音17章）。

Of course, these films don’t tell the whole, biblical picture about identity and purpose. Our identity and purpose isn’t found in a career or accomplishments or what we wish we had. It’s found in Christ.

當然，這些電影並沒有從聖經角度完整地展示我們的身份和生命的意義。人們的身份認知和生活目標不是在於一份事業與成就，或者是我們所希望擁有的。而是在基督裡找到這一切。

4. Life Is Full of Second Chances

4.人生充滿了第二次機會

There’s a reason we are attracted to redemptive stories like Soul, Onward and Coco. It’s because we ourselves are part of the greatest redemptive story ever told: the story of Christ.

就像《奇旅》、《1/2的魔法》和《尋夢》這樣關於拯救的故事，常常很吸引人，其中有一個原因是，我們自己正是有史以來最偉大的救贖：基督的故事中的一部分。

In Onward, Ian finds peace in his loss as he grows closer to his family (and his new step-dad). In Coco, Miguel is reconciled to his great-great-grandmother, who embraces his musical skill after initially rejecting it. In Soul, Joe recalibrates his focus on life and learns to be content.  

在《1/2》中，伊恩從他的失敗中得到了心靈的平安，他也與他的親人（和他的新繼父）越來越親近了。在《尋夢》中，米蓋爾與他的曾曾祖母和解，他也最終接納了起初被他排斥的音樂才能。在《奇旅》中喬重新校正了他的生活焦點，學會了知足。

We resonate with stories about second chances because we ourselves need second chances. When we watch a movie about loss, grief and redemption, we are watching our own story on the big screen. 

關於第二次機會的故事常會使我們產生共鳴，因為我們自身也需要第二次的機會。當觀看一部關於失敗，悲傷和拯救的電影時，我們正是通過大屏幕在解讀我們自己的故事。

The good news is we serve an infinitely loving God who is full of grace and mercy. He is 「faithful and just to forgive us our sins」 if we only trust Him (1 John 1:9). He is the God of second chances. 

好的消息是，我們所侍奉的無限慈愛的上帝，他滿有慈愛與憐憫，他是「信實的，是公義的，必要赦免我們的罪」（約翰一書1：9）。他就是給予我們第二次機會的上帝。

No doubt, Pixar movies aren’t a substitute for Scripture. And even when they tackle the big subjects, it’s an incomplete picture.

毫無疑問，皮克斯電影不能代表聖經的經文。即便他們勇於直面於大的問題，這種探索也是不全面的。

Still, it’s nice when a popular movie with ties to McDonald’s Happy Meals sparks a nationwide discussion about eternal matters. In the past, it may have been difficult to start a conversation about death and heaven with your neighbors.

儘管如此，做為與麥當勞的開心樂園餐相配搭的流行電影，引發了一場關於永恆問題的全國性的討論，這還是很有意義的。因為以前，與你的鄰居開啟關於死亡或者天堂的話題可能都很困難了。

But thanks to Pixar, it’s now a bit easier

但多虧了皮克斯，現在變得容易多了。

 

英文原文出處：ChristianHeadlines.com

中文：Carol

校對：Snow

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