Religious Studies Essays

Religious Studies Essays Religious Studies Essay Religious Studies Essay Essay Topic: Nashville Name: Course: Instructor: Date: Religious Studies The relationship between religion and literature is illustrated where several themes are integrated with the views of religion. It also focuses on explaining the connection between people’s concerns, related, religious inclinations and the literary styles used to articulate the information. Several themes have been illustrated in various sources containing religious information including films, books and different articles. However, this document will focus on discussing several themes in the religious movie known as Fireproof. Fireproof is a movie that narrates about a firefighter who deals with the problem of his wife wanting to divorce him. However, his father pleads with him to postpone the divorce for a period of forty days and offers him a book known as the Love Dare (Richard 13). The book is meant to solve the firefighter’s marriage problems with his wife, because it informs about the temperament of true love and gives steps of guidance in solving relationship issues. One of the themes found in Fireproof is forgiveness, and it relates the scene where the firefighter is forgiven by his wife, to the religious forgiveness that an individual experiences when he is in a relationship with God (Solomon 23). It illustrates the importance of an individual’s marriage or relationship to God as a valuable investment because through this relationship, all other things in life thrive. Therefore, fireproofing or safeguarding this worthy union protects the believer from being tempted to transgress. In addition, the believers become unionized with God and hence are able to maintain peace with their enemies (Solomon 23). The next theme found in Fireproof is faith, and it is illustrated where the firefighter decided to trust in the book his father gave him as he was about to give up with his marriage and divorce his wife (Anker 6). The firefighter made the choice to believe that he would find some hope once he begun reading the book about saving his marriage. Faith is also witnessed at the concluding scene, whereby he decides to be a born again Christian. He runs to the backyard of his father’s house and weeps on a statue of a cross as his father meets him to comfort and pray for him. He finally takes a step of faith by giving his life to Jesus Christ with the hope of experiencing peace and happiness in his life, marriage and family. The theme of unconditional love is illustrated at the concluding scene where the firefighter experiences divine forgiveness. The next day after giving his life to Christ, the man appears to be very happy and peaceful as compared to other times when he seemed to be in a cranky mood. Therefore, this means that the love of God is unconditional and limitless since anyone is allowed to experience it and hence He wants people to live through honoring in order to experience that love (Chris and Rao, M.D 262) The other theme in the Fireproof movie is the theme of addiction. It is displayed in the scene whereby the firefighter is addicted to accessing internet pornography. As a result, his wife complains several times about this habit and it ends up being one of the reasons for wanting to divorce him. The man struggles with quitting the habit but becomes unsuccessful until the day he gives his life to Jesus Christ (Stephen 57). From that day, he develops a profound strength and faith that helps him overcome this habit. For example, instead of using the computer when he arrives from work, he forms an interest in reading the bible. Biblical principles have also been used as a form of literature in Fireproof based on the strong foundation of marriage. The movie explains the principle on how every relationship has to face certain challenges because different circumstances in life always find a way to interfere in relationships. However, these problems faced by couples are meant to strengthen the marital relationship since it enables each person in the commitment to display positive strong qualities including love, patience and persistence that makes it easier to overcome these challenges. In addition, these qualities determine the commitment of a spouse to build a strong base on the relationship (Gabriel 121). The next theme shown in the film focuses on obedience. It reflects the Christian view of obedience by explaining that if a person obeys God’s commands, he is likely to overcome any challenge in life that is thrown at him. For example, after the firefighter decided to trust in God by leaving his old habits like his addiction to pornography, he was able to appreciate and treat his wife with more love and respect and as a result, their marriage bond became stronger despite facing the challenge of losing their younger son to Cancer (Lynn and Mark 125). The next biblical principle illustrated in the film, is on how man has been ordered by God to love his wife. In the scene where the firefighter became a believer, he realized that he was peaceful and happy once he learned to appreciate and love his wife than in the past when he was always complaining and being moody to her. This shows that for him to experience God’s forgiveness, he had to take a step of loving his wife and abandoning his old gruesome ways of treating his wife. The film also illustrates the dynamic of family through the aspect of love and togetherness. For example, after the reconciliation of the married couple, they focus on loving their children by praying and convincing their older son to give his life to Jesus Christ in order to experience the same peace and happiness they felt (Catt 218). In addition, it shows that family is built on the strong foundation of marriage since the parents were able to focus more on their children when their marriage was reconciled than before when they were facing challenges (Douglas 142). Reference Anker, Roy M. Of Pilgrims and Fire: When God Shows Up at the Movies. Grand Rapids, Mich: W.B. Eerdmans Pub. Co, 2010. Print. Catt, Michael C. The Power of Desperation: Breakthroughs in Our Brokenness. Nashville, Tenn: B H Pub. Group, 2009. Print. Connelly, Richard. Lost Art of Romance: How to Romance a Lady. S.l.: Trafford On Demand Pub, 2009. Print. Cowan, Douglas E. Sacred Terror: Religion and Horror on the Silver Screen. Waco, Tex: Baylor University Press, 2008. Print. Kendrick, Stephen. Holy Clues: The Gospel According to Sherlock Holmes. New York: Vintage Books, 2000. Print. Solomon, Stephannie E. R. Living with the King: Meditations That Teach, Transform and Transcend. S.l.: Authorhouse, 2009. Print. Suszek Lynne and Suszek Mark. First Wash the Inside. Nashville, U.S.A: Lockman Foundation, 2009. Print. Mckee, Gabriel. The Gospel According to Science Fiction: From the Twilight Zone to the Final Frontier. Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2007. Print.