"Let It Go" from Frozen, and the gospel

[Jack K]

It's summer, and girls I know are still singing "Let It Go" from the movie Frozen. So I'm resurrecting this old article, which I don't believe I've linked to from here before. I'm more convinced than ever that we need to be having gospel conversations with kids about the movie, and especially about that song.

The movie and song actually come with a fairly insightful understanding of sin, but I'm convinced many kids who're just singing along don't see it. Hence, the need to point it out.

I'm interested in talks you've had with kids about the song/movie. Do they notice the bitterness in the song that comes along with giving in to what comes naturally? Or do they just think it's a song that affirms doing whatever feels good to you?

Here's the link again (same as above): Let It Go? Does Frozen Fit the Gospel?

 

[Angela A]

Very interesting! Thank you for sharing!

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[Jeri Tanner]

It's hard to make young children "unsee" (or "unget") an impression they've gotten from a movie. Here this princess has transformed herself into an alluring figure that most young girls would dearly love to think they could someday look like!- I think for the most part, younger children will miss the bitterness and sinfulness of what's going on, and may not understand even when adults try to explain it to them. Images are so very powerful.

 

[reaganmarsh]

A helpful article. Thanks for sharing it with us.

 

[InSlaveryToChrist]

Jack, the article was excellent. I, for one, am very isolated from others, including family, friends and church and indulge my sin on a daily basis. Esla's situation perfectly resonates with mine, except that I'm not completely isolated from other people and thus my sinful life style affects their mind negatively when they witness it. I understand the solution to an extent, but obviously not completely, otherwise I would not live the way I do.

 

[InSlaveryToChrist]

When you ponder on Esla's situation when she sets herself free from all obligations and indulges her curse, I believe any of us have experienced the same more or less. Sin, by definition, is deceitful and based on lies about reality. It is no wonder, then, that sinning can at first feel relieving, although in reality we are only becoming more controlled by the power of sin and going farther from true happiness which is only to be found in God. But likewise, we all have experienced the opposite choice of mortifying our sin and surrendering ourselves to God, and its effects which are even more relieving -- indeed, true love knows no limits when it comes to sacrifices and even regards "sacrifices" as privileges.

Sorry, I'm just thinking out loud here. From now on I'll be extra careful of reminding myself of the deceitfulness of sin. All our actions are based on our beliefs, many of which are simply irrational presuppositions formed by sin. Cleaning our mind of all empty presuppositions and thinking clearly and rationally in front of the things that have been revealed to us both in nature and the Scriptures is what is essentially required of us to maintain godly conduct.

Regarding presuppositions, I think a big problem in the Christian community is that we don't give knowledge its due respect if it is well known or popular. For example, the love of God is so emphasized in the world that everyone takes it for granted and its knowledge is given no respect simply because it is known. That is about the stupidest thing going on in the world of Christians. Just think about it. Every piece of knowledge or truth has lost its worth and become a medal of achievement (so to speak). The only thing that matters is whether you have the medal, after that you can forget about it and move on to other achievements. How this is manifested in practice is when a Brother/Sister speaks/teaches on a certain truth and when the listener notices what is being taught is familiar to him, he immediately responds in his mind, "I already have that medal!" This competition truly is nothing but sinful pride.

That said, I don't know to what extent we should be making sure, from the speaker/teacher's perspective, that what is being said/taught is really understood by the listener and that it's not just a form of knowledge that is yet to be learned. However, that is only a minor issue and not a reason to neglect being extra careful for others.

Sorry for going off topic.

 

[Jack K]

Samuel, I too know from experience how isolating myself from others makes it easier to indulge sin.

As for the sense of relief that sometimes comes from indulging sin... one of sin's deceits is that it usually feels good at the moment even if you know you're sinning and that the sin is actually bad for you. Jeri, I think most kids who're grade-school age or older can understand this, but they certainly may need to have it pointed out to them. This is another good example of why parents who decide to let their kids watch movies need to watch and discuss those movies (even the G-rated ones) with the kids.

 

[InSlaveryToChrist]

Samuel, I too know from experience how isolating myself from others makes it easier to indulge sin.

Accountability is a much-needed tool for the Christian's sanctification. It must be present both in family and church.