God and The Hunger Games

In May, I went to see the movie "The Hunger Games."

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

The Hunger Games is a 2012 American science fiction film directed by Gary Ross, based on the novel of the same name by Suzanne Collins. The film was produced by Nina Jacobson and Jon Kilik, with a screenplay by Ross, Collins, and Billy Ray. It stars Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Woody Harrelson, Elizabeth Banks, and Donald Sutherland.^[5] The story takes place in a dystopian post-apocalyptic future in the nation of Panem, where 12 boys and 12 girls must participate in the Hunger Games–a televised annual event in which the "tributes" are required to fight to the death until there is one remaining victor. The protagonist Katniss Everdeen (Lawrence) volunteers to take her younger sister's place in the games. Joined by her district's male tribute Peeta Mellark (Hutcherson), Katniss travels to the Capitol to train for the Hunger Games under the guidance of former victor Haymitch Abernathy (Harrelson). Panem. In the novel The Hunger Games, the setting is portrayed as an unspecified time in the future, the place being a nation called Panem that has risen from the ashes of a post-apocalyptic North America. Panem's seat of power is a utopian city, called the "Capitol," located in the Rocky Mountains. Outside of the Capitol, the nation is divided into twelve districts under the hegemony of a totalitarian government, headed by the dictatorial President Snow. A thirteenth district once existed pre-novel but was destroyed by the Capitol 75 years before the beginning of The Hunger Games narrative during a national rebellion called the Dark Days. However, in Mockingjay, it is revealed that the thirteenth district went underground and was the main source of the rebellion that happened in Catching Fire and Mockingjay. The Capitol developed the Hunger Games as an annual event to punish the citizens of Panem for their rebellion and to remind citizens of consequences for rebelling against the absolute power of the Capitol. As revealed in the novel Mockingjay, the name Panem comes from the Latin phrase "Panem et Circenses" which means "bread and circuses."^[

While very interesting and captivating it was unsettling. Children having to kill to survive a game, a life and death game! Just so unimaginable and inconceivable to my very being. My heart breaks imaging my own children enduring such an ordeal. My heart breaks thinking about children not having food while I scrape out food in the trash can. My heat breaks knowing while this is only a movie children being hungry exist in this world we live in today!

It took some courage because I do not like to read things that are upsetting but I decided I needed to read the books. And I did! Again, captivating and unsettling!

After much prayer and thought I have an opinion, here goes. That is what happens when God is left out of the world. Life has no value. Each life is replaceable. We read in the news of suicide bombers blowing up innocent people. With no thought of the victims, who they might become, what they might invent for the world. Just that the end justifies the means.

There is no value of human life. except for the blood of Jesus Christ, which gives each believer's life a priceless value. God's sacrifice, the willingness and suffering of Jesus for us, makes EVERY life of supreme value and importance to God!

Of course, the families of each tribute cared about the child in the arena [some more than others] but the citizens of the Capitol viewed them as entertainment certainly not something of value. When man kind is left to his own thinking, each of us would view ourselves as more important than the next. I know! Rotten thinking but it is true. God convicts us and shows us the value in our fellow humans. He proved the value by His sacrifice. Let us not forget to keep God in our lives and our world!