Is HellBoy an abomination to God?
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Newski_the_Hippie — 15 years ago(December 28, 2010 11:28 AM)
I'm a Christian, but I don't let that determine what I like and don't like to watch. Because movies are entertainments, and we can detach. We can take the good messages, the positive messages, and leave the negative.
That being said, Hellboy is a good, decent, moral story about a man who fights against evil. Hellboy himself is a very positive character, being less of a demon and more of an average joe who just happens to have demonic origins, Which is what came across so strongly when I first saw the film. I've read comics like "Spawn" or "Son of Satan" as a kid and immediately threw them out, because the entire time I wanted them to "Stop being crybabies" essentially. I am not a fan of all the brooding over the origins.
Hellboy had some issues with his appearance, and his supposed destiny, but he never let that stop him from being who he was, which was "Blue Collar Guy". He's a good natured guy, who fights bad guys.
If you read the comics, it's very clear Hellboy himself is a Christian. In the movies, that is downplayed and religious elements are less of a sign of his faith but his connection to the man he calls his father, which again, is not a bad move on the part of the writers because it's not a religious story. But it is a father and son story. Hellboy himself, while not being perfect, what with his anger problems and all, is a good, devoted son.
I believe that we do find ourselves finding role models from movies when we are kids. I also think we are smart enough to find the good ones, and know what makes them good. A kid who sees Hellboy might want to be more like Hellboy, and their isn't anything wrong with that. Of course, I have my own Hellboy costume so clearly i want to be more like Hellboy.
I even use his lines when I flirt with my Girlfriend. It works, too. -
ZAROVE — 15 years ago(December 30, 2010 12:00 PM)
AS others have Stated, the movie is actually a Christian one, to the extend that its about the ability of people to choose who they are.
In regards to Demons and Redemption, one may believe that Demons cannot be Redeemed, However, not all do. C.S. Lewis thought that those in Hell were there by their own choices, and could leave if theyd just embrace God. If you read The Screwtape Letters or The Great Divorce youd see that Lewis believes that even if in Hell one can be redeemed. Hellboy wasnt even in Hell, hes a semi-mortal creature who was created as a Physical vessel for a Demonic Soul, to be used as a Weapon to destroy then remake the World.
But, he chose against this, and now wishes to do good.
Is he perfect? No, but hes hardly Satanic, and the point of the film is that he can make that choice for himself in spite of his Origins. -
Newski_the_Hippie — 15 years ago(March 19, 2011 04:38 PM)
It does have Christian themes, however. And I was under the impression that Del Toro was Agnostic, not Atheist. He's got a Catholic Upbringing which helped him to bring some of the best the Religion had and put it in there, thematically. However, he stated in the commentary that it's not a religious movie. Religious themes are present because of Hellboy's Catholic Father, and one would assume that if not Catholic, Hellboy himself has a connection.
Religion is much more prevailant in the comics, of course. -
OneSimpleIdea — 14 years ago(May 18, 2011 06:49 PM)
Wow, this has turned into a troll thread but to answer your original question, no one can answer that for you.
Here's a general summary without too many spoilers, I'll try to focus on content that may be objectionable:
The Nazis (portrayed as evil) attempt to summon demons to Earth to win WW2
Hellboy comes through the portal as a half devil, half human baby, he is raised by a religious man who takes Hellboy in as his son.
Hellboy is portrayed as a good character, and he carries around a cross.
At one point Hellboy uses a relic to resurrect a dead man.
Most of the evil characters have some relation to Hell
A man is resurrected using a somewhat satanic ritual
'Satan' never is mentioned, the movie has it's own fantasy set of evil gods.
somewhat spoilers
At one point Hellboy is forced to become demonic and evil, but is reinspired by his father and his faith to turn back to the side of good.
somewhat spoilers
In my opinion there is something that would be 'faith-shaking' or against the church.
Hope I helped, I definitely recommend this movie, it's one of my favorites. -
SpiltPersonality — 14 years ago(June 05, 2011 02:31 AM)
Not sure if you're trolling, but
My pastor and I went to see it with his son-in-law, and we all enjoyed it.
It's clearly not meant to be taken seriously. I'd put it in the same league as any other movie that has a version of events that are different to ours. Personally, I thought 2012 was a crap movie, but I went to see it and would have been happy enough for it to have been a good movie. That movie is based on the Mayan calendar being 'correct' and the end of the world being nigh etc etc. I don't believe that the Mayan calendar predicts the end of the world, but I'm willing to accept that it is 'in that universe'. In the fiction that is created in theis movie I can come out and accept a devil being 'good and fighting evil'.
SpiltPersonality -
Ghostofthemorning — 14 years ago(October 20, 2011 11:27 AM)
After seeing your name pop up in various threads i decided to check your profile out ,and not very surprisingly all your posts are similar to this one .
Now where to begin?
Well it's like this ,you appear to be some sort of fundamentalist christian ,your attitude to people with different ways of thinking is disgusting ,and unfortunately they would have fitted quite nicely in the times of the inquisition it would seem.
The cult you belong to (yes ,it is a cult as by definition a cult is any religious group ,size is irrelevant ,that actively recruits members)has for centuries been doing exactly what you are doing ,but let me ask you a few things ,are you aware that your holiday of christmas is actually a PAGAN holiday called Yule? i am guessing not ,because if you did you would not celebrate it ,are you also aware that your holiday easter is actually the PAGAN holiday of Eostra? Are you aware the embodiment image of your god is actually based on the image of the PAGAN god Zeus? do you hang a cross round your neck by some chance? did you know the actual symbol of christianity was the fish? a cross or effigy of jesus on the cross and kneeling and praying to it ,whats the bible say about praying to craven images?
To finish up , yes i am not christian ,however i do have a degree in divinity ,but i am a practising Wiccan ,now while you might try and devile me after this calling me a devil worshiper ,i'm sorry but that won't offend as i don't believe in the devil ,any retort to this by you will be exceedingly predictable ,given the responses you have given in the past ( we should these days be well past the whole burning of witches mentality) .
Back onto this topic finally ,there is something you should think about and maybe you should watch this movie ,because , while Hellboy is a demon ,he has made the choice to not follow an evil path ,not only that he also ALWAYS carries a catholic rosary tied round his wrist ,if that is making satan look good ,then i should seriously think carefully about your faith and what you actually believe in .
The message is we ALL have a choice in how to behave ,whether we commit acts of good or evil is a CHOICE ,that is what living is about ,making choices ,being human ,it is the RIGHT we all have ,no one can tell us that what we believe in is wrong ,because who is to say the nay sayer is in fact really in the right?
(please note this does not mean that those who commit crimes of child molestation ,rape and murder are in the right in any shade of the imagination ,they are things that NO-ONE should ever condone ,but abortion is the exception ,due to differing circumstances in the cases ,but it should not be used as a contraceptive)
I do hope what i have said is clear and concise ( yes i know my grammar can be appalling at times ,or most of the time ,so apologies if that is an issue for anyone)
Don't scare me.i poop easily -
devirginizer83-1 — 14 years ago(January 28, 2012 09:49 PM)
^^^^Duuudeparagraphs!! Your word soup hurts my eyes.
And to the OP, Jesus said that even to look at a woman in lust is to commit adultery therefore the very fact that you are intrigued about Hellboy and want to watch the film means you have already sinned. Might as well just watch it. -
Loneright — 13 years ago(February 21, 2013 10:15 AM)
"And to the OP, Jesus said that even to look at a woman in lust is to commit adultery therefore the very fact that you are intrigued about Hellboy and want to watch the film means you have already sinned. Might as well just watch it."
You twisted the scripture just to mock me. How showing an interest in a movie the same as lusting for a woman? Exactly, how have I sinned? I have not seen Hellboy or the sequel. I was inquiring about thats all. Whats wrong with that? -
cheedo — 12 years ago(August 07, 2013 02:27 PM)
You had the sheer gall to bring up Christians and God in a non-mocking hateful way on a site where the majority of the users are intolerant, oppressive, catty atheists who apparently know everything. That's what's WRAWNG!
Just watch all the replies my post will garner from daring to point that out.
We're collecting dust, but our love's enough. -
MrRazorz — 12 years ago(November 08, 2013 04:09 PM)
The whole point of the
Hellboy
comic (and something that comes out even more in the films) is the idea that you're defined by the choices you make, not by your origins, or the expectations of others. Hellboy (half-man and half-demon) is an illustration of this message in that he was created as a tool to bring about the destruction of the world, but he chooses to turn his back on this "destiny" and instead fights monsters on behalf of mankind. In that sense the central themes of the story are
free will
and
redemption
.
Of course, Christianity tells us that redemption relies on obedience to God and accepting a supernatural "sacrifice", whereas
Hellboy
takes the more secular view that redemption comes from making your own choices and relying on your own moral code. Hellboy redeems himself and saves the world by
disobeying
, rather than obeying. This idea comes out in some of del Toro's other work as well, notably
Pan's Labyrinth
.
Interestingly, the foreword to one of the trade paperbacks (I forget who wrote it) references the
Hellboy
story "Pancakes" and compares it to the biblical story of Eve choosing to eat the forbidden fruit, as this was the moment where humans begin to determine their own destiny. Though obviously that's a slightly different reading of Genesis than the christian interpretation.