Avatar and Unobtanium

In the movie Avatar people were looking for resources in the universe for the earth had become depleted of all valuable resources. There had been a discovery of a mineral that had the property of superconductivity – it enhanced the movement of electrical impulse, as well as magnetism, through wires, computers, and other devices. So people were looking all over the universe to find this mineral. It was discovered that the planet Pandora had an abundance of this mineral, so much that whole mountains floated because of the presence of this mineral and the unique properties it held.

Now all of us know that no such mineral exists today, at least to our knowledge of chemicals and minerals, but the movie has to rest on some sort of logical premise to get people to respond in a manner that the mind can comprehend. Remember also that the purpose of my writings is to show that this movie is loaded with symbolism with the intent of moving an audience to go to a movie. It is my premise that these symbols are often borrowed from the Bible. The purposes of the Bible are significantly different from that of getting people to a movie. But the principles are able to move the mind and hearts of people, the direction of the movement is the significant point.

Back to our story line. With this mineral out there in the universe and it sells for many millions of dollars per kilo, then we have a motive for going to a dangerous place to make a fortune. This concept is what drove the gold rush in the Americas, and it is the principle from which many people indulge in illegal drug sales, because it is dangerous and because there is much money involved. Entrepreneurs, adventurers, criminals, and some industrious people are attracted to the danger, the potentiality, and the financial rewards of this kind of work. Whereever there is money, then all of the support systems tend to come with them providing a basis for the “community” of Hells Gate – the compound from which all of the activities of the mining industry of Pandora are conducted.
Thus we have the framework for the symbolism of all of the old movies – the Dodge City, the West, the purpose of going to America; the hope of all people to have a better life, the thrill of exploration, the willingness of mankind to brave danger for some kind of reward.

On the symbolic side the great issue is what does Unobtanium mean for the spiritual components of the movie. In the Bible the whole framework of humanity comes from the issue of Eden lost. God escorted Adam and Eve from the Garden because they had sinned against Him and as the result of sin God removed them so that they could not get to the Tree of Life and perpetuate their lives while in a sin state of being. God’s original intent was for mankind to live forever by being able to eat the fruit of the Tree of Life. When Adam and Eve chose to eat of the fruit of the opposing tree – the Tree of Knowledge of God and Evil, they incurred the penalty of death – as God had warned them of.

When God removed them from Eden He left the gate to the Garden open but watched over by angels. The open gate was the promise that there was a way back to Edenic purity and eternal life. But to get through that gate a change must be made and that change must be made in mankind. Thus the interactions around the issue of the gate – not Hell’s Gate, but the gate to the restoration of mankind to a right relationship with God was the promise that God left with us. In the hearts and minds of all people the desire to return home is constantly calling. It is this call that the movie Avatar taps into, and that God uses to continue the call to His people.

The problem area usually resides in the fact that in order to get through the gate man must consult with God. In the Bible the consultation with God forms a process of judgment. In Genesis 3 God discusses the fall, the judgment, and the presentation of the plan to ultimately return to Eden. But when God approached Adam, Adam fled because of the sin components in his heart. When God talked to Adam, Adam tried to blame Eve for his fall, and when Eve was confronted she blamed the serpent (the flying serpent/dragon) of that time.

After the confrontation God offered mankind the opportunity and the direction of what must be done to be restored to a right relationship with God and to have the opportunity of returning to Eden. This offer was presented in Genesis 3:15-21. To get there God Himself would have to die for each person and then each person would have to personally accept this offer in the depths of their soul. This exchange – very similar in principle and symbolism – to the psychic exchange in the Avatar machine – was symbolized by the exchange of garments. Adam, after he fell, recognized that he had lost something that helped him communicate with the world of Eden, and he had lost his ability to communicate with God. This again is very similar to the antennae of the Pandorans. Adam attempted to cover himself by making garments out of the best materials at hand – fig leaves. When God came to Adam, Adam still felt naked and spiritually bare. God offered to give him an alternative if he would but take it. This offer extends to us today. We can accept God’s way or we can try to obtain that which we can not do on our own. This process of gaining salvation in our own ways is what the “Unobtanium” of the movie Avatar symbolizes. We will discuss this in much more detail in further posts.