Doctrine and Covenants
101:1 - VERILY I say unto you, concerning your brethren who have been afflicted, and persecuted, and cast out from the land of their inheritance--
101:2 - I, the Lord, have suffered the affliction to come upon them, wherewith they have been afflicted, in consequence of their transgressions;
101:3 - Yet I will own them, and they shall be mine in that day when I shall come to make up my jewels.
101:4 - Therefore, they must needs be chastened and tried, even as Abraham, who was commanded to offer up his only son.
101:5 - For all those who will not endure chastening, but deny me, cannot be sanctified.
101:6 - Behold, I say unto you, there were jarrings, and contentions, and envyings, and strifes, and lustful and covetous desires among them; therefore by these things they polluted their inheritances.
101:7 - They were slow to hearken unto the voice of the Lord their God; therefore, the Lord their God is slow to hearken unto their prayers, to answer them in the day of their trouble.
101:8 - In the day of their peace they esteemed lightly my counsel; but, in the day of their trouble, of necessity they feel after me.
101:9 - Verily I say unto you, notwithstanding their sins, my bowels are filled with compassion towards them. I will not utterly cast them off; and in the day of wrath I will remember mercy.
101:10 - I have sworn, and the decree hath gone forth by a former commandment which I have given unto you, that I would let fall the sword of mine indignation in behalf of my people; and even as I have said, it shall come to pass.
101:11 - Mine indignation is soon to be poured out without measure upon all nations; and this will I do when the cup of their iniquity is full.
101:12 - And in that day all who are found upon the watch-tower, or in other words, all mine Israel, shall be saved.
101:13 - And they that have been scattered shall be gathered.
101:14 - And all they who have mourned shall be comforted.
101:15 - And all they who have given their lives for my name shall be crowned.
101:16 - Therefore, let your hearts be comforted concerning Zion; for all flesh is in mine hands; be still and know that I am God.
101:17 - Zion shall not be moved out of her place, notwithstanding her children are scattered.
101:18 - They that remain, and are pure in heart, shall return, and come to their inheritances, they and their children, with songs of everlasting joy, to build up the waste places of Zion--
101:19 - And all these things that the prophets might be fulfilled.
101:20 - And, behold, there is none other place appointed than that which I have appointed; neither shall there be any other place appointed than that which I have appointed, for the work of the gathering of my saints--
101:21 - Until the day cometh when there is found no more room for them; and then I have other places which I will appoint unto them, and they shall be called stakes, for the curtains or the strength of Zion.
101:22 - Behold, it is my will, that all they who call on my name, and worship me according to mine everlasting gospel, should gather together, and stand in holy places;
101:23 - And prepare for the revelation which is to come, when the veil of the covering of my temple, in my tabernacle, which hideth the earth, shall be taken off, and all flesh shall see me together.
101:24 - And every corruptible thing, both of man, or of the beasts of the field, or of the fowls of the heavens, or of the fish of the sea, that dwells upon all the face of the earth, shall be consumed;
101:25 - And also that of element shall melt with fervent heat; and all things shall become new, that my knowledge and glory may dwell upon all the earth.
101:26 - And in that day the enmity of man, and the enmity of beasts, yea, the enmity of all flesh, shall cease from before my face.
101:27 - And in that day whatsoever any man shall ask, it shall be given unto him.
101:28 - And in that day Satan shall not have power to tempt any man.
101:29 - And there shall be no sorrow because there is no death.
101:30 - In that day an infant shall not die until he is old; and his life shall be as the age of a tree;
101:31 - And when he dies he shall not sleep, that is to say in the earth, but shall be changed in the twinkling of an eye, and shall be caught up, and his rest shall be glorious.
101:32 - Yea, verily I say unto you, in that day when the Lord shall come, he shall reveal all things--
101:33 - Things which have passed, and hidden things which no man knew, things of the earth, by which it was made, and the purpose and the end thereof--
101:34 - Things most precious, things that are above, and things that are beneath, things that are in the earth, and upon the earth, and in heaven.
101:35 - And all they who suffer persecution for my name, and endure in faith, though they are called to lay down their lives for my sake yet shall they partake of all this glory.
101:36 - Wherefore, fear not even unto death; for in this world your joy is not full, but in me your joy is full.
101:37 - Therefore, care not for the body, neither the life of the body; but care for the soul, and for the life of the soul.
101:38 - And seek the face of the Lord always, that in patience ye may possess your souls, and ye shall have eternal life.
101:39 - When men are called unto mine everlasting gospel, and covenant with an everlasting covenant, they are accounted as the salt of the earth and the savor of men;
101:40 - They are called to be the savor of men; therefore, if that salt of the earth lose its savor, behold, it is thenceforth good for nothing only to be cast out and trodden under the feet of men.
101:41 - Behold, here is wisdom concerning the children of Zion, even many, but not all; they were found transgressors, therefore they must needs be chastened--
101:42 - He that exalteth himself shall be abased, and he that abaseth himself shall be exalted.
101:43 - And now, I will show unto you a parable, that you may know my will concerning the redemption of Zion.
101:44 - A certain nobleman had a spot of land, very choice; and he said unto his servants: Go ye unto my vineyard, even upon this very choice piece of land, and plant twelve olive-trees;
101:45 - And set watchmen round about them, and build a tower, that one may overlook the land round about, to be a watchman upon the tower, that mine olive-trees may not be broken down when the enemy shall come to spoil and take upon themselves the fruit of my vineyard.
101:46 - Now, the servants of the nobleman went and did as their lord commanded them, and planted the olive-trees, and built a hedge round about, and set watchmen, and began to build a tower.
101:47 - And while they were yet laying the foundation thereof, they began to say among themselves: And what need hath my lord of this tower?
101:48 - And consulted for a long time, saying among themselves: What need hath my lord of this tower, seeing this is a time of peace?
101:49 - Might not this money be given to the exchangers? For there is no need of these things.
101:50 - And while they were at variance one with another they became very slothful, and they hearkened not unto the commandments of their lord.
101:51 - And the enemy came by night, and broke down the hedge; and the servants of the nobleman arose and were affrighted, and fled; and the enemy destroyed their works, and broke down the olive-trees.
101:52 - Now, behold, the nobleman, the lord of the vineyard, called upon his servants, and said unto them, Why! what is the cause of this great evil?
101:53 - Ought ye not to have done even as I commanded you, and--after ye had planted the vineyard, and built the hedge round about, and set watchmen upon the walls thereof--built the tower also, and set a watchman upon the tower, and watched for my vineyard, and not have fallen asleep, lest the enemy should come upon you?
101:54 - And behold, the watchman upon the tower would have seen the enemy while he was yet afar off; and then ye could have made ready and kept the enemy from breaking down the hedge thereof, and saved my vineyard from the hands of the destroyer.
101:55 - And the lord of the vineyard said unto one of his servants: Go and gather together the residue of my servants, and take all the strength of mine house, which are my warriors, my young men, and they that are of middle age also among all my servants, who are the strength of mine house, save those only whom I have appointed to tarry;
101:56 - And go ye straightway unto the land of my vineyard, and redeem my vineyard; for it is mine; I have bought it with money.
101:57 - Therefore, get ye straightway unto my land; break down the walls of mine enemies; throw down their tower, and scatter their watchmen.
101:58 - And inasmuch as they gather together against you, avenge me of mine enemies, that by and by I may come with the residue of mine house and possess the land.
101:59 - And the servant said unto his lord: When shall these things be?
101:60 - And he said unto his servant: When I will; go ye straightway, and do all things whatsoever I have commanded you;
101:61 - And this shall be my seal and blessing upon you--a faithful and wise steward in the midst of mine house, a ruler in my kingdom.
101:62 - And his servant went straightway, and did all things whatsoever his lord commanded him; and after many days all things were fulfilled.
101:63 - Again, verily I say unto you, I will show unto you wisdom in me concerning all the churches, inasmuch as they are willing to be guided in a right and proper way for their salvation--
101:64 - That the work of the gathering together of my saints may continue, that I may build them up unto my name upon holy places; for the time of harvest is come, and my word must needs be fulfilled.
101:65 - Therefore, I must gather together my people, according to the parable of the wheat and the tares, that the wheat may be secured in the garners to possess eternal life, and be crowned with celestial glory, when I shall come in the kingdom of my Father to reward every man according as his work shall be;
101:66 - While the tares shall be bound in bundles, and their bands made strong, that they may be burned with unquenchable fire.
101:67 - Therefore, a commandment I give unto all the churches, that they shall continue to gather together unto the places which I have appointed.
101:68 - Nevertheless, as I have said unto you in a former commandment, let not your gathering be in haste, nor by flight; but let all things be prepared before you.
101:69 - And in order that all things be prepared before you, observe the commandment which I have given concerning these things--
101:70 - Which saith, or teacheth, to purchase all the lands with money, which can be purchased for money, in the region round about the land which I have appointed to be the land of Zion, for the beginning of the gathering of my saints;
101:71 - All the land which can be purchased in Jackson county, and the counties round about, and leave the residue in mine hand.
101:72 - Now, verily I say unto you, let all the churches gather together all their moneys; let these things be done in their time, but not in haste; and observe to have all things prepared before you.
101:73 - And let honorable men be appointed, even wise men, and send them to purchase these lands.
101:74 - And the churches in the eastern countries, when they are built up, if they will hearken unto this counsel they may buy lands and gather together upon them; and in this way they may establish Zion.
101:75 - There is even now already in store sufficient, yea, even an abundance, to redeem Zion, and establish her waste places, no more to be thrown down, were the churches, who call themselves after my name, willing to hearken to my voice.
101:76 - And again I say unto you, those who have been scattered by their enemies, it is my will that they should continue to importune for redress, and redemption, by the hands of those who are placed as rulers and are in authority over you--
101:77 - According to the laws and constitution of the people, which I have suffered to be established, and should be maintained for the rights and protection of all flesh, according to just and holy principles;
101:78 - That every man may act in doctrine and principle pertaining to futurity, according to the moral agency which I have given unto him, that every man may be accountable for his own sins in the day of judgment.
101:79 - Therefore, it is not right that any man should be in bondage one to another.
101:80 - And for this purpose have I established the Constitution of this land, by the hands of wise men whom I raised up unto this very purpose, and redeemed the land by the shedding of blood.
101:81 - Now, unto what shall I liken the children of Zion? I will liken them unto the parable of the woman and the unjust judge, for men ought always to pray and not to faint, which saith--
101:82 - There was in a city a judge which feared not God, neither regarded man.
101:83 - And there was a widow in that city, and she came unto him, saying: Avenge me of mine adversary.
101:84 - And he would not for a while, but afterward he said within himself: Though I fear not God, nor regard man, yet because this widow troubleth me I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.
101:85 - Thus will I liken the children of Zion.
101:86 - Let them importune at the feet of the judge;
101:87 - And if he heed them not, let them importune at the feet of the governor;
101:88 - And if the governor heed them not, let them importune at the feet of the president;
101:89 - And if the president heed them not, then will the Lord arise and come forth out of his hiding place, and in his fury vex the nation;
101:90 - And in his hot displeasure, and in his fierce anger, in his time, will cut off those wicked, unfaithful, and unjust stewards, and appoint them their portion among hypocrites, and unbelievers;
101:91 - Even in outer darkness, where there is weeping, and wailing, and gnashing of teeth.
101:92 - Pray ye, therefore, that their ears may be opened unto your cries, that I may be merciful unto them, that these things may not come upon them.
101:93 - What I have said unto you must needs be, that all men may be left without excuse;
101:94 - That wise men and rulers may hear and know that which they have never considered;
101:95 - That I may proceed to bring to pass my act, my strange act, and perform my work, my strange work, that men may discern between the righteous and the wicked, saith your God.
101:96 - And again, I say unto you, it is contrary to my commandment and my will that my servant Sidney Gilbert should sell my storehouse, which I have appointed unto my people, into the hands of mine enemies.
101:97 - Let not that which I have appointed be polluted by mine enemies, by the consent of those who call themselves after my name;
101:98 - For this is a very sore and grievous sin against me, and against my people, in consequence of those things which I have decreed and which are soon to befall the nations.
101:99 - Therefore, it is my will that my people should claim, and hold claim upon that which I have appointed unto them, though they should not be permitted to dwell thereon.
101:100 - Nevertheless, I do not say they shall not dwell thereon; for inasmuch as they bring forth fruit and works meet for my kingdom they shall dwell thereon.
101:101 - They shall build, and another shall not inherit it; they shall plant vineyards, and they shall eat the fruit thereof. Even so. Amen.
DearScriptures.com
33 Comments
I agreed with your sentiments on the review. You are a good writer.
One thing that saddens me is the fact that we modern LDS are about as splintered politically as we are culturally and spiritually over these issues. We seem about as far away from Zion as ever. At least, my observations on the Bloggernacle seem to confirm that assessment.
Thank you Michael. I agree that we are a ways off becoming a Zion community, at least those of us online, if the comments on my post are any indication. Hugh Nibley was ahead of his time when he wrote the papers included in Approaching Zion. He often quoted the scripture,
Zion cannot and will not be built until we get ourselves out of Babylon, stop believing in her deceptions, and begin to follow the law of God. Zion has not been redeemed precisely because of wickedness, pride and covetousness within our own people, and setting our hearts upon the things of this world (i.e. environmentalism; cf. D&C 101, D&C 103, D&C 121:34-36). We are as the children of Israel wandering in the wilderness, and will not be given the promised land until we have learned to be obedient, learned the law of consecration, and learned to be united (D&C 105:2-6, 8-10, 13). I believe there will come a point where every member in the Church will be compelled to make a choice, either believe in God and His prophets, or follow the ways of the world. We can’t have both. Many are already beginning to make their choice. This is the great separation of the wheat from the tares (D&C 86:7, D&C 101:65-66).
I have got to say that I agree with you both. I thought that the church was much more unified until reading through many of the Bloggernacle’s comments the last few weeks, especially with California in mind.
You can definitely see the separation of the wheat from the tares. It almost seems as if much of the unity once enjoyed in the US is now being held up by non-US LDS. That is good news to see the church develop there, but sad to the disunity here.
Honestly speaking, I am not enamored with the Bloggernacle. And we LDS in the United States are very very very worldly. And I cheerfully include myself in the indictment.
Amen.
Wow! You hit the nail on the head with one of your comments to the naysayers when you pointed out how polarized our society is becoming. It is especially evident in the Bloggernacle these days. If this isn’t a continuation of the war in heaven then I don’t know what is. Your review was excellent, well-written and well worth the time to read. I don’t think you need any encouragement to stick to your guns but I’ll offer it anyway. I agreed with your points and appreciated someone having the courage to make them in an intelligent and thoughtful manner.
I actually stopped posting at my “Straight and Narrow Blog” because of the disaster that is the Bloggernacle. Although technically “on vacation,” it is more about contemplating if I should keep writing. The thought of a voice of warning in the wilderness was getting me tired. It was more than no one was listening. It was that many of those who were rebelling against G-d and His Prophets with loud voices and mockery.
I tried starting up a more Orthodox and Conservative blogging group, but failed. Too many had better things to do (good for them I suppose) than play around on the Internet. How do you reason with people spiritually who think they know better than G-d, Prophets, and Jesus Christ’s Church? Someone should stand up against them. No one is. How sad.
Your post is getting a lot of tread around the ‘nacle.
I really have to say again how surprised I am at the disunity on what I would think would be issues that there would be little push-back on. I understand that there is room for discussion on major issues, but such open contempt of the GA’s is astonishing. I consider myself open minded and willing to listen to both sides, but “holy ark steadying Batman!” It almost seems as if some are too smart for their own good.
I don’t think Elder Ballard was planning on this kind of polarity within the Church when he called upon members to voice their experience and views online.
Maybe next time I’ll just keep quiet. But then again, that’s what the naysayers want me to do, right? (see here)
I actually saw the BCC post and that is what got me to thinking. I don’t think that Elder Ballard expected this much polarity as well.
It wouldn’t surprise me again if we hear something along the lines of the quote above, perhaps in conference or in an announcement. Reasonable minds can disagree on certain things in the Gospel, but in a world of gray, there is still some black and white when it comes to Gospel principles and following the prophets.
Bryce,
Don’t give up. We need you.
I’m a conservative who’s also a conservationist. I grew up in what I consider as God’s country of Southern Utah and would weep bitterly to see it despoiled. I was a conservationist Boy Scout and as an adult leader, I encourage my boys to clean up after themselves and respect the earth. As a kid I recycled aluminum cans both when there was money in it and when there wasn’t. I still recycle today and take pride in the fact that 3/4 of my garbage every Thursday goes on the recycling truck.
However…there is a difference between voluntary stewardship of the earth, which is what my family and the LDS Church practices, and the environmental movement of today, which focuses on demonizing people and groups whose idea of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness is propagating their family lines and seeing their posterity grow.
So what’s the connection between WALL-E and the people who are sterilizing themselves? It is the point where we stopped focusing on the _things_ we were doing to the environment as the cause of the problem and started focusing on _human beings_ as the _primary cause_ of the problem. This is the message that the mainstream media likes to spoon feed to the masses. Though I haven’t yet seen WALL-E, and I do plan to, from the numerous reviews I’ve read from all over the Web, the consensus is that a) Pixar is making a direct attempt to influence public dialogue about the environment and b) this really is the message of the movie.
Think back a couple of decades, when it was discovered that there was a hole in the ozone layer. The solution was to clamp down on the production of ozone-destroying chloroflourocarbons to try to curb the loss. The focus was mostly on the _chemical_, not so much on the human race itself. We simply made a sharp reduction of CFC by replacing it with alternatives. Problem (mostly) solved.
Today, however, the dialog about the environment has begun to focus more on human beings being a “scourge” or a “blight” and not on what they do or produce or waste. Every day when I turn on the TV or the radio or check the news on the Web, I find _at least_ one “what if” piece asking the question “What would the world be like without humans?”
What is the purpose of asking this kind of question over and over again? Is it merely an interesting logic puzzle or thought experiment? If it were limited to a few conversations here and there, I’d say it is harmless. But it’s a _constant drumbeat_ poured into our heads by media conglomerates, including Pixar, Disney, Time-Warner, GE, and a host of others.
Need proof? Just Google “earth without people”. First, look at the number of results. Then, dig into the articles and listen to the tone of the articles in general. There are an alarming number of them that start to explore what we could do, including sterilization, euthanasia, and abortion, to reduce human populations in an attempt to “save the earth”.
And I’m not just talking about random blogs coming back in these search results.
In my search, the ever-respected “New Scientist”, “Scientific American, and “Discovery Channel” brands pop right to the top. All three are major partners with educational publishers and K-12 institutions. How are their messages about overpopulation being trickled down into the minds of our next generation through text books and other forms of media?
Let’s look at the New Scientist article (http://www.newscientist.com/channel/life/mg19225731.100). After you’ve read the depressingly misanthropic article, take special note of the comments. What’s missing? Dissension. Lots of it. Notice that there are A LOT of entries, which were replies to other posts, that ominously state: “This comment has been found to be in breach of our terms of use and has been removed.” Could it be that they all were simply spam or profanity laced? Or is there something else going on? That’s not an empty question or throw-away line. All you have to do is look at the text of what was NOT censored but should have been according to New Scientist’s terms of use. Here’s an example:
“If you want to help but don’t know how it is simple. Do not reproduce. They should add contraceptives to the water like they do fluoride,arsenic,lead. Become self aware,don’t replicate because 1 becomes 2 and becomes 4,4 becomes 16 and pretty soon you just made a country! Enjoy life mate then die..do nothing more”
Doesn’t suggesting that someone (it shouldn’t matter what “they” means) spike our water with contraceptives violate the term of use:
“Messages may be removed if they: Describe or encourage activities which could endanger the safety or well-being of others”
or
“Break the law or condone or encourage unlawful activity.”
Yet this didn’t get filtered nearly as aggressively as others (for whatever reasons…it shouldn’t matter).
I encounter this kind of selective filtering all over the web as I study environmental and social issues on blogs and other discussion forums. One minute a dissenting post is there, the next minute it’s gone. No explanation. Just disappeared into the memory hole.
In that kind of world, how long before something like http://www.vhemt.org/ starts to become a paragon of environmental righteousness among elitists who influence or control the world’s resources and media outlets? Orwell’s “1984″ becomes “2084″, but in a whole different way from what people tend to think. Yes, Virginia, it is possible for supposedly virtuous people to turn against their own kind.
Now, back to WALL-E. I am going to take my kids to see it. First, because a good friend of mine is a (conservative) member of the team that made the movie. I go to support and congratulate him on his chosen career and art form, and because I know the struggles he has defending his own beliefs while the majority of his more “progressive” and supposedly “tolerant” colleagues have wished he would shrivel up and blow away. Second, I’m taking them because a) I want them to have fun b) I want them to see the consequences of wastefulness, which they currently have a problem with, and c) I want to teach them that not everything they see or hear should be taken at face value or should be seen as “harmless”. If there’s one thing I want my kids to learn growing up in my house, it is this: Use Your Brain. As fun as the movie may have been, is it really that likely that all humans are destined to become fat, greedy, self-centered, lazy pigs? Or is it possible, even in supposedly amusingly hyperbolic fiction, to treat the subject of humanity and its inevitable tension with the environment with a bit more compassion and an eye towards reality and real solutions…ones that don’t involve tinkering with human reproduction, imposing eugenics, or taking away a person’s ability to choose his/her life’s path and interests without governmental heavyhandedness?
There was one scripture that, when quoted, might have turned this thread around, at least a little. It’s D&C 104 when the Lord was revealing the principles of the United Order (essentially, pure charity).
13 For it is expedient that I, the Lord, should make every man accountable, as a steward over earthly blessings, _which I have made and prepared for my creatures_ [including humans].
14 I, the Lord, stretched out the heavens, and built the earth, my very handiwork; and all things therein are mine.
15 And it is my purpose to provide for my saints, for all things are mine.
16 But it must needs be done in mine own away; and behold this is the way that I, the Lord, have decreed to provide for my saints, that the poor shall be exalted, in that the rich are made low.
17 _For the earth is full, and there is enough and to spare_; yea, I prepared all things, and have given unto the children of men to be agents unto themselves.
18 Therefore, if any man shall take of the abundance which I have made, _and impart not his portion, according to the law of my gospel, unto the poor and the needy_, he shall, with the wicked, lift up his eyes in hell, being in torment.
So, the Lord made the earth for all to enjoy while being good stewards over it, taking care of the poor and not being selfish with what He gives us. The more we share, the more we will have. Those who abuse the earth go to hell. Those who take care of it (among other righteous works) get to see it turned into a paradise again and get to live here forever (A of F 10). End of story.
Bryce,
Regarding your comment, “I don't think Elder Ballard was planning on this kind of polarity within the Church when he called upon members to voice their experience and views online.”
I respectfully disagree. Polarity is what it all comes down to, and the parable of the Wheat and the Tares, as well as the Ten Virgins, refers to members of the Lord’s Church, not the Church versus the World. I believe Elder Ballard knows that there will eventually be a great division in the Church and his suggestion may be an attempt to push some people off the fence. There may be a lot of gray in the world, but there is no gray when we follow the Prophet. We are currently living in the Wilderness, but someday it will only be a choice between Egypt and the Promised Land.
And Rob, you quoted one of my favorite scriptures. I also wonder how we can read D&C 38:24-27, and not ask ourselves if we are doing all we can to assist others in need. Only the Holy Spirit can answer that question for each of us, at least until the leaders of the Church tell us otherwise.
@Amanda
Good one. I like the next few verses even better:
28 And again, I say unto you that _the enemy in the secret chambers seeketh your lives_.
29 Ye hear of wars in far countries, and you say that there will soon be great wars in far countries, _but ye know not the hearts of men in your own land_.
30 I tell you these things because of your prayers; wherefore, treasure up wisdom in your bosoms, _lest the wickedness of men reveal these things unto you by their wickedness, in a manner which shall speak in your ears with a voice louder than that which shall shake the earth; but if ye are prepared ye shall not fear_.
31 And that ye might escape the power of the enemy, and be gathered unto me a righteous people, without spot and blameless--
Wow. That was excellent, Rob. I have read those verses many times, and have had it explained that it did not mean the Civil War, as some are inclined to think, but I didn’t put it into this particular context until you just added it to this post. It truly speaks to the issues being discussed on the bloggernacle.
“Ye know not the hearts of men in your own land.” Or, congregation. We can never judge another’s heart, whether for evil or good, so we are better off asking ourselves where our own hearts are.
Just thought I’d mention. I like this blog Bryce, and have been a regular reader for quite some time now. Thanks for the work you are doing.
Thank you all for your comments. I think you may be right Amanda.
Thanks Seth!
This is not the first movie that has created a dystopian society far in the future. I don't believe that Stanton was trying to say that one monopoly is going to start controlling all commerce in the world (as in the movie), or that the world will become so polluted that nothing will be able to grow on the whole planet (as in the movie).
I am not an environmentalist (you know that). I don't agree that we should stop driving cars or stop consuming anything. However, as a film major and someone who has studied movies for a long time (and studied this one before, during, and after), I did not feel that the movie was trying to tell me to stop my lifestyle. I do think it was trying to tell me to think about things, which it has done (more than just environmentalism). The main themes of the movie that I came away with were:
- love will conquer all (what I believe the main theme is)
- loyalty is one of the strongest things you can do with love
- the general population is becoming more apathetic over time – not only about exercise, but about communication, education, and responsibility
- there are many in the world who consume too much (and thus generate waste)
- we could do more to improve the environment (nature)
(in that order – from my perspective)
Now, I agree with all of the above messages. I do not agree with the extremes of many environmentalists you have pointed out in your article, such as zero population (this isn't a new concept either). However, I don't feel the movie was telling me I should stop flying anywhere, or driving anywhere, or going out to eat. I agree they portrayed an extreme future with bleak elements. However, I feel that while they probably did want people to think about the environment, I feel it was simply a plot device.
The director needed a plot motivation to get Wall-E to be by himself and lonely. "How can we do that?" "Let's make the Earth overpoluted so everyone has to leave and Wall-E is left behind to clean it up." They knew that people generally could fathom that. It also served as a nice plot device to get EVE to the planet so Wall-E could fall in love with her. And also helped drive why they had to go back to the mother ship in the story.
I think that if Stanton, Disney, and Pixar really were drinking the Gore Kool-Aid, they would have made a lot more commentary about individual decisions that cause pollution. I cannot think of one specific suggestion in the movie about what I can do as a person to reduce pollution and live "more environmentally". If they really cared as much about the "agenda" as you suggest, I would think they would have laced the movie with a lot more specific urgings about how we should stop consuming.
On the other hand, the movie shows the people still having babies (shows the nurseries, shows the people's concern when children are in danger, shows the children being taught), valuing interaction with others, and beginning to take responsibility.
I think the jury’s still out as the marketing machine is still in full swing. Let’s see what special features are included on the DVD. That’s where the other shoe will drop with regards to the degree and extremes they _might_ go to with the message because the DVD has staying power and replay. If my house is any indicator, it’ll get played MANY times.
I disagree, Brad. As I quoted Elder Ballard in my comments in my article on Millennial Star:
Messages do not have to be blatant to be there. They don’t even have to be consciously stated. But I believe they are there nonetheless. I don’t believe Disney or Stanton or Pixar were doing it deliberately; yes, you are probably right about that. But it’s the culture that hypersensitive environmentalism is producing all around us that unfortunately ends up in movies like WALL-E.
Rob,
I agree! The DVD extras will defintely reveal if there were hidden motives. In all the interviews I have seen with the voice actors, director, and other moviemakers, none of them have spewed environmentalist talk. In fact, most of the talk about was about relationships and the characters, and making them believable. This leads me to believe that the enviornmentalist aspect was more of a plot device than a devious plot!
Aren’t “hidden motives” hidden by definition? I doubt they will ever come right out and say that they produced the movie with environmentalist messages in it. Many at Disney/Pixar probably had no idea (benefit of a doubt here) that that is what they were doing.
My argument would be that if they had no idea what they were doing, it is not possible for them to be part of an enviornmentalist agenda.
I agree there are extreme environmentalists out there. However, I do not believe that Wall-E is a vehicle for them and I don’t think we should attack it. I feel it was a very family-friendly movie that taught correct principles.
I went home from the movie thinking things like:
“wow, Wall-E really loved EVE”
“he almost sacrificed his life for her he loved her so much”
“I wonder if I am willing to sacrifice that much for my loved ones”
“man, Wall-E was really loyal to EVE, even when she was treating him bad”
I cannot think of any element of the movie that made me feel guilty for owning a car, or using a computer, as I have felt with other movies. (Happy Feet is an example of a movie where the environmentalist agenda was very heavy-handed, especially at the end of the movie.)
I disagree. I’m glad we can come to that. Some would probably blast your stand on Happy Feet just like my stand on WALL-E.
Wall-E totally looks like the robot from “Short Circuit”… minus the cheesy 80′s style of course
I agree with you there Patrick! Short Circuit was a fun movie, one of my favorites.
As opposed to Wall-E, which is not fun, and definitely not one of his favorites.
(Sorry, couldn’t resist!)
I agree that he looks like Johnny 5. They have got quite a lot of flak from that. You would think they would have realized that one before spending a few million on designing him. But I was able to get past the similarities and enjoy the Wall-E character, mostly because of Ben Burt’s awesome sound/voicing and the anthropomorphism of the character.
I think this article spells out something ominous on the horizon. Note that, in these examples, conservative writers were being censored.
http://mashable.com/2008/07/15/social-media-doomed/
Which examples are showing conservative writers being censored…?
Did you read the linked article Brad? Glenn Beck has made much of the same point for months, that conservative writers, politicians, talk show hosts, etc. are all getting censored, and that it is our duty to stand up for our freedom of expression. The radical liberals out there don’t want a democracy, they want a fascist dictatorship.
I thought Rob was saying that the commenters to that article (at the bottom) were being censored.
I disagree with this author. I believe they are referring to isolated incidents. I use Wikipedia and Digg all the time. People get buried, removed, censored, deleted, and a bevy of other actions taken against them for all sorts of reasons. Maybe their comment was not informed, maybe it goes against the prevailing opinion of the community, or maybe the owners of the website didn’t like the comment. But I have not noticed conservatives being targeted. I have seen plenty of conservative and even ultra-conservative content and comments on Wikipedia, Digg, and other social network-like sites.
I agree that conservative politicians are censored by the media. However, the media companies are private companies, and are free to do whatever they like. You and I are the ones that “rely” on them for “news”. I don’t think conservative talk show hosts are being censored (yet). Glenn Beck and Sean Hannity are some of the highest rated talk shows in the country. They aren’t being censored.
I am aware that Pelosi and her minions are definitely trying to reintroduce the “Fairness Doctrine”, but they haven’t yet. I would be surprised if they would be able to get such a measure through filibusters and past a veto (with the current president at least) and then through the courts, as it would definitely be challenged as upbraiding free speech.
Who gets to decide on Wikipedia if a comment is not informed, against the prevailing opinion of the community, or if a comment is not liked? All it takes is one mouse click to revert. Such censorship of a public knowledge base I don’t believe to be a good thing.
Right, that is the nature of Wikipedia. It isn’t a public knowledge base. It is a private organization that has opened up their website to the public. They can decide whatever policies they want. It is sad that the community decides to allow this kind of thing to happen.
It’s probably about as public as a knowledge base gets, unless you throw Google in, in which case we’d have some really interesting discussions.