Analysis Of The Movie V. Refiguration - 1428 Words

V. Refiguration: Calvary Re-Narrated in Viewers’ Narratives of Life 1. Hoping for Viewers’ Reconciliation-Oriented Interaction with the Film According to James Smith, a person’s self-identity is constituted by what the person loves or desires, which is formed by his/her culture as ritual. In other words, cultural liturgies form our desires, and thus make us certain kinds of people. As Augustine argues, humans act according to their desires formed in their culture. Therefore, Smith calls for the redirection of our yearnings toward the highest good or God. In the same sense, Volf also claims that we are to be freed from counterproductive desires that stand against the flourishing of God’s creation as a community. As Callaway astutely points out, our culture certainly reflects the glory of God, and our desires, for which our culture serves as the fertile soil, reflect the presence of God. He writes, â€Å"God is always already deeply involved in human life - including our passions and the pursuit of goods associated with our d esires.† The goodness of creation and culture is to be acknowledged and appreciated. Yet, at the same time, they are not free from the finitude of creation that could lead to sinful proclivities; hence, it is necessary to place them under the illuminative light of the purifying Spirit. One may affirm that watching a movie can contribute to this task. To be precise, like Ricoeur claims, we are birthed into a social world. This means that our