Image and Text’s Impact on Human
Imagination
Koot
van Wyk (DLitt et Phil; ThD)
Visiting
Professor
Department
of Liberal Arts Education
Kyungpook
National University
Sangju
Campus
South
Korea
Conjoint
lecturer of Avondale College
Australia
The
Bible and God discourage us from making images of anything on earth. It was
taken seriously by the early Israelites and their art-forms through the ages depicted
that. It was only during periods of acculturation with heathen nations that
they adopted and adapted their own religion with syncretism and fusion of Baal
and Astarath figures and images. There was a strong prohibition on this by God
and there still is. What is behind this prohibition against focusing on images
rather than texts.
The
way God wanted people to express themselves was textually. Descriptive words
was the way that God wanted people to create images of situations.
The
biblical text is a piece of art, so to speak with detailed descriptions of
their art and forms and lives and history and culture and of God’s dealing with
man. It is not just a book by man about God it is God selecting what should be
said about Him.
It
is especially in the DFL generation of today that we can see with understanding
why images must be reduced in our lives. Games design in modern times is focused
on horror, terror and militancy. The linguistic jargon accompanying it is short
and supportive of killing, shooting, eradicating, eliminating, and all that is
necessary to complete death of others and survival of self.
Games
were the reason a Norwegian man killed nearly 70 plus people in a park. Two
girls on the 3rd of June 2014 stabbed their 12 year old friend 19
times “enacting a fictional character ‘Slenderman’”
whom they imagined that they will meet in the woods if they stab one of their
friends to death. It is the impact of image that through movies, games,
internet comic strips, smartphone or i-phone devices impact the minds of so
many today.
In
essence, a culture of killing without remorse is busy growing around the world.
In reality there is no difference between a militaristic country with a
dictator that uses propaganda of killing to ideologically put ethnic hatred
into the minds of its citizens and games, movies and on the other hand, dramas
in a democractic society blowing the same ideological hatred to the point of
killing in young and old minds, out of their own free choice.
The
designers of the games design to attract, to entertain, to bind the focus and
attention continuously, focusing on interactive experience with the machine or
game. The militants in the military country design their propaganda to focus
onlookers and their attention continuously for an interactive experience of
hatred to movies and photos to install hatred for the assigned “enemy”.
Just
like alcohol, sex, one can say games, influences about 33% of all humanity in a
very weird way to spin out of control. Sex in the sense listed above has in
mind pornography films and books and images working on the human imagination to
the point of interactive participation. Drugs can also be listed as well as
many kinds of addictive medicine available at pharmacies across the globe.
Horror
and terror designers, be it drama, TV programs, games, books, comic strips,
e-books, movies are all working with the common object: death and how to
achieve it brutally. Recreating the scenes in their art they help create in the
imagination of the onlookers or eye of the beholder the very same scenes and
for 33% it becomes interactive necessary to be act out, if opportunity can be
found, created, organized, sought for.
Another
example is the 7 selected for the suicide mission of an oneway ticket to Mars,
as we saw on Associated Press on the 2nd of June 2014. They watched
science-fictional movies and were inspired by the settings. They have no idea
of the brutal conditions that awaits them on Mars. So networks of space
developers are working on creating them a final lodging place on Mars. The
girls said that she saw it in science-fictional movies and it gave here all the
motivation. There is your 33% addict.
There
are colleagues of mine who sit the whole weekend watching movies one after the
other, non-stop. What good can that be for the brain? It turns a creative brain
into a no-brainer.
If
there is one good thing someone can do for himself or herself, it will be to
refuse to play any games offered in modern society. “Just one” means two and
then three and then four and then everything. The same with alcohol. “Just one”
means two and then three and then unlimited. One can say the same with medicine
and drugs and movies and TV dramas and pornography for those who crave it. The
best is total abstinence.
Someone
who is addicted to movies can stop his/her addiction by watching Youtube. Youtube has only 5 minute selections from movies or documentaries
so avoid the full movie and watch only small skids of whatever attracted the mind
before. In this way, one fragments the interest and in the process the decision
to stop is easier. It may work or not. Addicts of movies can try this.
As
far as other things are concerned, like alcohol, drugs, addictive medicine,
pornography, games, the best is total abstinence. Do not touch, look, acquire, or
accept at all. Turn your life away from it. Walk away. Refuse it. My uncle did
it and never drank again. He was surprised that he was so foolish to drink in
his past. He was very happy that he stopped. His relationship with all around
him improved and he became an elder in the church for many years. Then I have
uncles who could not stop drinking and he actually died at 57 of a
heart-attack, because he could not say no to alcohol.
The
human can change and victory is available with the help of the Spirit of God
and the person’s decision to overcome or stop or refuse. I have heard many
testimonies of people who succeeded with God’s help to remove these evils from
their environment. They became shining people with beautiful personalities and
leadership that was a pleasure to meet and interact with.
When
God says that we should not make images of anything that is on earth or in heaven
and bow in front of it, he really wants to point out the problem of the impact
that images have on the imagination of a person, interactively. In Jeremiah 18 God
says that one should not let one’s eye go over the idols set up at heathen
temples. It is the same reason. The longer you admire the artistic shape and
forms of the artist of the icon or god or image, your imagination becomes
interactive. It is therefore also a good policy to refuse to enter heathen
temples of any kind. I decided to stay outside a Buddhist temple when other
friends eagerly want to visit a temple. I did not know about Jeremiah 18 but
now I am thankful for the insight.
Dear God
Help us to
overcome all our weaknesses that are especially connected to image and imagination. You have given
us text for our pleasure and
entertainment and so, choosing the right genre, we can worship you and praise
you in our victorious lives. Amen.