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 3^rd 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 2^nd 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.