A Pagan Lion King

Today, on one of my forums, I found a link to this article: Walt Disney's "Lion King".

The author of this, Joseph Chambers, has tied up several of the movies scenes with Pagan aspects. I admit, now that I sit down and think about, The LionKing is a very pagan movie!
However, this movie does not teach children to love Satan, it does not teach them astrology (being told to look to the stars has nothing to do with this, however, astronomy does), ESP, and on and on. When someone sets out to write an informed article on a subject, be sure that your information is reliable and know what you are talking about!

Lucifer is the Angel of Light, but no where has he ever been identified, in any Pagan religion, as the Sun God!

"Even the relationship of the king and his evil brother draws attention to the pagan suggestion that Jesus and Satan were brothers."

I may not have read every book about the history of Christian or Pagan thought or visited every religious website on the internet, but I have never, not once, heard that claim. And when Mufasa talks about the great Circle of Life, I suppose in an obscure way you could connect this to reincarnation although that is never what I got from that scene. Then again, I just enjoy listening to James Earl Jones' voice, so perhaps I missed something. :D

A few scenes that Chambers picks apart in his article:

1. The blessing of the young Simba at Pride Rock: This can be seen as a pagan ritual at an altar.
2. Mufasa telling young Simba to look to the stars and he will never be alone. When you sit and look at the stars, and dream of all that have come before you and stared at those same stars and think of all that have yet to be, then no, you will never be alone. We are all connected as one, all striving to the Higher Being.

This movie a journey of love, friendship and discovery that will lead him to his rightful place in the world. Everyone's life is a journey in the Circle of Life and we all have a part to play, no matter how small or large. This is a beautiful story that shows respect of all life, regardless of what you believe, God or Goddess. We are all connected despite difference of color, religion, sexual orientation, rich or poor. We all celebrate the wonders of life, great and small, seen and unseen.

Cecil Alexander says it quite well in his beautiful hymn All Things Bright and Beautiful

All things bright and beautiful,
All creatures great and small,
All things wise and wonderful:
The Lord God made them all.—

God has expressed Himself in all of His Creation, and in the appreciation of the created, living world, we will come to appreciate the Creator Himself. God made all of us and by worshipping life, your are worshipping God and respecting Him/Her on that level.

When I watched the very scenes that Chambers picks apart in his article, those were the ones that most often brought tears to my eyes. Those ideas and images resonated within me so deeply and moved me because I believe.

Are Christians like this man going to be threatened by that? Yes. This film gives a hint of something else, something that is very beautiful and very sacred and it had the exact effect on me that Chambers is afraid of. For once, Disney, despite all their corporate foibles, created a wonderful film that may or may not speak to some kid (young or old) out there and point them to other paths.

Wikipedia
IMDB