A commentary on The Walking Dead

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My husband and I finally jumped on The Walking Dead bandwagon. In two weeks, we got completely caught up–not something I recommend, watching The Walking Dead all in one go, because the intensity of the show stays with you making sleep difficult to come by.

Anyway, one thing that kept bothering me was the intentional pushing away of religion, in particular, Christianity. The show, particularly through the first couple seasons, was filled with despair and hopelessness while the writers seemed to only know how to show people losing their faith rather than the other way around. And when religion was written in, it seemed that it was because the writers wanted an easy way to add depth.

Last week, I was praying the morning prayer of the Liturgy of the Hours, while this thought about The Walking Dead was tumbling around my mind. And then it occurred to me, or rather God told me, that what I see from the people in The Walking Dead is what people without God feel today. In the show the tragedy is pushed together in one heap that the whole world is experiencing at once, but tragedy isn’t something foreign to us here in reality.

I was filled with such compassion, and then with gratefulness for this glimpse into how people, who don’t know God, feel when tragedy hits. Rather than being irked and a little grumpy about how religion is weaved into storyline, now it just reminds me of those that are lost and need my prayers.

If you have any comments about religion and The Walking Dead, I would love to hear them.
 
I also had another thought, concerning my faith and The Walking Dead.

Since we watched all the seasons within two weeks, my mind has been preoccupied with the storyline. I had this underlying feeling of fear–fear of living in a situation where death is on your doorstep everyday and fight or flight is constant choice.

At first I felt guilty for having this fear. People do live like this today. They’re not fleeing and fighting zombies, but they’re fleeing or fighting people trying to kill them (Syria, Egypt, etc.). So, again, The Walking Dead gave me a glimpse into how some live in our world today.

But then I thought about Mary. Mary and Joseph had to live like this for some time, fleeing to protect their lives and the life of their son, who happened to also be the Son of God.

As soon as I thought of that, thanks be to God who steers my mind where it should go, the fear I felt about the possibility of living like that left me. I was at peace and knew that if the day came for me to be in a constant state of fight or flight, I need not worry because Mary and Joseph would pray for me and comfort me because they too lived like that.
 
I like to read and write, and National Novel Writing Month (aka NaNoWriMo) is coming up. On their forums one sees quite a number of young folks writing post-apocalyptic or dystopian fiction.

It reminds me of kids who listen to dark or “emo” music and say that it helps them because that’s how they feel about life. Really kind of sad.

My reading tastes include among many other things mystery, thriller, science fiction and recently Steampunk, some of which can be “dark.” I don’t like the stories that are too dark. They depress me. If I were to write about zombies it’d probably have to be a humorous or satirical piece. :cool:

We all hear too many headlines about how we’re all going to be in a bad way when we either
  • Get wiped out by a pandemic, or
  • Ruin the environment beyond repair, or
  • There is a major terrorist attack or war involving nuclear weaponry, or
  • We hit the “singularity” where the computers and technology we’ve invented gets smarter than we are and takes a mind to eliminate us, or
  • An asteroid smacks the Earth, or
  • Some combination of all of the above or something else not even thought of yet.
It’s hard not to get scared, but we need to address what we can, and have faith in God for the rest. And know when we’ve reached our saturation point and should turn off the TV and go outside for a walk or something.
 
Rmac81 said:
Anyway, one thing that kept bothering me was the intentional pushing away of religion, in particular, Christianity.
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I like the show. I think you could easily replace zombies with any catastrophe because at heart the show is about human beings and how they might be force to survive in dire circumstances. I find the show similar to Cormac McCarthy’s book and movie The Road.

And to address the original question, first a SPOILER WARNING:

If you recall Hershel was an avid Bible reader and at the realization of the loss of his wife he despaired. But later on in the prison he is happy that he found a Bible that was in one of the cells. Although none of the characters are religious, at least one strong father figure is a Christian. I think someone even commented in the last episode “When there’s no more room in hell, the dead will walk the earth” --although I may have imagined I heard that since it has been used before in other films. And its not Biblical at all, but it is a zombie-genre take on “why zombies?”
 
Rmac81 said:
My husband and I finally jumped on The Walking Dead bandwagon. In two weeks, we got completely caught up–not something I recommend, watching The Walking Dead all in one go, because the intensity of the show stays with you making sleep difficult to come by.

Anyway, one thing that kept bothering me was the intentional pushing away of religion, in particular, Christianity. The show, particularly through the first couple seasons, was filled with despair and hopelessness while the writers seemed to only know how to show people losing their faith rather than the other way around. And when religion was written in, it seemed that it was because the writers wanted an easy way to add depth.

Last week, I was praying the morning prayer of the Liturgy of the Hours, while this thought about The Walking Dead was tumbling around my mind. And then it occurred to me, or rather God told me, that what I see from the people in The Walking Dead is what people without God feel today. In the show the tragedy is pushed together in one heap that the whole world is experiencing at once, but tragedy isn’t something foreign to us here in reality.

I was filled with such compassion, and then with gratefulness for this glimpse into how people, who don’t know God, feel when tragedy hits. Rather than being irked and a little grumpy about how religion is weaved into storyline, now it just reminds me of those that are lost and need my prayers.

If you have any comments about religion and The Walking Dead, I would love to hear them.
Click to expand...
Wow you just explained exactly what I felt! 🙂 I always got really saddened by the loss and lack of faith in the characters. And the absence of any devout religious people. Hershell is the closest one they have had so far. Well…and Carol. But I can’t tell if she’s lost her faith or not, it’s kind of ambiguous.

I do wish they would have given equal screen time to the ones who lost faith and then found it again. (Like Hershell.) At the end of the 2nd season it seemed he lost all belief and then in the third season he said he almost lost it but found it again. But there wasn’t much reason why, except he said he found a Bible. I wish they would have given at least some screen time to his journey, instead of just casually mentioning it. Would have been a nice balance. But oh well.

Something else I noticed, and maybe I was just reading into it too much, was the shows implicit acceptance of the soul. The zombies are people who die, and then their brain turns back on, but they are not human, they’re not the same person they were. It’s just the body that’s the same.

Which to me is like they are trying to say the human person is more than just chemical reactions in a brain tissue, because the zombies have all that. There’s something that goes beyond the material and makes us what we are.

I don’t know, I could be way off, but that’s what I see in it. Did anyone else feel or notice that?
 
Robyn_p said:
Something else I noticed, and maybe I was just reading into it too much, was the shows implicit acceptance of the soul. The zombies are people who die, and then their brain turns back on, but they are not human, they’re not the same person they were. It’s just the body that’s the same.

Which to me is like they are trying to say the human person is more than just chemical reactions in a brain tissue, because the zombies have all that. There’s something that goes beyond the material and makes us what we are.

I don’t know, I could be way off, but that’s what I see in it. Did anyone else feel or notice that?
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Oh wow…very observant. Hmmm…I wonder how that gels with Theology of the Body? I guess in self-defense you would have right to do away with “bodies” trying to kill you, but still treat them with reverence before/after killing. Soooo, don’t do what the Governor did.
 
Obsculta said:
I
If you recall Hershel was an avid Bible reader and at the realization of the loss of his wife he despaired. But later on in the prison he is happy that he found a Bible that was in one of the cells. Although none of the characters are religious, at least one strong father figure is a Christian. I think someone even commented in the last episode “When there’s no more room in hell, the dead will walk the earth” --although I may have imagined I heard that since it has been used before in other films. And its not Biblical at all, but it is a zombie-genre take on “why zombies?”

Yes, I was glad to see Herschel (sp?) find his faith again. I’m wondering how deep the writers will be able to go with it, because their putting a crucifix in a southern baptist church early on in the series doesn’t leave me with much hope. I’m also curious how his daughters will deal with their faith since a scene showed them praying and studying the Bible with him (Maggie obviously isn’t into obeying commandments when it concerns her and Glenn, but this doesn’t mean she doesn’t have a relationship with God).

Thanks for your comments!
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3DOCTORS said:
I like to read and write, and National Novel Writing Month (aka NaNoWriMo) is coming up. On their forums one sees quite a number of young folks writing post-apocalyptic or dystopian fiction.

It reminds me of kids who listen to dark or “emo” music and say that it helps them because that’s how they feel about life. Really kind of sad.

My reading tastes include among many other things mystery, thriller, science fiction and recently Steampunk, some of which can be “dark.” I don’t like the stories that are too dark. They depress me. If I were to write about zombies it’d probably have to be a humorous or satirical piece. :cool:

We all hear too many headlines about how we’re all going to be in a bad way when we either
  • Get wiped out by a pandemic, or
  • Ruin the environment beyond repair, or
  • There is a major terrorist attack or war involving nuclear weaponry, or
  • We hit the “singularity” where the computers and technology we’ve invented gets smarter than we are and takes a mind to eliminate us, or
  • An asteroid smacks the Earth, or
  • Some combination of all of the above or something else not even thought of yet.
It’s hard not to get scared, but we need to address what we can, and have faith in God for the rest. And know when we’ve reached our saturation point and should turn off the TV and go outside for a walk or something.
Click to expand...
You might be interested, or maybe you already know about it, but there’s a writer who wrote a Zombie novel but in a series, Ora et Labora et Zombies. He mails out letters to readers so they don’t get to read it all at once. It’s written from a Catholic perspective, and the writer says that inoculates it from despair.

I was kind of full of despair watching The Walking Dead, but after I thought of Mary and Joseph that all left me. I guess what I’m saying is that I’m emotionally prepared for a Zombie apocalypse. 😃 hahaha…
 
I got caught up in the show about a month ago after one of my son-in-laws told me about it…it’s great for entertainment even if a tad gory…I don’t look for any Christian or religious conotations in the show…purely an adrenaline rush…not the type of show for kids…apparently some people take all this zombie stuff too seriously and believe it could happen…they don’t need to be watching it neither…:eek:
 
While we were watching the series, it was the Feast day of St. Ignatius and I saw this photo over at Word on Fire and thought to myself, “See Walking Dead characters, St. Ignatius is welcoming getting torn by apart by animals, not wishing for suicide!” 🙂
 
Peebo said:
I got caught up in the show about a month ago after one of my son-in-laws told me about it…it’s great for entertainment even if a tad gory…I don’t look for any Christian or religious conotations in the show…purely an adrenaline rush…not the type of show for kids…apparently some people take all this zombie stuff too seriously and believe it could happen…they don’t need to be watching it neither…:eek:
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Well, my husband would rush in at this point to say that I very often take things too seriously! But, dont’ worry, I don’t live in fear of a zombie apocalypse, but I do often apply what I see there to real-world situations. End-of-the-world situations often happen to people when it’s “their world.” That could mean losing a family in an accident, losing your village to war, etc.
 
Rmac81 said:
I’m wondering how deep the writers will be able to go with it, because their putting a crucifix in a southern baptist church early on in the series doesn’t leave me with much hope.
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Good catch. I’m pretty sure Hershel put a rosary in his deceased wife’s jewelry box. I tried rewinding the scene to see it more clearly but I couldn’t tell 100%.Still, I think you are right that the writers probably think all Christians use rosaries and crucifixes.
 
Obsculta said:
Good catch. I’m pretty sure Hershel put a rosary in his deceased wife’s jewelry box. I tried rewinding the scene to see it more clearly but I couldn’t tell 100%.Still, I think you are right that the writers probably think all Christians use rosaries and crucifixes.
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A rosary? I didn’t catch that…maybe I’ll go back and check it out and see if I can see it any better. Very interesting…I’m all for Catholic characters, but if I had to place a bet, it wouldn’t be that Hershel and his family were Catholic.

That’s funny if the writers are so out of the Christian loop, that they’re not aware of differences among Catholics and Protestants. Or maybe it’s intentional to just put Christians in one big box, to cover their bases with viewers.
 
Rmac81 said:
Well, my husband would rush in at this point to say that I very often take things too seriously! But, dont’ worry, I don’t live in fear of a zombie apocalypse, but I do often apply what I see there to real-world situations. End-of-the-world situations often happen to people when it’s “their world.” That could mean losing a family in an accident, losing your village to war, etc.
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I can understand your point of view…my wife won’t even watch the show…same with Doomsday Preppers…she says if it’s the end of the world…why are these idiots digging a hole in the ground…the bible says there won’t be anyplace to hide.can’t argue with that I guess.🙂
 
Rmac81 said:
You might be interested, or maybe you already know about it, but there’s a writer who wrote a Zombie novel but in a series, Ora et Labora et Zombies. He mails out letters to readers so they don’t get to read it all at once. It’s written from a Catholic perspective, and the writer says that inoculates it from despair.

I was kind of full of despair watching The Walking Dead, but after I thought of Mary and Joseph that all left me. I guess what I’m saying is that I’m emotionally prepared for a Zombie apocalypse. 😃 hahaha…
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That’s interesting. May have to check that out. I can read vampire novels but zombie and post-apoc I tend to shy away from - either too gross or too depressing. 😃

Did you hear about the Center for Disease Control using zombie apocalypse as a storyline for a crisis manual? You can download a PDF of the book, and posters and other materials for free: wwwn.cdc.gov/pubs/phpr.aspx Your tax dollars at work, might as well have some entertainment along with it, right? 😉
 
Rmac81 said:
Oh wow…very observant. Hmmm…I wonder how that gels with Theology of the Body? I guess in self-defense you would have right to do away with “bodies” trying to kill you, but still treat them with reverence before/after killing. Soooo, don’t do what the Governor did.
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Hmmm good point. I think yeah you would still treat them as we would treat other dead bodies…just they happen to be trying to eat you. 🙂 I think self-defense would qualify. I mean we can kill a human being with a soul trying to kill us, pretty sure zombies are just as bad.

But no definitely NOT what the Governor did! :eek:
 
I also love the walking dead!! I was hooked right after the first episode, but now I wait to watch it on DVD as I cant stand to sit thru commercial breaks every 10 minutes!

Anyone else remember when they were in the CDC building and rick was asking the guy there about why he thought this was happening and one of them said something along the lines of " And then theres the bible, when it mentions the dead coming back" and the other one agreeing, but no really knowing if this is what is truly is. You could see they both kind of believed this was the real reason, but neither wanted to admit it to each other, or didnt want to even speak it!!

That is the scariest part IMO, a situation like this is very possible, not only the biblical version, but a type of engineered virus could turn a person into a mindless killing machine fairly easily, all it would take is some rouge scientist and a group bent on destruction!!!

Id like to think I would be able to survive such a world, but the more I think about it, the tougher I think it would be.
 
Just a side note…

My goodness, you covered the whole thing in a couple of weeks? How are you sleeping? :eek:

My husband loves the show. I had heard so much good stuff about it that I decided to swallow my angst of gory/horror type shows and watch it with my husband.

The first episode did me in, I was officially spooked and would rather not watch another one, thank-you.

Interesting commentary though.
 
The Video Game is a much more hopeful experience. In the game you play an escaped negro convict(it’s revealed what you did late in the game) called Lee Everitt who comes across a young innocent girl called Clementine, and finds redemption in helping the girl discover where her missing parents are, along the way becoming a adoptive father to her, as well as coming across other characters from the original comicbook. The unlikely father-daughter relationship is beautifully rendered throughout, and the game won many “game of the year” awards because of it’s intense storyline(better than that of the TV show in my opinion!).

In the game, which is split into 6 episodes(including an extra episode called “400 Days”), you must make choices that the game will record, and these choices alter the overall storyline and how other characters in it will deal with you.

Lee ultimately must save Clementine, and guide her through a world full of “the walking dead”, until they reach the end… It’s a beautiful story.
 
colliric said:
The Video Game is a much more hopeful experience. In the game you play an escaped negro convict(it’s revealed what you did late in the game) called Lee Everitt who comes across a young innocent girl called Clementine, and finds redemption in helping the girl discover where her missing parents are, along the way becoming a adoptive father to her, as well as coming across other characters from the original comicbook. The unlikely father-daughter relationship is beautifully rendered throughout, and the game won many “game of the year” awards because of it’s intense storyline(better than that of the TV show in my opinion!).

In the game, which is split into 6 episodes(including an extra episode called “400 Days”), you must make choices that the game will record, and these choices alter the overall storyline and how other characters in it will deal with you.

Lee ultimately must save Clementine, and guide her through a world full of “the walking dead”, until they reach the end… It’s a beautiful story.
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That sounds really cool! I gotta get this one.
 
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