I got the book for Christmas about 2 years ago but half way through the book I tossed it because I lost interest and to be honest I thought it was pretty self-indulgent. Anyway, Greg had the movie downloaded on his computer so I decided to watch, curious of what the woman finally found in the end. (the book might have been a little different than the movie)
This is definitely not a review of what I thought of the movie or book but rather an observation and explanation of how God can be misinterpreted in our movies and books and sometimes misleading us in finding truth in our real lives.
God never answers prayers with solutions that contradict His Word. Answers to prayer must always be cross-referenced with scripture. At the beginning of the movie Julia Roberts, the main character, is unhappy in her marriage and she is seen praying, desperate for God’s guidance and answers to what she should do.
The next day she wakes up and decides that she is supposed to leave her marriage in search of God. Even though her husband refuses to grant her a divorce, hoping to change her mind, she is convinced she will find herself, and God, by traveling around the world eating, praying and loving.
Romans 8:5
Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires.
Julia’s character was responding to her flesh.
First stop, France, full of blissful eating and drinking. Second stop, India. Interesting that she set out on her journey to find God but we see her actually finding a religion of diverse thought with beliefs spanning monotheism, polytheism, pantheism, monism, agnosticism, Gnosticism and ATHEISM, among others. Hinduism’s concept of God is complex and depends upon a particular tradition and/or philosophy.
Here we meet Richard, he has been in India for the past 10 years practicing what Julia comes to India to learn. He sort of tells Julia to get with the program, clear her mind and thoughts and all her troubles will go away; into the universe. We see Richard shortly after this confessing his transgressions and his brokenness of living with his sins all these years; he decides to pack up and leave India to seek forgiveness and hopefully peace from his anguish of 10 years. (Buddha claimed the existence of Self/soul and said God was unnecessary.)
Another part in the movie that I found compelling was the little Indian girl and seeing how the destiny of this child was going to be as her mother’s was, bleak. Morality based on the notion of Karma and societal norms such as Hindu marriage customs was this child’s destiny and it broke Julia’s heart. She wrote to friends in the states, telling the story. She raised $18,000 to buy a home for the little girl and her mother so they would not be separated as a family. This was a nice thing to do but as we know a house can burn down, if Julia also told the little girl and her mother about the love of Jesus and the saving grace and eternal life of salvation the $18,000 would have been the icing on the cake!!!
The next and final stop was Bali. This is where Julia finds “Love.” hummmmmm
I’m not sure how the book ends but the movie ends as the “happily ever after” story. The Hindu religion uses the notion of “Karma” to describe the "moral law of cause and effect.” If I would predict, Eat, Pray, Love 2, might start out 10 years later, after Julia and her new love sailed out into the sunset, meeting the same fate as Richard, and maybe her former husband; Julia being guilty and broken from her sin years ago.
Here is a link to the authors website. She talks about creativity and where it comes from. I listened to it while I started this blog. Very interesting.
Thanks for reading.
Blessings
Sian
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