EDIT: To Date this is the most viewed post on the blog. I'm happy that it is bringing people to the blog as a whole. But, please be sure to check out some other posts while you are here! This one was actually kind of a one-off at the time I wrote it. Thanks! :)
I just finished another entertaining romp into the fictional realm with Ernest Cline's, Ready Player One. This was particularly engaging for a former/current video gamer like myself. It also provided a setting that I feel is a potentially realistic outcome of our current technology boom and humanist outlook in society.
The plot centers around Wade and the online game OASIS. The OASIS has expanded such that nearly everyone in society is constantly jacked into the system, neglecting real-life in favor of virtual fantasy and role playing. The OASIS gives users the ability to level up a character (Similar to an MMO like World of Warcraft), and interact virtually with other "Avatars."
The sad reality is that the real world has become a shell of its former self after multiple wars, and no one really seems to mind as they are constantly jacked into the fantasy world of the OASIS.
The OASIS creator dies and leaves his money (multi-billion) to whomever can solve a set of obscure puzzles built into the OASIS, all linked to 1980s trivia.
While it sounds odd on the surface, the first-person narration style gives the feel that you are actually a part of this new reality. The descriptions of the game and Avatar functions are well done.
Spiritually, just like the Hunger Games Trilogy, it is lacking. In what I am calling post-apocalypic humanism, the world is obviously very anti-religion/Christianity in this setting.
My theory would be that the humanistic views that are permeating our society currently eventually led to the decline in civilization as man was not accountable to anyone but himself, and the world suffered for it.
It is clear from the beginning that the protagonist, Wade, has never believed in God (though his friendly neighbor is described as a Christian who spends time logged into the OASIS at a virtual church, worshipping). The way that this is expressed comes across much like the way humanists and atheists of our day express it. With much distaste and an inferior view of God. God is compared to the Easter Bunny and other childhood fantasies, and the characters in the book do not seek any higher power. Still Wade is not an entirely unlikable character, even in light of his lack of faith, and this mindset is not prominently mentioned enough to detract from the book as a whole. Christians will likely feel pity for the characters whose mere existence has no meaning.
For Christians, we know that through our relationship with Christ, this life has meaning, and we have a purpose. There is no randomness, but rather a carefully orchestrated plan for each of us by a God who loves us and longs for us to be with him eternally.
A post-apocalypic world viewed through Christian eyes would be much less dystopian, so I imagine that is why authors in this category of fiction stray from God when possible. It adds to the bleak outlook of characters whose only purpose is living day to day, and trying to get along with one another.
I think Christians who read this type of literature should be aware that it is far from the truth that we know in Christ Jesus. When we see the world through only human eyes, and every man does what is right in his own eyes, we can only expect such a derelict society to be the result.
Ready Player One is an entertaining, albeit bleak story with solid detail and character development. Most Christians can skip this one, but for any gamers or fans of the 1980s out there it could provide a good fiction read.
Discussion Questions for Christians:
Does our society seem to be heading down a path that would lead to this type of world?
How would the worldview in the book be different if the main characters had a focus on Christ?
Can a protagonist that is not Christian, but a "decent guy" be a good role model for us?
Would living in a virtual world the majority of the time give us a distorted view of reality?
Check it out here: http://www.amazon.com/Ready-Player-One-Ernest-Cline/dp/030788743X
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While you're over on Amazon, be sure to check out my first original book, "A Dangerous Faith: Counting the Cost of a Life for Christ"
It explores the "dangers" or struggles that Christians may go through as they grow in their daily walk with Christ.
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Thanks for your review. I got this book from the library. The premise sounded particularly interesting to me since I am a moderate gamer and enjoy many older games. I was turned off from the book when the aurthor started preaching about how bad a belief in God was. I tried to just ignore it and move on but he just kept going on about it until I decided I couldn't listen anymore. I looked for a review in the hope that this would not be a continuing part of the story. It sounds like it can be ignored but not eaisly. That helps not sure if I feel like putting up with that I'm getting real fed up with this kind of attitude. I don't look for a novel to preach at me but too many of them do.
ReplyDeleteThis is almost my exact experience. I bought the book on Audible and tried to listen. The religion bashing was, at times, so pervasive that it seemed like that was the entire point the author was trying to make. I didn't finish it and returned it for a refund.
DeleteThanks for your comment. It is possible to ignore, but not easily. Of course, most media these days is saturated in Anti-Christian sentiment. It's a bummer for believers. Browse around the blog, you'll see the cultural shift against Christianity is a bit of a theme for me in various capacities. Also, keeping my Christian brothers and sisters from falling too far off the beaten path is a passion of mine, though in what capacity I'm not fully sure.
ReplyDeleteI truly don't mean to be offensive but do think it is possible that Christians have a role in the cultural shift away from faith. I listened to ready player one and I could understand where Wade was coming from. He lives in a dismal world with so many problems and no solutions other than pie in the sky promises. Instead of blaming wade or even pitying him (or the author) should we not look in the mirror at ourselves. What have we done to make the world Better. I believe that many Christians have set themselves up for failure. How many people can live up to the example that Jesus set? But instead of striving to be better many strove to be preach to others. If they can not serve as positive rolemodels they can feel they are hood christians by preaching about the sins of others. But they go beyond preaching. Christianity has become a religion of compulsion that has no faith in the ability of people to be better. How many billions have been spent fighting gay marriage. Pat Roberson regularly condemns homosexuality but had been known to give a pass on adultery. I can think of so many better ways to support traditional marriage than by preventing others from trying to copy a successful marriage. If you really want to end abortion than instead of spending multiple billions on making it illegal spend the money eliminating people thinking that it is a solution. Provide alternatives so there is no need for one. Many Christians spend so much time looking at non believers as the enemy. You blame humanism but maybe humanism is just a product of a world too busy judging others by how Christian they act and provide them with not only positive role models but by providing as many resources as possible so making the right choice is easier than making the wrong one's. Too many people know Christians for all the wrong things. I really doubt jesus would be against gay mariage. Even if he believed homosexuality was a sin he hung out with prostitutes and the diseased and the poor. He did not see sinners but the good on people. Look around. Listen to the people of faith around you. Do they inspire people to be better. Do they make the world better of do they support politicians who's goal is to force people to believe and act as they think everyone should act. Those same politicians attack anyone who is trying to solve the problems that lead to the world wade lives in. They might or might not have the answers but so few people of faith even have those concerns as a priority. If even a small percentage of people tried their best to live by WWJD than there would be a lot less sincere feelings that appear to be antchristian but really just against the behaviors of some Christians. Even the blogger spends his time reviewing what good Christians should read or not read because those thoughts will contaminate them instead of focusing on making it easier and desirable to choose to be a good Christian. I sorry for my harsh words butmy thoughts are shaped from personal experience and not some desire to lead people astray. I hate people always preaching and yet never doing something to change things but I guess if you believe you are saved it is easier to blame others for their lack of grace then feel responsible for everyone.
DeleteArik
So it's safe to say you... find his lack of faith disturbing?
ReplyDeleteI finished it. There is a god in the story whether they would declare one or not. There are references to holy trinity, cannon, and their own type of bible. It's just like real life. Take away the one true God and all you have left is a sad counterfeit.
ReplyDeleteExcept the setting of Ready Player One isn't anti-Christian at all. In fact in the first or second chapter, the protagonist relays his friendship with an old woman who lives nearby that spends all of her time in online congregations in OASIS mega-churches. Wayde himself is irreligious, but that doesn't make the whole setting irreligious....
ReplyDeleteI'm the first couple of chapters in does this anti-christian/god is a fantasy meme slow up or happen though the whole book?
ReplyDeleteThe writing about Wade's religion is so tacky and cliche, and to me it felt tacked on... It felt like a soapbox for the author (Cline) to stand on proclaiming to the world that he is an atheist. It felt tacked on because it provided nothing for the plot or the character development.
Deletetowards the end of the book, there is some liberal-leaning virtue signaling that also felt like a soapbox/tacked on.
But to answer your question, no the meme doesn't show up often. And when it does it is an off-hand remark that feels like a title card in a silent movie explaining a detail of a character that doesn't do anything to push or contribute to the story.
I remember it being more upfront as it introduced Wade as a character and then it was less blatant.
ReplyDeleteOk. I'm there still. Thank you.
DeleteWhat everyone seems to misunderstand is that the book deals with the reality surrounding us all, and it dismisses faith in supernatural entities. The keyword being ‘faith’. The main character of the book clearly implies that truths of our condition have been written about for a long time by “Artists, and scientists, and philosophers, and poets” and that our parents (like their parents, and ancestors before them) have taught us to have faith in a Supreme Being without questioning why everything in our physical universe lacks evidence of such an interactive entity. The protagonist lumps the idea of a god into the same category as Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny. He even goes on to state that the best way to understand... really understand our condition is to go to the library and forget all you’ve been told because it lacks truth.
ReplyDeleteAre you an atheists??
DeleteAre you an atheist??
DeleteI actually downloaded the audio book because I was told I should “read” the book before seeing the movie when it comes out at the end of the month. I’m a huge fan of the 80’s as well as the games from that time period. I graduated high school in 1989. Unfortunately, the author lost me at the moment the narrator pronounced judgment on everything Christian as “bulls***.” I was in the car listening, and I immediately hit pause on the audio. I’ve decided at this stage of my life, I really don’t need any more negatives coming at me like this. When the author espoused some other scientific “beliefs” I knew this was not something I needed to keep reading. The author definitely proved this was a book of fiction with very little science at that point. For us to end up in a dystopia like those described in this book and Hunger Games, it would have to be.
ReplyDeleteMe too, I downloaded it from audible. I was new to the service and did not know you could return a book you did not like within a certain timeframe, because I definitely would have returned this. Most of the anti-christian rubbish was early in the piece. It was all completely unnecessary to the story, it was just the author running his mouth about a chip on his shoulder.
DeleteThanks so much for this review. I think I can stomach the anti-God and ant-Christian issue and just be entertained with the rest of the story. Got tired of hearing God and heaven used with a cuss word. Hope my “three strike” rule doesn’t end this one for me. I was so excited for the book and movie.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for this review. I was about to be done with it worried it was just going to be an anti-God rant. I think I will push through and see the foolish attitude as that of a faithless 18 year old. There are a few of those around lately. If I can stomach them then i can stomach this.
ReplyDeleteOnce theists realise that this world was not made for us and there is no god waiting for you in the afterlife, they will see the world as it truly is. The way Wade describes the burning of fossil fuels and of the energy crisis and overpopulation is exactly the path we are going down. Once you realise your existential daddy issue isn't coming to save you, maybe that's when theists will realise that we could have done something about it. While this is dystopian fiction, it's not far removed from the future we face right now.
ReplyDeleteRereading the book after I watched the movie because I feel like it was better in some aspects but it clearly lacked the world-building the book had. God being compared to Santa and the Easter Bunny made me immediately search for Christian reviews to see the reaction and it was just as I expected. I'm not trying to be a troll or anything but can someone logically tell me what is untrue about Cline's comparison? I feel that all faiths, not just Christianity are simply morality tales we tell ourselves to be better people. What makes "God" so different from the other unsubstantiated mythical deities and beings such as Santa, Zeus and the like? Again, would like to state that I'm asking because I'm genuinely curious and not trying to bash on religion.
ReplyDeleteThe movie was pretty different from the book. I'd definitely recommend it even if you didn't like the book. They did a great job keeping the heart and soul of the book, but made it more interesting for film. :)
ReplyDeleteyidio
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I really appreciate this post, as it was saddening to see such assuredness against God being put into a novel that others may read and take as truth. I'm happy to see that others are reading it and taking the time to make sure that Jesus is not stamped but rather shone brightly through the statements in the book. Thank you for reminding us what is important.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your blog post. I just started the novel and after reading the first atheist driven rant wanted to research a bit about the author, Ernest Cline, and his leanings/beliefs.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I too am disappointed that Cline has decided to throw this into his book, so far I have to agree, it does help paint a very bleak and sad picture for the whole world. Which, in a way adds to the story, showing that they really only had the Oasis to live for. No God and the world is being destroyed... Sounds miserable. Makes me even more grateful that I have a knowledge of God and our Savior Jesus Christ. Even if the world is "going to Hell in a hand-basket," I can have hope and Joy in knowledge and faith in something greater.
Thanks for the quick summary. I'm excited to read more of your blog.
I hate how the author says really bad things about the belief of god and describes it as fantasy things like the Easter bunny! Don't recommend this book to Christians.
ReplyDeleteI only recently realized I have it set to moderate comments, so my apologies to those who had previously commented and not seen it. As long as everyone is civil (which at a glance they appear to be), I'll try a bit harder to make sure your comments are seen on here. So far I've approved all I've seen, as I'm okay with us getting a diverse set of viewpoints here. Thanks again for checking out the blog. It's going to have a decidedly Christian viewpoint on most posts, but I think that's the honest route to take for me, as it's a big part of my life. Still, all are welcome to come read :)
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