The Devil With Perfection

Last updated on: April 8, 2011 at 6:33 pm by David Hayward

The Devil With Perfection 2011-04-08T18:33:16-04:00 David Hayward

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In the movie Tron: Legacy, there is an obvious messianic theme. Kevin Flynn, played by Jeff Bridges, is God, the Father, the Creator of the virtual world. His son Sam Flynn is the young Messiah who comes to save the world. Clu, also played by Jeff Bridges, is a virtual program created by Kevin Flynn to assist in creating a perfect virtual world. Clu rebels against the Creator and injects chaos and suffering into his virtual creation. He obviously represents Satan.

What I found interesting is why Clu rebelled: he was frustrated with the Creator’s humanness and sympathy with humans, called “Users”. Clu felt that Users were a problem and that it would be impossible to create the perfect world with such imperfect creatures. Clu’s plan was to take over the virtual world, somehow enter the real world and conquer it and the Users.

Clu’s idea of perfection means the exclusion of a perceived weakness. Clu even conducts a genocide to exterminate what he considers a weak element in the program. It brings to mind some genocides, even in recent history, where the perpetrators sincerely believed that they must exterminate what they consider a weak people in order to purify a race, country or people.

A religion may promote its idea of perfection to people or a group of people to the actual destruction of its people. There can be a disdain for human weakness and vulnerability. Its notion of sin is abhorrent to the religion. In an exerted and sustained effort to achieve perfection, it may actually exterminate what is human and flawed, but what is also authentic and beautiful.

May it actually be demonic to desire and strive for perfection? And may it actually be godly to embrace weakness and humanity as it is?

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