So, Mel’s version showed just how warring and brutal the savages really were in the jungle. This sounds a resounding chord with me since I believe man is basically evil. However, what most non-Christians would have us believe instead is the Mayan natives were peacably minding their own business until white man came along. No, Mel makes it abundantly clear that violence, demon possession and curses were the everyday fare for these tribes. The only love portrayed was within families (for father to son or for husband towards his family). Vengeance was meted out through physical violence to even the scores between enemy tribes.
If you have ever watched End of the Spear, that movie shows how there used to be very few grandfathers who enjoyed their grandchildren because the warriors were so often killed in combat. Before the missionaries like Nate Saint and Jim Elliot came along, these tribesmen never lived long enough to see their younger family members grow up. Thus, the wisdom of “violence doesn’t pay” was never handed down. A vicious cycle. Currently I’m reading “Sons of the Steppe” by Hans Baumann which is about the grandchildren of Genghis Khan and how his legendary Mongol empire was overcome.
I am so glad I serve a risen Savior who has overcome the world. (John 16:33)
