So Strange: This Film Critic Denounces The Doctor Strange Movie For Being Anti-Religious

For all we know, Doctor Strange follows the story of a neurosurgeon Dr. Stephen Strange. A terrible automobile mishap leaves him nothing like his former self. From here, his journey of healing takes an unprecedented turn as he enters a realm of mystic arts filled with myriad secrets and dimensions unknown to the common man.

But according to Ted Baehr, noted critic, educator, lecturer, and media pundit - Doctor strange is a well crafted, but propagandistic and abhorrent promotion of extreme occult Hinduism. It is a dangerous introduction to demonic occult deception for the kids. The Bible clearly warns against the kind of occult practices and sorcery the hero in this movie learns to do, in Deuteronomy 18:9-12 and Galatians 5:20. Also in the movie, the hero's New Age, occult guru teaches there may be no afterlife, that death is truly the end, and that this is a good thing.

It is the last line that seems to irk the ardent religious reviewer. He writes, "The good news, however, is that death isn’t the end and you don’t have to kill to triumph. Jesus says in John 10:10 that “the thief comes to kill, steal and destroy” but that Jesus came to set us free and give us “abundant life.” Thus, God loves us so much that he teaches us to love one another and gives us the free gift of eternal salvation."

I bring up this review not to make fun of it but because it caught my attention to see how films are analyzed, reviewed and rated on various scales. Ted Baehr believes worldviews presented in movies should be positive and they should encourage the teachings of the Bible and so he rates a movie on a scale that fulfills biblical values like truth, love, compassion, sacrifice, justice, and forgiveness.

It would be absolutely educational if he could review the serious works of directors like Tarkovsky, Kieslowski, Malick and not to miss out Robert Bresson.

One review by a fellow Christian, Martin Saunders from Christian Today called Scott Erickson's Doctor Strange 'The Most Theological Marvel Movie So Far.' From the scientific spectrum, Astrophysicist Adam Frank of University of Rochester, who had a chance to attend the IMAX preview screening described the movie to be "Mind-blowingly good."

Cinema being visual and all holds the power to influence people and letting kids watch unfiltered and poorly selected movies can be pernicious. But in all seriousness, it's inane to say watching the new Marvel Superhero movie will introduce kids to black magic and occult. By this point, that particular demographic must have made acquaintance with almost all forms of immorality via the internet; just kidding.

Mildly antediluvian, Ted Baehr runs the MovieGuide. It was amusing to read his review on Lars von Trier's Antichrist. You should check it out.