SPOILERS AHEAD

The ashes are still settling from the death of the Stranger Things hype following the colossal disappointment of an ending. And yet, the series will live on and continue to grow in fandom (especially as its spinoffs are released). Yeah, the ending was bad, but overall, the show excels in its storytelling and unique characters. It is rich with themes and messaging, so in this blog, we will focus on just a few prominent messages that run through the entire series. This is not going to be a ROAR for your young ones, mama bears. This one’s for your teens and up. (But only for families who choose to watch. Viewer discretion is very much advised; the show features a lot of cursing, a lot of gore, and some arguably occult material.)

SYNOPSISIn the small town of Hawkins, a 12-year-old boy named Will goes missing. Turns out, the boy was kidnapped by monsters into a scary alternate dimension dubbed the Upside Down. Joyce, Will’s mom, realizes her son is trying to contact her through flickering lights. She paints the alphabet on her wall and hangs up lights for Will to communicate with her. Meanwhile, Will’s best friends, a geeky group of junior highers, set out to find and rescue him with the help of an odd “superhero” girl they found in the woods named Eleven. Eleven had escaped from a science lab where she was raised as part of a secret government-sanctioned program. They aimed to develop superspies who could snoop on the Russians by means of remote viewing (i.e., traveling via the mind to see and hear specific targets) and psychokinesis (moving objects with the mind). These reckless experiments opened a portal to a dimension with a malevolent entity that seeks to take over Earth and destroy humanity. This entity, which the kids call “The Mind Flayer” (after a Dungeons & Dragons creature), creates psychic connections with its victims. The Mind Flayer exploits its victims’ vulnerabilities to strengthen its connection. It prefers youth for their naivety and malleable minds, and it especially thrives on shame and trauma. As the story unfolds, an unlikely team of misfits works together to save Will, Hawkins, and ultimately the whole world. (You know, sometimes I wonder if we’re living in the Upside Down… but I digress.) Let’s ROAR!

RECOGNIZE the MessageThese are the main messages – good or bad – that viewers can take away from the series. What messages run throughout the series that fans might be unconsciously influenced by?

It’s not occult if it’s scienceJoyce Byers, Will’s mom, paints what is essentially an Ouija board on her wall. But it’s “okay” because she’s not trying to contact spirits. She’s just talking to her son in another dimension. You know, normal stuff. The remote viewing, telepathy, psychokinesis etc., also isn’t “occult,” because it’s scientists conducting the experiments. The message some teens might absorb from this is that phenomena such as psychic powers, astral projection, dark alternate dimensions, and spirit possession are not occult (and therefore not forbidden by God) if we can come up with a scientific explanation for them.

Your “weird” is your superpower Feel like a freak? Maybe the thing that makes you weird or different is the very thing that will save everyone. In season one, nerdiness gets the kids bullied, but it also solves the mystery and helps rescue Will. In season two, Will is tormented by his psychic connection to the Mind Flayer, and yet that connection allows Will to spy on it and save someone’s life. In the final season, that connection actually gives him superpowers. Throughout the show, Eleven’s powers make her “a weirdo” and most unlike her friends, and they also make her the ultimate hero.

Your “family” is your ride-or-die. We’re not just talking about your blood relatives. Your “chosen” family counts, too! Pretty much every main character in Stranger Things demonstrates their willingness to face mortal danger for one another. Eddie Munson, an iconic character from Season 4, started out as a coward. But inspired by the courage of his new friends, he bravely gives his life for them. Family and friendship call for unwavering loyalty even unto death.

OFFER DISCERNMENT:Almost every media has things that we agree with and things we don’t. Let’s start by pointing out some of the true and biblically aligned ideas that we can affirm:

TRUTH: Sacrificial love is nobleGreater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” John 15:13. This is one of the show’s greatest strengths. Whether it’s love between a parent and child, a brother and sister, a romantic relationship, or between friends, the characters consistently treat one another’s lives as more valuable than their own. We love that the characters show a sacrificial level of love!

TRUTH: Your “weird” can be used by GodThere are so many ways in which a person can feel different from everyone else. It could be a personality quirk, the way your mind works, a disability, a dark past, or a million other possibilities! In the show, several characters had an unwanted part of themselves that they tried to fight or hide. And each one was able to fulfill their purpose only after facing and embracing “all of themselves.” We can affirm that fighting or hiding certain parts of yourself can leave you feeling fake and fractured, affecting your confidence, relationships, and ambitions. We also agree that God gave us all a special kind of weird for a reason! As long as this “weird” trait isn’t a proclivity toward some kind of sin, you should look for how the Lord might use it for His purposes.

TRUTH: Science can look like the supernatural when you don’t understand itThink about it. If we took some of our modern technology back in time in a time machine, people would probably assume it was magic. Just because something feels or seems supernatural doesn’t mean it necessarily is. It might actually have a perfectly natural explanation. That being said, just because someone can come up with a sciency-sounding explanation of the phenomenon does not mean you’ve been given the green light to explore it…

Which brings us to the lies:LIE: As long as it’s called “science,” you’re free to experimentStranger Things is science fiction, so it attempts to rationalize all the supernatural stuff with sciency explanations. But caution is warranted because this happens in the real world, too. For example, there is increasing interest in experimentation with psychedelic drugs to shift consciousness and have mystical experiences in order to heal mental illnesses. (Mama bears, the ends don’t justify the means. Using drugs to seek “mystical experiences” is occultic.) Or how about Project Stargate, a 1970’s Government program experimenting with the potential use of psychic abilities such as remote viewing, telepathy, and psychokinesis in intelligence operations? All of this was just as occult, no matter what pseudo-scientific label you slapped on it.

LIE: Everybody should accept every part of you (or they aren’t a real friend)First, not everybody needs to know everything about you. Some things need to be shared only with trusted, Godly friends/family. That’s not the same thing as hiding parts of yourself or being fake. Second, you shouldn’t hang yourself up on whether or not someone else accepts you. That’s, at the very least, flirting with co-dependency.

LIE: You will be free when you love ALL of yourself. This is the false gospel of self-helpism. In Stranger Things, the kids are all trying to figure out who they are, and it is incredibly relatable. (Isn’t that what everyone’s teen years were about?) But the lie is that once they embrace every part of themselves, including the sinful parts (i.e., sexual sin), then they will feel “free.” Some even might unlock the power of their full potential. In season 5, this manifests as Will literally gaining superpowers once he accepts his homosexual identity. The truth? Think about it this way: Can the problem also be its own solution? (Hint: No.) If we are having sin and identity problems, we can’t help ourselves. We need help from our Maker.

And one more for good measure…

LIE: The lights are talking to you. Ok, I can’t actually promise that no one’s trying to talk to you through the lights. But I CAN promise you that it’s no one you want to talk to…

ARGUE for a Healthier ApproachBy far, the best part of Stranger Things is the love between the characters, demonstrated by their constant willingness to risk their lives for one another. This kind of courage resonates powerfully within the audience. Why? Because it reflects a truth about reality: courage and laying one’s life down for another are objectively virtuous. Humans, whether Christian or not, recognize that these are honorable acts. Yet, these acts can only truly be “good” if there is a standard of goodness embedded in reality. And a standard of goodness outside of humans can only be real if there is a Being that transcends humanity who arbitrates that standard. If Christianity weren’t true, and no God existed, then any sense of goodness or virtue would merely be a subjective feeling, a survival mechanism without any real meaning. But self-sacrifice, as seen in the show, is incredibly meaningful and good, implying the necessity of God.

Consequently, acknowledging the reality of God through a biblical worldview would resolve many of the problems that the “lies” in Stranger Things create. The more confidence we have in the Lord, the less we need to feel accepted by every person in our lives. As believers, we get to anchor our security and self-worth in Him, who is unchanging and loves us unconditionally. We also trust His unique design for men and for women, and the identity that He has gifted to us. We don’t have to seek the “answers” to all of our problems by looking inward and striving to fix ourselves. And we don’t have to mess with dangerous experiments to try to unlock the mysteries of the universe to access psychic abilities. Why? We simply don’t need to seek that kind of power when we rely on the One who is literally ALL-powerful.

REINFORCE Through Discussion, Discipleship, and Prayer1. The story of Stranger Things was inspired by a conspiracy theory called “The Montauk Project.” Research the “project” with your teens, and then watch this documentary where the host investigates these claims and demonstrates excellent critical thinking. 2. Discuss with your kids what it actually means to “live authentically.” Does that mean that you should embrace every feeling you ever have and live accordingly? Does it really mean you’re being a “fake” person if you use self-control and boundaries? 3. Talk to your kids about using wisdom when it comes to what kind of content we immerse ourselves in. Everyone has different levels of sensitivities and no fictional TV show is worth watching if the dark images tend to stick in your mind and prevent you from keeping your mind on holy things in your daily life. Together, read Philippians 4:8 and the surrounding context. 4. Pray for and with your kids for courage from the Holy Spirit. Pray for the perseverance to seek and stand on the truth, no matter how the world looks at us. May all believers be filled with such love that we would go to any length, even death itself, to protect one another.

Alexa CramerAlexa is a homeschool mom of two. She became obsessed with apologetics after a season of doubt that nearly stole her faith. Alexa has a background in film and video and will willingly fight anyone who doesn’t agree that Jesus Freak is the best Christian song that ever graced the earth.

The post ROAR’ing Through Stranger Things appeared first on Mama Bear Apologetics.