B = Batman Begins

Batman Begins
Directed by: Christopher Nolan
Starring: Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Gary Oldman, Liam Neeson, Katie Holmes, Tom Wilkinson, Ken Watanabe, Cillian Murphy, and Morgan Freeman
Rated PG-13 for Intense Action Violence, Disturbing Images and Some Thematic Elements

WARNING!!! Spoiler Alert... If you have not seen this film, I suggest you watch the movie before reading this blog. Otherwise, Enjoy!

Batman Begins is the well-known story of the billionaire playboy, Bruce Wayne (Bale). A man who had inherited his father's company, mansion, and billions of dollars after his parents were shot down by a mugger in a dark alley when he was just a young boy. Angered by crime, he locks himself in prisons so that he may fight criminals off one by one- or six by six- until he is discovered by Ra's Al Ghul (Played by Liam Neeson), a man greatly feared by the criminal underworld. Ra's Al Ghul teaches Bruce that he must embrace his fears so that he may become the criminals' greatest fear; The Batman.
If you know me, you know that I absolutely love superheroes. I used to think that they were the greatest way of escaping reality and entering a new world of endless possibilities. But after watching Batman Begins and truly studying it, trying to discover any hidden messages, I now realize that superheroes and superhero movies can be very inspirational. They can teach us how to battle Satan and how to become fully-devoted followers of Christ.
There are so many incredible quotes in this movie, and I am going to break down Six of my favorite.

Quote Number One:"As a man I am flesh and blood. I can be ignored, I can be destroyed. But as a symbol I can be incorruptible. I can be everlasting."-Bruce Wayne
This quote is outstanding. If we dedicate ourselves to God, and if we swear to represent and serve Him, if we swear to be a symbol of God, then nothing can stop us.

Quote Number Two: "Training is nothing. Will is everything... The will to act." -R'as Al Ghul
We cannot accept God into our lives and just expect to be rewarded and protected. We have to take up the responsibilities of a Christian. We have to reach out to non-believers, we have to shine God's light, we have to be completely dedicated to him by growing in his Word and obeying his every command.

Quote Number Three:"You haven't beaten me. You've sacrificed your footing for a killing stroke."-R'as Al Ghul
So, we have accepted Christ. We have begun to live our lives for Him. Now part of becoming a follower of Christ is being attacked by the Devil. And how do we fight back? God. Nothing else. Read your Bible, study it, worship God, pray to him daily, and you will find the strength to conquer the enemy. But we cannot simply dance upon our victory and take our focus off God. Because the Devil is still there, and as soon as you let your guard down, he will strike harder than ever.

Quote Number Four: "What chance does Gotham have if the good people do nothing?"-Rachel Dawes
How will the world survive if all of the Christians are too focused on themselves? When we fail to act, we are not only disobeying God's orders, but we are letting all of the non-believers simply go to Hell. What right do we have to sit around and do nothing? And a lot of you are probably nodding your head as you read this thinking that you already knew this, and that you have a ton of non-christian friends. Well, let me ask you this question; If you were to ask them to describe you in just a few words would they say "Man/Woman of God"?

Quote Number Five: "It's not who I am underneath. It's what I do that defines me." -Batman
I feel so convicted every time I hear this quote. We can't just accept Christ, love Him and act in the ways of the world. Because if you are doing that, then you are NOT a follower of God. There's two different ways to love God. There's Respect... And there's Fear. Your love of God cannot be supported by respect. But fear... Fear is something so much more powerful. To fear God is to be humble. To be humble is to be like God. To be like God is to be a Follower of God. So stop being a hypocrite! Stop saying your a Christian and acting like a non-christian. When we do this we are destroying and tarnishing the image of God. We are spitting in his face.


Quote Number Six: Lieutenant Gordon had just received help from Batman to enforce Gotham. He looks at Batman as the Dark Knight begins to walk away and says, "I never thanked you."
Batman turns and replies, "And you'll never have to."
What a great attitude. This is the type of person we need to strive to be like. We deserve no thanks for bringing people to church so that they may find God. It is our job. The way that Batman words this is also very interesting. Instead of saying, "You don't have to." he says, "You'll never have to.". This implies that Batman is planning on helping Lieutenant Gordon in the future. When we bring someone to the Lord, we can't just assume that they will live happily ever after. Satan will strike again, and we need to be there by their side to help them.

There's one quick scene that I wanted to talk about and it is when Batman is cornered by the police and trapped in a building. He clicks a remote and we hear a high pitched noise. Suddenly thousands of bats swarm in from all over the place providing Batman cover and protection. Batman refers to the bats as "Back-up". What symbol does Batman choose to represent? A Bat. We represent God. Remember, we can go to Him whenever we need Him. He is our Back-up against the enemy.

The Bat Signal
Perhaps one of Batman's most important weapons. Batman uses it to show the people and criminals of Gotham that he's out there and that he's watching over all of them. We need to let our lights shine bright. We all need to have our own Bat Signal. Let all of the people in your life know that you love the Lord and that you are carrying his Light.

Batman Begins is a phenomenal movie that has inspired me to try and become the best example of God that I can be. And I hope that after reading this post, it has done the same for you. God calls us to be His servants. His followers. His disciples. His superheroes.

"I'll be standing where I belong. Between you and the people of Gotham."