Monster-copalypse

They are everywhere, and they are after you. Well, your attention and money that is. Even if you're not a fan, you've probably heard of it. Twilight, The Walking Dead, True Blood, Vampire Diaries, heck if you're a Lady Gaga fan you're one—folks, I welcome you to the era of monsters.

In relation to Christianity, monsters have played a pivotal role in revealing things about knowing humanity and knowing God. For instance, vampires (i.e. Twilight, True Blood, and Vampire Diaries) are the illustration of the idea behind human form seeking redemption, a life free from the binds of Earth. This redemptive ethos is actually a key concept in Christian tradition; humans look towards Jesus as the one who has triumphed over death and the saviour who will redeem humanity. As for zombies, these grotesque figures point to the limits of our knowledge and our lack of unknowability of this world and God. Furthermore, they serve to be a reminder of how precious our lives are, how special each moment is because it could be our last. Monsters in general, along with offering us a way to cope with the sociophobics of death, allow us to accept the good things about ourselves.  

The fascination with monsters is not a recent phenomenon; rather, it has existed for centuries and scholars have been studying them for quite a long time. (On a side note, it's given producers quite a substantial amount of money!) It is worth noting that the existence of monsters is not teaching us how to be human; they are teaching us how to be better people in a different way. Let us take The Walking Dead for example. This recent popularized TV show addresses how people are affected by drastic situations and how humans live in dire circumstances. The world has not changed, but it has become exaggerated where the evil still plunders and the wear are left behind. If it were not for monsters, moments of grace cannot occur for without death, there cannot be living. It is through the anticipation of death where we confront our biggest fear and survive to live a life where we can be better people; it is in death were we are the most in life.