Religious Themes

Religious Themes Within The Lion King

Sacrificial Love

One of the most prominent themes in The Lion King is sacrificial love. In two separate incidents, Mufasa is forced into a situation where he must put himself in the face of danger in order to protect his son, Simba, from Scar.

In the first incident, Scar tricks Simba into entering a elephant graveyard. Simba is accompanied by his friend Nala and the two come face to face with a pack of hyenas that were sent by Scar. Just as it appeared to be no chance of survival for the two lions, Mufasa shows up to rescue them from the vicious pack of bloodthirsty hyenas.

In the second incident, Simba once again falls victim to Scar’s manipulation tactics. Scar convinces Simba to wait for a surprise in an open canyon, where Simba is vulnerable to an attack. Scar enlists the hyenas to once again serve as his henchmen. They chase a herd a wildebeest into the open canyon in the hopes of trampling Simba to death as a result of the stampede. Once again, Simba narrowly escapes with the help of his father. However, Mufasa is not as lucky this time. He tries climbing up a steep hillside where he just about reaches the top. However, he is pushed back down the hillside at the ends of his brother, Scar, where he falls into the stampede to his death.

Mufasa committed the ultimate act of sacrificial love. He laid down his own life in order to protect his son. The theme of sacrifical love in the Lion King is comparable to the theme of sacrifical love as seen in Christianity. Jesus Christ sacrificed his own life in order to save humanity from their own sins.

"This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth." - John 3:16-18

Death and Resurrection

A second theme within The Lion King is death and resurrection. The main death within this film is the death of Mufasa. Once Simba discovers his father beneath a broken tree, deceased he instantly feels the great loss. As he mourns this loss, Scar appears and once again to begin manipulating Simba. Scar blames him for what had just happened. Simba, thinking he had started the stampede that killed his father, follows Scars instruction to run away and never return.

When alone one night, Simba looks at the sky and says, “You said you would always be there for me, but you’re not.” He then hears singing coming from a tree behind him and sees Rafiki in the branches. Rafiki reveals that he knows Simba is Mufasa’s son. The baboon says, "I know your father,” to which Simba replies that he has died. Rafiki laughs, saying that Mufasa is alive, and leads Simba to a reflecting pool. Rafiki instructs Simba to look into it. Seeing only his reflection at first, Simba continues looking until he sees an image of Mufasa. Rafiki tells Simba that Mufasa lives within him. The a large storm cloud appears overhead and Mufasa appears in the clouds. He informs Simba that he has forgotten who he is and that he must take his rightful place as the true king of Pride Rock. Simba begs his father to stay but the apparition disappears, reiterating that Simba must remember who he is.

Like in The Lion King, death and resurrection is a prominent theme throughout Christianity. Christians believe believe in life after death, in heaven. Once you die on earth, you go to heaven where there is no pain or suffering, only love and eternal life. This can be seen throughout the film when Mufasa reappears after his death to offer advice to his son, Simba.

"Do you not know that you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?" - Corinthians 3:16

I found this table while completing my research, and I thought it did an excellent job at presenting the many parallels between The Lion King and Christianity.