THE

UPSIDE

DOWN

"It is a place of decay and death. A plane out of phase. A place of monsters. It's right next to you and you don't even see it"

-DUSTIN

ESCAPING THE GRASP OF SIN

To break out of the Upside Down, Will relies on the help of his friends and family; those who love and care about him. "The word 'religion' at its Latin root means what binds together. Stranger Things dwells on the important bonds of romance, family, and friendship and celebrates old-fashioned virtues: bravery, prudence, honesty, forgiveness, loyalty, and love." (Sheppard) With the help of our loved ones, we can conquer sin and live our most happy, free lives. Although it is an impossible task to rid the world of sin entirely, you can disempower its influence on your life, just like Will does not destroy the Upside Down, but diminishes its effects on his life. (Khan)

Escaping the grasp of sin also comes through the sacrifice of Jesus; "his sacrifice represents the means of redemption of the human nature from the slavery of sin" (Marin) Will also escapes the Upside Down through many examples of sacrifice: Eleven, Joyce, and Hopper.

Sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death

JAMES 1:15

THE CHRISTIAN UNDERSTANDING OF OUR WORLD

On one level, our world is seen as beautiful because it’s God’s creation; but on another, it’s terrifying because of its fallen state brought about by sin. (Walker) The nostalgic setting of the 1980s is what Christians would see as His wonderful creation, and the Upside down represents what Christians would see as the affects of sin on the world. The philosopher David Bentley Hart explains it this way: “The Christian should see two realities at once, one world within another: one the world as we all know it, in all its beauty and terror, grandeur and dreariness, delight and anguish: and the other world in its first and ultimate truth, not simply ‘nature’ but ‘creation,’ an endless sea of glory radiant with the beauty of God in every part, innocent of all violence.” (qtd. in Relevant Magazine)

“If it existed I think we’d know. It would disrupt gravity, magnetic fields, our environment. Heck, it might even swallow us up whole. Science is neat but I’m afraid it’s not very forgiving” -Mr. Clarke

THE EFFECTS OF SIN

The quote by Mr. Clarke, the school's science teacher explains the effects a gate to the Upside Down would have on the environment. He says it would completely disrupt the healthy balance of things. If the Upside Down represents sin, then these negative effects would be had on a person who lives in sin. As the Upside Down causes compasses to not show true north, sin affects one's moral compass and ability to know what is right. (The Hidden Symbolism of Stranger Things) “No one, accordingly, is bad because he cannot be good: everyone, from Satan to Christ, was “created” equally, with exactly the same capacity for good or evil. The sole factor distinguishing all these rational beings one from another is their own individual exercise of will.” (Fredrikson) Although it is difficult to see what is truly right from wrong, the choice to decide is ultimately up to each person, their own free-will, just like the boys still find the gateway despite the fact that their compasses don't work properly.

"...Nearly nobody knows about [the gateway]. The existence of this gateway is hidden from the public, yet affects it in several ways." (The Hidden Symbolism of Stranger Things) Sin can have an effect on people without them even realizing it. Although people who are not Christian may not realize the things they are doing are sinful, Christians believe that it can chip away at their joy and negatively impact their lives.

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