I saw the Life of Pi last night, if you haven't seen it then you might not want to read this until you have. I would prefer that so you could tell me if you came to a similar conclusion. I would recommend the movie because it was very thought provoking and well done. I saw it in 3d but I didn't think that added much. I find 3d a little disorienting.
Near the end of the movie you are given the choice of two stories. Both can't be true. The one is evil and dark, the other is one of triumph and beauty. The outcome is the same either way, so the conclusion seems to be go with the better story. To me that is ignoring the truth and believing in fantasy.
Early in the movie Pi is seen as a person who readily accepts any religion that is presented to him. There are those that believe that there are many paths to God. Pi's father gave what I would consider good advice when he told him you can't accept them all, you have to choose one.
I would go a little farther and say you should examine and follow a true path. There are many paths, I will agree, but they don't always lead to where you want to go. Some just wander around and you end up where you started. Some lead to a dead end. Others just go on and on and you never come to an end. I have chosen Jesus as my path. I don't always stay on the path, often I find myself lost in the brush, because I take my eyes off of the path. I see something interesting or think I have a shortcut and wander off. I have to be diligent because many have gone on this path ahead of me and many have wandered off and left convincing trails that look like the real one.
Jesus said that He was the way to the Father, and that no one can get there apart from him. If there are many paths to God then Jesus is either a liar or mistaken. In either case you can't believe anything else He teaches if He is wrong about this. So if there are many paths, Christianity is not one. However if he is correct then there is only one.
Back to Pi, he seems to have accepted the fantasy story because it shows God's glory and provision. It is a better story, but it is not what is true. The harder story also speaks of God's provision, but it also shows that evil is present and effects us. If the hard story had been portrayed and the "better" one narrated no one would believe the "better" one.
You can follow any path you want, God has given you that choice. There are many paths and many seem right and good, but if Jesus is correct there is only one that will get you to God. Following fantasy because it is more pleasant is just foolishness. I liked Pi, but he is fiction, and the movie is not real, I believe God IS.
