The Lion King and
Christianity
The Baptism
The first scene that we will take a look at in comparison to the bible, is baptism of Simba. The ritual is preformed by Rafiki and he portrays the image of a priest or can be compared to John the Baptist. He takes a young Simba, who is son of the King, and shows him off to the rest of the land. All of the animals bow to welcome Simba and show their respect. This can be compared to how people would act at a Christian baptism as well.
The Elephant Graveyard
In one scene, we watch Mufasa explain the layout of the land to Simba. He explains that the Elephant Graveyard is the dark, shadow-covered land that Simba must never visit. This scene depicts the temptation of the forbidden fruit in the story of the Garden of Eden. Although Simba is told not to be there, he visits anyways after being pushed by Scar. Mufasa rescues Simba and forgives him, even though Simba disobeyed him. This shows that God does forgive us of our sins.
Sacrificial Love
Mufasa's death is often compared to as an representation of sacrificial love. He risked his own life, with the help of Scar, to save Simba from the stampede. Mufasa risked and lost his own life to save the life of Simba, someone he loved and cared for. This can be compared to the way in which Jesus died for his people so that they could carry on and live a better life.
The Stars
In one particular scene, Mufasa begins to teach Simba a lesson after he disobeyed him by entering the Elephant Graveyard. After, Simba asks his father if he will always be with him, and Mufasa replies by telling Simba that if he looks at the stars, all the great Kings of the past look down on him and guide him. He also insinuates that he will also look down on him from there someday as well. This can be compared to how Christians believe that once someone good passes they are ascended into heaven.
Mufasa in the Sky
In this scene, Rafiki takes Simba to the watering hole to show him his father. Simba insists that all he is seeing is his own reflection, but Rafiki tells him to look again. Rafiki tells Simba "he lives in you", and then Mufasa appears in the sky and tells Simba that he is more than what he has become. This reflects Christianity as Christians often believe that God lives within them and that they can speak to and connect with him if they try hard enough.