Spoilers for GOTG 3 below:
Okay, so when Rocket was dying and he saw Lylla in the entrance to the afterlife, it got really weird for a second when Lylla referenced "The hands that guide the hands that create us". Now, the hands that created Rocket and Lylla are the hands of the High Evolutionary, and Lylla is telling Rocket to embrace an identity beyond him. That makes sense. But whose hands guide the Evolutionary's? God's?? That seems to be the implication, that somehow an otter is a christian. And I say christian instead of religious, because she is clearly referencing the idea of a grand plan that is not present in polytheistic religions, she's talking about god's plan. Or dare I say, she is asking Rocket to be part of "the greatest story ever told"
But it was just one odd sentence, so I let myself doubt this was intentional. Maybe the writers put that in there without thinking of the agenda-ness of it because it was just the terms in which they saw the world. Maybe it was an accident, an oversight.
So anyway, 10 minutes later the High Evolutionary says "I'm an atheist", and every one of his minions in the room points their guns at him. Animal abuse? No big deal. Eugenics? Been there done that. Destroying a planet full of sentient life? Who cares? You're an atheist!? HOW DARE YOU
But okay, maybe that's not what they really meant in the scene. I'm joking with my friends, "Jesus is gonna show up at the end of the movie", and I don't mean it, this is probably where it'll end
So anyway, then Chris Pratt dies in space and "ADAM" Warlock shows up, the camera does an obvious reference to The Creation of Adam, and Warlock saves Cris, allowing him to be raised from the dead. Bruh. Jesus actually showed up at the end of the movie
The movie does a great job in showing the High Evolutionary as a monster with great power. If you map him as the Christian God, then the movie made God the villain.
The movie plays with a lot of Christian tropes, but it doesn't feel like propaganda because it isn't saving good things about Christianity.
I agree. The way I see it, the movie is more focused on having their characters accepting their pasts, embracing the family they have made, and charting their futures based on their desires. Yes it plays with tropes but in no way is it Christian propaganda. If it were Christian propaganda, then Rocket would've never turned away from the High Evolutionary. Adam even goes through his own change from being the Warlock of the Sovereign to being a Guardian. It's a wonderful story I believe and a great send off for this iteration of the team.