Commentaries: Star Wars Spirituality: Part 2 - Christianity Today Movies

Tom over at Disputations had this post about the spirituality of the Star Wars films. In particular, he describes part one of this review as "over the top":

The spiritual insights of George Lucas can be expressed in one brief sentence:

Light sabers are cool!


Of course, Kathy Shaidel at Relapsed Catholic finds even more:

"At Mars Hill, [the apostle] Paul quoted pagan poets and used the cultural icons of Greek culture to build a bridge to Christian truth. I came to faith in the '60s in San Francisco. Since that time, I've been trying to understand faith and culture and interpret each to the other. In preparation for this book, I reread each Star Wars script as well as a number of Star Wars resource books. I think correlation of faith with a popular cultural icon requires appreciating and respecting both. Because Star Wars is the prevailing epic filmic myth of our era, and Christianity is the prevailing faith tradition in the West, I think relating them to each other can help us understand both more fully."

With the juggernaught of boom/genX space opera fast approaching, such spiritual interpretations were bound to pop up. I've blogged about others responses to the reality of Lucus' spiritual vision here. Having said that, however, I think one can make a case for Star Wars as a metaphor of the Faith. What I mean is that the film offers an opportunity, for those Fools willing daring enough, to evangelize to those "Spiritual, not Religious" reasonable people by communicating the Faith to them through a work in their metaphysical language.

Consider Star Wars: Episode 3, The Revenge of the Sith. We all know what's coming by now. Darth Vader rises. Now, even with throwaway lines like "only the Sith believe in absolutes" aside, what appears to be the theme of the film? Not having seen it, but from what I've read and seen in trailers, I'd say it's the consequence of allowing one to commit to Evil in the mistaken hope that this will lead to some good. Anakin Skywalker falls because he's willing to do the wrong things to save his love. He abandons what he himself describes in "Attack of the Clones" as a way of "compassion" in order to avoid another devastating loss.

Do you think the Gospel might have anything to say to any of us faced with a similar decision? Yeah, I thought you might.

Here's where a Fool's evangelical in may lie: We can find the cross that the jedi bare. We can point out how Anakin fell when he denied that cross. That could lead to a whole discussion of the nature of following the Way.

The spirituality of Star Wars has it's flaws. So did Greek mythology. God has proven that he can write straight with crooked lines. As his disciples, perhaps we can take the opportunity to let Him use us as his pen. The "Spiritual, not Religious" people desperately need the Gospel. Would admiring the coolness of light sabers be such a high price to pay in order to present the Gospel to them?

Of course, there's the westernized and recyled Eastern Mysticism that could keep getting in the way...