Since its movie debut in 1977, it has had quite a following. There have been six movies, animated specials, books, video games and more. Star Wars presents a theology all its own. This article will examine the theology of Star Wars. This is not an exhaustive examination, but a brief glimpse.
God
The controlling influence in the galaxy of Star Wars is the force. The force makes up everything in the galaxy. There are two sides of the force. The light side is the Jedi, and the dark side is the sith. The two sides are locked in a never ending struggle.
Knowledge
Knowledge of the galaxy is through the force. While the force makes up all of the universe, some people have more of the force than others. The numbers of biological creatures, known as mediclorians, determine your knowledge of the force. Common people have no sense of the force. Only a few of the population are Jedi or Sith.
Anthropology
Humans in Star Wars are not the same as humans on earth. All humans of Star Wars are connected to the force, but some more than others.
Ethics
You would think that the light side is moral ethical and benevolent. The Jedi tend to be very pragmatic. They can be cruel. They have lied, covered things up, and manipulated. The dark side is sometimes more open and honest. Good does not necessarily overcome evil. Neither side can truly win the war. The only hope is to bring the chosen one who can balance the force.
Afterlife
At death, a Jedi goes to the netherworld. They have the ability to advise the living. It seems that those on the dark side who have died can also cross over and advise the living.
Bottom Line
George Lucas said he derived the Jedi religion form several faiths. There are similarities to pantheism, dualism, Ne Age and Buddhism. Lucas said of Annikim Skywalker, "Hmm, a mother but no father. Where did I get that from?" In Star Wars, good and evil are simply two sides of a coin. While the light side is favorable, the dark side is not totally condemned. There is no final defeat of evil. Peace can only be achieved when the force is balanced.
Work Ethic
In the past, we were defined by the New England work ethic. People believed that they should work hard and diligently. It was seen as a calling form God. It stemmed from New England's strong church-going roots. Work was fulfilling that calling.
Looking back many Christians feel that while the work ethic was good for productivity, it gave a false sense of security. People trusted in their works. They saw their hard work as righteousness. They believed they trusted in their good work for salvation. They believed that they could pick themselves up from their bootstraps, instead of believing on the free gift of God. (Ephesians 2:8-9)
In recent years, we have seen the work ethic all but disappear from New England. Many people don't work had but do the bare minimum. Many choose not to work at all but rely on government programs. We have seen an increased laziness.
Many believe work is punishment because of the fall.This is not Biblical. Genesis 2:15 says that Adam was to dress and keep the garden. Work was not laborious toil. That came after the fall. 2 Thessalonians 3:10 says that if anyone refuses to work, they should not eat. Is work a Biblical calling? I believe it is. We spend so much time working, we should use it to glorify God.
Does the work ethic give a false impression that you can work for your salvation? Yes, it could. There has been an over reliance on work. Does that mean that the work ethic should be disbanded? The Bible condemns laziness. Both the unbelieving hard worker and the unbelieving sluggard are lost. We in our society don't like hard work. many who are hard workers are labelled workaholics. People who work hard should be celebrated.
People often view a call as a call to ministry. All Christians are called to ministry. The mission field is where ever you happen to be. We should not work to be saved, but we should work. Idleness is the devil's workshop. It is harder to fall into sin if you're busy.
It is important for God's people to work hard. We are to provide for our family. Our work is a high calling. We should do it to the best of our ability. So what are we waiting for? Let's get to work.
Looking back many Christians feel that while the work ethic was good for productivity, it gave a false sense of security. People trusted in their works. They saw their hard work as righteousness. They believed they trusted in their good work for salvation. They believed that they could pick themselves up from their bootstraps, instead of believing on the free gift of God. (Ephesians 2:8-9)
In recent years, we have seen the work ethic all but disappear from New England. Many people don't work had but do the bare minimum. Many choose not to work at all but rely on government programs. We have seen an increased laziness.
Many believe work is punishment because of the fall.This is not Biblical. Genesis 2:15 says that Adam was to dress and keep the garden. Work was not laborious toil. That came after the fall. 2 Thessalonians 3:10 says that if anyone refuses to work, they should not eat. Is work a Biblical calling? I believe it is. We spend so much time working, we should use it to glorify God.
Does the work ethic give a false impression that you can work for your salvation? Yes, it could. There has been an over reliance on work. Does that mean that the work ethic should be disbanded? The Bible condemns laziness. Both the unbelieving hard worker and the unbelieving sluggard are lost. We in our society don't like hard work. many who are hard workers are labelled workaholics. People who work hard should be celebrated.
People often view a call as a call to ministry. All Christians are called to ministry. The mission field is where ever you happen to be. We should not work to be saved, but we should work. Idleness is the devil's workshop. It is harder to fall into sin if you're busy.
It is important for God's people to work hard. We are to provide for our family. Our work is a high calling. We should do it to the best of our ability. So what are we waiting for? Let's get to work.
The Jesus You Can't Ignore, A Review
The Jesus You Can't Ignore; John MacArthur
Although John MacArthur is known for his graciousness and compassion, he is uncompromising towards false doctrine. He has come under criticism towards his no-nonsense attitude towards false doctrine. We live in a day when Christians are expected to love and accept everyone. We are told to have dialog with people we disagree with. We should never be argumentative. While we are commanded not to be mean spirited, we are not to blindly accept incorrect teaching just to get along.
The Jesus You Can't Ignore is a chronicle of the confrontations of Christ. While Christ was meek and gentle, he had no time for the pharisees. The pharisees were hindering Christ's ministry and keeping people form avoiding hell. Jesus would not give any credence to them. He openly opposed their teachings. He never engaged them with dialog.
In the book, MacArthur answers the issue that we are not Christ. We do not have his motives. We do not always handle things correctly. How can we be involved in correcting error? MacArthur points out that Christians are called to question error. Paul told Timothy to charge his elders to teach no other doctrine. (1 Timothy 1:3) Paul challenged the Galatians church because they had abandoned the true party for another false gospel. (Galatians 1:6)
Another objection is: What about Matthew 7:1? Which says, "Judge not, lest ye be judged." We are not to hypocritically judge. We are not to judge someone for doing the same sin that we commit. If we see blatant false doctrine, we should deal with it. Teaching such as Jesus is not God is a damnable heresy. (2 Peter 2:1) These heresies threaten the church. They must be challenged.
What about the command to let the wheat and the tares grow together. Since we can't know who is saved and who is not, why should we be fruit inspecting? While that is true, if we see clear violations of scripture, we should act. We are told to watch out for false teachers. (Acts 20:29)
I believe that this is an important book. It depicts who Christ is. Christ is loving, humble and gentle. He is also strong and forceful. He is the lion and the lamb. The man who healed the sick also purged the temple. He did not tolerate any type of false doctrine. Christians must contend for the truth. I strongly recommend this book. I like The Gospel According to Jesus by MacArthur a little better. This is definitely one of his best.
Although John MacArthur is known for his graciousness and compassion, he is uncompromising towards false doctrine. He has come under criticism towards his no-nonsense attitude towards false doctrine. We live in a day when Christians are expected to love and accept everyone. We are told to have dialog with people we disagree with. We should never be argumentative. While we are commanded not to be mean spirited, we are not to blindly accept incorrect teaching just to get along.
The Jesus You Can't Ignore is a chronicle of the confrontations of Christ. While Christ was meek and gentle, he had no time for the pharisees. The pharisees were hindering Christ's ministry and keeping people form avoiding hell. Jesus would not give any credence to them. He openly opposed their teachings. He never engaged them with dialog.
In the book, MacArthur answers the issue that we are not Christ. We do not have his motives. We do not always handle things correctly. How can we be involved in correcting error? MacArthur points out that Christians are called to question error. Paul told Timothy to charge his elders to teach no other doctrine. (1 Timothy 1:3) Paul challenged the Galatians church because they had abandoned the true party for another false gospel. (Galatians 1:6)
Another objection is: What about Matthew 7:1? Which says, "Judge not, lest ye be judged." We are not to hypocritically judge. We are not to judge someone for doing the same sin that we commit. If we see blatant false doctrine, we should deal with it. Teaching such as Jesus is not God is a damnable heresy. (2 Peter 2:1) These heresies threaten the church. They must be challenged.
What about the command to let the wheat and the tares grow together. Since we can't know who is saved and who is not, why should we be fruit inspecting? While that is true, if we see clear violations of scripture, we should act. We are told to watch out for false teachers. (Acts 20:29)
I believe that this is an important book. It depicts who Christ is. Christ is loving, humble and gentle. He is also strong and forceful. He is the lion and the lamb. The man who healed the sick also purged the temple. He did not tolerate any type of false doctrine. Christians must contend for the truth. I strongly recommend this book. I like The Gospel According to Jesus by MacArthur a little better. This is definitely one of his best.
The Gospel According to Hollywood: Avatar
Avatar is a hit movie produced by James Cameron, producer of Titanic. The movie made a lot of money and has had critical acclaim. This movie presents its own theological world view. This world view will be addressed in this article.
God
In this movie, the higher power it Ewa. Ewa protects the indigenous population f the planet Pandora. The inhabitants are linked to Ewa. The people access Ewa through the trees. Ewa is their mother and provides sustenance. At first, scientist Grace says that this is not some pagan voodoo, but is a scientific truth of their world. The implication is that ti is limited to their world. Later on, Jake connect with Ewa and he declares that humans killed their mother, implying that Earth had a similar arrangement but killed their mother-God to get the resources. Basically, humans paved paradise to put up a parking lot.
Knowledge
For the indigenous people, knowledge comes through contact with Ewa. Non-natives can only be linked with Ewa if they create an avatar and become one of them.
Anthropology
The nive are children of Ewa. They are connected to Ewa and depend on Ewa. On earth, humans had a similar relationship with Gaya. But after they killed the spirit, they survived but only as a shell of their former selves. Their planet is considered to be dying.
Afterlife
At death, the nive return to Ewa. It is not certain what happens to humans. Perhaps they are just annihilated into nothing. Grace, who was an ally of the nive, was allowed to return to Ewa. It looks like Jake will be as well.
Conclusion
This movie promotes a kind of pantheism: a view that God is in everything and everything is in God. It also is very political in tone. The mother of the other planet is endangered by a major corporation. Although many might not think of it as a religious movie, it has a lot of religious undertones. It provides a glimpse into what many in Hollywood believe.
God
In this movie, the higher power it Ewa. Ewa protects the indigenous population f the planet Pandora. The inhabitants are linked to Ewa. The people access Ewa through the trees. Ewa is their mother and provides sustenance. At first, scientist Grace says that this is not some pagan voodoo, but is a scientific truth of their world. The implication is that ti is limited to their world. Later on, Jake connect with Ewa and he declares that humans killed their mother, implying that Earth had a similar arrangement but killed their mother-God to get the resources. Basically, humans paved paradise to put up a parking lot.
Knowledge
For the indigenous people, knowledge comes through contact with Ewa. Non-natives can only be linked with Ewa if they create an avatar and become one of them.
Anthropology
The nive are children of Ewa. They are connected to Ewa and depend on Ewa. On earth, humans had a similar relationship with Gaya. But after they killed the spirit, they survived but only as a shell of their former selves. Their planet is considered to be dying.
Afterlife
At death, the nive return to Ewa. It is not certain what happens to humans. Perhaps they are just annihilated into nothing. Grace, who was an ally of the nive, was allowed to return to Ewa. It looks like Jake will be as well.
Conclusion
This movie promotes a kind of pantheism: a view that God is in everything and everything is in God. It also is very political in tone. The mother of the other planet is endangered by a major corporation. Although many might not think of it as a religious movie, it has a lot of religious undertones. It provides a glimpse into what many in Hollywood believe.
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