So to begin, let me just say, I love Star Wars. It's a great franchise that has really brought what was once a laughable genre to the forefront of modern film, literature and music [don't even pretend electronica isn't sci-fi]. I greatly respect the influence it has had over American society and culture and was a favorite in my early days. However, this article is not here to laud the praise of Star Wars but rather to analyze and conceptualize to the Christian why its force is dangerous to an orthodox worldview.
First, this article will not deal with the typical problems of the Pantheistic qualities of the force, though that may be touched on in several details. It can be cleared up with one Bible verse: Genesis 1:1. "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." Here we see that creation is no synonymous our bound to God, but created ex nihilo [Greek: out of nothing] or in the Hebrew bara [God exclusive creation, rather than man-initiated forming from existing matter]. Done. Moving on.
Star Wars at its basis has the Force as a source of power and interconnectedness throughout the universe. It is supernatural, but also in a way measurable. It not only can transmit information across light-years in an instant, which is impossible according to the Einsteinian model of the universe where data can only travel at the speed of light, but enables the user to throw objects, extend life, heal, perform miracles, or even cast lightning. It is a pantheistic god that is heavily connected to the life force of the universe. It is strengthened by the presence of life and draws energy from every creature.
Now as I'm sure you know if you live in America, there is a Dark Side and a Good Side. Sith on one side and Jedi on the other. Reportedly, according to the movies, there is supposed to be a balance with the force, where Good and Evil are equally represented and understood or able to function. [That is another problem, that may need to be dealt with at some point.]
The Dark Side is able to take control and mar the good. It can cause it harm and bring it under its Iron Fist. It has the desire to dominate the light and does so by slaughtering the good and implanting evil in its strongest representatives. It has the ability to overwhelm and dominate the light and cover it as the ocean covers the land. The Star Wars Dark Side seems to be part of the force, but a crazy angry self-destructive separate personality. There is no promise that good would permanently overcome, but have to live in perfect harmony with it [if that is somehow possible.]
For all intents and purposes, the force most closely relates not to Buddhist or Hindu philosophies, but the Gnostic beliefs of Manichaeism. This is a bit complicated to wholly explain, but put most simply, there is a good side and a bad side, represented by light and darkness. The light resides in a purely spiritual sense of the word, and by some cosmic war or happenstance, the spiritual light was sealed in physical matter that is a product of darkness. They believe the physical is evil and that the body cannot be held responsible for sin, but their knowledge of the light within will save their soul from destruction. At some point in the future, though, the good will overcome the evil, however, not without losing serious ground and being defeated and hurt along the way. The Good is able to be deteriorated and lost and hurt by evil.
Manicheanism: Evil is able to mar and consume the in-omnipotent Good.
In Star Wars, similarly, evil is able to cover up and incapacitate the good and gain dominance on a cosmic scale.
Christianity, on the other hand believes in a God who is omnipotent, and remains above any attempt by evil to mar its perfect, immutable face. The Christian belief of evil is that it is routed and uprooted by light and the redemptive good. Good unveils evil and redeems it with the purifying blood of Christ. Evil has no eternal place in the Christian universe other than contempt, defeat and eternal punishment in Hell. There is a place for the physical realm, and that will also be redeemed in the new Creation. Creation itself began as 'good' [not of its own merit, but by God's decree] but fell into corruption. God, however, remains unchanged. Evil resembles an ant going up against us, futile and a bit silly.
Augustine understood evil in a very interesting way, that evil wasn't physical or powerful, but non-existent. Evil is a lack of good. Good is not a lack of evil, but a tangible righteousness. Just as light, in any place overcomes darkness with no fight, so also Good overcomes evil with the smallest iota of effort. Evil has no place, and once Jesus comes back, evil will be gone. He has never been marred by evil, while we have, and we are made perfect in his works and sacrifices. He fills up our evil deficiencies with his goodness and righteousness. Where there was death and darkness, he routs it with life and light.
In our beloved Star Wars, the fight between good and evil seems never ending, and likely that in many cases, evil will win and good can do nothing about it. But for the Christian, he is a living example of the destruction of evil and its destruction by the introduction of the light of Jesus Christ into our souls by the illuminating fire of His Holy Spirit.
I think John sums it up well in his gospel about the utter destitution darkness faces at the mere presence of goodness and light:
Chapter1:
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. 4 In him was life, [1] and the life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. 8 He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light.
9 The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. 11 He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. 12 But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, 13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.
14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.The Goodness of the Lord alone is able to deliver us from darkness, and unlike the impersonal god of Star Wars and the Manicheans, his light pierces the darkness to save us from destruction. All of our efforts are in vain to overcome the darkness that scars our heart, soul and mind. So if you don't already, please trust in Jesus to be your goodness and joy, and lean into him for your righteousness.
Colossians 1:21- 23:
21 And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, 22 he [Jesus] has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him, 23 if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister.
Isaiah 61:10
I will greatly rejoice in the Lord;
my soul shall exult in my God,
for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation;
he has covered me with the robe of righteousness,
as a bridegroom decks himself like a priest with a beautiful headdress,
and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.
Please comment! :D
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