Star Wars..is it good viewing for the church?

Looking for opinions.

 

Time to ante up:

The first "Star Wars" movies in the late '70s and early '80s also coincided with the emergence of New Age beliefs and growing mainstream acceptance of Eastern philosophies and religions. The films, and their evocation of the Force, created a safe world for that kind of thinking - and of course, it didn't hurt that it was reinforced by lunchboxes, T-shirts, toys and games.
"It's hard to get that spiritual component into popular entertainment close enough to the surface so that everyone gets it," says Dean Sluyter, author of "Cinema Nirvana: Enlightenment Lessons From the Movies."
"As the culture has developed and our own spiritual selves have developed, then people can find myths to embrace. The 'Matrix' films, which were touted by some as 'Star Wars' for a new generation, couldn't sustain it, perhaps because there's a darkness in them that rings false and because they're missing those archetypal truths."

http://www.nydailynews.com/front/story/309431p-264645c.html


Star Wars I: The Phantom Menace gave us a crucial hint as to where to orient ourselves in this melee, specifically, the “Christological” features of the young Anakin (his immaculate conception, his victorious “pod-car” race, with its echoes of the famous chariot race in Ben-Hur, this “tale of Christ”). Since Star Wars’ ideological framework is the New Age pagan universe, it is quite appropriate that its central figure of Evil should echo Christ. Within the pagan horizon, the Event of Christ is the ultimate scandal. The figure of the Devil is specific to the Judeo-Christian tradition. But more than that, Christ himself is the ultimate diabolic figure, insofar as diabolos (to separate, to tear apart the One into Two) is the opposite of symbolos (to gather and unify). He brought the “sword, not peace,” in order to disturb the existing harmonious unity. Or, as Christ told Luke: “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and his mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters—yes even his own life—he cannot be my disciple.” In order for there to be a properly unified “symbolic” community of believers, Christ had to first come and perform the Holy Spirit’s separating “diabolic” founding gesture.

http://www.inthesetimes.com/site/main/article/2122/


Christian writers and teachers tend to warn viewers about the New Age parallels and elements in the series, rightly so. One veteran culture-watcher takes a different tack. Dick Staub, an author who hosted a nationally syndicated radio show for 15 years, recently released a book we sample here: Christian Wisdom of the Jedi Masters. He taps into the spiritual guidance that so many young people are looking for, poignantly using the parallels of Christian discipleship with Jedi apprenticeship as presented by the Star Wars Yoda character. His contention that all of us—particularly the young and idealistic—are looking for a larger story, a myth, to live by, is examined in a scholarly way by several writers for The Journal of Religion & Film, a publication of the Religion Department, University of Nebraska at Omaha. We examine several other angles of religion and philosophy which the culture-shaping Star Wars phenomenon raises in our Special Focus, including the desire to connect with the Force known as the Creator God. "Enjoy it, we hope you will," as Yoda might say.

http://www.leaderu.com/focus/starwarsspirituality.html


Freedom Chants from the Roof of the World
Artist: Gyuto Monks Tantric Choir
Released: 1989
Recorded at George Lucas' Skywalker Ranch, this is the second album produced by Mickey Hart of multi-phonic chanting by the celebrated Gyuto Monks. The album features two long cuts, one invoking Yamantaka (the destroyer of death), and the other invoking Mahakala (protector of the Dharma). The pieces resonate with spiritual power and, as a bonus, the album ends with a nine-minute live performance by Hart, Philip Glass, and Kitaro recorded at the invitation of the Abbot. ~ Backroads Music/Heartbeats, All Music Guide


For instance in the movie Willow, Lucas threads distorted Biblical allusions with occult wonders and repeats its Buddhist theme - "the force is with you."
The Star Wars trilogy "is a grade-school primer of the ancient religion... involves mastering the Force that animates the cosmos, dwells within, and is tapped intuitively through feelings," (Christianity Today, p. 21).

http://www.watchman.org/na/mediums.htm

More interesting reading:

http://www.crossroad.to/text/articles/starwar6-99.html


http://www.crossroad.to/articles2/05/star-wars.htm

 

I just watched Episode III today. Hated the first half because of Lucas' lack of a sense of dialogue and plot. Tolerated the second half and enjoyed the tie-ins to Episode IV. CG were ok but like most of this second trilogy, less time and energy should have been spent on CG and more on dialogue and plot development.

In general I would say it wasn't very good viewing for the above reasons.

 

[snipped to keep poster from being embarrassed]

[ December 09, 2005, 09:24 PM: Message edited by: Dr. Bob ]

 

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[ December 09, 2005, 09:25 PM: Message edited by: Dr. Bob ]

 

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[ December 09, 2005, 09:28 PM: Message edited by: Dr. Bob ]

 

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[ December 09, 2005, 09:29 PM: Message edited by: Dr. Bob ]

 

but its abour aliens....I guess aliens are a faith-based topic right now...I have to watch it in awe of its animation, but that's all its good for.

 

Yes, sir. But it's pretty difficult to get me embarrassed, even when I should be.

Just for the record, I do not advocate that sort of fiction in church either.

 

I went to the first three Star Wars films many years ago and I thought they were good action flicks. I also liked the Indiana Jones films - same reason. I don't look to any film, movie or other Hollywood product, for spiritual enlightenment or spiritual development. Kind of a "render unto Caesar" attitude on my part - movies belong in the theater and spiritual development belongs in the church among Christians. Bruce

 

I remember when they first came out, episodes 4, 5, and 6 were touted as Biblical analogies, just as people are doing with the other things now.

 

Dr. Bob,

I did not realize that, and I apologize for it.

whatever

 

Consider this propecy of the Tribulation
Period Beast from the Sea, the Antichrist:

Daniel 11:38 (KJV1611 Edition):
But in his estate shall he honour
the god of forces: and a God whome
his fathers knew not, shall hee honour with
gold, and siluer, and with precious stones,
and pleasant things.

Is 'the force be with you' an Antichrist slogan?

 

:rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: Spare me!!! Its just like the Bible says----itching ears---and silly wives tales and the winds of doctrines and falling for doctrines of demons!!

 

:rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: Spare me!!! Its just like the Bible says----itching ears---and silly wives tales and the winds of doctrines and falling for doctrines of demons!! </font>[/QUOTE]I agree Blackbird. The devil works in subtle shades of grey. Compromise is a slippery slope. Let them mock me. It justifies my position.

 

Good viewing? Yes. For the church? I'm generally not in favor of secular films being used in the church, but there are occaisional exceptions. I should emphasize that this is just my $.02, not a scriptural mandate.

 

They were? That's news to me, and I was alive and well during that era. I'm sure there are some parallels that coincide with biblical analogies, but that's by no means an intent.

I can find biblical analogies in the movie "The Incredibles", but that doesn't make it a faith-based film (though I'm sure some will claim such). BTW, "The Incredibles" is a great film and completely family friendly.

 

A well-meaning family member bought the books for me that showed them as a biblical analogy.