Christians Analyze Religious Themes in Star Wars Episode III
The box office hit Star Wars III: Revenge of the Sith broke records when it opened in theaters worldwide last weekend. It grossed $158,449,700 overall and was shown on over 9,400 screens in 115 countries, according to recent news reports.
Christian leaders have since commented on the religious themes in the movie with the motive of relating the message in the Bible to the current culture.
According to Bill Blizek, the editor of the Journal of Religion and Film, using culture as a way to make the Gospel relevant and understandable is not new. However, Blizek said to Cincinnati Enquirer, the 30-year Star Wars phenomena made an especially deep impact on the American cultural landscape.
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By comparing the movie to Biblical themes, some hope to share this message with a wider audience.
Lane Palmer, Director of Equipping at Dare 2 Share Ministries, said Star Wars speaks to the human spirit because it presents "kernels of truth" that the human heart longs to hear. Therefore, "Take the opportunity to share the full-blown Truth with your friends."
In addition to noting the similarities of "a cosmic battle between good and evil" in both the film and the Bible, Palmer compared the heroism in the movie to the Biblical view of God's heroism.
"Because we humans are made in his image, we carry in us that capacity to be heroic and we are drawn to those who do heroic things," Palmer noted.
On the other hand, Byron Barlowe, editor of Leadership U, drew attention to the similarities between "Christian discipleship" and "Jedi apprenticeship." According to Barlowe, both are ways of modeling a person after an ideal.
The film "taps into the spiritual guidance that so many young people are looking for," wrote Barlowe. Everyone, especially the young, is looking for a greater purpose to life, states Barlowe.
