I love Star Wars. I much prefer the older ones, you know episodes 4, 5, and 6, over the newer ones. I am cautiously excited about Disney bringing another Star Wars movie to the table. I’m sure they’ll do a great job, but it just may not be the same.
This is not a post about how Star Wars is evil and part of a grand conspiracy to make you think a certain thing about God. I don’t believe that. I don’t believe that Christians are to run from culture. Rather, I think we should be able to discern aspects of culture to evaluate whether or not they are in line with a biblical worldview. Once that is determined, we should be mindful of the things that don’t line up because even the most subtle of things can influence us greatly.
Star Wars Has Made You Think This About God
If you’re a Star Wars fan at all – you have watched the movies, you enjoy them, and you may watch them every so often – you are the most likely to be influenced by the way Star Wars looks at the spiritual realm if you will.
Take this scene from A New Hope (the original aka episode 4):
We’re on board the Millennium Falcon and Obi Wan is training Luke in handling his Light Saber.
Obi Wan:”Remember, a Jedi Knight can feel the force flowing through him.”
Luke: “You mean it controls your actions?”
Obi Wan: “Partially, but it also obeys your commands.”
Looking on, Han Solo doesn’t buy what Obi Wan is selling:
Han Solo: “I’ve never seen anything to make me believe that some all-powerful force controls everything…”
Obi Wan wants to prove that he is right, so he has Luke put on the blaster shield over his eyes. Luke can’t see anything. After telling Luke that his eyes can deceive him, Obi Wan gives him another tip:
Obi Wan: “Let go of your conscious self and act on instinct.”
You may have not meant for this to happen, but you may have started believing God to be simply some all-powerful force. You may have given up on the belief that he is a personal being who is all-powerful, all-knowing, all-present. You may have started to believe that you can let go of your conscious self in hopes to channel the force.
A Worse Belief, But A Likely One
You mean it controls your actions? Partially, but it also obeys your commands. The more likely belief you have adopted about God from Star Wars is that God is like the Force in that he obeys your commands.
How many times have you prayed, expecting God to do what you want, and he has said no, leaving you baffled and confused, for he also obeys your commands!
If you’re not careful, you may have begun thinking about God in the way the Force is portrayed in Star Wars. You may be overconfident when it comes to you and God. You may lack the reverence you are to have for him. He is not some puny force that can be manipulated for good or for bad. He doesn’t take naps and doesn’t need to be awaken. The God of the Universe is not to be commanded of. He is not to be taken lightly.
At the same time, he is not simply some impersonal force. He is a God who stoops. He comes down to save his creation from themselves. He stoops. Yes, he comes low, for he loves you and me. He created us in his image and we are not simply some force. We are persons who have emotion, who reason, who solve problems, who create, who love.
The Danger
The danger in this is that you may have come to believe something distorted about God and you haven’t even realized it. You should understand clearly that Star Wars works from a type of New Age Mysticism. A power that is real today. I’ve seen it in action out West primarily, as many areas of Native American influence have adopted it. People access power from the worst of sources. It is a power that is evil, for it comes from the evil one.
The danger you face is present if you do not examine what you believe about God in light of who he says he is himself.
Many people today believe things about God that are wrong.
He is not an impersonal force, he is a personal being.
He cannot be controlled or manipulated. He will say no to you, for he is all-wise.
He cannot be used for evil, for he is all-good.
He is love, for he stoops to be with you and me.
You are created in his image and you are certainly more than a force.
With all of that said, watch Star Wars, but be aware of how easily your thinking can be influenced. Seriously. By all means. Watch Star Wars. I will. Here’s a preview of the new one coming out December 2015.
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