ROSE WRITES: It seems like everyone’s talking about Star Wars this weekend. The new movie has exploded in theaters and the four-star reviews have started pouring in. Yet I’ve read some Christians who think that getting excited about Star Wars is not the right approach. There are obviously some underlying pagan themes (even George Lucas said that), but are there enough redemptive themes? Can we use this as a witness? How should we engage in this cultural phenomenon to the glory of God?
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Well, I haven’t seen The Force Awakens yet, so I’m not quite sure how to use it as a witness…but as for being excited about it: I feel like as long as we aren’t making it a “god” in our lives or letting it take away from focusing on what this Christmas season is about…basically, as long as we aren’t giving it a higher priority than it is due…then I don’t see anything wrong with people talking and being excited about the new movie; and I don’t see why it would be dishonoring to God for us to be. But again, i haven’t seen this one yet, so maybe there’s content I’m unaware of that should make us be wary of it…
I haven’t seen the new Star Wars movie, so I can’t speak for it. But the Star Wars movies have a great deal of good in them- there is, unlike some fantasy things, a very defined side of good and evil with very real characters that struggle with their humanness(nt sure if that’s a word, actually.). The movies have, like most classic things, lasted for a reason. In this case it is because the characters seem very like us in their struggles, all the while working for something that’s much bigger than themselves.
Like Megan said, if something begins to take away from your relationship with God, that’s not right. But if it’s enjoying a good movie(I think. I haven’t seen it, but I read PluggedIn’s reviews) and seeing the good and bad in it, I think it’s fine. It’s even better if it initiates a meaningful discussion with someone about it.
Hmmm. I’ve heard some people talking about how Star Wars is a sinful movie that is pulling unsuspecting Christians into a trap. Well, the show does have a few pagan things in it the saying “May the force be with you” proves that. But if you don’t start basing your life off of it and focusing on it too much I don’t see a problem in enjoying the movie. Star Wars does have some good qualities in it, the movie shows you that your choices affect your life and that the light will always overcome the dark etc. While some of the Star Wars movies need to be avoided (E.g. Star Wars 3 and 6 ) I haven’t heard anything about this new movie that really screams “Avoid this movie!!!” and my mom doesn’t let me watch anything until she’s fully examined it and she’s given me the okay to watch it. I’m unsure if these movies can be used to witness I’ll have to think about that before I really know how these movies can be used or if they can be. As for glorifying God with it I haven’t heard of anything in the movie that would be dishonoring to Him so I believe you can still honor God and watch this movie.
God bless,
Tatiana
Well, as someone who has seen “The Force Awakens” already, I have to say that it does curse I think twice in the movie, but it’s an amazing movie overall. I’ve always looked at Star Wars as an example of good and evil, and I this one really got me emotionally. It’s obviously fantasy, but as far as the excitement goes, being excited about something isn’t a bad thing, making it an idol is a bad thing, obviously sin. But being excited about something and making it your idol are two very different things, and we have to make sure that we differentiate between the two. I, personally think that topics such as these should be based on your personal convictions, I think that if you feel convicted about something in the movie, or something that goes into it, then you probably shouldn’t see it, but if you don’t then I think it’s totally fine. I, personally am totally fine with Star Wars, but everybody is different, so in a nutshell, if you feel convicted about it, then don’t see it, but if you don’t, and you just want to see it for enjoyment or whatever, then go see it. 🙂
I think that the underlying pagan themes in Star Wars don’t have to be true to be interesting. Sure, George Lucas wrote the script out of a worldview of Buddhism/pantheism, however that doesn’t mean it’s unhealthy for our faith. The Jedi forces use the worldview of Buddhism which is the thought that flesh desires causes suffering, so you must remain celibate. This is why Jedi knight, Anakin Skywalker turns to the dark side because of his obsession, marriage and love for Padme Amidala. I think it brings up some interesting conversations, even if they aren’t directly about God or Christianity.
Commenting I I can hear all your thoughts!
We know God is glorified when people reflect his image to the world, and that happens through subduing the earth, being fruitful to multiply. The “multiply” here is more than just growing families. It includes creating cultures by making things like prosthetics, the Constitution, and Marvel.
So we can see that film is a way of showing truth to a lot of people, and that makes it good. The problem, is that because of our sin the truth shown will never be complete, and it will come with our sinful view of things.
But you can take that truth and bring it back to the gospel, use it as a example.(Captain America can be used to show sacrificial atonement or Inside Out for Radical Corruption. )
I haven’t seen Force Awakens yet, but I hope this helps.
Let me just say that I loved The Force Awakens. Artistically, it’s beautiful. If you think about it there is a worldview being portrayed, and it’s at odds with scripture. But it shows that people need a worldview and gives us a chance to start talking about deeper things.
Sharing a link to my favorite movie review site pluggedin.com . The site is run by Christians, but they review lots of movies and CDs. They posted a review about The Force Awakens a day or two ago. I found it very helpful 🙂
Plugged In is great. I read that review too. It sounded good, but I don’t want to watch it because I don’t want to ruin my fond memories of the original Star Wars movies(i.e. 3-6).
I love PluggedIn!! They are a great trustworthy source that I’ve used before!
I live in London and I guess the same hype is going on. I’ve read quite a few comments and I think we’re making a mistake. It’s not the pagan ideologies, Buddhism or the fact that there doesn’t seem anything sinful about the movie. It’s the lack of the presence of God that’s the problem! The question isn’t is there anything sinful in the movie, but in what way is God glorified? And to be honest, I’ve not seen that in any Hollywood film! What we also have to remember is who are the majority of people praising the film. I’m not sure of statistics but I’m certainly sure of the l this; they’re not believers! That in itself should reveal whether this film benefits a believer. 2 Timothy 4:3 says, ‘For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires.’ Not just star wars but media in general is accordant with our own desires. That’s where we falter because in the Christian life, it’s not about our own desires, its about God’s desires! And God’s desires are accordant with His Word. Nothing in society today is in accordance with His Word! Movies, books, music, education… God is nowhere to be found. Star Wars is simply fulfils peoples desires, not God! I’m not saying don’t watch worldy things, I’m saying be diligent determining what is of God and what isn’t in life today.
Peace.
I agree with you.
Cheers man!
Isn’t that kind of a given, @papaobeng:disqus ? If it does not glorify God with its contents, then it will be sinful. You may disagree with me, but if you get to the root of the issue (e.g. Anakin’s virgin birth), it is copying Christ’s history. Is this wrong? Be careful with your answer. If you say it is wrong, in and of itself, ignoring the entire rest of the movie, you *can* make a mistake. Many fiction books are allegories, and those often have the characteristics of Christ. So then is that wrong? Is it sinful copying Christ into another being? Or is it acceptable because it is an allegory? What about allegories that don’t mention God, like Narnia or Prydain or things like that? What about classics, like Huckleberry Finn, Tom Sawyer, and other such books? Do they glorify God? If they don’t, then why should they be acceptable?
Do you see what I’m getting at? The legalistic view of this topic is “if it doesn’t have God in it, throw it out”. While there is a bit of truth in there *that goes with other things*, let us not be so hasty to throw out things that could teach good morals and character, just because it doesn’t reference God.
Also, don’t be so hasty to make a generalization of everything in society; not everything is evil. Music is one of the devil’s footholds on our youth, but God has one too. I don’t know what music they have in London, so I speak for America. But Casting Crowns, Matt Redman (who is British), and Chris Tomlin are great Christian singers who very well proclaim God’s love. As for movies, there are hundreds of Christian movies out. Have you seen Courageous, War Room, or Faith of our Fathers? Sherwood Films are a great group.
I’m not trying to argue with you, @Papa Obeng , but I don’t think it is yours – or mine, or anybody else’s place to judge whether or not the actors or critics are Christians. That is between them and God, and it is not our place to judge them, lest you be judged yourself.
They are fulfilling their will not God’s, eh? Well, our God is a marvelous One. That may be the only point where you agree with me. But He is so, and He has the power to work through whatever the actors are doing. Do you really think that Harrison Ford is a space smuggler? Of course not! But Otis Cambell from the Andy Griffith show was a Christian, and he played the town drunk for more than four seasons. These people are just *actors*, Mr. @Papa Obeng . What they do on screen is 98% of the time not what they do in real life.
I’m not trying to condemn you or your beliefs, @Papa Obeng , but I do want to show you how what your saying might not be correct.
Just because a film doesn’t specifically say “God” in the title or spout off “God” and “Jesus” every two seconds doesn’t mean it can’t be a good movie with good themes and good content. The whole point of film, literature, television, and music is for its artistry, and Star Wars, with its historic linkages and somewhat novel premise, is popular because of that.
Since Star Wars isn’t written from a Christian perspective, we can’t see it as such. It is certainly a product of the world. However, God created us to CREATE–He is the One who ultimately created us, and He created us to create. Whenever we create something pure and good and true and noble, we honor Him, even if it doesn’t shout His name outright. Although Star Wars isn’t written with Christlike intentions, there are still Biblical themes in it: good versus evil. How the stormtroopers are “robots”; how some rogue stormtroopers rebel against what they are expected to do and instead turn to the good side (which can be paralleled with us, in our sin, and our redemption through Christ); the sacrificial love (SPOILER ALERT) that Darth Vader ends up showing in the Episode VI.
Obviously, with the advent of sin, we’ve misconstrued the concept of creation and now create ugly things that are characteristic of our sinfulness. Even movies created in God’s name are not perfect (both artistically and spiritually), and we should stay humble in the fact that we know we are all sinners, nothing we can create is good on its own, and that only God is the One who ultimately is free from sin.
Totally agree!
And hey, you don’t happen to live in Texas do you?
No, I don’t 🙁 I live in California, but I’d love to visit!
Haha okay. I have a friend named Rachel and last name starting in S, so I had the crazy idea that you could be her lol.
Well, I’ve been an avid Star Wars fan my whole life, but I also really enjoy analyzing films from a Christian perspective. I’ve been incredibly excited for this movie and went to see it opening day. Like any movie, it certainly has elements that are decidedly not “Christian.” But at the same time, I think the themes of this movie (and Star Wars in general) can be very glorifying to God simply because they reflect a part of His nature that He imbued into us.
Star Wars is ultimately a story about redemption. And unlike many movies, the redemption doesn’t come from doing enough good things to cover up your bad stuff. Vader isn’t “redeemed” because he does something good in the end; his redemption comes from his son’s decision to love him anyway, recognizing the good inside of him despite his evil deeds. Luke chooses to lay his life on the line in order to give his father a second chance. This is a pale reflection of the kind of love God has for us; and as humans we have a love for this kind of story ingrained in us because we’re created in God’s image.
Film is really an art form, and as such it’s a form of communication that expresses ideas. Though Star Wars is not a “Christian” film, it’s a film made by human beings who have been imbued with God’s creative spirit. It’s not all good by any means, but I think that it has valuable and meaningful messages that can be taken to heart. Humans are fallen, but we still possess a hazy picture of God within us because we’re formed in His image. As such, when we create things like movies, there are elements of good and bad in them, just like there are in people. Star Wars, though it’s fantasy and fiction and contains imaginary “spiritual” ideas like the Force, is in this sense a form of allegory, albeit an unintentional one.
I think as Christians, we can use the explosive popularity of the Star Wars movies as a witness by pointing out how much people love the story of love, sacrifice, and redemption that it contains. I won’t spoil anything about the new one because I know people would hate me for it, but I will say that it is real Star Wars, and it too contains the kind of themes– family, love, redemption, sacrifice, overcoming the temptation of evil– that the original movies had. In this sense I think we as Christians really can use these movies as a doorway to valuable conversations.
Hope this helps!
I’m not into Star Wars at all (I guess I’m kind of weird, but I’m not big into sci-fi). Has anyone seen Return to the Hiding Place? It’s about Corrie Ten Boom’s group of Dutch underground teenagers who manage to save a bunch of children from a Jewish orphanage. I want to see it really bad!! Sounds like it goes with the rebelution theme!
I have yet to see that movie… but I truly enjoyed Corrie Ten Boom’s books! If you haven’t read those, I would highly recommend it. ^_^
I just rented Return to the Hiding Place. It was well done. The spiritual insights were amazing. Gave me whole new insight into the Dutch Underground. These incredible people gave their all. Warning, most diffidently not for children. I think most teens could handle it (if you’ve already studied some World War 2 history)
I want to see that movie too, but it’s hard to get my hands on it.
Yes! It’s a favourite of mine!
It is pretty awesome!
I am a huge SW fan and I have been fully aware of the hype for this movie. To me, the movie (which I have seen) is a fantastic film from a nostalgic and a Christian standpoint. It makes clear distinctions between what is good and what is evil. And yes, while some characters are flawed and make mistakes, don’t we all?
The film is not made from a Christian perspective per se, but it most certainly has Christian themes. Finn learns that killing innocents is wrong, so he defects from the First Order (evil) to join the Resistance (good) (not a spoiler). But I won’t go into too much detail for those who want to see it.
And while there are some people who nearly worship SW and freak out hysterically, we can really do that with anything can’t we? It can be a band, food, an activity, so let’s not single out one franchise.
In my mind, SW7 is one of the greatest movies ever since I have always been a fan of the franchise. As long as we don’t let it consume us, I think it’s fine, despite the pagan themes.
Hope this helps.
I agree with you fully here. I think all to often people think they most avoid something, just because many “of the world” love it. I think sometimes people do set up things like SW as an idol. However, by being aware that nothing should come before God, we can have a healthy enjoyment of things like SW. SW is in no way trying to teach that good is evil, and that evil is good. It deals with each calling it what it is. The flawed characters speak to us as mortals (only Christ is perfect) and helps us, or at least me, relate to the story of good vs evil.
I agree completely.
Great post!
Great post Martial Artist! I definitely agree about your last sentence: As long as we don’t let it consume us-. That is really the struggle for all of our addictions. We can’t let it consume us. I think that every person should ask themselves,”Does this consume me? Does this control me?”. It seems that that is the most powerful question for some situations even though it is so simple. Thank you for the post Martial Artist!
-Clare
Thanks Clare!
I am too; I agree for the most part with what you’ve said. On the other hand, we can’t just say “don’t we all make mistakes” and move on with it. We do have to take responsibility for our actions.
But on the other hand, I do agree that there is some Christian values in the movies. there are some things I would rather not be in there (e.g. Anakin’s virgin birth), but overall I think the movies are fine in and of themselves.
On the other hand, (how many hands do I have?!) we have to be careful with how we “grade” things that we watch, listen to, or read. Really big things can seem so insignificant at first glance. How many of y’all remember the fib from Veggie Tales? 😀
On my last hand, thanks for not spoiling anything about the movie! I’m looking forward to watching it.
I’ve scanned through the comments, and I disagree with almost all of them. I can tell you that a biblical Christian worldview is totally incompatible with the ideology of ‘Star Wars.’ George Lukas admitted that he was influenced in his making of ‘Star Wars’ by the book ‘The Hero With A Thousand Faces’ (which degrades the life of Christ by equal comparison with pagan mythologies and is, in a word, blasphemous). Certain things in the ‘Star Wars’ films should at least make born-again Christians uncomfortable, such as the claimed “virgin birth” of Anakin (an admitted rip-off of the virgin birth of Christ) and ‘the force’ being used to lift objects, choke people, etc. … am I the only one that realizes that people use demons to do the exact same things? Is it not akin to witchcraft?
It may not be sin to watch ‘Star Wars,’ but does it glorify Jesus Christ at all? Is it a movie that He would pay to go watch? Do we–as Christians–need the things of the world to find joy and fulfillment? (Because they can’t bring either.) Is it fitting for us to eat at the table of demons? “You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons; you cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons.” -1 Corinthians 10:21 NAS.
“Are the things you are living for worth Christ dying for?” “Entertainment is the devil’s substitute for joy.” -Leonard Ravenhill
Do you think ALL entertainment is of the devil?
I think the quote is talking about substituting temporary happiness for true joy, not saying entertainment is of the devil. If we try to fill the hole inside with anything but God, entertainment included, it may be a temporary fix but it’s not going to last. ~Anna
Yes; I think that’s exactly what Ravenhill was getting at, as seen in his next sentence: “The more joy you have in the Lord, the less entertainment you need.”
Oh! I see now. It makes much more sense in that context. Thank you!!
“Do you think ALL entertainment is of the devil?” I sure hope not, because I wanna make a Christian movie someday. Songs can qualify as entertainment, and the Bible contains songs which were inspired/written by God, but I think Mr. Ravenhill was referring to worldly entertainment. Here’s a little more context of his quote:
“In my mind entertainment is the devil’s substitute for
joy. The more joy you have in the Lord, the less entertainment you need.”
I have to admit, I haven’t watched any of the Star Wars movies, only read summaries and flipped through a few “children’s” books of the movies. So I’m not really qualified to comment on specifics. But here’s a couple general points.
-The Force has two sides, supposedly representing good and evil, darkness and light. The Force is both good and evil. Neither side can ever totally win, because the Force cannot become too imbalanced in either direction, from what I understand. However, this is a dangerous representation of good and evil. Nothing (even the Force) can be both good and evil. Jude (in the Bible) tells us to beware of those who call good evil and evil good. And we know that, in reality, God will ultimately triumph over Satan and eliminate evil. 1 John says that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. At best, the Star Wars series are built on a flawed worldview that is completely contrary to the word of God. I don’t think entertainment is evil, but keep your eyes open and your mind thinking. Entertainment can be dangerous because we tend to let down our guard, and then we let the enemy get a foothold in our thinking.
-One commenter here said (and please don’t take this as me attacking you personally), “Vader isn’t ‘redeemed’ because he does something good in the end; his
redemption comes from his son’s decision to love him anyway, recognizing
the good inside of him despite his evil deeds. Luke chooses to lay his
life on the line in order to give his father a second chance. This is a
pale reflection of the kind of love God has for us; and as humans we
have a love for this kind of story ingrained in us because we’re created
in God’s image.” I agree that there is a redemptive imagery here, but the fatal flaw in it is this: “love him anyway, recognizing the good inside of him despite his evil deeds.” Romans says that none of us are good. God did not love us because He saw the good inside us, despite our evil deeds. He loved us even though there was absolutely nothing good in us. Yes, God has set eternity in our hearts, but apart from Him there is no good in us. The image is bent and flawed, an imperfect mirror. The subtle twisting of this truth is dangerous.
I would echo Louis’s thought: “Does it glorify God?” If Jesus showed up at your house today, would you be comfortable pulling that movie out and sitting down to watch it with Jesus by your side? A stick that is slightly crooked can look straight until you put it next to one that is truly straight. ~Anna
I’m not qualified to comment on Star Wars (in other words, I’m a really sheltered guy who hasn’t seen any of the movies), but I’ll make a comment on the general topic of how we should engage with these cultural things. I believe that our approach should be pragmatic rather than dogmatic. In other words, some movies (or books, or music etc.) may be very “good” – they may have a lot of deeply Christian themes or symbolism – but if they don’t actually help us to share the gospel in a practical way, they’re not much use. Other movies may contain elements which are theoretically questionable, but they may nonetheless be useful (even if only as “conversation starters”). The point is that it doesn’t matter so much what we think of the movie, as whether or not we can use it to bring glory to God. And I believe that its usefulness will depend on the situation: sometimes it will be helpful; other times, it won’t. What is important is not whether or not Star Wars is a good movie (since everybody will respond to it in a different way), but rather that in all things Christ is preeminent.
Sam, thank you for upvoting that old comment of mine on testing everything by the word of God. Getting the notification and reading it again was a good reminder. I should have thought about that more, concerning this topic. It’s easy to say something and a whole lot harder to live it. ~Anna
You’re welcome, Anna. To be honest, I don’t remember exactly which comment it was that I up voted – but I remember thinking that it was a very true and relevant point. 🙂 You’re right: it certainly is very easy to say something and a lot harder to live it, and I struggle with that one a lot. But it’s getting back into the word of God that liberates us from this.
Ehhh honestly it’s not about the comment or the upvote–just the fact that it served as a reminder of the principle. ~Anna
Star Wars is just a movie. It’s exciting and fun to watch. I’ve seen a few of the films and though maybe a few of the scenes I’d rather skip, for the most part the movies are clean.
What I believe should be made clear is that Star Wars is not a Christian film, but that DOESN’T mean that it’s not a good film. Just because a movie doesn’t preach the gospel doesn’t mean that it’s evil. Star Wars was never designed to align specifically with Christianity, after all it’s set in a “galaxy far far away.” And even though Star Wars isn’t “Christian” it does teach many of the same principles: self sacrifice, redemption, loyalty, hard work etc. But just remember, Star Wars is SiF/Science Fiction it’s fiction it’s not meant to be taken literally.
I’d also like to point out that there’s nothing wrong with getting excited about the new Star Wars movie coming out. God’s given us tons of gifts including movies. There’s nothing wrong with getting excited about and enjoying movies as long as we remember that they are gifts from God and not gods themselves.
Here’s a good blog post a friend in the blogging world wrote on why she liked Star Wars. It’s well thought out, and I’d definitely encourage you to check it out. (But please, be nice in your comments. :). https://victoriam00.wordpress.com/2015/12/09/my-journey-in-a-galaxy-far-far-away-part-i/
Star wars is in many people’s opinion a part of American culture. As long as we don’t put our entire focus on it is fine.
I’m really excited about getting a guitar for Christmas. I can use it for good and make music to praise God, but maybe I shouldn’t get it, because I mean, I could also hit somebody on the head with it!
Idk if this even makes any sense, but I thought it might be a funny analogy to express my views; that anything can either be used for good or bad, and it’s our choice what to do with it. We could watch the Star Wars movie and focus on the evil people and say that the movie is promoting evil, or we could watch it and focus on the good guys and say that it’s promoting good.
Anyway, that’s just my two cents. 😉
Speaking of two cents; by buying a movie ticket you support the people who made and it make it possible for them to further propagate their worldview. So I see it as part of the culture war. And how do unsaved people who do not have a Christian worldview see ‘the force’? Won’t some of them think that they would like to obtain such powers? Are such powers attainable in real life? Yes, they are. But not within God’s will.
Within that logic, we can’t even buy groceries without supporting bad worldviews. I don’t even like star wars, I just think that we can’t live in a world with people who aren’t christians without contributing to their lives in some way.As far as “the powers”, I really don’t know anything about it, and well, it’s science fiction movie so it’s not supposed to be influencing our daily lives and worldview. Plus, we can’t decide what other people are going to watch and be influenced by.
“Within that logic, we can’t even buy groceries without supporting bad worldviews.” This is unfortunately the case. I know Christians here in South Africa who don’t buy (or try to avoid buying) products which have the Halaal emblom on them because those companies pay the Muslims lots of money and the Muslims use that money to further spread Islam in South Africa. As for ‘the powers’ just being fiction, many Christians would say that ‘Harry Potter’ is just fiction whereas ‘Harry Potter’ (and similar movies and TV series) made being a witch or a wizard much more ‘acceptable’ in the eyes of the American youth. Do you think Hollywood films are innocent just because they are fiction? Is it possible that some of them are made with an anti-Jesus Christ/Bible message? Usually, every film speaks volumes about the worldview of those who made it, and–in the TV generation–that has an impact on the populace.
Yeah, people are influenced by movies. They shouldn’t be, but they are. But by watching a movie that isn’t bad, (assuming from my point of view that the movie I am seeing isn’t bad) I’m not encouraging other people to go watch a bad movie. The people in the world that aren’t Christians won’t be influenced to not watch bad movies and take wrong assumptions from them simply because we, as Christians, don’t. These people are going to find ways to enjoy evil whether throug clean movies which they twist the meaning of, or through other things,so, my question is still the same: what’s wrong with watching a movie if it doesn’t contain bad language or content?
The force, as portrayed in ‘Star Wars,’ is very much akin to Buddhism. In other words, the occult. And saying that Anakin Skywalker was born of a virgin birth–with influence from the midichlorians is a serious problem. The one reason I won’t mention, but it has to do with what happens in sa_anism. The other reason, is because they admitted that they tool that part from the life of Christ. Actually, it’s blasphemous. And I understand it, they do use the word “d___n” in the film, which speaks of God’s eternal judgment on sinners, in the lake of fire, but in a frivolous and way. I can’t tell you every single movie which you may and may not watch, because it comes down to this: does the movie grieve the Holy Spirit? This is possible, even if we don’t always realize it. Even if there’s nothing wrong with a film, is watching it a waste of time? Like, if God wanted you to do something else during that time? These aren’t questions that I can answer for you. And, biblically, your conscience–and the conscience of other believers (Romans 14) plays a role in what you allow yourself to do.
Are you talking about the first film, “The Phantom Menace”?
About the birth of Anakin, yes, I was referring to episode 1. But I’ve seen episodes 1-6 and the portrayal of the force is not in line with a biblically Christian worldview, and as I’ve mentioned there are real people who can pick up things and choke others with invisible forces, and these–in Christian literature–are commonly referred to as demons. Not everything about ‘Star Wars’ is bad; I mean from a filmmaking point of view I think it was of the highest quality (in terms of music, cinematography, interesting storyline, strong main characters, originality, special effects, even some good morals, etc.) it’s just the philosophy behind much of the film which bothers me.
Who can pick up things and choke people with invisible forces? And also, you said ” they do use the word “d___n” in the film, which speaks of God’s eternal judgment on sinners”. The word doesn’t just mean God’s eternal judgement on sinners. It can also mean “used to say in a forceful way that you do not care about something”, or other definitions of which have gotten out of hand. But in the long run, that word doesn’t just mean God’s eternal judgement on sinners, and we should not treat it that way. Just like “wood” means “an area of land covered with many trees”, “the hard substance that makes up the stems and branches of trees and shrubs”, and “violently mad”. We cannot assume that wood means one or the other, but all three.
Secondly, if you think that there is such a philosophical issue behind “much of the film”, why did you watch all six?
“Who can pick up things and choke people with invisible forces?” Advanced users of the occult.
On to the ‘D’ word, you’re right in saying that today it’s just an exclamation to express pain, disappoint or amazement, etc. And, the word in itself just means “condemnation” or it is a synonym thereof. But, in earlier years it was used in its long form (“D……. nation”) and carried the thought of God’s condemnation to judgment in the lake of fire. Even liberal Wikipedia says it “is the concept of divine punishment and torment in an afterlife for actions committed on Earth.” And Wikipedia seems to agree with my take on the subject: “a common form of religious profanity, in modern times often semantically weakened to the status of mere interjections.” The same article says that it was considered unprintable and a severe profanity until about 1930.
If I didn’t like the philosophy of Star Wars, why did I watch all 6 episodes? I watched 4-6 when I was about 5, and 1-3 between the ages of 7 and 13. I only started to really read my Bible when I was 17; years after having watched all 6 episodes. So my personal objections developed after the fact.
It doesn’t have to have bad language or necessarily even bad content if it promotes a bad lifestyle or non-Christian ideals. I have no idea in the case of Star Wars, since I’ve never watched it but in general I would be very careful with entertainment.
Amen and Amen.
Just because it is fiction doesn’t mean it’s evil. What about the Chronicles of Narnia? The Chronicles of Prydain? The Kingdom series? the Lord of the Rings? Those are highly fiction, and yet they are either allegories or morally-building stories. The Bible doesn’t say anything bad about wizards or witches, believe it or not. It says to avoid sorcery. Sorcery is the coming by or using of magic coming from an evil spirit. In fact, the official definition from http://www.merriamwebster.com/ is “the use of magical powers that are obtained through evil spirits”.
In short, I think that you’ve just gone too far with this. My family boycotts Target and Old Navy because they support things we don’t, and I believe that is acceptable. However, you can’t avoid everything in the world. You have to cope with some things, and just ignore the rest.
Also, you have to be careful by stereotyping somebody if they say that they watched a movie that is evil or bad in your sight. For example, I watched Red Tails a month ago, which is a war movie chock-full of bad language. And then last week or the week before, I watched a Pirates of the Caribbean movie. Am I evil, completely obsessed in watching terrible movies and violating my mind with impurities? No. I watched those two movies with filters (the first with ClearPlay and the second through VidAngel, which I highly recommend using as your filtering system). Because I used the filters I was able to avoid hearing the language that I didn’t want to. You see what I’m getting at? Don’t categorize people as evil just because I say “I watched Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl”. I have a friend who has watched all of them (I believe) without filtering. Does that mean he’s evil? No. It just means that he has a different mindset than me. I still enjoy hanging out with him and talking. So in short, don’t categorize someone/something as evil before you fully understand the scenario.
My dear brother in Christ, I am not opposed to fiction in and of itself, but I don’t appreciate fiction which introduces people to Eastern Mysticism. You made the following statement, “The Bible doesn’t say anything bad about wizards or witches, believe it or not. It says to avoid sorcery.”
“When you enter the land which the LORD your God gives you, you shall not learn to imitate the detestable things of those nations. There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire, one who uses divination, one who practices witchcraft, or one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer, or one who casts a spell, or a medium, or a spiritist, or one who calls up the dead. For whoever does these things is detestable to the LORD; and because of these detestable things the LORD your God will drive them out before you.” –Deuteronomy 9-12 NAS
I realize that this was said to Israel in the Old Testament (but has God changed since then?) and that it does not use the word “wizard,” but I thought it was worth quoting.
@louis_gervais:disqus , I’m sorry if we got off on the wrong foot. I was a bit worked up about a few things, so I’m sorry about that. I’m Ryan, by the way.
First, I use the NIV, so I didn’t see that verse. Secondly, I did a quick word-search on http://www.biblestudytools.com/ (I highly recommend that site), and I searched for ‘witch’ among other sorcery-related things. Witchcraft, for some reason, did not come up. but when I searched for witchcraft, Deuteronomy 18:9-12 came up. So sorry about that mistake.
Secondly, I think the context of that passage was calling of spirits, creating of evil things, etc. So I don’t believe that wizards, magic, or anything like that is evil, I believe that the evil practices of those things are.
The reason I researched those words was because I’m reading the last book in the Lord of the Rings series, and I really enjoyed it. But Gandalf, the wizard, I was unsure of. I thought I had remembered reading a verse about “don’t have anything to do with wizardry” or something to that effect. But I looked it up, and I guessed I was wrong. But that’s my answer to your verse.
Thirdly, I don’t know how serious your question was (but has God changed since then?), but I’ll answer it anyway.
No, God has not changed since then. Psalm 102:27 says “But you remain the same, and your years will never end.” God is never changing, He is always the same, which is one reason Christianity and our God is so different than most religions. God isn’t fickle, He doesn’t change His mind about His orders. He is never changing.
On that note, he does change His decrees. His disciples gathered grain on the Sabbath, and Jesus Himself took the “blame” for it by denying that Commandment’s validity. So does God change? No, He does not. But He does change some of His rules from time to time.
Again, I’m sorry if I seemed overly analytical or critical about your comment.
Hey Ryan! No problem. My name’s Louis by the way =^D I’m from Texas. Hey—I also use the NIV! (1984 edition.) And I use biblestudytools too! (But I use BibleGateway when searching NAS.) “So I don’t believe that wizards, magic, or anything like that is evil, I believe that the evil practices of those things are.” For some reason, I (and others) invariably associate wizards and witches with sorcery and witchcraft. For example, Google says the definition of ‘wizard’ is “a man who has magical
powers, especially in legends and fairy tales,” and the first listed synonym is ‘sorcerer.’ Wiktionary says of ‘witch,’ “A woman who is learned in and actively practices witchcraft.” I don’t recall that God ever spoke well of witchcraft in the Bible, and it is usually this evil practice which determines who are wizards and witches and who aren’t. As for the question about if it is alright for Christian authors to use wizards and half-human-half-beasts (like fauns) as ‘good guys’ in their fiction, I am personally undecided but I know many Christians would say, “It’s just a story.”
Ha ha, okay. Hey, I’m from Texas too! Although I moved to PA six or seven months ago. 🙁 Where in Texas do you live? (Or big city nearby if you’re in a small town; I understand internet safety.)
Okay, wizards and witches are often portrayed as “evil sorcerers” or tyrants. But, I’d like to point out that no wizards or witches are in the Bible – there are only Pharaoh’s and Nebuchadnezzar’s sorcerers who *practice* witchcraft and sorcery. No, God did not speak highly of witchcraft, because it was practiced by the sorcerers. Why it was called witchcraft and not sorcery, I don’t know. Yes, it’s just a story, but that doesn’t mean that what we ‘digest’ mentally should be filled with evils.
Here’s another question: is it wrong to put an evil wizard or sorcerer in a book?
Hey buddy! I was born in Austin and then lived outside of
San Marcos for about 15 years.
I assume though that the Witch of Endor didn’t get her name just by mixing natural medicines, but by actually practicing witchcraft. And Balaam son of Beor practiced divination.
“Is it wrong to put an evil wizard or sorcerer in a book?” Well, there are evil sorcerers in the Bible. It’s when those sorcerers are portrayed as ‘good guys’ which bothers me. Or when actual spells are printed as children’s fiction (such as in the ‘Harry Potter’ books; that bothers me too.
I was born in Austin too! I lived around Austin for seven years, and then moved to Houston for five years. Now I’m here for less than a year.
Where is the Witch of Endor and Balaam son of Beor in the Bible? I’m not doubting you, I’m just not familiar with the story.
Yeah, but that’s historic. Is it wrong to put an evil wizard or sorcerer in a fictional book? Because if you depicted that person as evil, than would that be okay? And, if all of the historic records of enchanters and witches and wizards are evil, can there be good wizards, witches and enchanters?
The visit of King Saul to the witch of Endor is a pivotal part of his decline and death and can be found in 1 Samuel 28. Balaam son of Beor was a diviner which was brought to curse the Israelites in Numbers 22-24 but he blessed them instead. Later, however, the Israelites killed Balaam in Numbers 31:8 & Joshua 13:22 presumably because he had caused Israel to stumble into sin with the Baal of Peor (Num. 31:16). He and his teaching are later also referred to as a bad example (2 Peter 2:15, Jude 1:11, Revelation 2:14).
Ah, I see. Thank you.
Can you have an evil sorcerer in a fictional book? I suppose you can, because they exist in real life. Can you have a good sorcerer in a fiction book? It’s possible, but it’s not in line with reality, because I don’t know of a single good sorcerer in the history of the world, because they are called sorcerers in the first place because of their ‘magical powers’ (such as Simon the sorcerer in Acts chapter 8) and these powers are nothing more than a dabbling with demons. People don’t possess supernatural powers in and of themselves: either a demon works through them or the Almighty God works through them (and the latter were called prophets, or are today called Christians, not wizards or witches; those terms are used solely for the former). You’re not familiar with the story of Balaam nor the Witch of Endor? Friend, do you mean to tell me that you’re reading ‘The Lord of the Rings’ and you’ve never read the entire Old Testament through?
(By the way, it took me a while of prayer, patience and rereading your comment to be able to respond in what I felt to be a God-honoring way. I hope you think so too.)
I’m not going to answer your complete comment, Louis Gervais , but I will say that is not what I said at all in my last comment. I have read through the Old Testament, and I’ve never said that I didn’t. However, it is nigh impossible for a man of my age to remember every single occurrence in the Bible. I’m sure there are places that you don’t recall, just as I did not recall the witch of Endor or Balaam. I don’t wish to criticize you, Louis Gervais , but I would like to say that, if you’re trying to win me over on an argument or discussion, that your tactics are a bit more repelling than enticing.
On that note, I don’t want to be rude about this, or create any hard feelings, but I might have to stop the discussion if you continue in your previous manner. With all manner of respect, “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you (Matthew 7:1-2).”
Hello Ryan, sorry for my false accusation that you hadn’t read the Old Testament; it was a false assumption on my part and I didn’t mean to offend you. So, I’m sorry. And you’re right; I’m not perfect in knowledge either.
That’s fine, sorry I was a bit worked up. If you want to keep talking we can; I’m sorry if I created any hard feelings.
No; no hard feelings =^D
“I sure hope not, because I wanna make a Christian movie someday.” What kind of movie are you wanting to do?
I have several ideas, but I don’t know which one the Lord wnats me to make into a movie yet. I’ve never made a full-length movie, at the moment I’m still practicing and getting experience; I’ve made a good number of very-low-budget short films (like of about 5-15 minutes each). I hope/plan to make a high quality, high integrity Christian movie which contains the Gospel one day.
First off, no, the Force is not attainable in real life. Of course, God can enable you to do anything you want, but as you said, not within God’s will, the powers you speak of are not attainable.
Secondly, are you saying that we should never go to a movie again? Because if we did, we would be keeping that theater in business, and enabling them to show movies that go against the Christian mindset.
Unsaved and saved people view the Force the same way, in most instances: a fictional power, such as a magical sword or a powerful wizard, that is just a figment of somebody’s imagination that appeals to their own.
The movie premiered on my birthday, and i loved it. It was super fun. I never even thought about this tho. star wars is one of my all-time favs.
We need to remember that this is fictional, and not dwell on it.
thats my 2cents
Don’t get obsessed about Star Wars (or really any movie) like some people! Dwell on God more than a movie.
You know, I see Star Wars as really similar to Christianity (believe it or not :]). Christianity and Star Wars is a fight between Good and Evil. The bad guys are deceived, and the Deceiver is constantly trying to get the good guys to fall for the dark side.
As for the movie…. I thought it was good. Watching movies like this is a personal moral issue. I like to watch movies a lot, and I don’t mind Star Wars. If you like watching Christian movies exclusively, that is your decision. There is no right or wrong answer to that.