Deus ex Star Wars?

Happy Star Wars Day!

So, in honor of this happy day, religious themes in Star Wars, anyone?

Darth Vader is a variation of Dark Father. Coincidence? Luke's last name is Skywalker. Fluke? Darth Vader was once a well-intentioned Jedi that fell from grace. Happy accident?

You decide.

Here are a few similarities to religion that make us think:

Christianity - As in many stories (The Matrix comes to mind) the main character, Luke Skywalker, is propped up as a Jesus figure, a messiah, that is destined to save the world. He begins as a humble farmer  that, because of circumstances beyond his control, is launched into a series of events that lead to his destiny.

Like Jesus, the Dark Side tempts Luke. Vader wants him to join the Dark Side, promising immense power in return. It's the Temptation of Luke.

There are mountains of Christian connections in the movies that I won't get into here. They've been done to death. Below are some lesser-known similarities.

Judaism -  During the Jewish holiday of Sukkot, Jews waive the lulav, a long and straight palm branch. It symbolizes the unity of the Jews. There is a correlation there to the light saber, which is symbolic of the unity of the Jedi. It's interesting to note that lulav storage involves fitting two plastic cones together over the lulav, making it look like a light saber. Although, I wouldn't count on it to sever a hand.

Also, according to Ben Kenobi, "the force surrounds us, and penetrates us, and binds the galaxy." This is reminiscent of the lulav song "Hashem is Here":
Hashem is here, Hashem is there, Hashem is truly everywhere.
Hashem is here, Hashem is there, Hashem is truly everywhere.
Up, up, down, down, right, left and all around, here, there and everywhere,
that’s where he can be found.

Scraps: Yoda is hebrew for "the one who knows." The name Chewbacca sounds an awful lot like the Hebrew ts'va-chah, which means to scream or growl. I think Chewy did a lot of that, no? Finally, didn't we all think "Bar Mitzvah!" when C3PO was hoisted into the air on a chair while the Ewoks held him captive?

Zen Buddhism - Alright, so Kenobi's description of the Force also applies to Buddhism. And, yes, many of these themes can fit nicely into several religions. Force push me, why don't you?

Probably the two most notable aspects of Buddhism in Star Wars are the concepts of the Force and a Jedi's lack of attachments. In Buddhist teachings, attachments lead to wanting, which leads to suffering when those wants are not fulfilled (Which leads to the Dark Side?). Same goes for Jedi. Padme asked Anakin if Jedi are allowed to love. Anakin said that such attachments were verboten. Okay, he didn't use that word, but we know he meant it. What he did say was, attachment and possession are forbidden and that compassion was central to a Jedi's life. In other words, no big screen televisions for Jedis. You'll have to get your soap opera fix elsewhere, Yoda. Another example of no attachments is seen at Yoda's place. I mean, come on, that place was a hovel, right?

Buddhists also teach compassion. One cannot obtain true elightenment without it. In Star Wars, Luke's decision to take his father's mask off instead of slicing and dicing is the ultimate example of compassion found in the movie. Dare we say, it is the most memorable moment of all the movies.

Scraps: Padme means "lotus" in the mantra "Om Mani Padme Hum."

There are plenty of other religions that have their holy fingers in the Star Wars pie. Taoism (Yin and Yang) and Zoroastrianism (duality of Good vs Evil) are two others.
George Lucas himself has stated in numerous interviews that he pulls themes and concepts from various religions.

What other religions can you spot? What are the themes?

Religion Awesomeness: Sikhism



I'm fascinated with religions of the world. They provide some of the most in-depth glances into the human condition. They are filled with magic, conflict, evil, murder, hope, and mysticism: all components that make up a good story. There's no getting around it. That's just the way it is. You don't have to believe in a religion to find it interesting.

From time to time, I'll post about certain religions that have caught my attention. In my writing, I take elements of religion and incorporate them into my stories to add a sliver of reality while maintaining the integrity of the more fantastic elements.

So, for today's post: Sikhism.

The Khanda is the Sikh universal symbol.




Sikhism originated in India roughly 500 years ago. For a religion, it's a youngster. In that short amount of time, however, it has become the fifth largest religion in the world. With over 20 million Sikhs worldwide, it's a powerhouse. That's a boatload of people all focusing their faith on the same set of standards and beliefs. (See how this relates to my Novel Concept in my previous post on faith.)

Without going into too much detail, Sikhism is a monotheistic religion that holds everyone as equals. Also, it's a religion that teaches religious freedom. Everyone is free to find their own path to God.

The Sikh Kirpan is of particular interest to me.

Sikh Kirpan




 
The Kirpan is usually a hooked blade ranging in 5 inches to 3 feet in length. It is one of the five articles of faith that baptised Sikhs are supposed to have on them at all times. The Kirpan is special because of what it symbolizes: readiness to protect the weak and defend against injustice. It's a tangible representation of the Sikh's warrior spirit. Unless the Kirpan is being used to help others, it's to remain sheathed.

I've enjoyed learning about this religion so much that the Kirpan and other references have found their way into a novel I'm working on.There are many more inspiring elements to this religion and its system of beliefs that I can't possibly do it justice in a blog post.

Are there any religions or specific religious beliefs that you have found fascinating? Please leave a comment and let me know. 

Those Dastardly Sins

Sins, like chickens, come home to roost. - Charles W. Chesnutt




An allegorical representation of teh Seven Deadly Sins

Greed. Sloth. Wrath. Envy. Lust. Pride. Gluttony.


Like many of you, the Seven Deadly Sins have nested in an area of my brain reserved for topics of interest. For some reason, they've acquired a meme status in pop culture that mainstream media has perpetuated. For me, it started with the movie Se7en and Morgan Freeman. I leave Brad Pitt out of that equation. His character was a bit of a goober.

And so am I. I usually shy away from characters too much like myself.


According to common thought, Christians used Those Dastardly Sins as tools for teaching appropriate thoughts and actions. Ask just about anyone what the sins are and most of them will rattle off a few. They'll also know what they mean. There are some other curious pieces of information about those evil thoughts and deeds that are not widely known.


According to George Tsakiridis's book, Evagrius Ponticus and Cognitive Science: A Look at Moral Evil and the Thoughts (see it here), Evagrius Ponticus, a Christian monk born around 345 CE, codified an original list of eight sins: gluttony, fornication, avarice, anger, sadness, acedia, vainglory, and pride.


"What?" you ask. "Eight?"


Yes. Eight.


In about 590 CE, Pope Gregory I whittled those evil little suckers down to seven, combining acedia and sadness into sloth, vainglory moved in with pride and became Mr. and Mrs. Pride, and the green, little monster envy moved into town. Thus, we have the seven deadly sins.


Now you know.


And knowing is half the battle.


In future posts, I'll write a bit about each of the sins and how each one was matched with a particular demonic baddie.


Those silly little demons. Always up to their shenanigans.


If you want to comment, feel free. Let me know what your favorite quote or moment is in the movie Se7en.

I've got mine:

John Doe: "Wanting people to listen, you can't just tap them on the shoulder anymore. You have to hit them with a sledgehammer, and then you'll notice you've got their strict attention."

Novel Concept: Faith Binds Us All

First, let's get this out of the way. This isn't an advertisement for religion. It isn't a testimonial. It's not a sermon. It's an observation of faith and how it applies to my Big Idea.

Faith is one of the few things that connects everyone in some small way. It's a charged word that causes most who hear it to think of religion. But it's not about religion. It's bigger than any such institution. It transcends. It's secular and religious.

I have faith, for example, that my car will start each morning. It's a small example, but the point remains. We put our faith in many things. On rare ocassions we have faith in each other. If we're lucky, we have faith in ourselves. We all demonstrate a little faith in just about everything we do.

But what if to "put faith in" something is more than just a turn of phrase? What if it's more literal than that? And, if literal, what is faith exactly and where is it stored? To answer that, tear away the material, irrelevant trappings of faith and you'll discover the truth.

Faith is energy. It's power.

When focused, it's stored in objects and symbols connected to ideas. This power is demonstrated regularly, but we often choose to ignore it.  It's not uncommon, for example, to feel a short burst of moxie and vigor when people put their faith in you. Also, zealous fans supply athletes with strength and determination through devotion and admiration. The difference between the two examples is the number of people involved. The larger the pool of faithful, the more power is transferred. Now, imagine the same idea as applied to a religion. Hundreds of thousands of people putting faith in one idea. As an amorphous concept, that steady stream of energy is stored in the things closest to the religion: its symbols. A Christian cross, the Jewish Star of David, the Sikh Kirpan, and even the Egyptian Eye of Horus all contain stores of energy. In that context, there is indeed power in symbolism.

If a small, select group of people could harness and use that faith like any other form of energy, what kind of dominance would those few have over darkness?

Would you be afraid ?

Or would you join in the fight?