Vol. 16, No. 2, 1999

Articles on the New Age

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By James K. Walker

The cultural impact of the Star Wars phenomenon is evident.  George Lucas's latest installment, The Phantom Menace, received cover story and front-page attention from all the nation's major newsmagazines and virtually every major newspaper in America.  CNN, CBS, NBC, and ABC network new had been covering Phantom Menace for weeks. Diehard Star Wars fans lined up for weeks to buy tickets.

From a Christian perspective there seems to be much to like about the new film. There is no profanity or nudity. The violence is mostly limited to the destruction of robots.  Good is championed over evil and the ultimate victory over evil is seen not in technology but in nonphysical, spiritual.  The difficulty for Christians is that the supernatural answer to the problem of evil provided in Star Wars is much more compatible with the New Age than the New Testament.

According to Lucas biographer Dale Pollock, the creator of Star Wars was heavily influenced by seminal New Age books such as Tales of Power by Carlos Castaneda, and The Hero With a Thousand Faces by Joseph Campbell who also wrote The Power of Myth. The latter's influence was verified by Lucas in a recent TIME interview with Bill Moyers.

 All three of the earlier installments (episodes 4-6) contain communication with the dead - an occult practice called necromancy, which is strictly forbidden in the Bible. One of the most famous lines from the original 1977 film, "Use the Force, Luke," is itself a necromantic message from the dead Obi-Wan Kenobi.

Even in the previous installments of Star Wars the Pantheistic elements are obvious.  For supernatural strength Luke Skywalker does not pray to a Person (Monotheism), instead he is to "Use the Force" (Pantheism).  This Force also has a "Dark Side" which is similar in some respects to the dualism of Taoism reflected in the black and white of the yen and yang symbol. In the new movie, the theology of the Force returns and is more fully developed. Some of the religious themes and occult elements visually presented in The Phantom Menace are more clearly explained in Terry Brook's novel based on the Lucas screenplay. The Jedi Knights are explicitly called a "theological and philosophical" order. The counsel of twelve meets in the Jedi Temple, a "colossal pyramid with multiple spires" where "the whole order [is] engaged in contemplation and study of the Force."

There are also Christ/Antichrist themes in the new film. The nine-year-old hero, Anakin Skywalker, who become the evil Darth Vader in later episodes, is said to be "the Chosen one" who is virgin born whose coming was predicted in hundreds of "old prophecies and legends, handed down for centuries as a part of Jedi lore." Anakin has special psychic powers of clairvoyance and he is reminded by Jedi knight Qui-Gon "Always remember, your focus determines your reality."

Yes Star Wars give spiritual answers but points its audience to the wrong spirit. Most moviegoers will be oblivious to the spiritual message of The Phantom Menace - a fact that should cause more concern not less.  As Al Mohler warned, "Christians will be amazed at the special effects but should be wary of any spiritual effect."
 
 

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