The reality of the "force"

All over the media is the latest Star Wars movie "The Force Awakens" which had a massive opening weekend. Personally, I enjoy the movie series, perhaps a little too much given the time I spent on it in my younger years. The idea of the "force" is intriguing- something that moves throughout all things in the universe that you can control. The reason why it is so intriguing is what it represents. And no I am not talking about the weird mitichlorian explanation. It is the desire of man to be his own god. Think of the aspects- the force is everywhere, allows you to sense things anywhere or any time, and you can control it for life or death. If you follow the movies and books, it is even rumored to allow a resurrection of sorts. All of these things are attributes of God, and not of man. They are the powers sinful man covets, which is why it is so enticing. The mysticism included in the jedi ("good") and sith ("evil") sides of the force (think yin and yang) provides enough of a structure that there are literally "jedi churches" and I suspect also "sith" variety as well. There are people worshiping a religion based on a fictional book for powers they cannot attain. Unfortunately, without Salvation through Faith, they will discover all too late that it was the work of the devil and the flesh that led them down the "dark path" to hell.

The Star Wars series is an enjoyable movie to me, but I also know what the false religion is that hides behind it. I strongly urge you to talk to your kids about it so they can learn about it. I also suggest waiting until your kids are old enough to have a clearer understanding of the fictional world and the real world. That distinction is quite important when dealing with matters that leech into critical understanding like Faith and sin. This might be a great opportunity to teach and enjoy a movie, so long as it is kept a movie and not a way of life.

Excellent blog post

"Sellers of Purple" has an excellent post about the difference between legalistic, man centered social churches and churches with the life-giving Word preached. While she mentions the LCMS, there are other church bodies with the same focus that are just as pertinent.