wfn.org | Tapping into 'the Force'

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Note #7163 from PCUSA NEWS to PRESBYNEWS:

16-May-2002
02181

Tapping into 'the Force'
	
New Star Wars site on Web explores spirituality of film series
 
by Evan Silverstein

LOUISVILLE - Cosmic themes of faith and spirituality blaze through the Star Wars space saga like a light saber in the hands of a Jedi Knight.

A new Internet site is taking a close look at those religious overtones.

FaithandValues.com, backed by "the Force" and the May 16 theatrical release of Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones, has launched its Star Wars Portal Web site: http://www.faithandvalues.com/channels/starwars.asp.

The site, with its extensive collection of articles and commentaries, sheds light on the theological messages conveyed by the characters and story lines of George Lucas's blockbuster sci-fi film series - messages of morality, truth, and the eternal battle of good vs. evil.

"It is an important mission for us to highlight positive messages of faith in popular culture," said John Lynner Peterson, executive vice president for business development for FaithandValues.com.

FaithandValues.com, based in Lexington, KY, is the two-year-old Internet outreach division of Faith & Values Media, the nation's largest coalition of Christian and Jewish faith groups dedicated to media production, distribution and promotion. Its member faith groups, including the Presbyterian Church (USA), represent 200,000 congregations with a combined membership of more than 120 million.

"Our Web site is a labor of love," Peterson said, "and demonstrates our commitment to the creation and distribution of faith-based news and information to believers and seekers worldwide."

The original Star Wars - Episode 4: A New Hope - was released in 1977. It has become a cultural icon that has continued to endure and grow as new generations discover the film and the four others that have followed. When the original film was released, many religions used Star Wars as an example of faith, relating it to stories in the Bible, the Koran and the Torah, crafting the underlying themes into sermons.

Lucas, who created Star Wars, said in an interview featured on the site that he wanted to tap into religious and mythological concepts to which viewers could relate.

"I see Star Wars as taking all the issues that religion represents and trying to distill them down into a more modern and easily accessible construct - that there is greater mystery out there," Lucas said.

Areas included on the Star Wars site are The X Force (How Star Wars helped spiritually and morally form Generation X); and Transgalactic Truth (What can we learn from Star Wars: Simply entertainment or a vehicle for moral truth?)

Also featured: The Theology of Star Wars, excerpts from the Lucas interview in which he discusses Star Wars spirituality; and the Apocalyptic Cosmology of Star Wars, which tells how the space epic foreshadows great cosmic battles between good and evil, foretells cataclysm, and suggests that the faithful will survive with the help of "the Force" (God).

"Our mission is to promote the vitality of spiritual experience and faith in everyday life," said Tom Nickell, FaithandValues.com's president and chief executive officer. "The written materials, videos, audio clips and music on our Web site celebrate the wonder of God as revealed in sacred Scripture, in the lives of people motivated by faith and positive human values, and in the wisdom contained in our written and oral traditions. 

"And, yes, in messages of faith and hope found in contemporary film."
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