Saturday, January 21, 2006

Why Jedi is a bad religion

(or, How to lose friends and influence people)!

From Star Wars Episode 3:
Death is a natural part of life. Rejoice for those around you who transform into the Force. Mourn them, do not. Miss them, do not. Attachment leads to jealousy. The shadow of greed that is. Train yourself to let go of everything you fear to lose.
Yoda (of course)
In other words, the things that make us human are the very things you need to deny the reality of - love, grief, relationships.

Christianity says that death isn't natural. It has more in common with the profoundly human words of Dylan Thomas:
Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Though wise men at their end know dark is right,
Because their words had forked no lightning they
Do not go gentle into that good night.

Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright
Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight,
And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way,
Do not go gentle into that good night.

Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight
Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

And you, my father, there on the sad height,
Curse, bless, me now with your fierce tears, I pray.
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
Christianity says that death isn't the destiny of nature - one day everything will be remade imperishable. It says that we are able to love because God first loved us. The context of this is in relationships between God's people - but in actual fact, Francis Schaeffer argues that the reason relationships are possible at all is because they reflect the nature of our creator. There may be evolutionary explanations of such things, but that's because evolution can "explain" everything - and thus, explains nothing.