“Do one love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world – the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride in one’s possessions – is not from the Father, but is from the world. And the world with its lust is passing away, but the one who does the will of God remains forever.” (CSB – Read the chapter)

When filmmakers set about their craft, I am increasingly convinced their primary source material is the stories they grew up with. Having finally been given the opportunity by virtue of position or technology to tell and retell the stories of their childhood in a way that makes them more real, as well as to pass on a love of these stories to the next generation, they take it. This is why superhero and adventure movies generally have long been such a successful genre. Young people love them because those are the kinds of stories we are drawn to naturally as kids. Older people love them because they enjoy seeing the stories they grew up with brought to life on the big screen (and increasingly the small streaming screen). One of the latest Disney offerings is the series, Ahsoka, from the Star Wars universe. By all accounts it has been absolutely fantastic. I wouldn’t know because I haven’t watched any of it yet even though I am most excited to do so. But its release has set me on a journey that will eventually end in my watching the whole thing. This journey has been taking me through another popular entry from the Star Wars franchise which has given me the chance to reflect a bit on the worldview of Star Wars more generally. The intersection of that and the Christian worldview is what I’d like to explore for a bit with you this morning. Let’s dive in.

Ahsoka is the live-action continuation of the story of its titular heroine, the Jedi warrior, Ahsoka Tano. Ahsoka’s origins are actually pretty similar to those of the DC character, Harley Quinn, whose live-action portrayal by Margot Robbie effectively launched her career. Both started out not in the literary source material of their respective universes, but in a cartoon series. Harley first appeared as an occasional henchwoman of the Joker in the classic cartoon Batman: The Animated Series. Ahsoka got her start as the young Padawan of Jedi Master Anakin Skywalker who, of course, would later become the evil Darth Vader, in the long-running Star Wars series, The Clone Wars. The series began originally as a series of cartoon shorts meant to bridge the gap between the second and third Star Wars movies. That eventually became an animated feature film released directly to TV, which in turn launched the actual series.

The series tells the various stories of the Clone Wars that happened between the Galactic Federation (which later became the Galactic Empire when Darth Sidious finally revealed himself at the end of Revenge of the Sith) and the Separatists. The Separatists were ostensibly a group of planets and star systems that didn’t want to participate in the Federation and were trying to convince others to join their side in their attempt to defy and diminish the power of the Federation. What made the Separatists the villains of the story is that they were led by the Sith Lord, Count Dooku (wonderfully played by Christopher Lee in the live-action movies), who sought to impose the tyranny of the Sith on the entire galaxy. The democratically led Federation with the Jedi as the commanders of their armed forces which were originally composed of hundreds of thousands of clone troopers all made from the genetic stock of the bounty hunter, Jango Fett, the Father of Boba Fett (thus the title of the series). Of course, at the right moment, Senator Palpatine (who was always really Darth Sidious in disguise and who had been secretly playing both sides of the conflict in order to eventually claim power over the whole galaxy for the Sith) issued Order Number 66 which turned the clones against the Jedi and converted them into his personal army under the leadership of the newly turned Darth Vader. If you’re a Star Wars fan, you probably already knew all of that. If you’re not, welcome to the world. A month’s worth of hard binging on Disney+ should bring you fully up to speed.

That’s all prologue. What watching through the Clone Wars series has given me the opportunity to do (besides, you know, enjoying one of the perhaps top ten animated series of all time..at least as far as I’m concerned, but my animation tastes are pretty narrow) is to reflect on the worldview behind the Jedi order. It’s no secret that the Jedi are essentially Buddhist in their worldview outlook. Yet while this lies mostly below the surface in the primary canonical films (especially in episodes 1-6; episodes 7-9 were mostly about trying to get audiences in the door and dropped any real attempts at depth), it bubbles to the top a little more frequently in the Clone Wars series.

Something else the Clone Wars series does (at least over the course of the first season and a half out of seven) is to chronicle Anakin’s gradual descent to the Dark Side. Perhaps the thing that greases his path more than any other is the fact that he is not willing to let go of his attachment to the things and people around him. Jedi are supposed to be totally unattached. They are not allowed to experience emotions. The greatest Jedi masters are always a sea of calm in the midst of an ocean of turbulent emotions. Because they are unattached to things and people, they are able to be fair and impartial in their pursuit of justice and peace. The freedom from the pull of this world allows them to be committed to what is right and incorruptible in their focus.

Anakin never masters this. In fact, he all but refuses to do so. He mourns his mother’s death in the films and ultimately seeks violent revenge against the aliens who killed her. He is passionately in love with Padme Amidala and secretly marries her – a relationship that is shown throughout the Clone Wars series and remains something he keeps from the other Jedi. He is also very much attached to his Padawan, Ahsoka. He often refuses to put her in harm’s way because of his desire to protect her. And when she does find herself in trouble, he is willing to do just about anything in order to get her out of it. Generally speaking, anytime anyone he loves is in trouble, he throws out the rulebook and does what needs to be done to get them out of it. It is all of these attachments that provide the hooks Darth Sidious uses to gradually tempt him to the dark side of the Force.

As a follower of Jesus who is committed to the Christian worldview, there are some things to appreciate about the Jedi code and its relinquishing of attachments. The apostle John told us in his first letter that we are not to love the world or the things in the world. If we let the world get its hooks into us, it will pull us away from God. So, clearly this means George Lucas’ broadly Eastern worldview and the Christian worldview are basically saying the same thing. They are just different sides of the same coin; different parts of the same elephant, to borrow from the old tale.

Well…not quite.

What the apostle John was talking about in calling believers to not love the world and what the Jedi are talking about when they encourage their Younglings and Padawans to let go of their attachments are not like opposite sides of the same coin. They are completely different ideas stemming from radically different worldviews.

The Buddhist worldview that underlies the Jedi outlook advocates for the complete rejection of this world and everything in it. Instead, the goal is to become nothing; to feel nothing; to need nothing. When we recognize that we are nothing and embrace our being a part of the universal consciousness, we will finally reach Nirvana and break free from the cycle of death and rebirth. Yes, Buddhism calls for its followers to pursue goodness and justice and kindness in the world around them, but this is not in order to see those virtues flourish, but rather to help them avoid negative emotions that unavoidably lead to entanglements with the world that slow down the process of enlightenment. Ultimately, the goal of the Buddhist is to cease to care about the world and the things and people in it at all. Now, this stands a little bit at odds with the Jedi’s commitment to law and order and justice, but not much.

For followers of Jesus, on the other hand, we are called to love the people around us. We are expected to form attachments with one another and with God most supremely. We are to care deeply about the least, last, and lost, and take active steps to relieve their pain and suffering. We are to work for justice not simply to avoid negative emotions, but because we serve a God who is fundamentally just in His character, and we want to see His character recognized and embraced in the world around us. No, we are not to love the world or the things in the world, as John says here, but this is not an Eastern denial of attachments. Rather, it is a refusal to put our pursuit of those things ahead of our pursuit of God and His righteousness.

The kind of love that keeps drawing Anakin in and hastens his fall to the Dark Side is not a bad thing on the Christian worldview. That kind of passionate love for people that motivates a pursuit of justice is exactly what we are called to embrace. When we get it right, it won’t lead us astray, it will keep us on the straight and narrow. Now, if we take a worldly approach in our pursuit of what is good, good won’t be the outcome. We have to pursue what’s good from the starting point of God’s character. But pursuing what is good because of the love of God is always a good thing.

And, if there is still debate about which is the better approach, consider something Jesus said. He said we will know a tree by its fruit. Consider the fruit of the pursuit and application of a Buddhist worldview versus the pursuit and application of the Christian worldview. Don’t take the worst examples of each into account right now. Instead, look at the places where the real thing is being applied. Which one has accomplished more good in and for the world? The contest there really isn’t close. In the end, while the Star Wars franchise makes for some really compelling stories, it doesn’t offer the world something that will make it truly better except where it borrows from the Christian worldview. The Christian worldview is simply the better option. I hope you’ll consider it.