The Gospel according to Luke Skywalker
Michael R. Denton at For the Greater Glory posts:
The History Channel is showing a special on Star Wars for its 30th anniversary. So far, the highlight has been Newt Gingrich making a comment to the effect of:
"The Jedi are like the Jesuits of this world. They bring truth to areas that it hasn't been before."
George Lucas has hinted that the Jedi were modeled loosely on the Jesuits so you can partly see it. Duke University even has a course From Jedi through Jesuit: Approaching Religious Conversion via the Missionary.
But I think the comparison can certainly be brought into the modern world of Jesuit education. Certainly it would seem a lot of Jesuits have given into the dark side and not the dark night of the soul. Lots of Fr. Vader's out there that have no problems with Death Stars as long as they are pointed at unborn children. Quick name a Jesuit college in the United States faithful to the magisterium? In fact take your time to try to come up with one. It seems to me they have fallen to a sort of academic Stockholm syndrome. A desire to be respected by other once religiously founded but now secular schools has led to very nominally Catholic schools. To be respected by your peers has come to trump being faithful to the Church. Now I am sure this is an over simplification as every generality are, but to me it explains the results. Sure there are many great Jesuits, though they are the exceptions that prove the rule.
This Jesuits once known for defending the faith and their loyalty to the Pope are now more like the Star War's prequels than the first three movies in the series or more specifically they are like the first prequel The Phantom Menace. When you watch the prequels you think "Hey the plot is familiar and so are some of the characters, but the execution of these movies is severely lacking." When you attend a modern Jesuit school you get the same type of feeling towards Catholicism. That the Catholic identity part is sort of familiar but the execution of it is not very good.
The old style Jesuits were like Obi Wan Kenobi - wise, fearless, and willing to lay their lives down. Give me St. Ignatius with a light saber any day or any other of the great saints in the true Jesuit tradition. Instead now you get taught theology of the same caliber as taking acting lessons from Hayden Christensen.
Too many new style Jesuits are like well ...
"Yah, yousa will get a fine ejacation at dis school in the Jesuit Tradishun with the Ja Ja Jesuits."
Known as 
I think it's time to suppress the Jesuits again.
Two other points are noteworthy:
1. The Jungian influence that pervades the modern view of "myth".
2. There was a point at which the movies purported "Christian" themes were invoked in matter of the son (Luke) redeeming the father (Annakin/Darth Vader). Huh ... the Son redeeming the Father a Christian theme? Perhaps this is another 'new thing' as discovered in the Episcopal Church?
Forget supressing the Jesuits. Maybe we could just get them to move back to France?
Hilarious!
Lucas got a lot of his stuff from Joseph Campbell's "Hero of a Thousand Faces" and some other New-Agey crapola, which, come to think of it, so do the Jesuits. We could carry the analogy a little too far...
Very good explanation..we know some very nice but 'off beam' Jesuits...
God bless
"Good is a point of view, Anakin!"
-- Sen. Palpatine in Episode III
"Meesa gonna show yousa da power of da Dark Side!"
-- Darth Binks in Episode VII
"Forget supressing the Jesuits. Maybe we could just get them to move back to France?"
Huh? The Jesuits originated from Spain.
haha very funny Ubi... It kind of gets tiresome to hear those kind of jokes... Even more coming from Catholics.
Re: "The Jesuits originated from Spain."
St. Iggy was from Spain, true; but the Company of Jesus was started at the University of Paris, IIRC.
Re: Jesuit suppression
Um, my understanding was that the Jesuits got suppressed the first time because they _were_ doing holy Jesuit stuff, not because they weren't.
Some people think Jesuits are bad guys who should be suppressed. Some think they have made themselves irrelevant.
So maybe the Church should think about suppressing irrelevance.
Oh, Oh!
The new bishop for the capital
of Canada - Ottawa,
is ....a Jesuit!!!
Pax Christi,
Jeff,
Hayden is as emotional as a brick in Star Wars, But he was good in "Shattered Glass". Check it out. Maybe Georgy porgy just has a mind-numbing affect in actors.
PS --
:) /hug
my new friends =)
Theres alot of work to do, not only in Christs Way, but in my weird druid way too, they are 1 in the same.
Step #1 Hike!
Step #2 - have a garbage bag tucked into thy belt
Step #3 - if you see trash on the ground, putr it in the bag...
Step 4 - hike towards water in case you get thirsty. (if you dont want to drink that water.. well, #1 - your a pussy, #2 you helped pollute the lake, and #3 ...
Dont exepect us druids to fix your damage... your on your own boys n girls
/HUG
Anyways , wow, your website link just got sent to well, ... a few friends...
I understand, it IS all about love and relating, but dont make g l lie - lol, he totally states, evewn on the CD, AND Power of Myth by Joser[h Campbell. that the jedi are totally based on the druids...
I'm not saying your ignorant or stupid either, ... but..
If you keep saying something that is not true...
I'll call you on it Sir.
I've read and re read the statements, and watched the gl interviews a few times just to make sure also..
And I can honestly state sir.. that You are out of line.
So, lets fix that! =D
I dont expect you to become a Wiccan, or anything whatsoever! hehe
But get off the damn pedestal and smell the damn flowers for a sec...