Star Wars, premiered in 1979, with sequels and prequels to follow, and is surely the basis for the recent movie and book, The Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkien. Both stories star Christ-like figures in Luke Skywalker and Frodo Baggins. Both are people who appear normal, who we soon discover are special, designed by a higher power to lead us along the right path.
In LOTR there is a ring of immense and dangerous power. This ring derives its power from the evil of mankind, and needs a great person to destroy it. Frodo Baggins is "the chosen one", forced to cast the ring into Mount Doom and save humanity. After being betrayed by all his friends, Frodo must carry the burden himself, and in the end against all odds, succeeds in his quest. However, his sacrifice eventually destroys him, and he dies for the ring's destruction. The Christian beliefs inherent in the story are obvious. Jesus was betrayed by his disciples, just as Frodo is. In a parallel with the burden of his ring, Jesus must carry his own cross for his crucifixion, with the "burden of mankind" upon his back. Once he has carried the cross long enough, Jesus is crucified upon it; like the journey to dispose of the ring, Frodo and Jesus both die for the "sins of man".

In Star Wars Luke Skywalker must fight the temptations from the "dark side" in order to save humanity from the clutches of the Emperor, Dark Vader, and evil monsters like Java the Hutt. Vader wants to turn Luke's power to the dark side, by tempting him to unleash his anger and hate. Luke almost fails, marked by his robotic hand that mirrors Dark Vader's own machine like, unnatural, and therefore un-Godly body. In the final showdown against evil, Luke rejects the dark side, prompting even the coldest of hearts in Vader to warm to the virtues of good and purity.

Again, the parallels with Christian teaching are apparent. Jesus too was tempted by evil, but rejected it, choosing the right path even though it meant for a difficult conclusion. The Christian belief that salvation is always possible is evident in the spiritual saving of Vader; a Hilterian character. Jesus, forgave the criminals being crucified beside him on the cross. They like Vader, were assured to be going to heaven, even though their lives had been spotted by evil ways. As long as you repent, you are saved, truths that the Bible and Star Wars both convey. Once Luke has become a Jedi, and is one with the "Force", or Christianity, his love for Leia, which is initially sexual, abates into a true brotherly love. If young people of today embraced the true path with Christian teaching, their sexual behavior would be correctly modified as Luke's was, and become pure in nature. They would surely listen to their father's orders to never have premarital sex or orgies.

In the Phantom Menace surely the best Star Wars movie of them all, a lesson in traditional family values is presented. A young Dark Vader:Anikan Skywalker, is brought up by a single mother. This innocent child, unable to develop adequate family values without a father, turns to the "dark side" to solve his problems. This rise and fall of Anikan mirrors the Biblical recording of Lucifer and his long fall from Grace to Hell. In today's world, children of single mothers, "fall from Grace", and move to the "dark side" by using drugs, cursing, making pornography in the garage, and engaging in interracial dating and sex.

But wait you say, didn't I say I was an optimist? Yes I am, because these values have survived to today, and are currently laying dormant in stories such as LOTR and Star Wars. Obviously these works of art have borrowed from Christian truths which Lucas has deftly rewritten into something the heritical mainstream can embrace without acknowledging them as religious in nature. The main demographic that enjoys these movies are often described as being "nerds", or "dorks" who run websites like Slashdot. These "nerds" are highly educated people, who have been brainwashed by a liberal arts education into thinking that Christianity is a farce. However, the fact that these people enjoy movies and books that obviously reinforce and uphold Christian values, means that their need for religious values still exist. They have been taught that religion is fake, but deep down they need to believe in something, and latch onto these works to placate the void in their hearts that a liberal arts education has created. I am convinced that if these values can still exist, Christianity will make a glorious comeback. As the current values of sexual freedom and female power turn back on their creators, as we have seen with AIDS and feminism, Christianity will be there for people to re-embrace. Since the values of Christianity have been preserved in popular culture, the transition will be smooth and peaceful. Any dissenters could be easily suppressed by new pro-Christian laws that a Republican controlled Congress could easily enact. Christian's must remember this come election time; we must vote for the future of America and the morally corrupt sons and daughters everywhere, especially for those somewhere in Hollywood.

The fact that in LOTR, Star Wars, and the Bible, good pervades over evil, lifts my heart in these personally dark times, and gives me a renewed hope for the future of Christianity of America. The current fever over Attack of the Clones proves my point; people are desperate for a morality lecture, eventually Christianity will be reinstated as the teacher, and no doubt help make the world a better place.