Religion and pop culture intertwined this month with this year’s National Day of Prayer falling on May 4th, a day Star Wars fans have celebrated as Star Wars day, saying “May the Fourth be with you,” a play on the popular “May the Force be with you.” It was also the same day that City Square Associates for Skylight released a survey of 1,700 Americans asking them to compare their religious views to the spiritual “Force” of Star Wars. According to the survey, 20 percent of American adults stated their views aligned with the Force “very much,” while 36 percent stated it did somewhat. The respondents were responding to the question, “‘The Force is what gives a Jedi his power. It’s an energy field created by all living things. It surrounds us and penetrates us. It binds the galaxy together.’ How much do your own views of spirituality align with this?”

Writing for The Hill, opinion columnists Clay Routledge and Paul Anleitner outlined Star Wars’ cultural impact on faith. The two acknowledged the continuing decline of Americans’ participation in traditional religion and that “the fact that people in wealthy, technologically advanced nations are turning away from traditional religion may make them more likely to turn fandom into something that resembles faith.” The piece shared that as traditional religions fade, people are turning to more occult and paranormal experiences like ghost hunting or witchcraft. “Advances in science and technology have made the physical world safer and more comfortable, but they have not changed the fact that we are a spiritual species in search of transcendent meaning. It is in our nature to seek out myths, rituals and mystical experiences that help us feel like we are part of something larger, more significant and more enduring than our brief mortal lives,” the piece went on. Some fans have even gone so far as to adopt “jedism,” like Tyler Arnold, who serves as a Jedi Minister for his church, the Jedi Alliance.  

Timothy Paul Jones, a professor at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and author of the book Finding God in a Galaxy Far, Far Away: A Spiritual Exploration of the Star Wars Saga, noted the pantheistic and Eastern influence on the spirituality of the Star Wars films. “There’s the pantheistic idea of an impersonal Force that binds the universe together, the presence of a dark side and a light side in the spiritual realm, the emphasis on finding truth through mindfulness and concentration.” He did point out, however, that some of the most meaningful moments of the films are moments that share truths with Christianity. “Some of the most powerful aspects of the Star Wars storyline are more Judeo-Christian than Eastern. Good triumphs through Luke Skywalker’s willingness to sacrifice his own life to redeem his father, and Darth Vader turns from darkness and experiences reconciliation.”