[ . . . continued from part 1]
In addition to the shallow switcharoo (IMHO) ending, to me the reunion at the interfaith church was just so eerily and obnoxiously warm and fuzzy, that it made me think that the LOST gang was some sort of creepy suicide cult. I liked it better when the show worked in subtle references to various religious symbolism, but this last scene feels like a strange religious cocktail blend that kinda makes me want to vomit. Did you notice the stained glass window? The Taoist yin and yang, Christian cross, Jewish star of David, Muslim crescent moon and star, Hindu aum, and Buddhist dharmacakra wheel (a connection to the frozen wheel I hadn’t considered). Really, did you have to be that blatant about your religious combo meal? What happened to the mystery? It’s as if LOST is taking us aside to tell us, “Hi viewer, in this series we have borrowed from all of these very profound and inspirational religions. Won’t you, like us, respect and value these important religious traditions in your own path to spiritual enlightenment?”
Please permit me a moment of commentary here. Far from respecting all religions, this sort of religious soup is a slap in the face to all communities of faith. This is where Stephen Prothero’s latest book, God Is Not One: The Eight Rival Religions That Run the World–and Why Their Differences Matter, has tremendous relevance (check out his video interview on PBS’ Religion and Ethics). When we blend all religions together, we create something entirely different from any one religion. We need to consider each religion within its own context if we’re going to respect and study each religion, not “the simple celebration of diversity for diversity’s sake—that is too easy,” as Prof. Boustan likes to say. In his letter from the director on UCLA’s Center for the Study of Religion site, Boustan notes, “We must avoid the temptation to divide the world into the familiar and the exotic.” The LOST finale has not avoided such temptation and rather makes religion into a cheesy, meaningless prop.
Gary Susman at TV Squad interprets the stained glass window thusly: “There’s an afterlife waiting for everyone, as long as they have faith and are willing to let go.” Why on God’s green earth would LOST end its magnificent run with such a hokey message? Commenting on that stained-glass window and the entire interfaith church idea, one blogger complains, “Why not just have Jack ascend to heaven in a Prius with a ‘coexist’ bumper sticker?” Not that I have anything against Priuses (Prii?) or those stickers (if properly conceived), but the point is: Why do the final moments of the LOST finale feel like an after school special on the importance of respecting religious diversity? There we were, wondering about the mythology of LOST, which questions would be answered and how, following the epic story, and then, we were being homilized. And it’s not even a good homily at that.
On the other hand, I did appreciate Kate’s poignant question at the beginning of the episode: “‘Christian Shepherd’? Seriously?”
[continued (with some less negative thoughts) in part 3 . . . ]
Interesting post. I think you’re right in saying that “when we blend all religions together, we create something entirely different from any one religion.” But as shallow as it might seem to those with a deep knowledge of one or more religious tradition, perhaps this new “religion” has its own validity for our time. For one, our world is amazingly interconnected in a way that it has never been in the past, so it seems natural that the traditions, once (somewhat) bound by geography, would blend as never before. Plus, a lot of people feel alienated from the major religious because they are so rooted in the past that they no longer seem entirely relevant – or truthful. Because no one tradition is viewed as possessing absolute truth, this hodgepodge religion uproots selected elements of the various traditions and puts them in a new context. Whether this remains an inchoate, often sentimental “spirituality” or becomes a major religion in its own right might depend on whether or not a great charismatic force comes along to solidify it. It seems that all great religions were the product of just such a (pre-existing?) syncretism of existing traditions in combination with powerful leaders and/or social forces. I sure hope this doesn’t happen – I’m starting to like the soup (though some “cooks” are better than others).
Brian, You raise some excellent points here. I have a couple responses. First, whatever we say regarding religious plurality/pluralism/diversity/etc., my main point is that the LOST finale is totally departing their subtle use of multidimensional religious symbolism for this blatant and explicit religious soup in the finale. The point is: it’s not in keeping with LOST.
But secondly, and more importantly, regarding syncretism, I think you have a point. Each religious tradition is, of course, not a single, monolithic thing. Religion adapts and transforms over time based upon various contextual factors. Scholars of religion and religious leaders today need to consider their own context of globalized religious ideas and how that affects religious identity in our own time. The situation today is fundamentally a different thing than the sorts of adaptations and diverse manifestations of particular religious traditions over time. Each religion, of course, has the definition given to it by the educated elites who eventually define its boundaries. At the same time, popular religious practice inevitably combines the prevailing ideology and practices of their own time and place, often unconsciously, into their more “established” religious identity. In other words, there has always been some sort of blend, even if that blend has been given general contours and guidelines by religious leaders.
The issue today is that people (especially those in the West) are disenchanted by the religious traditions with which they are most familiar (for those in the West, often Christianity, perhaps fundamentalism or even nominal Catholicisim). They seek to find meaning in a blend of religious ideas. The thing is, these are people who usually know they are gathering a variety of religious ideas and picking which ones “work for them” the best. This is a different cultural phenomenon than the long term evolution of a particular religious community. I have found, too, that this religious blend is typically more focused on the gathering of appealing religious ideas more than defining ritual practices and/or communities.
Still, though, it is an important point that needs serious consideration. We cannot pretend that religious “traditions” are “pure” and thus cannot be “contaminated” by contemporary ideas.
I’m glad I am not the only one who noticed this. The first thing I saw in the scene where Jack walks into the church was a Krishna, a Buddha statue in the corner and a cross statue. Then I saw the blaring stained glass window you are talking about and it made me stop in my tracks. As a christian I have done a lot of study on the New Age movement and how they mix a little of each major faith to gently nudge us into a “One world religion”. It spreads the idea that there is more than one way to God.
I love the ending as good television and, though anything can be better written, I wasn’t unhappy about it. But I do agree about the “religious soup”. Very much. The problem with smorgasbordism, as I call it, or the religious buffet, is that we will only choose what we like, and we’ll heap it up on our plates too.
However, there are, in Christianity I have learned, some dishes that are harder to swallow. You must acquire a taste for them. You do this by deep thought, study, and prayer. The Church of Hodge Podge doesn’t require thinking and understanding. It is all about what make me feel good.
Hi Erica and Robert,
I can understand your frustrations and offense to the LOST finale. I think my reaction is a little different than your own. On this blog, I wear my academic hat (for the most part). I’m not attacking anyone who says that “there is more than one way to God.” That is a different angle on the investigation of religion. I’m not sure what LOST is doing with the idea of the divine. Here I am interested less with where all religions believe “we are going” after death and more with the importance of distinctions between religious traditions. I am pointing out that grouping all these religions together flattens them all out and creates something that no person from any of these traditions could really embrace. In other words, I’m more interested in the social implications here than the theological ones — except for those theological implications which are connected to the social distinctions.
Also, I disagree with this statement: “The Church of Hodge Podge doesn’t require thinking and understanding. It is all about what make me feel good.” There is some element of choosing the religious ideas which bring the most comfort, but I wouldn’t write off people who go this route as lacking “thinking and understanding” in their formation of religious/spiritual identity. In fact, many of them would say the same for followers of traditional religions. I don’t think that’s a helpful remark on either side.