The Mandalorian is Christianity Plus Laser Beams
The hit show draws on humans’ innate desire for religion. Christians should take note.
The Mandalorian’s third season begins with a baptism
BY JOAQUIN RIVERA
This blog post is spoiler-free
A congregation stands on a lakeside. The spiritual leader of the group scoops up some of the lake water in a bowl and pours it over a child standing waist-deep in the water. The leader details the pledge that the child must make to “The Way,” and the child swears eternal adherence to “The Way.”
To many ears, this may sound like a description of a baptism, but no, this was in fact the opening scene to season 3 of The Mandalorian. Like anyone else, The Mandalorian enthrals me with the cool fight scenes, epicly designed starships and armor, and original story. But as my Christian friends and I watched the season opener together, we noticed that some things being said weren’t all that original. Other than this obvious baptism scene, a core tension of the episode is this idea that the Mandalorian has done something in contrast to “The Way,” and he says, “[If] I have bathed in the living waters…I would be redeemed” (I’m not paraphrasing — he literally says that). And it all makes me wonder, why are almost a hundred million people [1] so fascinated and compelled by this character and the obviously spiritual undertones of his journey while the modern Church that has those very same liturgies just doesn’t seem to have the same luster and intrigue? Do we need to include laser guns and hyperspeed space travel to make Christianity more accessible?
I think the Mandalorian as a character is so fascinating to viewers because “The Way” that he follows is something that genuinely impacts every facet of his life. His life has been transformed by this Way, and it informs every decision that he makes. As a bit of context for readers not as familiar with the show, The Way of Mandalore is essentially a religious oath that certain sects of people from the planet of Mandalore observe. In the olden days, observance of the oath was much more widespread across the planet, but as time went on, the number of those who subscribed to the old ways became lower and lower. The tenets of this creed [2], including never taking off his helmet and swearing to protect Mandalorian youths, are things that the Mandalorian takes absolutely seriously, and at almost all times, he acts consistently with his creed. There is major tension at several moments throughout the show when he is essentially forced to remove his helmet, but after these “transgressions,” he immediately resolves to redeem himself and keep adhering to the Way. Now, we might think the Mandalorian is naive for being so tied to a tradition like never taking off a helmet. And indeed, in the show he confronts characters who treat him with derision for it. But as an audience member, I am nevertheless drawn to his conviction, to how he treats every part of his creed as something that ought to be revered.
Take this and compare it to the state of modern Christianity. The Christian “Way” is described in the Bible, with early Christians even being referred to as those who follow “The Way.” [3] Yet, most of those who call themselves Christians nowadays would not consider the Bible as the ultimate authority on how they conduct their lives. An article by the Culture Research Center at Arizona Christian University revealed that, “Despite 69% claiming the faith, in reality only a tiny minority of American adults (6%) possess a biblical worldview and demonstrate a consistent understanding and application of biblical principles.” [4] This leads to a situation where all these people who identify as Christians can hold widely different beliefs on moral and social issues, as they are not all bound by adherence to the teachings of the Bible. Many of those who claim to be Christians might not even live out any aspect of Christian doctrine at all. So when non-Christians see all this disunity of ideology and a lack of transformation in those who are Christian, Christian rituals just don’t have a compelling image.
Mahatma Gandhi, the famous Indian civil rights activist of the 20th century, was actually very positively disposed towards the teachings of Jesus Christ. [5] However, his experiences with Christians were for the most part negative. He saw no consistency between the teachings of Jesus and the British Empire which was bringing supposed religious salvation to the Indians, but actually exploited them economically and racially. So then, in Gandhi’s eyes, how could the Way of Christianity have the power to transform if these so-called Christian colonisers acted with such violence and cruelty?
This all brings us to a little bit of a difficult conclusion. Of course, the Bible teaches that we are fallen, that we will always make mistakes, and that we need Christ’s grace. Yet at the same time, Christians are called to be inwardly transformed by the power of the Gospel, and this transformation should bear fruit in our lives — our belief should positively change how we interact with the world and the people around us. It’s crucial to acknowledge that we cannot live perfect lives on our own, but as the Apostle Paul says, we should not just sin more so that we can have more grace. [6] We ought to be in the constant act of recognizing when we have gone astray and working to remedy what has gone wrong. Even the Mandalorian faltered from his Way, but he immediately got back up and sought to correct his wrong. Furthermore, our faith should not just be something we live out sometimes, or in front of certain people, but should be something that is an active part of every aspect of our lives.
I think the lesson to be learned from The Mandalorian’s popularity is that people are drawn to those who live a life guided by a consistent sense of purpose. His character stands out from most others in the show who are petty, unreliable, and selfish. His Way, the way of protecting loved ones, the way of humble repentance, the way of respect to ancient teachings, is really in so many ways similar to the Way of Jesus Christ. And just like millions of people are watching the Mandalorian, people are watching us too. Do they see us, those who claim to be followers of Christ, as those who are guided by a consistent purpose? Do they see people who live the message of the Scriptures they preach? Yes, we are broken people, but by living a life upheld by the grace of Christ that is defined by constant love and understanding towards those around us, we can once again show our culture a compelling image of Christianity.
SOURCES
https://thedirect.com/article/mandalorian-season-3-star-wars-viewership-record
https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/way-anyway-mandalorians-religion-creed-150934554.html
Acts 9:2
https://www.arizonachristian.edu/2021/08/31/crc-report-finds-nearly-70-of-americans-claim-to-be-christian-but-what-does-that-mean/
https://www.mkgandhi.org/articles/gandhi_christ.html
Romans 6:1-2