The Theology of Lost

For the last few years, I have been a fan of LOST.  I have watched ABC’s hit show with much excitement and also frustration. Unanswered questions and confusing story lines are the main focus of my frustration.  Now that the show is in its final season, I have come to see the show not just as entertainment but also an exercise in story telling, debates in modern moral dilemmas, and reflection upon theological undertones.

Still, the show has been able to hold my attention by using cliff hangers that seem to stick closer to me than Juliet’s puppy love for Sawyer.  In addition, J. Abrams and his crew are clever to used the internet and a gorilla marketing campaign to promote the show.

Clearly there are religious elements.  The themes of good and evil have been present since Jack walked through the airport in episode one.  The concept of “The Others” is almost cultist. Remote communal living, clear rules, secrets, protocol, and unquestionable allegiance to a leader lend to the mystique of the show.  Theologically, the show is rich with symbolism. There are obvious religious references, but there are quiet ones as well.

I’m not the first to make the this connection.  Several bloggers and ministers have commented on the theology connection.  Here are my top 5 fascinating  theological figures or themes in LOST:

5 – Smokey and Jacob. The constant presence of “Smoky” (a.k.a. Fake Locke, a.k.a. NotLocke, or just FLocke) the scary smoke cloud on the island and Jacob’s transcendence smacks of the struggle of good and evil.  “Smoky” is portrayed as evil and cunning because it (or he) has killed several people.  Jacob, on the other hand, has saved people from death off the island.  However, this is a fatal flaw to the good and evil theology.  In Christianity, God is the source of everything good and Satan is the source of everything evil.  But, God and Satan do not have equal power. The dualism in LOST speaks to the common belief that good and evil are equally struggling.

4 -Redemption. Characters on the show have made mistakes in their personal lives.  On the island they seek redemption. Some want to get away from their lives and others want to find their lives.  Either way, the flashbacks, flash forwards, or the sideways time lines provide in depth character development. The message of the Gospel presents a picture that it is God who forgives sins and that no matter what you do your sins can be forgiven. On the island, characters find themselves in moments where they cannot escape their past or are reliving it.  For those Losties who find redemption they often find it in unexpected ways.

3 – Mr. Eko. By far the most “Christian” story is Mr. Eko’s.  Long story short, Eko pretends to be a priest to smuggle drugs (and later carries out holy duties).  On the island, his dead brother (who was a real priest) tells Eko to repent of his sins.  Eko struggled with the sins of his past and was unable to repent or believe he needed repentance. Eko then builds a church on the island. When faced with the Smoke Monster, Eko recites the 23 Psalm and is promptly killed.   At first, Eko used Christianity as a front, however he comes to believe in it.  It is interesting how Eko is transformed by Christianity but still struggled with its call to repent, forgive, and love.

2 – Faith. So many people have faith on this show! (Not necessarily religious faith)  Almost every character trusts in something they cannot see!  At one point in the series, Ben asks Jack if he believes in God. But, Jack turns the question around him, and then Ben suggests Jack’s existence on the Island (a spinal surgeon, when Ben has a fatal spinal tumor) is proof of God.  Faith is used in so many ways on LOST. Everyone is always walking into the jungle not knowing where they are going, who they are following, or what they are doing.  People trust in Locke, Ben, Sawyer, Juliet, and various other dirty islanders for guidance. Just about every person on the island believes in someone or something to help them through their difficult time.  Why can’t God do the same?  Atheists often lament the concept of having faith in God, but often atheists do not realize how they use the concept of faith every day.

1 – Time. Yes, time.  Time is theological.  On the island, time does not always operate in a liner fashion.  You have to re-watch Back to the Future I, II, and III to brush up on your time flux capacitor theories. Theologically, God operates outside of time, but yet in time.  God is not bound by time, but yet God uses time to achieve his providence.  We watchers of LOST are confused by these time lines, but they provide deeper insight into the lives of the characters. Time is used like a rubber band on the show: stretched, bent, and contracted.  Theologically, we talk about two types of times in the Greek language: Chronos and Kairos. Chronos is measured time chronologically. Kairos is qualitative time… an appointed time.  If Chronos is sequential time then Kairos is life changing time.  We work in Chronos time, but God works in Kairos time.  A helpful theological understanding is important:

Kairos, because it is present, is an icon of eternal life. To experience the now, after all, one must be alive. The dead know nothing of now. Therefore, the now, the kairos, is an icon of the life of heaven. Indeed, eternal life is an everlasting now, in which there is no sequence, no before and after.

On LOST, time is planned, or at least people try to plan it.  People on the island learn that they cannot control time, but they try to.  Kairos time is time that cannot be measured or quantified, but must be experienced.  Few characters understand this salient understanding of time. So often, like on LOST, we want to run through life, passing by those who do not fit into our plan.  However, God calls us to stop and slow down to experience time and to reach out to others and to Christ, the Divine.

I’m sure there are other theologies in LOST, but these are the ones that spoke to me.  These theologies run through the show like a brook making its way to the ocean.  As the brook gets closer to the ocean, it becomes a creek and then a river.  Likewise, the theologies become deeper and wider as we approach the end. These theologies are not always overtly Christian on LOST, but they make us think about the Christian life so that we can gain perspective in our own lives.