Recognizing Evil

This meme came to my attention on Facebook, and of course I had to share it, since it explores the intersection of Star Wars and Christianity.

In Star Wars, the original plan was for lightsabers to all be the same color, but this was changed to make things more interesting. But the notion that someone’s stance on good or evil can be determined by their lightsaber color is problematic – as Star Wars on the whole seems to recognize. Anakin Skywalker has become Darth Vader well before he wields a red lightsaber.

Recognizing evil by the time someone is wielding a red lightsaber, or killing people with any other weapon for that matter, is relatively easy. The challenge is to recognize that all of us have the same potential to carry a red lightsaber in the future, and often we seem to genuinely believe that because of the color of our lightsaber – or the name of the religious community with which we are affiliated – we are automatically safe and on the right side.