Michael Collings is a writer and former professor of English at Pepperdine University in Malibu, Calif., and author of a biography of Orson Scott Card, an award-winning science fiction author who has used portions of the Book of Mormon in his works. Collings traces a link between belief in Mormonism and an affinity for science […]

James F. McGrath, a professor of religion at Butler University in Indianapolis, has taught a course called “Religion in Science Fiction.” Read the syllabus and introduction with extensive bibliography and links. He is editor of the book Religion and Science Fiction and co-editor of a book about religion and the long-running BBC television series Dr. Who. His blog, Religion Prof, sometimes […]

A conversation between Bill Moyers and George Lucas on the meaning of the Force and the true theology of Star Wars (Time, Apr. 26, 1999).

In a 2002 Salon article, Steve Hart writes, “Beneath all the pseudo-mythic Joseph Campbell hogwash, the roots of George Lucas’ empire lie not in “The Odyssey” but in classic and pulp 20th century sci-fi.”

A BBC News article published in 2003 about fans urging people to list Jedi as their religion in census records.

A look at the Taoist concept of wu wei through the lens of the Star Wars series. Published by John Porter on Beliefnet in 2003.

A paper by by John S. Schultes, published in the October 2003 issue of the Journal of Religion & Film.

A paper published in 2000 by John C. Lyden, editor of the Journal of Religion & Film.  

Michael Arbib is professor of computer science, biological sciences, biomedical engineering, electrical engineering neuroscience and psychology at the University of Southern California. He believes that findings about brain function may challenge cherished religious assumptions.