What Can Be Found in Lost.Indd 1 10/8/07 3:56:35 PM This Book Is a Critical Commentary on the Religious Themes Found in the Television Show Lost

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What Can Be Found In Lost.indd 1 10/8/07 3:56:35 PM This book is a critical commentary on the religious themes found in the television show Lost. This book has not been approved, licensed, endorsed, or sponsored by ABC, Disney Touchstone, Bad Robot, or Grass Skirt and is in no way associated with any entity involved in creating or producing the television series Lost. Lost is a registered trademark of Disney Enterprises, Inc. Touchstone Television, a division of Disney Enterprises, Inc., owns the copyright in episodes of Lost.

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. NIV®. Copyright©1973, 1978, 1984 by the International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved. Verses marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, IL 60189 USA. All rights reserved. Verses marked NASB are taken from the New American Standard Bible ®, © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. (www.Lockman.org) Verses marked MSG are taken from The Message. Copyright © by Eugene H. Peterson 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group. Verses marked KJV are taken from the King James Version of the Bible. Verses marked CEV are taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991, 1992, 1995 by American Bible Society. Used with permission. Verses marked TLB are taken from The Living Bible, Copyright ©1971. Used by permission of Tyndale House Pub- lishers, Inc., Wheaton, IL 60189 USA. All rights reserved. Italicized text in Scripture quotations indicate author’s emphasis. Cover by Abris, Veneta, Oregon

Ankerberg, John, 1945- What can be found in Lost? / John Ankerberg and Dillon Burroughs. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN-13: 978-0-7369-2121-3 ISBN-10: 0-7369-2121-4 1. Spirituality. 2. Spiritual life—Christianity. 3. Lost (Television program) I. Burroughs, Dillon. II. Title. BV4501.3.A55 2008 261.5'7—dc22 2007034809

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, digital, photocopy, recording, or any other—except for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior permission of the publisher.

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What Can Be Found In Lost.indd 2 9/28/07 8:12:02 AM Contents

Why Should I Read This Book? ...... 7 Part One: The Themes ofLost 1. Lost on God...... 13 2. Lost on Prayer...... 21 3. Lost on Destiny...... 29 4. Lost on Miracles ...... 37 5. Lost on Trust and Secrets...... 47 6. Lost on Good and Evil ...... 55 7. Lost on the Bible...... 63 8. Lost on Dreams and Visions ...... 77 9. Lost on Leadership...... 87 10. Lost on Numbers ...... 95 11. Lost on Redemption ...... 103 12. Lost on Death ...... 111 13. Lost on the Afterlife ...... 117 Part Two: The Theories ofLost 14. Researching the World of Lost ...... 129 15. Researching the (Many) Theories ofLost ...... 139 Lost…What to Do About It ...... 145 Appendices Appendix One: Key Characters in Lost ...... 149 Appendix Two: The Religions ofLost ...... 151 Appendix Three: The Books ofLost ...... 157 Appendix Four: Character Connections in Seasons One Through Three ofLost ...... 161 Acknowledgments...... 165 Notes ...... 167

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BEN: Do you believe in God, Jack? JACK: Do you? BEN: Two days after I found out I had a fatal tumor on my spine, a spinal surgeon fell out of the sky. If that’s not proof of God, I don’t know what is. —FROM “THE COST OF LIVING”

en Linus, leader of the Others, who has captured Dr. Jack Shephard during Season Three, asks the unthinkable: for Jack B to remove Ben’s tumor in order to save his life. Jack’s response seems natural from a human perspective when he answers, “All of this… you brought me here to operate on you? You…you want me to save your life?” Yet Ben’s response has nothing to do with answering Jack’s question. Rather, he appeals to Jack on the basis of faith with a probing question. “Do you believe in God, Jack?” This question would come across as awkward in many of today’s shows, but is one of many references to God in Lost. Why? Lost frequently appeals to elements of faith and the supernatural. In doing so,

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it also appeals to the foundation for all spirituality—addressing the question of belief in God’s very existence.

Addressing the Issue: The Biggest Question of All In recent American surveys, as many as 95 percent of people have professed they believe in God or a higher power—they just can’t seem to agree on what that higher power is. In Lost, this dominant view is the position taken as well. God’s existence is not disputed. Yet defining God is left for the viewer to answer. Interestingly, throughout the first three seasons of Lost, we can observe an insightful trend regarding the use of the word God (used 132 times in the first three seasons!). It is either used as slang or in a derogatory fashion, used in reference to a deity, or used regarding an almighty God. The highest number of uses occur in slang (such as “Oh, God!”), but God is often addressed as an almighty being, particularly in the Roman Catholicism of Mr. Eko and his brother Yemi, the Prot- estant faith of Rose, and the Catholic discussions in the flashbacks of both Charlie and Desmond (a fired monk!). Charlie even calls himself a “rock god.” In their insightful book, Unlocking the Meaning of Lost, Lynnette Porter and David Lavery observe: Spirituality on the island, as in our outer world, includes many different beliefs, and the expressions of spiritual faith vary as much as the individuals who profess these widely ranging beliefs. Lost’s many characters wrestle with their interpretations about what is happening on the island and whether a Divine Creator, a large corporate entity, the Dharma Initiative, the Others, the Monster, or nothing at all is running the show. As is common with any of the series’ mysteries, it’s left to us—as well as individual characters—to determine which is the “correct” way to interpret scenes and events.1

On this issue, Lost follows culture. Think about it: In your daily life (not Sunday at church!), how is the term God used? Workplace

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conversations frequently include the word God in expressions of anger or excitement, or as a catchall expression similar to “Oh my goodness!” Other times, people talk about God or gods in a general sense. Popular shows even build off this type of usage, such as American Idol (idol is another word for a god), or winning idols on Survivor. We hear about rock gods, swimsuit models are referred to as goddesses, and athletes are sometimes called gods of the diamond or gridiron. People will even usually tolerate discussion of God in a religious sense, so long as it does not invade their own personal beliefs or lifestyles. Yet for a person to answer the question of God’s existence as a particular kind of God who requires a change of life or action is often the dividing line. It is perfectly acceptable in our culture to talk about God, but it is often considered offensive to ask someone if he or she believes in God or to ask personal questions about a person’s spiritual life. At my (Dillon’s) high school graduation ceremony, the only way a person could offer a prayer was if he or she were already included in the program as a speaker. One of my friends was co-valedictorian and used part of his speech to offer a graduation prayer. Even in this situa- tion, the exact wording was evaluated by school officials beforehand to make sure the language in the prayer was generic and nonoffensive to the audience. Many city councils have run into this issue, too, as com- plaints arise when a prayer includes any reference to a particular deity, such as praying in Jesus’ name.

God in Lost “And God knows how long we’re gonna be here.” —JACK TO THE ISLAND SURVIVORS, IN “WHITE RABBIT”

“I have little doubt that God has diﬀerent plans than you being a monk, Desmond. Bigger plans.” —BROTHER CAMPBELL TO DESMOND, IN “CATCH-22”

“God loves you as he loves Jacob.” —ON A SCREEN BLARING IN FRONT OF KARL WHILE HE IS BEING BRAINWASHED, IN “STRANGER IN A STRANGE LAND”

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“You owe God for every life you’ve taken…” —AMINA TO MR. EKO DURING A FLASHBACK, IN “THE COST OF LIVING”

“Only God knows.” —MR. EKO, IN “THE COST OF LIVING”

What Can Be Found in Lost? Lost often leaves questions about God ultimately unanswered. Instead of Jack responding with a definitive yes or no on his view of deity, he replies with his own question: “Do you?” Interestingly, Ben, the “bad guy,” offers the most definitive answer on the subject. He suggests that coincidence answered his question that God must exist. From his perspective, coincidence (a spinal surgeon falling from the sky) equaled purpose (to remove his life-threatening tumor). Purpose led him to respond that there must be a God. How would you answer the question, Where did everything come from? Philosopher Francis Schaeffer said there are only three basic answers to this question. The first option is that everything came from absolutely nothing. This means that a person is absolutely convinced that the beginning of the universe started from no energy, mass, motion, personality—absolute zero. From nothing came everything. Very few are convinced that this is the case. The second option is that everything that exists came from animper - sonal original source. This view suggests that all energy, matter, and other materials developed through a process of randomness and chance. However, if we hold to this view, the logical conclusion is that there is no purpose for our lives. We have no evidence that people are any more valuable than a tree, rock, or drop of water. Also, recent scientific discoveries are leading many scientists to con- clude that this view is unsupportable. Many now suggest that if the universe did have a starting point, then it had to have a starter. If so, this fits with the concept of a creator God, or as scientists define it, a transcendent casual agent.

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The third possible option is that everything came from a personal beginning. This is the biblical answer: “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1). What is the signiﬁcance of believing in a personal cause behind the universe? Since people have been personally created by a creator, then we have a purpose for our existence. In this respect, Lost agrees with the biblical perspective. Rather than viewing life as meaningless, Lost presents a worldview in which the everyday occurrences of life have a purpose. Purpose, because it is intentional, suggests that someone is orchestrating these intentions. Who? The answer, according to Ben, is God. The Bible oﬀers two assumptions about God’s existence that inform the Christian worldview. First, the Bible begins with the words, “In the beginning God created…” There is no explanation ofwhether there is a God. He is assumed as the Creator behind all of creation. Second, the psalmist provided a bottom-line comment on God’s existence when he wrote, “The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God’ ” (Psalm 14:1). Rather than defending God’s existence, the Bible presents belief in God as the only reasonable explanation for the universe’s complexity and continuation. In the Bible, God is more than just a Creator; he is a Trinity or Triune. This means that in the nature of the one true God exist three distinct persons—God the Father, God the Son, and God the Spirit. However, it is interesting that Lost is very big on God, but not so big on Jesus. In fact, through three seasons, Jesus has been mentioned only nine times—almost always either in a derogatory or a matter-of-fact manner. The one time Jesus is spoken of from a biblical sense is by Eko in connection with baptism. However, even there, his perspective is unorthodox (see the chapter “Lost on the Bible”).

The Nine References to Jesus in Lost “Backgammon’s the oldest game in the world. Archaeologists found sets when they excavated the ruins of ancient Mesopo- tamia. Five thousand years old. That’s older than Jesus Christ.” —LOCKE, IN “PILOT, PART 2”

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“Maybe if you pray every day Jesus Christ will come down from heaven, take two hundred pounds and bring you a decent woman, and a new car. Yes, Jesus can bring you a new car.” —CARMEN, IN “EVERYBODY HATES HUGO”

“Oh, that must be Jesus. Hola, momento…Yes, it is Jesus. He wants to know what color car you want.” —CARMEN, IN “EVERYBODY HATES HUGO”

“What if I don’t? You going to beat me with your Jesus Stick?” —CHARLIE, IN “THE 23RD PSALM”

“It is said that when John the Baptist baptized Jesus the skies opened up and a dove ﬂew down from the sky.” —EKO, IN “FIRE + WATER” (NOTICE THAT EKO DIDN’T HAVE HIS FACTS QUITE RIGHT—SEE MATTHEW 3:16.)

“So, you wake up in the middle of the night. You grab your Jesus Stick. You race oﬀ into the jungle. You don’t call. You don’t write?” —CHARLIE, IN “THREE MINUTES”

“Now that’s a h— of a Jesus!” —DAVID REYES (HURLEY’S DAD), REFERRING TO A GOLD STATUE OF JESUS IN “TRICIA TANAKA IS DEAD”

The Holy Spirit, the third person of the Trinity in Christian beliefs, is also lacking in Lost. The wordspirit is mentioned only four times in Lost: 1) “That’s the spirit” (Henry in “The Whole Truth” and Kelvin in “Live Together, Die Alone”); 2) Richard’s talking about Claire’s spirit (attitude) in “Raised by Another”; and 3) in Charlie’s reference to Locke’s “spirit tent” in “Further Instructions.” There are major diﬀerences between believing ina god, believing in God, and believing in the God of Christianity. There are some people who believe in a god, but not the God of the Bible. Some are Deists, who believe in a Creator God who is uninvolved in our world today. Others

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believe in one God, but define God differently than Christianity. The two major world religions in this category include Judaism and Islam. Judaism believes in the same Creator God as Christians, but does not accept Jesus as God. They, therefore, define God differently. Islam believes in a Creator God named Allah. However, Allah is defined much differently in the Qur’an than the God of the New Testament, especially when it comes to Jesus. In the Qur’an, Jesus is a prophet. In Christianity, Jesus is God (John 1:1). In biblical Christianity, God the creator entered his creation in the person of Jesus. As Jesus said, “Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father” (John 14:9). Jesus didn’t mean we could see the immensity of God by looking at him, but that we could see how God loves, thinks, and acts toward people. But some ask, “How can we know the information about the God of Christianity is accurate?” For Christians, the answer to this question is found in the historical person of Jesus Christ. Ultimately, the truth about Jesus stands or falls upon the physical resurrection of Jesus from the dead. In our book What’s the Big Deal About Jesus? we share five historical facts that nearly all scholars, Christian and non-Christian, agree upon about the end of Christ’s life. These facts point to the very reasonable conclusion that Jesus did come alive again and that what he said about himself is true. Here are the five facts: 1. The physical death of Jesus on a cross 2. An honorable burial 3. The empty tomb 4. Post-death eyewitness accounts from many people (over 500!) 5. The rapid expansion of early Christianity2

Dr. N.T. Wright, the bishop of Durham and former professor at Oxford, arrived at this conclusion based on the evidence: In A.D. 20 there’s no such a thing as a Christian church. By A.D. 120, the emperor in Rome is getting worried letters from one of his proconsuls in northern Turkey about what

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to do about these Christians. So in that one century, you have this extraordinary thing suddenly appearing out of nowhere. All the early Christians for whom we have actual evidence would say, “I’ll tell you why it happened. It’s because of Jesus of Nazareth and the fact that he was raised from the dead.”3 If these five facts are true, then there must be some necessary conclusion that accounts for the missing dead body of Jesus and the reports from hundreds of people who claimed to have seen him physically alive after the crucifixion. In addition, those who claimed to have seen him often gave their lives to share this belief with others in faraway places, despite persecution and even death. What is this mysterious X-factor that ignited the birth of Christianity? The option that makes the most sense is that Jesus literally came alive again and proved that he was God. We find in Lost an attitude that is certainly open to God, but often lacking in specifics regarding who God is. Sayid prays to Allah, but he views God much differently from Charlie, a Catholic, or Rose, a Prot- estant. Lost helps to point us toward discussion about God, but the details of that discussion are left to the viewer to sort through.

Lost Talk • What is your answer to the question, “Do you believe in God?” Upon what evidence is this answer based? What kind of God do you believe in? • How can what seems like coincidence oﬀer evidence for God’s existence? • In what ways do the Bible’s assumptions regarding God seem narrow or intolerant? In what ways do they make sense? • Why do you think Lost mentions God a lot but rarely mentions Jesus? Do you feel this is signiﬁ- cant? Why or why not?

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