P.I.D. Radio 8/22/09: The Symbolism of ‘Lost’

  

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AFTER SOME thoughts on the vote by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America to allow openly gay non-celibate pastors, we spent most of the hour exploring the spiritual symbolism in the ABC series Lost.

The show is far more than just a well-crafted dramatic series with strong sci fi/supernatural overtones, it’s rich with symbolism that relates to the spiritual war between good and evil. While we do not ascribe any Christian theology to the show, the themes mined by the writers run deeper than one finds in most television programming.

We recommend ABC’s official Lost website and the unofficial Lostpedia Wiki as places to start. If you have a fast Internet connection, you can watch all 99 of the episodes that have aired to date at the ABC site.

Come visit our Facebook page, and check out the like-minded Christian podcasters at the Revelations Radio Network.

Click the arrow on the player below to listen now, or right-click (control-click if you have a Mac) the “download” link to save the mp3 file to your hard drive.

5 comments on “P.I.D. Radio 8/22/09: The Symbolism of ‘Lost’

  1. Roger

    Since I don’t have cable and rely on online programs, hulu.com has come in handy. In fact, at http://www.hulu.com/lost Seasons 1-4 are offered as well as the last five Season 5 episodes to air on TV for free.

    I’ll give Lost an view based on your recent show.

  2. David Oldham

    What I find fascinating is the way things are shaping up. I haven’t watched this show and am relying on your commentary about it, but I can’t escape the fact that there is something being telegraphed and its far more than getting the American population spiritually aware. Just as both of you have written books which have elements that seem to be coming true…I believe at the prompting of the Holy Spirit…the writers of Lost may be very well influenced by a lesser spirit and is revealing plans.

    Too much to absorb in one hearing…will hopefully get to listen again this weekend.

  3. Stephen DeNagy

    I thought hard about the commentary about LOST. I appreciate the comments since I have no time to watch stuff like this. And after hearing it, I wonder why anyone really would bother watching. We get so worked up in the details of the outworking of the plot, what such-and-such means, etc. What we miss is that this is just evil, addicting fare. Who really cares about how this *fictional* show works out? You folks point out the superficial Christologic references, and the numerous evil overtones, and the helplessness of those who are “Lost.” I think you guys know enough to have identified the memes. There is no need to immerse yourself in more. It is certainly brilliantly written, but addicting and despairing.

    To put it another way, this is the first time listening to your podcast (which I have for years!) where I actually felt vaguely spiritually unclean. It took me back to the thought patterns I experienced before Jesus became my Lord and Savior. I was repulsed by the evil, the chicanery, the slow revelation of the twisted thinking that comes up with such diabolical plots. All with no hope for those enmeshed.

    So, while you have emphatically endorsed this for viewership, I will weigh in and say beware: the is no need for Christians to watch such stuff. Unless you are in a counter-culture ministry, this will leave you coated with a layer of that which was “lost” when Jesus became your savior!

  4. Dave

    Got this from; http://lostpedia.wikia.com/wiki/Statue_of_Taweret

    In a teleconference with select fans held on April 17, 2008, Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse slightly rectified a misquote of an anecdote previously told by Lindelof at the 2008 Paley Festival. According to Cuse, the true story was that the statue was originally stated to have six toes in the script, but ABC executives mandated that it better have only four toes, which was considered less “weird” than six toes. According to their own words, Lindelof and Cuse didn’t mind as long as the statue didn’t have five toes. However, sculptor Jim Van Houten gave yet another explanation in the May 9, 2008 video podcast, claiming that the statue’s foot was changed from six to four toes because it was hard to tell that it wasn’t a regular five-toed foot when it had six toes. Note that in the real world, hippos have four toes, which in hindsight would match with a hippopotamus-headed Taweret. Van Houten also designed the statue used in “The Incident, Parts 1 & 2.”

    I had watched seasons 1-4 and for some reason didn’t, at first, get into season 5. About the time I started catching up again I heard your podcast and was once again inthralled with the show. Good analysis by you guys with this one and is deserving of another “episode.”

    Thought that the above quote from the LOST wikipedia was interesting especially regarding the Nephelim mythology and six digits.

  5. Eryka Hollis

    I have always wanted to watch this series. And I just might do that after hearing a lot of good feedback. I’m currently watching Fringe. I find it enjoyable. J.J. Abrams created Fringe so I guess if I enjoyed Fringe I’ll also enjoy Lost.

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