MY PERSONAL VIEW:

I recalled a passage in the Book of Revelation that I remember quite well from my youth in the church. There was a letter to the churches at the beginning where each church had developed some deadly flaw. They were warned that if they did not correct it, their lamp stand would be removed. This is what was happening to the Jedi. This should have been a severe warning that they were on the wrong track. The Force was shifting to judgment mode and therefore to the Dark Side. They were entering that galaxy's version of the Great Tribulation.

Many religions have a version of the end times. It is not unique to Christianity; however, the Bible account is one of the most detailed. I try to look at end times scenarios with a broad lens. There are many ways to interpret it, and I don't think Hal Linsey or Tim Lahaye have the last word on the subject. In a way, George Lucas has presented a view of that general theme.

STAR WARS gives one slightly different twist. The Dark and the Light are two sides of the same Force. It is just the Force in different modes. To say it in Christian, it is as if the Anti-Christ is as much a servant of God as Christ. His purpose is different. He comes as a response to the wickedness of humans, to bring it all to a conclusion, to destroy that which deserves to be destroyed. Palpatine and Vader are a lot like the Indian God Shiva or Kali whose function is to destroy that which is corrupt so that things can begin anew.

The Jedi had become corrupt. They were tainted with the dirt of politics and all that grasping for power and position. Palpatine told the truth when he said the Jedi wanted power as much as he, except that he admits it. REVENGE OF THE SITH confirmed what I had long suspected. The Republic had become corrupt and had become its opposite. It had degenerated into anarchy and capitalist exploitation. It only had the appearance of democracy.

The Jedi preached detachment but did not practice it. It would have been more proper for them to withdraw from politics and to seek the Force in solitude. Instead they vied for power. They were the state religion and wielded as much political power as the medieval Roman Catholic church.

Perhaps if the Jedi lived up to their ideals, Anakin would not have turned. He listened to Palpatine because what Palpatine said about them was true.

If they wanted worldly involvement, they would have to not pretend they were detached. Marriage should have been allowed, and they should have been the ones to go rescue Anakin's mother in time. There should have been no question about that. It should be assumed that the wives and kinfolk of Jedi are protected by the Jedi Order.

In the final analysis, the Sith won the argument. Palpatine was the judgment arm of the Force to judge a corrupt religious order and a corrupt Republic (sort of the mythic Babylon and Rome). It was the will of the Force when Qui-Gon picked Anakin. He was fulfilling that will, even though he may not have known what "bring balance to the Force" meant. The Jedi had to start over. The slate was wiped clean.

This galaxy is very close to home. In our world religious orders are corrupt and hypocritical. Some are striving for political power. I can wonder what Palpatine may be in the wing to outsmart them and bring about their demise. Palpatine may not be an arch type hated by masses of common people. Common People may long for the day when someone will bring deliverance from both capitalist and religious oppression. The Dark times are already here. Life is reduced to a Darwinian struggle where the strong thrive and the weak perish. This is the Sith age. One has to tap into dark powers just to survive in this world. Ironically, it is those who preached "Light" and righteousness who brought about these dark conditions.

Another irony may take place: one who is called "Dark" may bring about Light conditions. This is a day when labels can be deceiving, and who is good and who is bad may not be so obvious. So perhaps the gnarled looking Palpatine is not what he seems.