Faith, Religion and Hope

In the world of Arrakis, religion is everything. Belief in God, and of a coming prophecy pervade this sprawling imaginative science fiction masterpiece. As a Christian, when I watched both movies, I was intrigued by the concepts these movies play with, and hope to encourage other believers to carefully think about some of the ideas being purported through the movies.

In my last post I went through a birds eye view of the lore behind the Dune universe so you wouldn’t lose track of what we’re about to discuss.

The Coming Messiah

The entire crux of the movies revolve around the concept of Messiahs. Early on in the movie, Paul Atreides meets the mystical Bene Gesserit, who have been patiently awaiting the arrival of a manufactured Messiah, specifically it must be a female, and one who adheres to their beliefs. When Paul is exiled on Arrakis, he meets the Fremen, the nomadic desert tribes. In their legends the Fremen believe that there is one God, and that God will not abandon them to their captors, but will send the Muad’Dib, a prophet who will lead them to freedom and prosperity.

Already the Old Testament allusions are clear. As I watched the films, I was truly surprised at how alike the Fremen are with the tribes of Israel. One of the more endearing characters was Stilgar, a Northern Fremen tribe leader who has un unshakable belief in God, and the promised Muad’Dib. Throughout Part 2, Stilgar is portrayed as very devout, pausing at times to offer payers and ask for guidance.

Those Who Don’t Believe

This is made even more poignant by the frustration of Chani, the Fremen princess. Chani is strong, and hardened by her harsh life, but she sees Stilgar as family. Nevertheless, there is one key difference. Chani is part of the Southern tribes who reject the legend of the Muad’Dib. At one point Chani disdainfully tells Paul that through such beliefs, ‘people will wait for centuries’, while she prefers to take back her home here and now. I was struck at how much this reminded me of the Israelites who demanded a Savior in the here and now.

False Messiahs and Religious Wars

To complicate this intercultural gumbo, Paul Atreides is plagued by visions of a religious war, being fought in his name. He is frightened by what he sees, and attempts to run away from the terrible fate. ‘Dune Part 2’ throws in a new element to all of this, Paul’s unborn sister. His sister already fulfills the requirements of the Kwisatz Haderach. Their perfect ruler. Paul’s unborn sister already exhibits supernatural powers, and in his visions Paul sees his grown sister leading Arrakis into death and ruin. Clearly “Dune Part 3” will consist of a war being fought between Paul, and his sister. It will be a war of two religions, a war over who is the true Messiah. (The book Part 3 is based on is titled Dune: Messiah, just FYI)

This leads readers/viewers to consider the idea of prophecies and coming saviors. I was reminded constantly of the words of Jesus, who promised that ‘many will come in my name’ and then proceeds to warn us all of the false Messiahs who would deceive with signs and wonders.

Echoes of Truth

As I watched both ‘Dune’ movies, I was reminded of how even secular art still contain an echo of truth if you will. Obviously we have to be smart, be theologically informed, but there is no denying that these movies have been heavily influenced by the Bible. This is not merely my assessment, a quick search revealed that author Frank Herbert did indeed have Christian beliefs, though as to precisely where he stood theologically is questionable. The films are a powerful reminder of faith in God, the promised Messiah, and those who would seek to distort such beliefs for their own purposes. I also believe that in the current geo-political atmosphere, these films make some powerful statements regarding the culture and beliefs of the Middle East.

I will end by noting a very controversial plot point, in the world of ‘Dune’, there are direct allusions to Christian and Islamic beliefs. At one point Paul Atreides reads from a Bible. On Arrakis there are multiple references to Allah, the Mahdi, and Fremen bowing their heads to earth. An unspoken theme is worshipping the God of the Old Testament. Curiously, there are zero references to Judaism, which I found a little strange given the diversity of the Imperium, and the explicit Christian/Muslim references. It is in my opinion, based off both theological and historical perspectives, it is very clear that Muslims and Christians worship the same God. This is far too complex to deal with in one post, but in some way I hope that anyone seeing the movies will take the time to really think about the concepts presented throughout the films.