I have my share of friends who have consumed a bit too much Kool-Aid, when it comes to their devotion to "Lost." I tried to watch an episode or two (and enjoyed those wonderful "Lost" in eight minutes features), but I just don't have the commitment to hang in there for the long haul.
Frankly, I do hope that all of the characters are dead and that the whole show has been a life-in-purgatory kind of thing. I think that would freak out the world-weary youngsters who write and edit Entertainment Weekly these days, something that would be good in and of itself.
Anyway, this brings us to the artwork with this post -- which is an ABC promotional photograph that is all over the place (along with the tweaked alternative visions). People seem to think that this image, like the show, has some great spiritual meaning.
Thus, at USA Today we read:
Many pop-culture institutions have participated in Last Supper-inspired photos: The Sopranos pic was highly publicized and over-analyzed. A shot of the Battlestar Galactica cast posed around the table had fans buzzing. And then there's Robert Altman's MASH -- perhaps the flick that inspired it all -- with its terrific scene inspired by Leonardo da Vinci's masterpiece.
The latest Supper snap? Lost, of course. In a new promotional photo, Locke, Kate, Jack, Hurley and the rest -- well, sans Walt, Juliet, Rose and Bernard -- pose at a makeshift table with a smorgasbord of Dharma products. (It's being dubbed the "Lost Supper.")
What clues can be found? Fans have noted these things so far:
-- The table is made out of an airplane wing;
-- Locke appears to be seated in the Jesus position. ...
And so forth and so on, world without end (maybe). Amen.
I am not sure that this is journalism, but I understand -- as a guy who enjoys writing about pop culture -- that newspapers and magazines need to dig into these kinds of issues. People care deeply about entertainment, these days, which says a lot about our culture, me thinks.
I also, of course, enjoy writing about religion and popular culture, as do several other of your GetReligionistas. It is crucial, however, to always remember that you have to keep your religion facts straight, when you venture into pop religion territory. There are millions of people who take religion pretty seriously and they can get angry when their faith is twisted or trashed.
For example, please read the following commentary on the "Lost Supper" from Entertainment Weekly:
FUN FACT! The Last Supper -- Jesus' final meal with his disciples before his crucifixion -- is commemorated by Christians through the sacrament of Communion, the eating of bread and drinking of wine in remembrance of Christ's sacrificial death and resurrection. Some Christians believe that when you eat the bread and drink the wine, the stuff actually converts into the body and blood of Jesus during digestion, although their appearances remain the same. (Which explains the weird carpentry aftertaste.) This miraculous conversion is known by a fancy term: Transubstantiation, ''the conversion of one substance into another.'' Example sentence: ''If Jack's ''Jughead'' plans works, he and the castaways will be transubstantiated into a new reality.''
After reading this, please express your opinion on the following: The entertainment-magazine journalists who wrote and edited this tidbit were:
(a) Ignorant.
(b) Unprofessional.
(c) Silly and childish.
(d) Intentionally setting out to blaspheme a doctrine of ancient Christianity and, thus, to insult millions of believers.
(e) Counting on the fact that Roman Catholics, Eastern Orthodox believers and Anglo-Catholics would not blow up their building.
(f) All of the above.
Thank you for your time. Many GetReligion readers will now want to go outside and scream.