Religious overtones on 'Lost' has viewers keeping the faith

After one season, the ABC drama "Lost" ascended from "just another entertaining television series" to "cultural phenomenon."

Incorporating literary, religious and philosophical references into the story of plane crash survivors stranded on a mysterious tropical island, "Lost" nudges viewers to ponder the important questions of life, such as "why are we here?"

Now that it's coming to an end - the finale is 9 to 11:30 p.m. Sunday on ABC - Chris Seay, a Christian pastor in Houston and author of "The Gospel According to 'Lost'," reflects on the spiritual value of a secular TV show.

"It's about faith versus science and good versus evil," says Seay, a devoted "Lost" fan who's sad to see the show end.

He is, however, hopeful that the finale will take the castaways to their Promised Land.

"While it's not a 'Christian' program, it does explore what it means to be broken and to seek redemption," he said in an interview this week.

Now in its sixth season, "Lost" follows the lives of several people of varying backgrounds, faiths and ethnic origins. Stranded in a strange land, their pasts have been revealed in flashbacks. "These are unlikely heroes who are being challenged," Seay says.

The two-hour pilot that launched the series repeats from 8 to 10 tonight on ABC.

"These are people who were lost before they crashed on the island," Seay says. "A doctor with a drinking problem; a shady con man; a murder fugitive; a junkie; a lifelong loser; an Iraqi solider, and so on. They are all broken. And we embrace them because we all know what it is like to be lost."

Jesus said those who seek will find truths, and Seay says he has found spiritual truths in secular works. His previous books include "The Gospel Reloaded," based on the spiritual messages in the "Matrix" films and "The Gospel According to Tony Soprano" from the HBO series "The Sopranos."

"What I love about 'Lost' is that it gets viewers to start seeking, asking questions and maybe finding answers," he says. "This show requires participation."

He notes that during another interview, a reporter told him she didn't own a Bible but she had been borrowing one to research the references on "Lost."

"And a TV show that gets people to read the Bible is pretty amazing," he says.

"Lost" also has made references to Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism and Islam. The writers like to send viewers to the Internet or reference books to decipher the metaphors and symbolic allusions.

In his book, Seay recalls a scene that clarified the show's focus on faith and truth.

John Locke (Terry O'Quinn), a formerly bitter business man whose legs were paralyzed before the crash, miraculously is able to walk once he is on the island. He becomes a true believer in the spiritual nature of the place.

"Why do you find it so hard to believe?" he asks Jack Shephard (Matthew Fox), the troubled surgeon and first leader of the castaways.

"Why do you find it so easy?" Shephard replies.

"It's never been easy," Locke says. "You and I don't see eye to eye sometimes because you are a man of science. Me? Well, I'm a man of faith."

Both characters' names have symbolic meanings. Locke is also the name of a 17th century philosopher who supported the "social contract" theory, in which people willingly give up their individual sovereignty to an authority in order to maintain social order.

For Seay, Jack's last name, Shephard, is an obvious reference to a shepherd who must take care of his flock of sheep. Jack's transformation from a man of science to a man of faith is one of the story lines that appeals to Seay.

He also sees parallels in "Lost" to Exodus in the Bible. He says the survivors are like the Hebrews being held as slaves in Egypt. They are seeking escape to the Promised Land. But they have been wandering in the wilderness.

Will they reach their own ideas of a land of milk and honey in the finale? Seay asks.

Seay is pastor of Ecclesia, which has been described as a progressive Christian community.
He has used "Lost" references in sermons.

"There are 'lost' stories in the Bible, such as Luke 15," he says, noting that Jesus tells stories about a woman who loses a coin and frantically tries to find it; a shepherd loses a sheep and leaves behind 99 other sheep to search for it; and a father who loses a son that leaves.
The son then loses his way and returns seeking redemption.

"Ultimately, 'Lost' is not about people who are lost on an island," he says. "It's about people finding their way after being lost."