Edit: I've had a request to open up the comments so they are now open. Please keep it all polite!

As a Christian, my faith is really important to me. Thus, I sometimes end up analyzing movies by it. One movie that I think is bursting with Christian truths is our very own Revenge of the Sith. Much has been said about parallels to Eastern religion in Star Wars, and when articles mention the religious aspect of Star Wars, they usually compare it to Buddhism. I really think there is a lot of truth from Christianity in Star Wars, though, especially Revenge of the Sith. So, I decided to share my perspective with my cyberspace readers. I hope those that read this will find it interesting. If I think of anything more (as I usually do each time I watch ROTS), I may do a sequel.

First, I believe there's a real powerful message about what happens when you remove God (the Light side of the Force in the movie) from the first spot in your life and put something or someone else there instead, as Anakin did with Padme. A lot of Christian churches use the word JOY as an acronym to explain our Christian priorities: Jesus first, Others second, Yourself third. Anakin first got into trouble when he put Padme ahead of the Force, and the downward spiral he started with this choice led him eventually to put himself at the top spot when it finally wasn't even about Padme anymore but about trying to fulfill his own neediness with forbidden powers.

Second, ROTS addresses the "have no fear" message that God gives us. The Bible says that nothing in all creation nor any powers shall separate us from the love of God, and so we shouldn't fear them, no matter what tragedy befalls, for our relationship with Christ is something evil can't take from us if we cling to faith. Even in the most extreme example, earthly death, we can't be separated from Christ and His love because all those who have faith will be given the gift of perfect eternal life. But Anakin decides to put fear first in his life, and decides that even if he follows the Light side of the Force, he won't be OK if he loses Padme. He lets fears and premonitions that Padme will die rule his life to the point of destroying him, when really he should've listened to Yoda when Yoda said he shouldn't mourn or be sad about loved ones passing to the other side of the Force after death. He should've realized that his devotion to the Force was more important than anything and that even if Padme died, if he stayed true to the Force, he'd be all right in his soul. But he let his fear switch his priorities, and it destroys his soul (until ROTJ.)

I've heard Yoda's words to Anakin ("You must train yourself to let go of all you fear to lose") described as Buddhist belief, and that may be true, but it certainly is Christian as well. We must be ready to lose anything for the sake of Christ. That does not mean we cannot love others or enjoy material pleasures, but we are not to put any person, relationship, experience, or material thing ahead of God so that the thought of losing it inspires the kind of total despair that Anakin feels about losing Padme, wherein even faithfulness to the Force seems to offer him no consolation, so consumed is he by fear of loss.

The third Christian theme I noticed is that turning to evil to "solve" our problems actually creates them. Padme wasn't medically in danger in childbirth, which was what Anakin feared. In the end she died of a broken heart, caused by Anakin's turn to the Dark Side, which was the very thing he thought would save her. So she would've been fine if he hadn't turned to evil as a savior. There's the message that the allure of evil is strong, but in reality it will turn on you. You can't just dabble in sin, it sucks you in.

Next, I think there's a message in the fact that Anakin remains Darth Vader even after learning of Padme's death and that he caused it. I think it's a warning to us that if we make a wrong choice, we have to turn back and not keep going in it just to justify our actions to ourselves; we have to let go of the sin of pride. Anakin remained Darth Vader, I think, to justify his choice to turn to the Dark side; to think that even if he was wrong about Padme, he was still right overall because he brought (in his rationale) peace and justice to the galaxy. It seems to me that after learning that his anger (which he knows is a facet of the Dark side) actually was Padme's killer, this revelation would inspire a rational person to realize the Emperor had tricked him. So I believe that the entire time between the end of ROTS and his redemption in ROTJ, Anakin/Vader was continuing to do evil in part because if he stopped, it would be like admitting he had been wrong all along. I think the message there is that we do have to turn around and go back when we mess up, and that to keep going forward on the wide easy path to destruction (as the Bible describes it) is NOT progress. There's a saying that goes, "The longest way 'round is the shortest way home." It just shows that we have to admit we're wrong to make progress; we have to confess it every day of our lives in humility and repent of our sin and ask forgiveness from God. Also, it's really easy to keep going in a sin because we think that now that we have done wrong, it wouldn't hurt to keep going, or that we couldn't be redeemed, or that we are locked into that path. That's like Anakin says in ROTJ, "It's too late for me, my son." But when you're lost, the only way to find the right way is to turn around and go back, even though it may be a LOOOOONG way back, rather than to keep on going.

Finally, Return of the Jedi addresses one more critical Christian point, and that is that no one is beyond redemption. Darth Vader participated in horrifying crimes and spent half his life as a terrifying figure of great evil throughout the galaxy. He basically lived in selfishness for 24 years. But with one final decision at the end of his life, he decided to go back to the Light, admit his mistakes, eradicate the Sith, and give his life for his son's. And when he appears to Luke after his death, he stands with Yoda and Obi-Wan (the "saints" of Star Wars), wearing the robes of a Jedi again. Similarly, the gift of heaven is a gift for anyone who confesses faith in Christ, even at the very end of his or her life. What a message of hope, peace, and joy!