The TV series, LOST aired its final episode in May 2010, ending the six year run. The ending revealed a sort of pantheistic (god is everything) sense, especially during the closing scenes where the cast is depicted gathered in a "church" wherein we see icons and other elements from a hodge-podge of religions. The "church" clearly wasn't a Christian church. But perhaps the most pointed image showing the ecumenical or pantheistic intent was a stained glass window with the symbols of six different religions. People have been searching this site to see if the issue of the LOST window is addressed, so here I'd like to address it.
Let's first start by defining the six symbols in the window and to which religion they refer.
ISLAM (Crescent and star)
The crescent moon and star symbolize Islam's lunar calendar based religion. The star, with its five points supposedly represents the "Five Pillars" of Islam which are;
- declaration of faith
- duty to pray 5 times a day
- giving zakat (tax), the annual charity
- performance of Hajj, the pilgrimage to Mecca
- seven articles of faith
TIBETAN BUDDHISM (OM)
The "Om" is part of the Om Mani Padme Hum mantra. The "Om" is the first "word" or syllable in the mantra. Although it is typically said that the mantra has no translation, the "Om" is sometimes said to represent a purge of bliss and pride. Jack, one of the shows characters had many tatoos he received while in Tibet.
BUDDHISM (Dharma Wheel)
Another symbol from Buddhism, the Dharma Wheel or the Dharmacakra was a repeated symbol in the show, including the wheel that was turned to "move" the island. Although the Dharma Wheel is supposed to represent the endless cycle of life and originally had many spokes, this one has eight spokes and more than likely represents The Eightfold Path.
JUDAISM (Star of David)
The Jewish Star of David, although easily identifiable with Judaism today, the symbol itself probably did not come into popular use with Judaism until about the 11th century C.E.
CHRISTIANITY (Cross)
The Cross, easily identifiable with Christianity represents not only Christ's sacrifice on a cross, but also the general "burden" a Christian must bear.
CHINESE PHILOSOPHY (Yin and yang)
The yin and yang is not so much a religious symbol as it is the Chinese philosophical symbol for balance, where everything has an equal opposite. Black, white, cold, hot and so on. In the show, Jacob and the Man in Black were a sort of yin and yang effect.
Obviously, the intent of the symbols was to depict an "all paths lead to God" concept. So, while LOST clearly was not "Christian" it did explore some aspects of human awareness of deity.
