"Christian" Shepherd - Father of Lost

Lost reinforces the theme of religion throughout the show constantly. One of the first examples was with the introduction of the character Christian Shepherd. His name alone rings with religious symbolism. 

Dr. Christian Shephard played by John Terry

A Christian is one who belongs to the faith of Christianity. Within this faith is the belief in the holy trinity. Christian represents the father, the protector. Jack is the son, with much to learn. The smoke monster (the man in black) is, as you guessed, the holy spirit.

Okay maybe it was a stretch comparing Jack to Jesus and the menacing smoke monster to the holy spirit but you know what I mean.

Before the island, Christian was a prestigious doctor until he was brought down by his son when he performed an operation under the influence. Spinning in a whirlpool of despair, Christian runs off to Australia where he hopes to reconcile with his daughter (Claire). Ironically, Christian travels with Ana Lucia (another crash survivor). After ruining his relationship with Ana Lucia, Christian stumbled into a bar, meeting Sawyer.

While his actions and intentions in his mortal life proved otherwise, Christian's spirituality grew in his afterlife on the island. Only in the afterlife was Christian a representative of his last name. A shepherd is one who watches after sheep (represented as weak, defenseless and misguided) and provides protection. Without giving too much away,  the finale of the show revealed that Christian has always been a guardian. He watches over the souls of the survivors making sure they achieve nirvana in one life or the next. (My apologies if this is confusing. I assure you, because the show is longer, it is way less confusing.)

Christian Shephard may have had some skeletons in his closet while alive, but through death he was offered a second chance at redemption. The greatest gift the island could give is second chances.

See you next week Lost lovers.