The Empire Strikes Back features the Star Wars series' most iconic and detailed depiction of the Force. Taking cues from real-life religions, the Force perfectly toes the line between sci-fi mumbo jumbo and an imaginative reinterpretation of existing belief systems.

Jedi Studies 101

Here's Yoda's description of the Force, for context:

YODA: Life creates it, makes it grow. Its energy surrounds us and binds us. Luminous beings are we, not this crude matter. You must feel the Force around you. Here, between you, me, the tree, the rock, everywhere! Yes, even between this land and that ship!

This description paints the Force as some sort of spiritual substance that connects all things, living and non-living—an idea that's super deep. This hints at animism, the belief that non-human beings have a similar spiritual essence to humans. Ultimately, however, this is only one of the many connections we can draw between the Force and real-life religions.