Christian-ity
ChristianSpirit - as far as we know him - has always done right by the castaways. He led Jack to fresh water. He helped Locke at the Frozen Donkey Wheel (as much as he could, at least…). He (may) be shielding Claire (or ClaireSpirit) from harm (or some unknown purpose).
He also wants to bring the Oceanic Six (plus one Desmond) back to Craphole Island…but for a greater purpose. The time skips were not the result of the Oceanic Six leaving, but from Ben knocking the Frozen Donkey Wheel off of its hinges when he pushed it. So why bring the Oceanic Six back? Well, as Locke said, “They were brought here for a reason.” That reason hasn’t been fulfilled yet. And ChristianSpirit knows what that reason is.
He also didn’t intend for Ben to be kicked off of the island. He wanted his rival’s (Jacob’s) greatest servant to remain on the island. Why?
Maybe because Ben, as always, isn’t exactly what he appears to be. He is not Jacob’s servant, but (more) his master…
What do we know about Jacob? He hates technology. He lives in a cabin. That cabin is surrounded by a gray ash/powder. He recently lost control of his cabin. He needs some serious help.
Wait - Jacob lives in the same cabin Horace Goodspeed was building for himself and his wife! That means the cabin is - at oldest - about 30 or so years old. If Jacob has been island master longer (and judging by 1954 Richard’s reaction to his name, he has been), living in the Goodspeed cabin is a relatively new thing.
Ben was the only one who spoke to Jacob - meaning Richard no longer (or never did) had communication with the island’s king. Why? Because Ben had Jacob on a short leash. A leash he maintained with the gray powder. Perhaps it was the cremated ashes of Jacob’s flesh-and-bone body. The spirit was still sharply bound to its body, even if the two were separated. Jacob was left impotent…a figurehead, formerly powerful, now just a name that inspired a bit of fear and awe and nothing more.
So keeping Ben would mean the continued keeping of Jacob held down. Why would ChristianSpirit want to mess that up? Perhaps Jacob would be able to escape from his pen if Ben were lost from Craphole Island. Still not powerful enough to stop ChristianSpirit, but a more dangerous player indeed.
Perhaps Jacob’s home before he was bound to the cabin was…The Temple (which we finally saw…it’s Smokey’s home. Suddenly I’m thinking that Smokey may have been Jacob’s personal guard-dog). Then again, is “The Temple” just a DHARMA station (as was indicated on Ben’s map)? I believe there is a DHARMA station AT The Temple, as DHARMA had a habit of building stations in important locations (e.g. The Orchid built above the FDW, The Swan built around Jughead…).
My question now is: Why would ChristianSpirit send Locke away to bring back the O6, knowing he would die in the process, and that Eloise Hawking would make them bring back Locke’s empty vessel of a corpse, ripe for the picking for Jacob? Because, above all, the Oceanic Six need to fulfill their destiny. A destiny that is worth the risk of an island-consuming battle with JacobLocke.
Or maybe I’ve just completely lost my mind.
