Religion in Sci-Fi Classics

[Caladan]

Some of the top rated Sci-Fi novels which have gained classic status while dealing with near future societies, or societies deep into the future of our species have also kept religion part of the social environment, and in some novels have used religion as one of the main themes in the plot and structure of the novel's universe, it has also went beyond classic novels, as recently can be seen in Battlestar Galactica the series.
In Heinlein's Stranger in a Strange Land part of the plot is a future organized religion and its influence, and of Western esotericism as it has been promoted by Smith, the main character of the novel. in PKD's novels there is an abundance of religious philosophy that while are a big factor in novels such as VALIS, also play a role in classics such as Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? which turned into one of the most celebrated Sci Fi movies (Blade Runner), in the novel the belief system of Earth's society is based on empathy and the use of technology to induce empathy.
Other Dune enthusiasts and people who only saw Lynch's cinematic adaptation are quite familiar with the intense presence of religious themes in the Dune universe, and how the plots revolves around these themes. its not difficult to see Dune's parallels to 20th century geopolitical realities.

I'd like to hear the opinions of some of our Sci-Fi fans about the role of religion in the genre. how relevant do you find religion to be to the social challenges that novels, films, and series should engage?
Do you think that the novels you read and the series you follow reflect relevant or at least fascinating religious themes and topics?
which novel, film, or series do you find to offer religious themes that you find most engaging or relevant? and why?
Which religious topics would you like to see being tackled and included in plots and universes?

 

[ChristineES]

I am a Trekkie/Trekker. Although I heard Gene Roddenberry was an atheist, he always had religion on Star Trek- not just earth religions either- but Klingon (who killed their gods), Vulcan (similar to Buddhism with no God), Bajoran (the Prophets), etc. I believe as long as you have humans, you will have some kind of faith. So I think religion is very relevant in Science Fiction.

 

[Caladan]

I believe as long as you have humans, you will have some kind of faith. So I think religion is very relevant in Science Fiction.

Interesting point. were you satisfied with the religious concepts presented in Star Trek? what religious themes would you bring in? how do you see religion in a scientifically advanced environment?

 

[Alceste]

Some of the top rated Sci-Fi novels which have gained classic status while dealing with near future societies, or societies deep into the future of our species have also kept religion part of the social environment, and in some novels have used religion as one of the main themes in the plot and structure of the novel's universe, it has also went beyond classic novels, as recently can be seen in Battlestar Galactica the series.
In Heinlein's Stranger in a Strange Land part of the plot is a future organized religion and its influence, and of Western esotericism as it has been promoted by Smith, the main character of the novel. in PKD's novels there is an abundance of religious philosophy that while are a big factor in novels such as VALIS, also play a role in classics such as Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? which turned into one of the most celebrated Sci Fi movies (Blade Runner), in the novel the belief system of Earth's society is based on empathy and the use of technology to induce empathy.
Other Dune enthusiasts and people who only saw Lynch's cinematic adaptation are quite familiar with the intense presence of religious themes in the Dune universe, and how the plots revolves around these themes. its not difficult to see Dune's parallels to 20th century geopolitical realities.

I'd like to hear the opinions of some of our Sci-Fi fans about the role of religion in the genre. how relevant do you find religion to be to the social challenges that novels, films, and series should engage?
Do you think that the novels you read and the series you follow reflect relevant or at least fascinating religious themes and topics?

I don't follow a lot of series - I thought the religious element of Battlestar Galactica was too shallow to be interesting, but I found the tension between the political pragmatists and the religious fanatics to be relevant to current events, particularly in the US.

There was a religious person in Arthur C Clarke's Rendezvous with Rama, which I read recently. The only difference between him and the rest of the (presumably secular) crew was that the events in the story were interpreted to have some spiritual significance. The interesting thing about this is that he arrived at the same conclusions as the rest of the crew as to what should be done, but via a completely different path. If I remember right.

I think fantasy is freer with religious topics than sci fi, and better at it. Pratchett's Small Gods was fantastic satire and George R.R. Martin's Song of Ice and Fire series offers a very thorough treatment of different religious beliefs as they are embedded deeply into the cultures of different people the stories revolve around.

which novel, film, or series do you find to offer religious themes that you find most engaging or relevant? and why?

Star Wars, hands down - there are a lot of parallels between the Jedi faith and Taoism. It engages me because that's what I'm into.

Which religious topics would you like to see being tackled and included in plots and universes?

Good question! I liked that Small Gods addressed the idea that gods are created by belief in them. I'd like to see a more serious treatment of that concept.

 

[Nepenthe]

Some of my favorite sci-fi novels are basically socio-religious in scope. Miller's A Canticle for Leibowitz and Moorcock's Behold the Man are the first that came to mind. Sci-fi, in its widest application, should not just examine scientific concepts (though most sci-fi strikes me as pseudosci-fantasy or techno-fi) but also social, historical, and political issues. Besides the tweo I mentioned, Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale also just came to mind as a good example of social sci-fi that I'd clump into the genre (though she emphatically didn't) even though it doesn't focus on exploring alien worlds or advancing technology so much as oppressive political movements on this world and restricting personal freedoms, particularly for women.

 

[ericoh2]

I really enjoyed the later Outer limits series that aired in the mid nineties through the early 2000's. Since each show brought an independent story (except for a few that had sequels) they were able to bring a wide variety of religious concepts into the show. A couple that come to mind that really stood out for me were the episodes "Josh'" and "The Conversion" even though there were several others.

 

[Caladan]

I think fantasy is freer with religious topics than sci fi, and better at it. Pratchett's Small Gods was fantastic satire

I loved Pratchett's collaboration with Gaiman in Good Omens, where they made a hodgepodge of various religious themes with some ridiculously funny and engaging characters and plot. the idea of a demon and an angel striking a deal and fooling their superiors in order to save the planet they got used to and learned to love was hilarious and carried a wise concept. for some years there was an effort to make a film adaptation with Gilliam as the director, but it didn't come to pass.

Star Wars, hands down - there are a lot of parallels between the Jedi faith and Taoism. It engages me because that's what I'm into.

I believe I remember Lucas saying that he was also inspired by the Tao as a parallel to The Force. similar to the Tao Te Ching, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Yoda describe The Force as running through all things, living organisms, plants, galaxies. it made for great material in the movies of an energy force that can be harnessed both for good or bad.

Good question! I liked that Small Gods addressed the idea that gods are created by belief in them. I'd like to see a more serious treatment of that concept.

Yeap I enjoy voicing the idea from time to time as well. mythology is a product (and a journey) of the human mind, sounds Jungian, and also like something Campbell would say but some of the best dark and urban fantasy writers like Gaiman have mastered the general idea.

 

[Mr Cheese]

Star Wars, hands down - there are a lot of parallels between the Jedi faith and Taoism. It engages me because that's what I'm into.

Starwars is many religions...

I think the revenge of the sith is perhaps the best star wars fgilm, and perhaps the most overtly religious one in terms of dialogue and plot.

Of course star wars is teh story of anakin..and as such follows the typical universal triple fold plan....that we find time and time again

creation destruction redemption

anakin
vader
luke

we find this pattern in many religious "stories" be it the life of Buddha, Christ, Osiris et al....

...................

besides the obvious like matrix...

I'd still have to say Arthur C Clarke's child hood's end....
I should re-read that... its been years...


...

I do happen to like the Warhammer 40,000 mythos (film coming soon I believe)
where the plot goes that around the year 10,000 the world's shamans, holy men etc all get together in a concerted effort, give birth to a superhuman....a god like being

This saviour, a near immortal, guides humanity through the strength of his physical and psychic will..... through wars with aliens...where he becomes crippled and his body is so damaged he must spend his life attached to a machine (Due to heresy by one of his own genetically engineered super humans, around the year 30,000).30,000 YRS later,(the year 40K) this guy, worshipped as a God, the emperor, still alive, acts as a huge psychic beacon, sop stronmg is his consciousness it stretches for light years across the galaxy......

The Emperor and the traitor Horus do battle...

 

[Scarlett Wampus]

I don't know if it counts as sci-fi for many people but I resonate with the quasi-religious themes in Ursula Le Guins books. In the Earthsea books she explores many Tao-ish ideas while that's also evident in the Hainish Cycle books.

I found Ghost In The Shell to have mystical leanings, especially in the art direction of the first film. It may not be as entertaining or be as intellectually stimulating as the series but the first film had a wonder & beauty about it that really pulls you in. Oh, and what a sound track!

Although its a common theme I've not read or seen anything that I thought dealt particularly well with the experience of being in touch with an alien being or civilisation so remarkable they or it appear as god like. The best attempt at this I've been aware of is Close Encounters of the Third Kind. I would like to come across more within this theme. It may not be religious as such, more "Gnosis in Sci-Fi Classics".

 

[Caladan]

Although its a common theme I've not read or seen anything that I thought dealt particularly well with the experience of being in touch with an alien being or civilisation so remarkable they or it appear as god like. The best attempt at this I've been aware of is Close Encounters of the Third Kind. I would like to come across more within this theme. It may not be religious as such, more "Gnosis in Sci-Fi Classics".

This brings me to another interesting concept. the Q of star trek. they are God-like, and either indifferent to the non Q Continuum residents or they show a keen interest in human beings and toy with them. in a sense they remind me of the Olympian gods. they are immortal, they have control over the physical universe, and they place human beings in various tests for their interest.

 

[Storm]

I'd like to hear the opinions of some of our Sci-Fi fans about the role of religion in the genre.

It's something I always enjoy, but never really thought about.

how relevant do you find religion to be to the social challenges that novels, films, and series should engage?

Extremely. Religion, for good or ill, is a major influence in our world.

Do you think that the novels you read and the series you follow reflect relevant or at least fascinating religious themes and topics?

Oh, yes. Babylon 5 in particular, not only for its even treatment of religion, but the mythic themes. From the unflinching "Believers," to the Gnostic ethos of the Shadow War, to the culmination of the Hero's Journey in "Sleeping In Light," B5 is a magnificent treatise on faith. (From an atheist, too.) I love the series so much that I've incorporated it as part of my personal mythology.

which novel, film, or series do you find to offer religious themes that you find most engaging or relevant? and why?

See above. I enjoyed the examination of religion as much as the mythic themes of the show, and JMS' inspired writing is one of my favorite quote sources. I even used the following passage as a reading at a church discussion group:

The Universe speaks in many languages, but only one voice.
The language is not Narn or Human or Centauri or Gaim or Minbari.
It speaks in the language of hope. It speaks in the language of trust.
It speaks in the language of strength, and the language of compassion.
It is the language of the heart and the language of the soul.
But always it is the same voice.
It is the voice of our ancestors speaking through us.
And the voice of our inheritors waiting to be born.
It is the small, still voice that says 'We are one'.
No matter the blood, no matter the skin,
No matter the world, no matter the star,
We are one.
No matter the pain, no matter the darkness,
No matter the loss, no matter the fear.
We are one.
Here, gathered together in common cause
We agree to recognize this singular truth and this singular rule:
That we must be kind to one another.
Because each voice enriches us and ennobles us,
And each voice lost diminishes us.
We are the voice of the universe, the soul of creation,
The fire that will light the way to a better future.
We are one.​

Another favorite quote is "Faith and reason are like the shoes on your feet: you can get farther with both than just one."

On the other end of the spectrum, I didn't care a bit for the treatment religion was given in Clarke's The Songs Of Distant Earth. It was simply dismissed, excised entirely from the culture by mere omission of holy texts. As if indoctrination were the only reason anyone believes in God.

I try to be charitable, reminding myself that Songs was written well before advances in serious study of the evolutionary origins of faith. However, I can't shake the contempt. Unfortunately, this was my first Clarke novel, and rather diminished my motivation to explore his work further.

Which religious topics would you like to see being tackled and included in plots and universes?

Nothing specific, but I delight in a well-crafted cosmology. Gaiman is more fantasy than sci-fi, but he's my favorite. My bias is showing, of course - I love him because he expresses aspects of my genuinely believed theology far more beautifully than I ever could. Still, the stories are delightful.

OTOH, I'm more amused than moved by Avatar's parallels with my own faith.

Something else I greatly enjoyed was the way the reimagined Battlestar Galactica attempted to confuse sympathies by making the Cylons closer to our culture's dominant faith. Actually, I loved everything about that show (apart from the finale), and religion was played with quite a bit.

 

[ChristineES]

Another Star Trek point was mistaking people for Gods. Kirk and crew find Apollo, who is, in fact an alien in that instance. Picard was mistaken for a god by a race of aliens. There were computers, like Landru (I think that is how you spell) and more.
Do you wonder if some of those fantastic stories in mythology could have been based on aliens, or is that idea just plain absurd.

 

[Caladan]

Do you wonder if some of those fantastic stories in mythology could have been based on aliens, or is that idea just plain absurd.

Well in pseudo-archaeology and some New Age popular ideas there are themes like this. for example the Annunaki/Sumerian gods, and the elusive planet they come from, their role in the early history of humanity. and of course the Pyramids and various Megalithic sites around the world made for popular material about this.

 

[Kilgore Trout]

Frank Herbert did an amazing job covering a multitude of complex religious concepts, not only in Dune, but in the following books, particularly God Emperor of Dune. The way he combined both the mystical and political sides of religion gives his writing a veracity rarely seen regarding religion in fiction.

Also, Dan Simmons, first in the Hyperion books, then later, even moreso, in the Endymion books, created a complex relationship between religion, technology, politics, and evolution. The twisting of Catholic teachings by the Pax to serve nefarious ends, as well as Aenea's eastern-type teachings which ultimately were metaphors for real physical properties of the universe, were two engaging and thought-provoking ways he included religious themes.

 

[Caladan]

See above. I enjoyed the examination of religion as much as the mythic themes of the show, and JMS' inspired writing is one of my favorite quote sources. I even used the following passage as a reading at a church discussion group:

The Universe speaks in many languages, but only one voice.
The language is not Narn or Human or Centauri or Gaim or Minbari.
It speaks in the language of hope. It speaks in the language of trust.
It speaks in the language of strength, and the language of compassion.
It is the language of the heart and the language of the soul.
But always it is the same voice.
It is the voice of our ancestors speaking through us.
And the voice of our inheritors waiting to be born.
It is the small, still voice that says 'We are one'.
No matter the blood, no matter the skin,
No matter the world, no matter the star,
We are one.
No matter the pain, no matter the darkness,
No matter the loss, no matter the fear.
We are one.
Here, gathered together in common cause
We agree to recognize this singular truth and this singular rule:
That we must be kind to one another.
Because each voice enriches us and ennobles us,
And each voice lost diminishes us.
We are the voice of the universe, the soul of creation,
The fire that will light the way to a better future.
We are one.
​

Another favorite quote is "Faith and reason are like the shoes on your feet: you can get farther with both than just one."

This does sound ideal to a UU set. and while several of my friends were hooked on the series, unfortunately I havent followed it

Nothing specific, but I delight in a well-crafted cosmology. Gaiman is more fantasy than sci-fi, but he's my favorite. My bias is showing, of course - I love him because he expresses aspects of my genuinely believed theology far more beautifully than I ever could. Still, the stories are delightful.

Yes with Gaiman it is a craft, and the fact the he uses a variety of mythologies and mythic figures in his stories only makes it more interesting. from Norse to African mythology and everything that's in between.

 

[Nepenthe]

Another Star Trek point was mistaking people for Gods. Kirk and crew find Apollo, who is, in fact an alien in that instance. Picard was mistaken for a god by a race of aliens. There were computers, like Landru (I think that is how you spell) and more.
Do you wonder if some of those fantastic stories in mythology could have been based on aliens, or is that idea just plain absurd.

Ancient astronaut concepts are entertaining in a sci-fi setting, but hacks like Von Daniken and Zecheriah Sitchen made their careers propagating the ancient astronaut ideas as historical fact. The Cult of Alien Gods: H.P. Lovecraft and Extraterrestrial Pop Culture argues, convincingly, that Lovecraft introduced the whole e.t.s as gods intervening with history idea that has became so popular in sci-fi and cult archaeology.

 

[Caladan]

Frank Herbert did an amazing job covering a multitude of complex religious concepts, not only in Dune, but in the following books, particularly God Emperor of Dune. The way he combined both the mystical and political sides of religion gives his writing a veracity rarely seen regarding religion in fiction.

That's very true. Dune and the following books have amazing political plots and landscape in which religion is a great motive, the interplay between the Bene Gesserit, the Houses, and the Fremen. the syncretism of Buddhism and Zen with Islam, and with Sufism, the recorded infuelnce of Judaism on the Bene Gesserit in the later books and the background of the Orange Catholic Bible and the influences of the Tawrat (Torah in Arabic) and the Talmudic Zabur.
visions, mystical experiences, political scheme are all interwoven in a fascinating narrative and evolving plot.

 

[Troublemane]

Oh, yes. Babylon 5 in particular,...

Yeah! I love B5! I think J Michael Straczynski is a brilliant to have created that show!

The Minbari philosophy is particularly interesting.

 

[Xafwak]

Do you wonder if some of those fantastic stories in mythology could have been based on aliens, or is that idea just plain absurd.

That is one of the main themes in Star Gate series. They encounter very few aliens, but the galaxy is mostly populated by humans who were taken from Earth by aliens millenia ago. And amazingly they all know modern English.

 

[ChristineES]

Tigger: majQa'

I am NOT Tigger, Please stop calling me that. (If you're not speaking to me, I apologize).