Religious ideas in science fiction
Encyclopedia
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
(SF) works often present explanations, commentary or use religious themes to convey a broader message. The use of religious themes in the SF genre varies from refutations of religion as primitive or unscientific, to creative explanations and new insights into religious experience and beliefs as a way of gaining new perspectives to the human condition (e.g. gods as aliens, prophets as time travelers, metaphysical or prophetic vision gained through technological means, etc.).
As an exploratory medium, SF rarely takes religion at face value by simply accepting or rejecting it, though a simple rejection does tend to be the more common bias, particularly in golden age authors like Robert A. Heinlein
Robert A. Heinlein
Robert Anson Heinlein was an American science fiction writer. Often called the "dean of science fiction writers", he was one of the most influential and controversial authors of the genre. He set a standard for science and engineering plausibility and helped to raise the genre's standards of...
and Arthur C. Clarke
Arthur C. Clarke
Sir Arthur Charles Clarke, CBE, FRAS was a British science fiction author, inventor, and futurist, famous for his short stories and novels, among them 2001: A Space Odyssey, and as a host and commentator in the British television series Mysterious World. For many years, Robert A. Heinlein,...
, but even among these this refutation is only general, not universal. As with many topics in SF, when religious themes are presented they tend to be investigated very deeply. Since the genre of SF often deals with humanity’s understanding of itself in the face of great technological and social change—some SF grapples with questions of a spiritual or religious nature.
In addition to considering theological or philosophical or ideologies directly or indirectly from a religious context, some fiction deals with these topics as portraying real religions such as The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the Bahá'í Faith
Bahá'í Faith
The Bahá'í Faith is a monotheistic religion founded by Bahá'u'lláh in 19th-century Persia, emphasizing the spiritual unity of all humankind. There are an estimated five to six million Bahá'ís around the world in more than 200 countries and territories....
- see LDS fiction
LDS fiction
LDS fiction is an American niche market of fiction novels featuring themes related to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints...
and Bahá'í Faith in fiction
Bahá'í Faith in fiction
The Bahá'í Faith has appeared in fiction in multiple forms. The mention of the Bahá'í Faith, prominent members, or even individual believers have appeared in a variety of fictional forms including science fiction, and fantasy, as well as styles of short stories, novelettes, and novels, and even...
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AfterlifeAfterlifeThe afterlife is the belief that a part of, or essence of, or soul of an individual, which carries with it and confers personal identity, survives the death of the body of this world and this lifetime, by natural or supernatural means, in contrast to the belief in eternal...
- Philip José FarmerPhilip José FarmerPhilip José Farmer was an American author, principally known for his award-winning science fiction and fantasy novels and short stories....
. The RiverworldRiverworldRiverworld is a fictional planet and the setting for a series of science fiction books written by Philip José Farmer . Riverworld is an artificial environment where all humans are reconstructed. The books explore interactions of individuals from many different cultures and time periods...
series - Sergey Lukianenko. Night Watch (Russian novel)Night Watch (Russian novel)Night Watch is a fantasy novel by Russian writer Sergei Lukyanenko published in 1998...
and sequels - Astrid LindgrenAstrid LindgrenAstrid Anna Emilia Lindgren , 14 November 1907 – 28 January 2002) was a Swedish author and screenwriter who is the world's 25th most translated author and has sold roughly 145 million copies worldwide...
. The Brothers LionheartThe Brothers LionheartThe Brothers Lionheart is a children's fantasy novel written by Astrid Lindgren. It was published in the fall of 1973 and has been translated into 46 languages. Many of its themes are unusually dark and heavy for the children's book genre. Disease, death, tyranny, betrayal and rebellion are some... - Bob ShawBob ShawBob Shaw, born Robert Shaw, was a science fiction author and fan from Northern Ireland. He was noted for his originality and wit. He won the Hugo Award for Best Fan Writer in 1979 and 1980...
. 1969. The Palace of Eternity
Ancestor veneration
- C. J. CherryhC. J. CherryhCarolyn Janice Cherry , better known by the pen name C. J. Cherryh, is a United States science fiction and fantasy author...
1976. Brothers of EarthBrothers of EarthBrothers of Earth is a 1976 science fiction novel by science fiction and fantasy author C. J. Cherryh. It was the second of Cherryh's novels to be published, appearing after Gate of Ivrel, although she had completed and submitted Brothers of Earth first. Donald A...
Garden City, NY: Nelson Doubleday
Angels
- In Charles Phipps' Machine Goddess, the whole of human history is influenced by pre-Big Bang beings that take the name of Angels and Demons.
Creation myths
- In Blade RunnerBlade RunnerBlade Runner is a 1982 American science fiction film directed by Ridley Scott and starring Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer, and Sean Young. The screenplay, written by Hampton Fancher and David Peoples, is loosely based on the novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K...
, Roy Batty is an artificial person looking to confront his creator, while Rick Deckard searches for lost humanity despite his job: hunting and "retiring" drapetomaniaDrapetomaniaDrapetomania was a supposed mental illness described by American physician Samuel A. Cartwright in 1851 that caused black slaves to flee captivity. Today, drapetomania is considered an example of pseudoscience, and part of the edifice of scientific racism...
c replicants. - Mary ShelleyMary ShelleyMary Shelley was a British novelist, short story writer, dramatist, essayist, biographer, and travel writer, best known for her Gothic novel Frankenstein: or, The Modern Prometheus . She also edited and promoted the works of her husband, the Romantic poet and philosopher Percy Bysshe Shelley...
. 1818. "FrankensteinFrankensteinFrankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus is a novel about a failed experiment that produced a monster, written by Mary Shelley, with inserts of poems by Percy Bysshe Shelley. Shelley started writing the story when she was eighteen, and the novel was published when she was twenty-one. The first...
"
DelusionDelusionA delusion is a false belief held with absolute conviction despite superior evidence. Unlike hallucinations, delusions are always pathological...
- Tom FlynnTom FlynnThomas Flynn was a cricket Test match umpire. He umpired 4 Test matches, making his debut in the match between Australia and England in Melbourne on 1 January to 6 January 1892, standing with Jim Phillips...
. Galactic Rapture. 1999. Prometheus Books. ISBN 1-57392-754-6. - Tom FlynnTom FlynnThomas Flynn was a cricket Test match umpire. He umpired 4 Test matches, making his debut in the match between Australia and England in Melbourne on 1 January to 6 January 1892, standing with Jim Phillips...
. Nothing Sacred. 2004. Prometheus Books. ISBN 1-59102-127-8.
Demons
- John RingoJohn RingoJohn Ringo is an American science fiction and military fiction author. He has had several New York Times best sellers. His books range from straightforward science fiction to a mix of military and political thrillers...
Princess of Wands ISBN 1-4165-0923-2 A Christian housewife/soccer mom gets involved in an organisation which co-operates with the FBI in dealing with demons. - In the Doom series, demons have come into the world through an interdimensional portal made on MarsMarsMars is the fourth planet from the Sun in the Solar System. The planet is named after the Roman god of war, Mars. It is often described as the "Red Planet", as the iron oxide prevalent on its surface gives it a reddish appearance...
that went to HellHellIn many religious traditions, a hell is a place of suffering and punishment in the afterlife. Religions with a linear divine history often depict hells as endless. Religions with a cyclic history often depict a hell as an intermediary period between incarnations...
.
EschatologyEschatologyEschatology is a part of theology, philosophy, and futurology concerned with what are believed to be the final events in history, or the ultimate destiny of humanity, commonly referred to as the end of the world or the World to Come...
(Ultimate fate of the UniverseUltimate fate of the universeThe ultimate fate of the universe is a topic in physical cosmology. Many possible fates are predicted by rival scientific theories, including futures of both finite and infinite duration....
)
- Camille FlammarionCamille FlammarionNicolas Camille Flammarion was a French astronomer and author. He was a prolific author of more than fifty titles, including popular science works about astronomy, several notable early science fiction novels, and several works about Spiritism and related topics. He also published the magazine...
translated 1894. Omega: The Last Days of the WorldOmega: The Last Days of the WorldOmega: The Last Days of the World is a science fiction novel published in 1894 by Camille Flammarion. ISBN 0-8032-6898-X.On 25th century Earth, a comet made mostly of Carbonic-Oxide could possibly collide with the Earth... - Olaf StapledonOlaf StapledonWilliam Olaf Stapledon was a British philosopher and author of several influential works of science fiction.-Life:...
1937. Star MakerStar Maker-External links:*... - Arthur C. ClarkeArthur C. ClarkeSir Arthur Charles Clarke, CBE, FRAS was a British science fiction author, inventor, and futurist, famous for his short stories and novels, among them 2001: A Space Odyssey, and as a host and commentator in the British television series Mysterious World. For many years, Robert A. Heinlein,...
1953. The Nine Billion Names of GodThe Nine Billion Names of God"The Nine Billion Names of God" is a 1953 science fiction short story by Arthur C. Clarke. The story was the winner of the retrospective Hugo Award for Best Short Story for the year 1954.-Plot summary:... - Isaac AsimovIsaac AsimovIsaac Asimov was an American author and professor of biochemistry at Boston University, best known for his works of science fiction and for his popular science books. Asimov was one of the most prolific writers of all time, having written or edited more than 500 books and an estimated 90,000...
1956. The Last QuestionThe Last Question"The Last Question" is a science fiction short story by Isaac Asimov. It first appeared in the November 1956 issue of Science Fiction Quarterly and was reprinted in the collections Nine Tomorrows , The Best of Isaac Asimov , Robot Dreams , the retrospective Opus 100 , and in Isaac Asimov: The... - George ZebrowskiGeorge ZebrowskiGeorge Zebrowski is a science fiction author and editor who has written and edited a number of books. He lives with author Pamela Sargent, with whom he has co-written a number of novels, including Star Trek novels.Zebrowski won the John W. Campbell Memorial Award in 1999 for his novel Brute Orbits...
. omnibus in 1983. The Omega Point Trilogy - Stephen BaxterStephen BaxterStephen Baxter is a prolific British hard science fiction author. He has degrees in mathematics and engineering.- Writing style :...
. 1999. Manifold: TimeManifold: TimeManifold: Time is a 1999 science fiction novel by Stephen Baxter. It is the first of Baxter's Manifold trilogy , although the books can be read in any order because the series takes place in a multiverse.The book was nominated for the 2000 Arthur C...
GodGodGod is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
or GodsDeityA deity is a recognized preternatural or supernatural immortal being, who may be thought of as holy, divine, or sacred, held in high regard, and respected by believers....
- Lester del ReyLester del ReyLester del Rey was an American science fiction author and editor. Del Rey was the author of many of the Winston Science Fiction juvenile SF series, and the editor at Del Rey Books, the fantasy and science fiction branch of Ballantine Books, along with his fourth wife Judy-Lynn del Rey.-Birth...
. 1954. "For I Am a Jealous People". Jehovah abandons humanity, and sponsors an alien race in an invasion of Earth. - Octavia E. ButlerOctavia E. ButlerOctavia Estelle Butler was an American science fiction writer, one of the best-known among the few African-American women in the field. She won both Hugo and Nebula awards. In 1995, she became the first science fiction writer to receive the MacArthur Foundation Genius Grant.- Background :Butler...
. 1993."Parable of the SowerParable of the SowerThe Parable of the Sower is one of the parables of Jesus found in three out of the four Canonical gospels and in the non-canonical Gospel of Thomas In this story, a sower dropped seed on the path, on rocky ground, and among thorns, and the seed was lost; but when seed fell on good earth, it...
" Religion created EarthseedEarthseedEarthseed is a fictional religion based on the idea that "God is Change." It is the creation of Octavia E. Butler, as revealed by her character Lauren Oya Olamina in the books: Parable of the Sower and Parable of the Talents...
where God is change. - Orson Scott CardOrson Scott CardOrson Scott Card is an American author, critic, public speaker, essayist, columnist, and political activist. He writes in several genres, but is primarily known for his science fiction. His novel Ender's Game and its sequel Speaker for the Dead both won Hugo and Nebula Awards, making Card the...
. "The Worthing SagaThe Worthing SagaThe Worthing Saga is a science fiction book by American writer Orson Scott Card, set in the Worthing series. It is made up of the novel The Worthing Chronicle and nine related stories...
". As the protagonist keeps himself in hidden stasis over the years, he becomes the target of worship by the descendants of the very settlers that he delivered to a new world. - G. K. ChestertonG. K. ChestertonGilbert Keith Chesterton, KC*SG was an English writer. His prolific and diverse output included philosophy, ontology, poetry, plays, journalism, public lectures and debates, literary and art criticism, biography, Christian apologetics, and fiction, including fantasy and detective fiction....
1908. The Man Who Was ThursdayThe Man Who Was ThursdayThe Man Who Was Thursday: A Nightmare is a novel by G. K. Chesterton, first published in 1908. The book is sometimes referred to as a metaphysical thriller.-Plot summary:... - In Philip K. DickPhilip K. DickPhilip Kindred Dick was an American novelist, short story writer and essayist whose published work is almost entirely in the science fiction genre. Dick explored sociological, political and metaphysical themes in novels dominated by monopolistic corporations, authoritarian governments and altered...
's Novel "ValisValisValis may refer to:*VALIS, a 1981 science fiction novel by Philip K. Dick*Valis , a videogame series.**Valis: The Fantasm Soldier, first game in the series...
", the protagonist faces an all-powerful God who subtly manipulates the actions and thoughts of humans in an effort to redeem humanity. - Alastair ReynoldsAlastair ReynoldsAlastair Preston Reynolds is a British science fiction author. He specialises in dark hard science fiction and space opera. He spent his early years in Cornwall, moved back to Wales before going to Newcastle, where he read physics and astronomy. Afterwards, he earned a PhD from St Andrews, Scotland...
. “Absolution GapAbsolution GapAbsolution Gap is a 2003 science fiction space opera novel by Welsh author Alastair Reynolds. It takes place in the Revelation Space universe and is a direct sequel to Redemption Ark.-Plot summary:...
” - David ZindellDavid ZindellDavid Zindell is an American author known for science fiction and fantasy epics. He was born in Toledo, Ohio, and resides today in Boulder, Colorado; he received a BA degree in mathematics and minored in anthropology at the University of Colorado at Boulder...
1988. NevernessNevernessNeverness is a science fiction novel written by David Zindell and published in 1988. The novel grew from a 1985 novelette entitled 'Shanidar'. Neverness concerns a medium far-future world where mathematicians have become a kind of caste or religious order, because of their abilities to do the...
New York: Spectra - StargateStargate (film)Stargate is a 1994 American adventure-military science fiction film released through Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and Carolco Pictures. Created by Dean Devlin and Roland Emmerich, the film is the first release in the Stargate franchise...
and Stargate SG-1Stargate SG-1Stargate SG-1 is a Canadian-American adventure and military science fiction television series and part of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's Stargate franchise. The show, created by Brad Wright and Jonathan Glassner, is based on the 1994 feature film Stargate by Dean Devlin and Roland Emmerich...
, the supposed ancient gods are revealed to be powerful, parasitic aliens posing as supernatural beings to exploit mankind. Furthermore, the Stargate explorers are often mistaken for gods since they use the stargates, but the conscientious ones take pains to disabuse that assumption. Initially an ordinary Star Trek-esque show, Stargate SG-1 and its spin-off Stargate AtlantisStargate AtlantisStargate Atlantis is a Canadian-American adventure and military science fiction television series and part of MGM's Stargate franchise. The show was created by Brad Wright and Robert C. Cooper as a spin-off series of Stargate SG-1, which was created by Wright and Jonathan Glassner and was itself...
have shifted to have as the central theme the concepts of what it means to be a god, particularly with the new OriOri (Stargate)The Ori are fictional characters in the science fiction television series, Stargate SG-1. They are a group of "ascended" beings who use their advanced technology and knowledge of the universe to attempt to trick non-ascended humans into worshipping them as gods.They first appeared in the ninth...
story. - Star Trek: The Motion PictureStar Trek: The Motion PictureStar Trek: The Motion Picture is a 1979 American science fiction film released by Paramount Pictures. It is the first film based on the Star Trek television series. The film is set in the twenty-third century, when a mysterious and immensely powerful alien cloud called V'Ger approaches the Earth,...
, an alien force of incredible, God-like power enters Federation space, forcing the Enterprise crew to discover the meaning and purpose of its arrival. - In the Star Trek: The Next GenerationStar Trek: The Next GenerationStar Trek: The Next Generation is an American science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry as part of the Star Trek franchise. Roddenberry, Rick Berman, and Michael Piller served as executive producers at different times throughout the production...
episode, "Who Watches the Watchers", a serious accident with a hidden scientific observation post starts a chain of events that leads to a primitive civilization becoming convinced that the StarfleetStarfleetIn the fictional universe of Star Trek, Starfleet or the Federation Starfleet is the deep-space exploratory, peacekeeping and military service maintained by the United Federation of Planets . It is the principal means by which the Federation conducts its exploration, defense, diplomacy and research...
personnel are divine beings with Capt. Jean-Luc PicardJean-Luc PicardCaptain Jean-Luc Picard is a Star Trek character portrayed by Patrick Stewart. He appears in the television series Star Trek: The Next Generation and the feature films Star Trek Generations, Star Trek: First Contact, Star Trek: Insurrection, and Star Trek Nemesis...
being the supreme one. The crew of the Enterprise struggle to prevent the reestablishment of religion in the civilization. - In the Star Trek: The Original SeriesStar Trek: The Original SeriesStar Trek is an American science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry, produced by Desilu Productions . Star Trek was telecast on NBC from September 8, 1966, through June 3, 1969...
episode "Who Mourns for Adonais?", the Enterprise crew encounters an alien figure reminiscent of the ancient Greek god Apollo. The "god" asks to be respected, worshiped, and permitted to offer care and love for the crew. In critiquing this figure, the crew reduces it to the mere product of an "energy source." After destroying the entity, Captain Kirk rhetorically asks, "Would it have hurt to have gathered a few laurel leaves?" This comment can be seen to reflect on the ironies of scientific reductionism and the concomitant rejection of divinity. Finally, it offers a possible nostalgic lament about the results of the "acids of modernity." - In Roger ZelaznyRoger ZelaznyRoger Joseph Zelazny was an American writer of fantasy and science fiction short stories and novels, best known for his The Chronicles of Amber series...
's Lord of LightLord of LightLord of Light is an epic science fiction/fantasy novel by American author Roger Zelazny. It was awarded the 1968 Hugo Award for Best Novel, and nominated for a Nebula Award in the same category. Two chapters from the novel were published as novelettes in the Magazine of Fantasy and Science...
, a nobleman re-creates a rival religious movement to dethrone a false pantheon of Hindu-inspired "Gods" on a world where magic and science coexist. - The video game HomeworldHomeworldHomeworld is a real-time strategy computer game released on September 28, 1999, developed by Relic Entertainment and published by Sierra Entertainment. It was the first fully three-dimensional RTS. In 2003, Relic released the source code for Homeworld...
features a single god called Sajuuk. - In Avatar the Na'vi worship a goddess named Eywa
HeavenHeavenHeaven, the Heavens or Seven Heavens, is a common religious cosmological or metaphysical term for the physical or transcendent place from which heavenly beings originate, are enthroned or inhabit...
- "The Reformers" 1952 Weird Science #20 -- Three space men dressed in scifi versions of bishop garb land on planet to reform it of evil. There are greeted by a man named Peter and told they are not needed for there is no crime, no immorality, or any of the evils seen in other societies. They decide to create these evils themselves so that they can blame these evils on literature, clothing, and alcohol as they have done on previous worlds (including Earth). They contact their home base and we learn that their leader is the Devil and the planet they are on is Heaven.
- To Reign in Hell 2000 Steven Brust & Roger Zelazny
HellHellIn many religious traditions, a hell is a place of suffering and punishment in the afterlife. Religions with a linear divine history often depict hells as endless. Religions with a cyclic history often depict a hell as an intermediary period between incarnations...
- Nice Place to VisitNice Place to VisitNice Place to Visit is the second album by Frozen Ghost.-Track listing:All songs written by Arnold Lanni.#"Better to Try" - 4:42#"Pauper in Paradise" - 4:45#"Selling Salvation" - 4:57#"Step By Step"* - 3:50#"Mother Nature" - 3:48...
1960 Twilight Zone - Larry NivenLarry NivenLaurence van Cott Niven / ˈlæri ˈnɪvən/ is an American science fiction author. His best-known work is Ringworld , which received Hugo, Locus, Ditmar, and Nebula awards. His work is primarily hard science fiction, using big science concepts and theoretical physics...
and Jerry PournelleJerry PournelleJerry Eugene Pournelle is an American science fiction writer, essayist and journalist who contributed for many years to the computer magazine Byte and has since 1998 been maintaining his own website/blog....
1976. InfernoInferno (novel)Inferno is a science fiction novel written by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle, published in 1976. It was nominated for the 1976 Hugo and Nebula Awards for Best Novel.-Background:...
. Pocket Books. ISBN 0-671-80490-1 - Larry NivenLarry NivenLaurence van Cott Niven / ˈlæri ˈnɪvən/ is an American science fiction author. His best-known work is Ringworld , which received Hugo, Locus, Ditmar, and Nebula awards. His work is primarily hard science fiction, using big science concepts and theoretical physics...
and Jerry PournelleJerry PournelleJerry Eugene Pournelle is an American science fiction writer, essayist and journalist who contributed for many years to the computer magazine Byte and has since 1998 been maintaining his own website/blog....
2009. Escape from HellEscape from Hell (novel)Escape from Hell is a fantasy novel written by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle. It is a sequel to Inferno, the 1976 Hugo Award- and Nebula Award-nominated book by the same authors. It was released on February 17, 2009...
. Tor Books. ISBN 978-0-7653-1632-5 - In the cult science fiction/horror movie Event Horizon, the extradimensional realm the titular ship passed through and became possessed by an entity of is heavily implied to be Hell, even being outright stated as such by the ship's crewmen who were driven murderously insane and slaughtered each otherMass suicide- Examples :Mass suicide sometimes occurs in religious or cultic settings. Defeated groups may resort to mass suicide rather than being captured. Suicide pacts are a form of mass suicide unconnected to cults or war that are sometimes planned or carried out by small groups of frustrated people...
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Identity
- Roger MacBride AllenRoger MacBride AllenRoger MacBride Allen is an American science fiction author. He was born in Bridgeport, Connecticut and grew up in Washington, D.C., graduating from Boston University in 1979. His father is American historian and author Thomas B...
. 2002. The Modular ManThe Modular ManThe Modular Man is a science fiction novel by American writer Roger MacBride Allen. It is the fourth in the Next Wave series.-Plot summary:The novel concerns the issue of personhood and what it takes to be considered a member of the moral universe...
. New York: Bantam. ISBN 0-553-29559-4. - C. J. CherryhC. J. CherryhCarolyn Janice Cherry , better known by the pen name C. J. Cherryh, is a United States science fiction and fantasy author...
. “Port Eternity” - Richard Paul RussoRichard Paul RussoRichard Paul Russo is an American science fiction writer.He attended the Clarion Workshop in 1983; his first story, "Firebird Suite", appeared in Amazing Stories in 1981 and his first novel, Inner Eclipse, was published in 1988. His second novel, Subterranean Gallery, won the Philip K. Dick Award...
. “The Rosetta Codex”
Jewish
- Clifford MethClifford MethClifford Lawrence Meth is an American writer and editor best known for his dark fiction. He has said that his work is often "self-consciously Jewish."-Early life:...
's "I, Gezheh" presents a futuristic universe where the prosletyzing Hasidic sect Chabad-Lubavitch have gained influence over many alien worlds.
MeditationMeditationMeditation is any form of a family of practices in which practitioners train their minds or self-induce a mode of consciousness to realize some benefit....
- In Star TrekStar TrekStar Trek is an American science fiction entertainment franchise created by Gene Roddenberry. The core of Star Trek is its six television series: The Original Series, The Animated Series, The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager, and Enterprise...
, the VulcanVulcan (Star Trek)Vulcans, or sometimes Vulcanians, are an extraterrestrial humanoid species in the Star Trek universe who evolved on the planet Vulcan, and are noted for their attempt to live by reason and logic with no interference from emotion. They were the first extraterrestrial species in the Star Trek...
people use various meditation techniques to suppress their emotions, calm the mind, and enhance their telepathic abilities. - In Star WarsStar WarsStar Wars is an American epic space opera film series created by George Lucas. The first film in the series was originally released on May 25, 1977, under the title Star Wars, by 20th Century Fox, and became a worldwide pop culture phenomenon, followed by two sequels, released at three-year...
, the JediJediThe Jedi are characters in the Star Wars universe and the series's main protagonists. The Jedi use a power called the Force and weapons called lightsabers, which emit a controlled energy flow in the shape of a sword, in order to serve and protect the Republic and the galaxy at large from conflict...
use meditation and visualization techniques to control their ForceForce (Star Wars)The Force is a binding, metaphysical and ubiquitous power in the fictional universe of the Star Wars galaxy created by George Lucas. Mentioned in the first film in the series, it is integral to all subsequent incarnations of Star Wars, including the expanded universe of comic books, novels, and...
abilities. - The Jaffa of Stargate SG-1Stargate SG-1Stargate SG-1 is a Canadian-American adventure and military science fiction television series and part of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's Stargate franchise. The show, created by Brad Wright and Jonathan Glassner, is based on the 1994 feature film Stargate by Dean Devlin and Roland Emmerich...
use a meditative state called "kel'no'reem" to replenish their energy and access their subconscious, similar to human sleep (as Jaffa do not sleep). Humans have been shown to kel'no'reem as well, although it only serves to provide access to their subconscious and does not replace sleep. - In Frank HerbertFrank HerbertFranklin Patrick Herbert, Jr. was a critically acclaimed and commercially successful American science fiction author. Although a short story author, he is best known for his novels, most notably Dune and its five sequels...
's DuneDune (novel)Dune is a science fiction novel written by Frank Herbert, published in 1965. It won the Hugo Award in 1966, and the inaugural Nebula Award for Best Novel...
, the Bene GesseritBene GesseritThe Bene Gesserit are a key social, religious, and political force in Frank Herbert's science fiction Dune universe. The group is described as an exclusive sisterhood whose members train their bodies and minds through years of physical and mental conditioning to obtain superhuman powers and...
and MentatMentatA Mentat is a profession or discipline in Frank Herbert's fictional Dune universe. Mentats are humans trained to mimic computers: human minds developed to staggering heights of cognitive and analytical ability.- Overview :...
s use various forms of visualization, mantraMantraA mantra is a sound, syllable, word, or group of words that is considered capable of "creating transformation"...
, and other meditative techniques to enhance their respective abilities.
MessianismMessianismMessianism is the belief in a messiah, a savior or redeemer. Many religions have a messiah concept, including the Jewish Messiah, the Christian Christ, the Muslim Mahdi and Isa , the Buddhist Maitreya, the Hindu Kalki and the Zoroastrian Saoshyant...
- Arthur C. ClarkeArthur C. ClarkeSir Arthur Charles Clarke, CBE, FRAS was a British science fiction author, inventor, and futurist, famous for his short stories and novels, among them 2001: A Space Odyssey, and as a host and commentator in the British television series Mysterious World. For many years, Robert A. Heinlein,...
. 1953, 1956. The City and the StarsThe City and the StarsThe City and the Stars is a science fiction novel by Arthur C. Clarke. It is a complete rewrite of his earlier novella, Against the Fall of Night.-Overview:...
. New York: Signet. ISBN 451Q5371095. Pp. 99–100. - In Robert A. HeinleinRobert A. HeinleinRobert Anson Heinlein was an American science fiction writer. Often called the "dean of science fiction writers", he was one of the most influential and controversial authors of the genre. He set a standard for science and engineering plausibility and helped to raise the genre's standards of...
's Stranger in a Strange LandStranger in a Strange LandStranger in a Strange Land is a 1961 science fiction novel by American author Robert A. Heinlein. It tells the story of Valentine Michael Smith, a human who comes to Earth in early adulthood after being born on the planet Mars and raised by Martians. The novel explores his interaction with—and...
, Valentine Michael Smith similarly becomes a messiahMessiahA messiah is a redeemer figure expected or foretold in one form or another by a religion. Slightly more widely, a messiah is any redeemer figure. Messianic beliefs or theories generally relate to eschatological improvement of the state of humanity or the world, in other words the World to...
figure but this time it's to some of the general population of the earth. Raised by Martians he turns their Martian philosophy into a human religion. - In Frank HerbertFrank HerbertFranklin Patrick Herbert, Jr. was a critically acclaimed and commercially successful American science fiction author. Although a short story author, he is best known for his novels, most notably Dune and its five sequels...
's DuneDune (novel)Dune is a science fiction novel written by Frank Herbert, published in 1965. It won the Hugo Award in 1966, and the inaugural Nebula Award for Best Novel...
, Paul Muad'dib becomes a prophetic messiahMessiahA messiah is a redeemer figure expected or foretold in one form or another by a religion. Slightly more widely, a messiah is any redeemer figure. Messianic beliefs or theories generally relate to eschatological improvement of the state of humanity or the world, in other words the World to...
to the FremenFremenThe Fremen are a group of people in the fictional Dune universe created by Frank Herbert. First appearing in the 1965 novel Dune, the Fremen inhabit the desert planet Arrakis and are based on the desert-dwelling Bedouin and Kalahari Bushmen. In Herbert's novels, Arrakis is the sole known source...
when his mental training and the drug / spice melange allow him to directly perceive time and space. - C. S. LewisC. S. LewisClive Staples Lewis , commonly referred to as C. S. Lewis and known to his friends and family as "Jack", was a novelist, academic, medievalist, literary critic, essayist, lay theologian and Christian apologist from Belfast, Ireland...
. The Out of the Silent PlanetOut of the Silent PlanetOut of the Silent Planet is the first novel of a science fiction trilogy written by C. S. Lewis, sometimes referred to as the Space Trilogy, Ransom Trilogy or Cosmic Trilogy. The other volumes are Perelandra and That Hideous Strength, and a fragment of a sequel was published posthumously as The...
series of novels. - HG Wells 1899. When the Sleeper Wakes
- Gene WolfeGene WolfeGene Wolfe is an American science fiction and fantasy writer. He is noted for his dense, allusive prose as well as the strong influence of his Catholic faith, to which he converted after marrying into the religion. He is a prolific short story writer and a novelist, and has won many awards in the...
. The Book of the New SunThe Book of the New SunThe Book of the New Sun is a novel in four parts written by science fiction and fantasy author Gene Wolfe. It chronicles the journey and ascent to power of Severian, a disgraced journeyman torturer who rises to the position of Autarch, the one ruler of the free world... - John BarnesJohn Barnes (author)-Writing:Two of his novels, The Sky So Big and Black and The Duke of Uranium have been reviewed as having content appropriate for a young adult readership, comparing favorably to Robert A. Heinlein's "juvenile" novels...
. 2003. The Sky So Big and BlackThe Sky So Big and BlackThe Sky So Big and Black is a science fiction novel by John Barnes that was published in 2002. The title itself refers to the clear sky as seen from the surface of Mars, to the nearness of the Martian horizon because Mars is a much smaller planet, and to the abrupt absence/darkness of many...
. New York: Tor. ISBN 0-7653-4222-7 - "He Walked Among Us" 1953 Weird Science #13 -- A spaceman on a four year expedition mission uses his high technology to help the locals (curing a boy with antibiotics, using dehydrated pills to turn water into milk and created food) and defies the local priests. His ship is destroyed by an asteroid resulting in all records being lost and 2,000 years later another ship finds out the spaceman was executed on a rack with it becoming the local's religious symbol and the spaceman the son of their god.
MetaphysicsMetaphysicsMetaphysics is a branch of philosophy concerned with explaining the fundamental nature of being and the world, although the term is not easily defined. Traditionally, metaphysics attempts to answer two basic questions in the broadest possible terms:...
- Barrington J. BayleyBarrington J. BayleyBarrington J. Bayley was an English science fiction writer.Bayley was born in Birmingham and educated in Newport, Shropshire...
. 1974. The Soul of the Robot - John Taine 1946. The Time StreamThe Time StreamThe Time Stream is a science fiction novel by author John Taine . The novel was originally serialized in four parts in the magazine Wonder Stories beginning in December 1931. It was first published in book form in 1946 by The Buffalo Book Company in an edition of 2,000 copies of which only 500 were...
- Tad WilliamsTad WilliamsRobert Paul "Tad" Williams, born in San Jose, California, is the author of several fantasy and science fiction novels, including Tailchaser's Song, the Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn series, the Otherland series, and The War of the Flowers....
. “The Otherland Series”
MillennialismMillennialismMillennialism , or chiliasm in Greek, is a belief held by some Christian denominations that there will be a Golden Age or Paradise on Earth in which "Christ will reign" for 1000 years prior to the final judgment and future eternal state...
- Robert Hugh BensonRobert Hugh BensonRobert Hugh Benson was the youngest son of Edward White Benson and his wife, Mary...
. 1907. Lord of the WorldLord of the WorldLord of the World is a 1908 apocalyptic novel by Robert Hugh Benson. It is sometimes deemed one of the first modern dystopias. Michael D. O'Brien's Catholic apocalyptic series, Children of the Last Days follows a very similar theme as well....
. - Arthur C. ClarkeArthur C. ClarkeSir Arthur Charles Clarke, CBE, FRAS was a British science fiction author, inventor, and futurist, famous for his short stories and novels, among them 2001: A Space Odyssey, and as a host and commentator in the British television series Mysterious World. For many years, Robert A. Heinlein,...
. 1953. Childhood's EndChildhood's EndChildhood's End is a 1953 science fiction novel by the British author Arthur C. Clarke. The story follows the peaceful alien invasion of Earth by the mysterious Overlords, whose arrival ends all war, helps form a world government, and turns the planet into a near-utopia...
. New York: Ballantine Books. No ISBN.
MoralityMoralityMorality is the differentiation among intentions, decisions, and actions between those that are good and bad . A moral code is a system of morality and a moral is any one practice or teaching within a moral code...
- Alfred BesterAlfred BesterAlfred Bester was an American science fiction author, TV and radio scriptwriter, magazine editor and scripter for comic strips and comic books...
. “The Stars My DestinationThe Stars My DestinationThe Stars My Destination is a science fiction novel by Alfred Bester. Originally serialized in Galaxy magazine in four parts beginning with the October 1956 issue, it first appeared in book form in the United Kingdom as Tiger! Tiger! – after William Blake's poem "The Tyger", the first verse...
” - Philip K. DickPhilip K. DickPhilip Kindred Dick was an American novelist, short story writer and essayist whose published work is almost entirely in the science fiction genre. Dick explored sociological, political and metaphysical themes in novels dominated by monopolistic corporations, authoritarian governments and altered...
. 1965. "The Three Stigmata of Palmer EldritchThe Three Stigmata of Palmer EldritchThe Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch is a 1965 novel by US science fiction writer Philip K. Dick. It was nominated for the Nebula Award for Best Novel in 1965....
" - L. Ron HubbardL. Ron HubbardLafayette Ronald Hubbard , better known as L. Ron Hubbard , was an American pulp fiction author and religious leader who founded the Church of Scientology...
. “Battlefield EarthBattlefield Earth (novel)Battlefield Earth: A Saga of the Year 3000 is a 1982 science fiction novel written by the Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard. He composed a soundtrack to the book called Space Jazz....
” - Madeleine L'EngleMadeleine L'EngleMadeleine L'Engle was an American writer best known for her young-adult fiction, particularly the Newbery Medal-winning A Wrinkle in Time and its sequels A Wind in the Door, A Swiftly Tilting Planet, Many Waters, and An Acceptable Time...
wrote an eight book series kicked off by the well known A Wrinkle in TimeA Wrinkle in TimeA Wrinkle in Time is a science fantasy novel by Madeleine L'Engle, first published in 1962. The story revolves around a young girl whose father, a government scientist, has gone missing after working on a mysterious project called a tesseract. The book won a Newbery Medal, Sequoyah Book Award, and...
which covers a good vs evil "battle" over the hearts and minds of children and whole planets. - ShikastaShikastaRe: Colonised Planet 5, Shikasta is a 1979 science fiction novel by British Nobel Prize in Literature-winner Doris Lessing, and is the first book in her five-book Canopus in Argos series. It was first published in the United States in October 1979 by Alfred A. Knopf, and in the United Kingdom in...
by Doris LessingDoris LessingDoris May Lessing CH is a British writer. Her novels include The Grass is Singing, The Golden Notebook, and five novels collectively known as Canopus in Argos....
is the first book of a series which revolves around a mystical-yet-real substance, the "substance of good" which two civilizations are at cross purposes to use "fighting" over the earth. - Deanna Miller. 2003. Sky Bounce
- L. E. Modesitt, Jr.L. E. Modesitt, Jr.L. E. Modesitt, Jr. is an author of 56 science fiction and fantasy novels. He is best known for the fantasy series The Saga of Recluce....
"The Parafaith WarThe Parafaith WarThe Parafaith War is a science fiction novel by L. E. Modesitt, Jr.. It is set in a future where humanity has spread to the stars and divided into several factions. Two factions, the Eco-Tech Coalition and the Revenants of the Prophet are engaged in a futile war over territory and their competing...
", "The Ethos EffectThe Ethos EffectThe Ethos Effect is a science fiction novel by L. E. Modesitt, Jr.. It is a sequel to The Parafaith War. It is set in a future where humanity has spread to the stars and divided into several factions...
"
Original sinOriginal sinOriginal sin is, according to a Christian theological doctrine, humanity's state of sin resulting from the Fall of Man. This condition has been characterized in many ways, ranging from something as insignificant as a slight deficiency, or a tendency toward sin yet without collective guilt, referred...
- James BlishJames BlishJames Benjamin Blish was an American author of fantasy and science fiction. Blish also wrote literary criticism of science fiction using the pen-name William Atheling, Jr.-Biography:...
. 1959. A Case of ConscienceA Case of ConscienceA Case of Conscience is a science fiction novel by James Blish, first published in 1958. It is the story of a Jesuit who investigates an alien race that has no religion; they are completely without any concept of God, an afterlife, or the idea of sin; and the species evolves through several forms...
Del Rey, reissue ISBN 0-345-43835-3. the story of a Jesuit who investigates an alien race that has no religion; they are completely without any concept of GodGodGod is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
, an afterlifeAfterlifeThe afterlife is the belief that a part of, or essence of, or soul of an individual, which carries with it and confers personal identity, survives the death of the body of this world and this lifetime, by natural or supernatural means, in contrast to the belief in eternal...
, or the idea of sinSinIn religion, sin is the violation or deviation of an eternal divine law or standard. The term sin may also refer to the state of having committed such a violation. Christians believe the moral code of conduct is decreed by God In religion, sin (also called peccancy) is the violation or deviation...
; and the species evolves through several forms through the course of its life cycle.
Star of BethlehemStar of BethlehemIn Christian tradition, the Star of Bethlehem, also called the Christmas Star, revealed the birth of Jesus to the magi, or "wise men", and later led them to Bethlehem. The star appears in the nativity story of the Gospel of Matthew, where magi "from the east" are inspired by the star to travel to...
- Arthur C. ClarkeArthur C. ClarkeSir Arthur Charles Clarke, CBE, FRAS was a British science fiction author, inventor, and futurist, famous for his short stories and novels, among them 2001: A Space Odyssey, and as a host and commentator in the British television series Mysterious World. For many years, Robert A. Heinlein,...
. 1955. The StarThe Star (short story)"The Star" is a science fiction short story by English writer Arthur C. Clarke. It appeared in the science fiction magazine Infinity Science Fiction in 1955 and won the Hugo award in 1956. The story was also published as "Star of Bethlehem"...
- a Jesuit serving as the astrophysicist of an interstellar exploration ship suffers a deep crisis of faith on discovering that the star seen on Earth at 4 B.C. was actually a novaNovaA nova is a cataclysmic nuclear explosion in a star caused by the accretion of hydrogen on to the surface of a white dwarf star, which ignites and starts nuclear fusion in a runaway manner...
which destroyed an entire sentient and highly developed race. In Christian religious terms, God had utterly destroyed these peaceful and virtuous beings, in order to announce to humanity the birth of His Son - a discovery which might shake the faith of even the most devout of Christians.
PenancePenancePenance is repentance of sins as well as the proper name of the Roman Catholic, Orthodox Christian, and Anglican Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation/Confession. It also plays a part in non-sacramental confession among Lutherans and other Protestants...
- Frank HerbertFrank HerbertFranklin Patrick Herbert, Jr. was a critically acclaimed and commercially successful American science fiction author. Although a short story author, he is best known for his novels, most notably Dune and its five sequels...
. “The White PlagueThe White PlagueThe White Plague is a science fiction novel by Frank Herbert.-Plot:When an IRA bomb goes off, the wife and children of molecular biologist John Roe O'Neill are killed on May 20, 1996. Driven halfway insane by loss, his mind fragments into several personalities that carry out his plan for him. He...
" - Colin KappColin KappColin Kapp was a British science fiction author.A contemporary of Brian Aldiss and James White, Kapp is best known for his stories about the Unorthodox Engineers.- Cageworld series :...
. 1974. Patterns of Chaos. Paperback, ISBN 0-586-03918-X Panther. - Walter M. Miller Jr. 1955-1957 in FSF, 1960 as novel. A Canticle for LeibowitzA Canticle for LeibowitzA Canticle for Leibowitz is a post-apocalyptic science fiction novel by American writer Walter M. Miller, Jr., first published in 1960. Set in a Roman Catholic monastery in the desert of the southwestern United States after a devastating nuclear war, the story spans thousands of years as...
Bantam Spectra. - Alastair ReynoldsAlastair ReynoldsAlastair Preston Reynolds is a British science fiction author. He specialises in dark hard science fiction and space opera. He spent his early years in Cornwall, moved back to Wales before going to Newcastle, where he read physics and astronomy. Afterwards, he earned a PhD from St Andrews, Scotland...
. Redemption ArkRedemption ArkRedemption Ark is a 2002 hard science fiction space opera novel by Welsh author Alastair Reynolds. It is the second book in the Revelation Space series , and it continues the story of Nevil Clavain begun in the short stories "Great Wall of Mars" and "Glacial"... - Planescape: TormentPlanescape: TormentPlanescape: Torment is a computer role-playing game developed for Windows by Black Isle Studios and released on December 12, 1999 by Interplay Entertainment. It takes place in Planescape, an Advanced Dungeons & Dragons fantasy campaign setting...
- cRPG
ReincarnationReincarnationReincarnation best describes the concept where the soul or spirit, after the death of the body, is believed to return to live in a new human body, or, in some traditions, either as a human being, animal or plant...
- Brian W. Aldiss. “The Helliconia Trilogy
- Philip K. DickPhilip K. DickPhilip Kindred Dick was an American novelist, short story writer and essayist whose published work is almost entirely in the science fiction genre. Dick explored sociological, political and metaphysical themes in novels dominated by monopolistic corporations, authoritarian governments and altered...
1969. UbikUbikUbik is a 1969 science fiction novel by American writer Philip K. Dick. Critic Lev Grossman described it as "a deeply unsettling existential horror story, a nightmare you'll never be sure you've woken up from."-Plot synopsis:... - Camille FlammarionCamille FlammarionNicolas Camille Flammarion was a French astronomer and author. He was a prolific author of more than fifty titles, including popular science works about astronomy, several notable early science fiction novels, and several works about Spiritism and related topics. He also published the magazine...
1864, expansion 1887, translation to English 1897. Lumen Wesleyan University Press for current reissue - Marc LaidlawMarc LaidlawMarc Laidlaw is an American writer of science fiction and horror and also a computer game designer with Valve Software. He is perhaps most famous for writing Dad's Nuke and The 37th Mandala, and for working on the popular Half-Life series.-Biography:Laidlaw was born in 1960 and raised in Laguna...
1988. Neon Lotus - Syd Logdson 1981. A Fond Farewell to Dying
- Richard K. Morgan. “Altered CarbonAltered CarbonAltered Carbon is a hardboiled science fiction novel by Richard K. Morgan. Set some five hundred years in the future in a universe in which the United Nations Protectorate oversees a number of extrasolar planets settled by human beings, it features protagonist Takeshi Kovacs...
” and “Broken AngelsBroken AngelsBroken Angels is a military science fiction novel by Richard Morgan. It is the sequel to Altered Carbon, and is followed by Woken Furies.- Plot :...
” - Robert SilverbergRobert SilverbergRobert Silverberg is an American author, best known for writing science fiction. He is a multiple nominee of the Hugo Award and a winner of the Nebula Award.-Early years:...
. 1974. Born With the Dead. ISBN 0-394-48845-8. Random House Inc. - Robert SheckleyRobert SheckleyRobert Sheckley was a Hugo- and Nebula-nominated American author. First published in the science fiction magazines of the 1950s, his numerous quick-witted stories and novels were famously unpredictable, absurdist and broadly comical.Sheckley was named Author Emeritus by the Science Fiction and...
1959. Immortality, Inc.Immortality, Inc.Immortality, Inc. is a 1959 science fiction novella by American writer Robert Sheckley, about a fictional process whereby a human's consciousness may be transferred into a brain-dead body. A striking foreshadowing in the novel is its description of random killings of strangers by people who intend... - Roger ZelaznyRoger ZelaznyRoger Joseph Zelazny was an American writer of fantasy and science fiction short stories and novels, best known for his The Chronicles of Amber series...
. 1967. Lord of LightLord of LightLord of Light is an epic science fiction/fantasy novel by American author Roger Zelazny. It was awarded the 1968 Hugo Award for Best Novel, and nominated for a Nebula Award in the same category. Two chapters from the novel were published as novelettes in the Magazine of Fantasy and Science...
Eos - Planescape: TormentPlanescape: TormentPlanescape: Torment is a computer role-playing game developed for Windows by Black Isle Studios and released on December 12, 1999 by Interplay Entertainment. It takes place in Planescape, an Advanced Dungeons & Dragons fantasy campaign setting...
, 1999 - cRPG - Douglas AdamsDouglas AdamsDouglas Noel Adams was an English writer and dramatist. He is best known as the author of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, which started life in 1978 as a BBC radio comedy before developing into a "trilogy" of five books that sold over 15 million copies in his lifetime, a television...
1983 Life, the Universe, and Everything. Arthur Dent meets an unfortunate creature named Agrajag who has reincarnated hundreds--maybe thousands--of times over, each and every time only to eventually be killed by Arthur accidentally.
TheocracyTheocracyTheocracy is a form of organization in which the official policy is to be governed by immediate divine guidance or by officials who are regarded as divinely guided, or simply pursuant to the doctrine of a particular religious sect or religion....
Depictions of a fictional society dominated by a theocracyTheocracy
Theocracy is a form of organization in which the official policy is to be governed by immediate divine guidance or by officials who are regarded as divinely guided, or simply pursuant to the doctrine of a particular religious sect or religion....
are a recurring theme in science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
, speculative fiction
Speculative fiction
Speculative fiction is an umbrella term encompassing the more fantastical fiction genres, specifically science fiction, fantasy, horror, supernatural fiction, superhero fiction, utopian and dystopian fiction, apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction, and alternate history in literature as well as...
and fantasy
Fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...
. Such depictions are mostly dystopian, and in some cases humorous or satirical.
- Robert A. HeinleinRobert A. HeinleinRobert Anson Heinlein was an American science fiction writer. Often called the "dean of science fiction writers", he was one of the most influential and controversial authors of the genre. He set a standard for science and engineering plausibility and helped to raise the genre's standards of...
. If This Goes On—/Revolt in 2100Revolt in 2100Revolt in 2100 is a 1953 collection by Robert A. Heinlein and is part of his Future History series.The contents are as follows:* Foreword by Henry Kuttner, "The Innocent Eye"...
(1940, revised and expanded 1953). - Fritz LeiberFritz LeiberFritz Reuter Leiber, Jr. was an American writer of fantasy, horror and science fiction. He was also a poet, actor in theatre and films, playwright, expert chess player and a champion fencer. Possibly his greatest chess accomplishment was winning clear first in the 1958 Santa Monica Open.. With...
. Gather, Darkness (1943). - John BoydJohn Boyd (author)John Boyd is the primary pen-name of Boyd Bradfield Upchurch a science fiction author. His best known work is his first science fiction novel, The Last Starship from Earth, published in 1968. Boyd has written eleven science fiction novels, five novels and one biography...
. The Last Starship from EarthThe Last Starship from EarthThe Last Starship from Earth is a 1968 science fiction novel by John Boyd, and is his best known novel.- Plot summary :It is set in a dystopian society in the very near future. Although it is not obvious at first, this is also an alternate history story.The central character is Haldane IV, a...
(1968). - L. Sprague de CampL. Sprague de CampLyon Sprague de Camp was an American author of science fiction and fantasy books, non-fiction and biography. In a writing career spanning 60 years, he wrote over 100 books, including novels and notable works of non-fiction, including biographies of other important fantasy authors...
. The Goblin TowerThe Goblin TowerThe Goblin Tower is a fantasy novel by American writer L. Sprague de Camp, the first book of both his Novarian series and the "Reluctant King" trilogy featuring King Jorian of Xylar. It was first published as a paperback by Pyramid Books in 1968 and later reprinted by Del Rey Books. The first...
(1968) (episode set in the theocratic city-state of Tarxia). - Zach HughesZach HughesZach Hughes is a pseudonym for American writer Hugh Zachary, who has written numerous science fiction novels. These novels appear to be set in a shared universe, one where Earth experiences a nuclear apocalypse shortly after launching a colonization fleet to settle new worlds among the...
. The Stork Factor (1975). - Richard C. MeredithRichard C. MeredithRichard Carlton Meredith , also known as Richard C. Meredith, was a science fiction author.-Biography:...
Run, Come See Jerusalem! (1976). - Margaret AtwoodMargaret AtwoodMargaret Eleanor Atwood, is a Canadian poet, novelist, literary critic, essayist, and environmental activist. She is among the most-honoured authors of fiction in recent history; she is a winner of the Arthur C...
. The Handmaid's TaleThe Handmaid's TaleThe Handmaid's Tale is a dystopian novel, a work of science fiction or speculative fiction, written by Canadian author Margaret Atwood and first published by McClelland and Stewart in 1985...
(1985). ISBN 0-385-49081-X. - John BarnesJohn Barnes (author)-Writing:Two of his novels, The Sky So Big and Black and The Duke of Uranium have been reviewed as having content appropriate for a young adult readership, comparing favorably to Robert A. Heinlein's "juvenile" novels...
. 2000. CandleCandle (novel)Candle is a science fiction novel by John Barnes that was published in 2000, it is part of the author's Century Next Door series.-Plot summary:...
. New York: Tor. ISBN 0-8125-8968-8. - John BarnesJohn Barnes (author)-Writing:Two of his novels, The Sky So Big and Black and The Duke of Uranium have been reviewed as having content appropriate for a young adult readership, comparing favorably to Robert A. Heinlein's "juvenile" novels...
. 2003. The Sky So Big and BlackThe Sky So Big and BlackThe Sky So Big and Black is a science fiction novel by John Barnes that was published in 2002. The title itself refers to the clear sky as seen from the surface of Mars, to the nearness of the Martian horizon because Mars is a much smaller planet, and to the abrupt absence/darkness of many...
. New York: Tor. ISBN 0-7653-4222-7 - Joe HaldemanJoe HaldemanJoe William Haldeman is an American science fiction author.-Life :Haldeman was born June 9, 1943 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. His family traveled and he lived in Puerto Rico, New Orleans, Washington, D.C., Bethesda, Maryland and Anchorage, Alaska as a child. Haldeman married Mary Gay Potter, known...
. The Accidental Time MachineThe Accidental Time MachineThe Accidental Time Machine is a science-fiction novel by Joe Haldeman that was published in 2007. The novel was a finalist for the Nebula Award in 2007, and the Locus Award in 2008.-Plot summary:...
(2007).
Alien Pope
In the story "In partibus infidelium" ("In the Land of the Unbelievers") by Polish writer Jacek DukajJacek Dukaj
Jacek Dukaj is a Polish science fiction writer. Winner of the Janusz A. Zajdel Award , Śląkfa , Żuławski Award , Kościelski Award and the European Union Prize for Literature .-Career:Dukaj studied philosophy at the Jagiellonian University...
, humanity makes contact with other space-faring civilizations, and Christianity
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
- specifically, the Catholic Church - spreads far and wide. Humans become a minority among believers and an alien is elected as the Pope
Pope
The Pope is the Bishop of Rome, a position that makes him the leader of the worldwide Catholic Church . In the Catholic Church, the Pope is regarded as the successor of Saint Peter, the Apostle...
...
Robot/Computer Pope
In Clifford Simak's novel "Project Pope" (1981) robotRobot
A robot is a mechanical or virtual intelligent agent that can perform tasks automatically or with guidance, typically by remote control. In practice a robot is usually an electro-mechanical machine that is guided by computer and electronic programming. Robots can be autonomous, semi-autonomous or...
s on the planet End of Nowhere have labored a thousand years to build a computerized, infallible pope to eke out the ultimate truth. Their work is preempted when a human Listener discovers what might be the planet Heaven.
God taking an alien Chosen People
In Lester Del ReyLester del Rey
Lester del Rey was an American science fiction author and editor. Del Rey was the author of many of the Winston Science Fiction juvenile SF series, and the editor at Del Rey Books, the fantasy and science fiction branch of Ballantine Books, along with his fourth wife Judy-Lynn del Rey.-Birth...
's "For I Am A Jealous People", Earth is invaded by vicious green-skinned aliens, who kill and eat any human they catch. The protagonist - a Middle West small-town clergyman whose wife, son and daughter in law were all killed by the aliens - rallies his community to pray and ask for God's deliverance. However, when captured by the aliens and taken to a church which the aliens converted into a temple of their own religion, he is shocked to find God manifesting Himself there - and revealing that He had now repudiated humanity, taken the green aliens - "The Seed of Mikhtchah" - as His new Chosen People and specifically charged them with conquering Earth and exterminating all humans. Escaping thanks to the self-sacrifice of his good friend the town doctor, a staunch atheist, the protagonist escapes and becomes a fiery Prophet who rallies humanity to successfully defy God Himself and expel God's murderous green emissaries from the Earth. That turns out to be possible because God, though performing a few miracles in favour of His new people, expects them to win mainly by their own mortal strength - and humans, fired by their new "Anti-God Religion" prove the better, more determined soldiers. The story's title is taken from The Book of Exultations which was added to the Bible in the aftermath, of which some excerpts are given: "Thou shalt have no other people before me... Thou shalt make unto them no covenant against me... Thou shalt not forswear thyself to them, nor serve them... for I am a jealous people" (Exultations XII, 2-4).
Time-travelling to meet Jesus
One of the consequences of assuming time travelTime travel
Time travel is the concept of moving between different points in time in a manner analogous to moving between different points in space. Time travel could hypothetically involve moving backward in time to a moment earlier than the starting point, or forward to the future of that point without the...
to be possible is to open up the possibility of modern people traveling back to the time of Jesus Christ - and specifically, to the crucifixion
Crucifixion
Crucifixion is an ancient method of painful execution in which the condemned person is tied or nailed to a large wooden cross and left to hang until dead...
. This raises complex moral and religious questions dealt with in very different ways by different writers.
- In Richard MathesonRichard MathesonRichard Burton Matheson is an American author and screenwriter, primarily in the fantasy, horror, and science fiction genres. He is perhaps best known as the author of What Dreams May Come, Bid Time Return, A Stir of Echoes, The Incredible Shrinking Man, and I Am Legend, all of which have been...
's The Traveller (1954), a professor who is a confirmed sceptic is for that reason chosen to be the first to travel in time to see the crucifixionCrucifixionCrucifixion is an ancient method of painful execution in which the condemned person is tied or nailed to a large wooden cross and left to hang until dead...
, in a kind of traveling cage which makes him invisible to the people of the past. Seeing the actual scene, he feels an increasing empathy for Jesus, and finally attempts to save him and is hauled back to the present by the monitoring conductors of the experiment. He comes back a changed man - though he had seen no miracles, he did see "a man giving up his life for the things he believed" and "that should be miracle enough for everybody". At least, it is miracle enough for the formerly-skeptic professor; in short, without actually being aware of the invisible visitor from his future, Jesus in his stance had managed to make him a believer. - John BrunnerJohn Brunner (novelist)John Kilian Houston Brunner was a prolific British author of science fiction novels and stories. His 1968 novel Stand on Zanzibar, about an overpopulated world, won the 1968 Hugo Award for best science fiction novel. It also won the BSFA award the same year...
's Times Without NumberTimes Without NumberTimes Without Number is a time travel/alternate history novel by John Brunner.-Publication History:Originally Brunner wrote three stories published in 1962 in consecutive issues of the British magazine Science Fiction Adventures: "Spoil of Yesterday" in #25, "The Word Not Written" in #26, and "The...
(1962) depicts an alternate realityParallel universe (fiction)A parallel universe or alternative reality is a hypothetical self-contained separate reality coexisting with one's own. A specific group of parallel universes is called a "multiverse", although this term can also be used to describe the possible parallel universes that constitute reality...
in which the Spanish ArmadaSpanish ArmadaThis article refers to the Battle of Gravelines, for the modern navy of Spain, see Spanish NavyThe Spanish Armada was the Spanish fleet that sailed against England under the command of the Duke of Medina Sidonia in 1588, with the intention of overthrowing Elizabeth I of England to stop English...
conquered EnglandEnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. In this Twentieth Century, time travel is discovered - controlled, like much else in the world, by the Catholic Church. It is decreed that every new popePopeThe Pope is the Bishop of Rome, a position that makes him the leader of the worldwide Catholic Church . In the Catholic Church, the Pope is regarded as the successor of Saint Peter, the Apostle...
, on entering his job, would be privileged to travel to Palestine in the time of ChristChristChrist is the English term for the Greek meaning "the anointed one". It is a translation of the Hebrew , usually transliterated into English as Messiah or Mashiach...
's ministry. Everybody else is strictly forbidden to go anywhere near. - In Arthur PorgesArthur PorgesArthur Porges [pórdžIs], was an American author of numerous short stories, most notably in the 1950s and 1960s, though he continued to write and publish stories until his death.-Life:...
's story The Rescuer, (1962) scientists in 2015 face charges of having deliberately destroyed a three-billion dollar project. They tell the judges that instead of the carefully controlled experiment in time-travel they had planned, a religious fanatic had taken over the machine, and headed for Golgotha with a rifle and five thousand rounds. His attempt to save Jesus might have wiped out the entire present world as we know it, and the only way to stop it was by destroying the machine. The affair must be kept from the public, since some might identify with "The Rescuer". - An extensive treatment of this theme is Michael MoorcockMichael MoorcockMichael John Moorcock is an English writer, primarily of science fiction and fantasy, who has also published a number of literary novels....
's Behold the ManBehold the ManBehold the Man is a science fiction novel by Michael Moorcock. It originally appeared as a novella in a 1966 issue of New Worlds; later, Moorcock produced an expanded version which was first published in 1969 by Allison & Busby.. The title derives from the Gospel of John, Chapter 19, Verse 5:...
(1966). The Twentieth-Century Karl GlogauerKarl GlogauerKarl Glogauer is the protagonist of two novels by Michael Moorcock, and a secondary character in additional novels and short stories. In Behold the Man, he acts as a surrogate Christ after travelling to 28 AD in a time machine...
, a Jew obsessed with the figure of Jesus (and with Carl JungCarl JungCarl Gustav Jung was a Swiss psychiatrist and the founder of Analytical Psychology. Jung is considered the first modern psychiatrist to view the human psyche as "by nature religious" and make it the focus of exploration. Jung is one of the best known researchers in the field of dream analysis and...
) and who also appears in other Moorcock books, travels in time to the year 2828Year 28 was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Silanus and Nerva...
A.D. He meets various New TestamentNew TestamentThe New Testament is the second major division of the Christian biblical canon, the first such division being the much longer Old Testament....
figures such as John the BaptistJohn the BaptistJohn the Baptist was an itinerant preacher and a major religious figure mentioned in the Canonical gospels. He is described in the Gospel of Luke as a relative of Jesus, who led a movement of baptism at the Jordan River...
and the Virgin Mary (whose conduct is anything but virginal). Finding that Mary and JosephSaint JosephSaint Joseph is a figure in the Gospels, the husband of the Virgin Mary and the earthly father of Jesus Christ ....
's child Jesus is a mentally retardedMental retardationMental retardation is a generalized disorder appearing before adulthood, characterized by significantly impaired cognitive functioning and deficits in two or more adaptive behaviors...
hunchbackHunchbackHunchback may refer to one of the following.*A derogatory term for a person who has severe kyphosis*The Hunchback of Notre Dame*Hunchback , an arcade and computer game from the 1980s*The Hunchback, a 1914 film featuring Lillian Gish...
, who could never become the Jesus portrayed in Scripture, Glogauer begins to have a mental breakdownInsanityInsanity, craziness or madness is a spectrum of behaviors characterized by certain abnormal mental or behavioral patterns. Insanity may manifest as violations of societal norms, including becoming a danger to themselves and others, though not all such acts are considered insanity...
and steps into the role of Jesus. In the end, he does fully become Jesus, and dies on the crossCrucifixionCrucifixion is an ancient method of painful execution in which the condemned person is tied or nailed to a large wooden cross and left to hang until dead...
(having specifically asked JudasJudas IscariotJudas Iscariot was, according to the New Testament, one of the twelve disciples of Jesus. He is best known for his betrayal of Jesus to the hands of the chief priests for 30 pieces of silver.-Etymology:...
to betray him). This raises the philosophical issue of whether or not it even matters if the historical Jesus ever existed. - The Last Starship from EarthThe Last Starship from EarthThe Last Starship from Earth is a 1968 science fiction novel by John Boyd, and is his best known novel.- Plot summary :It is set in a dystopian society in the very near future. Although it is not obvious at first, this is also an alternate history story.The central character is Haldane IV, a...
is a 1968 science fiction novel by John BoydJohn Boyd (author)John Boyd is the primary pen-name of Boyd Bradfield Upchurch a science fiction author. His best known work is his first science fiction novel, The Last Starship from Earth, published in 1968. Boyd has written eleven science fiction novels, five novels and one biography...
. It is set in a dystopian society in the very near future. Although it is not obvious at first, this is also an alternate history story. In this world, Jesus Christ became a revolutionary agitator and was never subjected to crucifixion. He assembled an army to overthrow the Roman Empire, and established a theocracy that has lasted until the twentieth century. - In Poul AndersonPoul AndersonPoul William Anderson was an American science fiction author who began his career during one of the Golden Ages of the genre and continued to write and remain popular into the 21st century. Anderson also authored several works of fantasy, historical novels, and a prodigious number of short stories...
's book There Will Be TimeThere Will Be TimeThere Will Be Time is a science fiction novel by Poul Anderson. It was published in 1972 in a hardback edition by Doubleday and in 1973 in a paperback edition by New American Library....
(1972), a young twentieth century American discovers that he had been born with the ability to travel through time without any need of a machine. Reasoning that there must be others like him and that Jerusalem at the time of the crucifixionCrucifixionCrucifixion is an ancient method of painful execution in which the condemned person is tied or nailed to a large wooden cross and left to hang until dead...
is a good place to try locating them, he goes there and walks through the street singing the GreekGreek languageGreek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
massMass (liturgy)"Mass" is one of the names by which the sacrament of the Eucharist is called in the Roman Catholic Church: others are "Eucharist", the "Lord's Supper", the "Breaking of Bread", the "Eucharistic assembly ", the "memorial of the Lord's Passion and Resurrection", the "Holy Sacrifice", the "Holy and...
, which is of course meaningless to people of the time. This does help him to get located by agents of a time-traveling organization, who take him to their headquarters in the far future - without having gotten to see Jesus at all. - In Robert Heinlein's 1973 novel Time Enough for LoveTime Enough for LoveTime Enough for Love is a science fiction novel by Robert A. Heinlein, first published in 1973. The work was nominated for the Nebula Award for Best Novel in 1973 and both the Hugo and Locus Awards in 1974.-Plot:...
, Lazarus LongLazarus LongLazarus Long is a fictional character featured in a number of science fiction novels by Robert A. Heinlein. Born in 1912 in the third generation of a selective breeding experiment run by the Ira Howard Foundation, Lazarus becomes unusually long-lived, living well over two thousand years with the...
manages to travel back to the time period but never finds any evidence of the crucifixion, Jesus or any religious reformer in Judea during the first half of the 1st Century. He refers to the event as the "Crucifiction."
- In Garry KilworthGarry KilworthGarry Douglas Kilworth is a fantasy and historical novelist.Kilworth is a graduate of King's College London. He was previously a science fiction author, having published one hundred twenty short stories and seventy novels...
's story Let's go to GolgothaLet's go to GolgothaLet's Go to Golgotha! is a 1975 science fiction story by Garry Kilworth, published in a collection of the same name.In the future period where the story takes place, time travel has been invented and made commercially available...
(1975 - published in a collection of the same name), tourists from the future can book on a time-traveling "Crucifixion Tour". Before setting out, they are strictly warned that they must not do anything to disrupt history. Specifically, when the crowd is asked whether Jesus or BarabbasBarabbasBarabbas or Jesus Barabbas is a figure in the Christian narrative of the Passion of Jesus, in which he is the insurrectionary whom Pontius Pilate freed at the Passover feast in Jerusalem.The penalty for Barabbas' crime was death by crucifixion, but according to the four canonical gospels and the...
should be spared, they must all join the call "Give us Barabbas!". (A priest absolves them from any guilt for so doing). However, when the moment comes, the protagonist suddenly realizes that the crowd condemning Jesus to the cross is composed entirely of tourists from the future, and that no actual Jewish Jerusalemites of 33 A.D. are present at all... - In Jeremy RobinsonJeremy RobinsonJeremy Robinson is a writer of adventure and sci-fi novels. He is also the author of the non-fiction title, The Screenplay Workbook .-Life:Robinson was born in Beverly, Massachusetts, where he lived until he was 20...
's "The Didymus Contingency" (2004), described by its publisher as "religious yet worldly", a scientist discovers time-travel and sets out to see Jesus' death and resurrection - only to witness several scenes not recorded in the New TestamentNew TestamentThe New Testament is the second major division of the Christian biblical canon, the first such division being the much longer Old Testament....
and get proof that Jesus was a fraud. The dilemma of whether or not to make in the present a revelation which would shake the foundations of Christianity is mixed with the appearance of an assassin from the further future and further plot twists... (The DidymusDidymusDidymus may refer to:* Thomas the Apostle or "Didymus", both names meaning "twin" in Aramaic and Greek respectively, is the most well-known Didymus due to his role in early Christian history* Didymus Chalcenterus Didymus may refer to:* Thomas the Apostle or "Didymus", both names meaning "twin" in...
of the title is, of course, the Apostle Saint ThomasThomas the ApostleThomas the Apostle, also called Doubting Thomas or Didymus was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus. He is best known for questioning Jesus' resurrection when first told of it, then proclaiming "My Lord and my God" on seeing Jesus in . He was perhaps the only Apostle who went outside the Roman...
, whose initial skepticism of the resurrection earned him the title "Doubting ThomasDoubting ThomasA Doubting Thomas is someone who will refuse to believe something without direct, physical, personal evidence; a skeptic.-Origin:The term is based on the Biblical account of Thomas the Apostle, a disciple of Jesus who doubted Jesus' resurrection and demanded to feel Jesus' wounds before being...
" - though, to be sure, by the traditional Christian account he was finally convinced of this event's veracity). - Resurrection Day by Thomas Wycoff is about a man sent back into time to steal Jesus' body to disprove Christianity.
- In the TimeWarsTimeWarsTimeWars is a series of twelve science fiction paperback books created and written by author Simon Hawke beginning in 1984. The story involves the adventures of an organization tasked with protecting history from being changed by time travelers...
series by author Simon HawkeSimon HawkeSimon Hawke is an American author of mainly science fiction and fantasy novels. He was born Nicholas Valentin Yermakov, but began writing as Simon Hawke in 1984 and later changed his legal name to Hawke. He has also written near future adventure novels under the penname "J. D...
, in 2461 Cardinal Lodovico Consorti proposes to use the recently-discovered time-travel technology in order to obtain empirical proof that Christ indeed rose from the dead after being crucified. In reaction, the Catholic Church excommunicates the Cardinal, with the Church hierarchy preferring to continue relying on faith alone and not seek such a factual confirmation. - Similar to the above but with a Protestant focus, when the protagonists of Clifford Simak's "Mastodonia" make trips to the past commercially available, American church groups band together and seek to purchase an exclusive franchise for Jesus' time on Earth - not because they want to go there but because they do not want anyone at all to go there. The clergymen state quite forthrightly their apprehension that time travel would disprove some of the accounts given in the GospelGospelA gospel is an account, often written, that describes the life of Jesus of Nazareth. In a more general sense the term "gospel" may refer to the good news message of the New Testament. It is primarily used in reference to the four canonical gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John...
s and thus undermine Christianity. When refused an exclusive Jesus-franchise, the church groups turn aggressive and energetically lobby Congress to ban traveling to Jesus' time, or even ban time travel altogether. This opens up an enormous theological debate, soon described as "the biggest religious controversy since the Reformation". The controversy remains unresolved by the end of the book, and meanwhile the pragmatic time-travel organizers concentrate on less controversial (and very lucrative) dinosaur-hunting safaris to the very distant past.
Time-travelling to spread Christianity before the birth of Jesus
S. M. StirlingS. M. Stirling
Stephen Michael Stirling is a French-born Canadian-American science fiction and fantasy author. Stirling is probably best known for his Draka series of alternate history novels and the more recent time travel/alternate history Nantucket series and Emberverse series.-Personal:Stirling was born on...
's Nantucket series
Nantucket series
The Nantucket series is a set of alternate history novels written by S. M. Stirling. The novels focus on the island of Nantucket which was transported back in time to 1250 BC due to something called "The Event"...
introduces a related dilemma, also derived from time-travel: the entire island of Nantucket is suddenly transported into the past, to about 1300 B.C, and the modern Americans marooned in the past must make the best of the Bronze Age world in which they find themselves. The Christians among them face the dilemma of whether or not to embark on missionary activity and spread their religion - even though Jesus Christ had not yet been born and even through the very act of their spreading Christianity might so fundamentally change the world that Jesus would never be born at all, 1300 years ahead.
A fanatic believes this would be such an utter sacrilege that in order to prevent it he attempts to kill everybody, before they had a chance to change history. After he is foiled, however, the more mainstream Christian leaders on Nantucket reason that - since God has seen fit to transport them into this past time, fully equipped with the New Testament and the tenets of Christianity - He must have meant them to spread this knowledge widely and save the souls of those they encounter. God would then, in His own time, find the way to send His Son also to the altered timeline which would result.
See also
- List of religious ideas in fantasy fiction
- Religion in speculative fictionReligion in speculative fictionReligion is a commonly tackled topic in the speculative fiction genres of science fiction, fantasy, horror and others. Proto-speculative fiction texts have strong similarities to mythological or religious texts....
- Christian science fictionChristian science fictionChristian science fiction is a subgenre of both Christian literature and science fiction, in which there are strong Christian themes, or which are written from a Christian point of view. These themes may be subtle, expressed by way of analogy, or more explicit. Major influences include early...
- List of Catholic Science Fiction and Fantasy authors
- List of Protestant Science Fiction and Fantasy authors
External links
- Science Fiction featuring various specific religions at adherents.com.
- The Gospel According to Science Fiction, a book and blog exploring religious themes in SF.
- Jewish Chassidic Sci-Fi chabad.org
- Catholics and Science Fiction, an interview between Sandra MieselSandra MieselSandra Louise Miesel is an American medievalist, writer and science fiction and fantasy fan. Her early work was science fiction and fantasy criticism, fields in which she has remained active. She is a literary analyst; has described herself as "the world's greatest expert" on Poul Anderson and...
and Ignatius PressIgnatius PressIgnatius Press, named for Ignatius Loyola, founder of the Jesuit Order, is a Catholic publishing house based in San Francisco, California, USA. It was founded in 1978 by Father Joseph Fessio SJ, a Jesuit priest and former pupil of Pope Benedict XVI...
. - Annotated Bibliography covering Catholicism in Science Fiction
- Sci-fi and God - An enhanced episode guide covering and discussing science fiction from a Christian perspective.