Marion Zimmer Bradley's Avalon series take a good look at the pagamism versus christianity issue. I've only read The Mists of Avalon so far, and I found it really remarkably good.

I would consider adding Philip K. Dick's The Man in the High Castle. Or am I way off subject here?

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Madoc re~mused,

The new BATTLESTAR GALACTICA tv series is delving into some pretty deep and sinister aspects of human vs cylon religious motivations, it seems.

The Cylon jihad/genocide of the human race (as flawed and failed previous creations, lacking the latest revelation of the Divine ...) seems pretty daring, given world tensions right now. Supposedly alot of sci-fi fans are angry that 'religious ideas' are being allowed in a sci-fi show ...

I say: it foreshadows the human dilemma to come, when we will in fact be faced with the moral issues of "when does a machine have life, and rights, and what are the limits that backwards-thinking humans will seek to impose upon forward-thinking cybernetic machine/human lifeforms?"

*img removed*
'He's not afraid to die ... he's just afraid his soul won't find it's way back to God'

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well, sorry for the blocked images

and I tried but can't find the 'edit' button to make the bad link go away after the fact?

here ... since (I guess?) the phase-shift between forums? here, copy and paste ... or wisely do not look! but I loves the little cylon jihadists, I do!

http://www.galactica2003.net/cgi-bin/view.cgi?/Images/ep0175.jpg

I had a small thought on the way home last night about Star Wars. I remembered Luke wanting to rush and help his friends when he was with Yoda in Dagobah. Yoda told him something to the effect that he might be able to help him or something like you need more training and you can't do anything for them now. I forgot.

Anyway, I thought about some of the things I want to rush out and make better. Then, I thought about faith and how, when I have tried and things haven't worked out the way I wanted, sometimes I have to be patient, learn more and wait, rather than panic.

As far as writers go, I have heard Frank Peretti is good, but haven't read anything yet. Has anybody read him?

Chad, but this is hardly what you'd call religious advice, really...

but to go back to the original question, to me most sci-fi is philosophically based. Sci-fi is most often metaphor for current thoughts. it exposes them by pushing the envelope... so Bruce Sterlings Shaper/Mechanist books reflect concerns over the dehumanising effects of biomechanics and genetech....

This inevitably comes through with theology in many cases.

I wouldn't say religion is an easy fit with sci-fi, not if you are referring to an internal belief put onto the page...
Fantasy seems to me a more harmonious fit for religion, with the idea of 'magic'

anyway, my 2 cents

Did anyone mention Zelazny's Lord of Light? Sci Fi and eastern religion, great read.

And the Battlestar Gallactica first season had a lot of great religious stuff, on both the cylons and the humans sides. I was really impressed by the entire series in fact (the fact that the UK got almost the entire series before it even started showing on US TV was a bit weird)

quote:

Originally posted by the poster aka Murphy:

I wouldn't say religion is an easy fit with sci-fi, not if you are referring to an internal belief put onto the page...
Fantasy seems to me a more harmonious fit for religion, with the idea of 'magic'

anyway, my 2 cents

I wonder if that distinction isn't more in the mind of the reader (or publisher) though.

I mean: Science Fiction is full of "science that doesn't work" -- faster than light drives, teleportation, psychic powers, etc.

The reader is asked to 'suspend disbelief' away from a materialist (oh, whaddevvah) mindset.

How's that not 'fantasy' too ... other than the reader is doing some sort of 1984 'doublethink' to tell themselves it's 'science' fiction versus 'fantasy' fiction?

I hear your point that the Fantasy genre has fewer built in limits (anything goes in Fantasy etc) ... but it seems to the author or reader willing to explore (or expand) those limits, Sci-Fi is a daring genre to be playing in.

Besides: you won't scare a Fantasy reader with new and revolutionary ideas ... but Science folk and Religion folk ... they can be challenged and disturbed in their (sometimes) conservative mindsets!

oh it's all the same, agreed.

But the way the reader is appraoched by the work, and the publisher, plays a part in this process... different typesets, different cover art...

I am all for dissolution of genres, but the 'stock' of each i think has different emphasis.

this thread is becoming my summer reading list.

i wish i'd noticed it before.

incidentally, there's a series by James Morrow. the books are: Towing Jehovah, Blameless in Abaddon, and The Eternal Footman, and are basically his idea of what would happen on earth if god were to die and his body to land in the ocean.

they were books i enjoyed reading once for the intriguing ideas they presented, but didn't particularly want to read again.