Questions about the use of religion in a work of speculative fiction, whether the religion is a real-world one or a fictional one
18
votes
1answer
903 views
Short story about Tibetan monks who want to know the name of God?
I can't remember the title or the author of the following story:
Some Tibetan monks want to know the name of God. They buy a supercomputer in order to calculate the name. Then...
23
votes
1answer
719 views
Short story in which candidates for political office act as deities to tiny, synthetic creatures
I'm looking for a short story, probably from the mid '60s to mid '70s, in which two candidates, possibly senators running for president, undergo a public test of how well they perform as leaders by ...
3
votes
1answer
93 views
Identify a book about founding of Scientology where female protagonist has sheep DNA and is an intended sacrifice
Identify a book about founding of Scientology where female protagonist has sheep DNA and is an intended sacrifice.
13
votes
4answers
474 views
Book about an isolated space ship where a new society/religion develops after order collapsed
I don't remember much of this book and may misremember some of it but essentially the setting was a fully self sufficient ship that was out in space and at some point there were officers, scientists, ...
9
votes
2answers
259 views
Identify story: A man owns creatures that build statues of him
I am trying to recall the name of a story I read when I was fairly young (maybe 20 years ago, but not sure how old the story is).
What I remember: A man acquires a set of creatures that he keeps in ...
1
vote
0answers
69 views
Title of a book about a mysterious light in the sky from the late 90s?
I vaguely remember a book and it has been driving me crazy for years. It had these things:
A mysteroious light in the sky(maybe healing people)
Religous overtones/themes(not a religious book to my ...
0
votes
0answers
89 views
Where can I find a SF story involving a Jewish colony in outer space? [closed]
Historian Arnold Toynbee called the Jewish peopla a "fossil" of history. According to Toynbee the Jews were neither a race, religion or a nation, as he defined those terms. Yet, this fossil-people ...
-4
votes
1answer
606 views
Jews in Star Trek [closed]
Throughout the various Star Trek TV shows and movies, I've wondered "where are the Jews?" There are Jews today living on every continent and leading in areas such as particle physics. Moreover, early ...
9
votes
1answer
128 views
Humoristic book about Jesus' brother and an AI
I remember the description as follows:
Jesus and God Christ (Christ is used as a family name) go on a holiday (golf, maybe?) and leave an AI in charge of creation
Jesus' brother (Kevin Christ?) is ...
5
votes
1answer
63 views
Why are the Roknari Quadrene and the Chalions Quintarian?
In Lois McMaster Bujold's The Curse of Chalion, one of the primary differences between the Five Kingdoms and the Roknari is their faith. While both faiths worship the same gods, the Roknari Quadrene ...
8
votes
3answers
249 views
Is the Christian symbolism specific to one sect?
The anime series Neon Genesis Evangelion is rife with Christian symbolism, Biblical allegory, and strong evangelical imagery.
However, there are lots of different sects of Christianity -- from ...
2
votes
1answer
478 views
Is there any truth to the rumor that Speaker for the Dead was ghost-written by a committee of Mormons for theological purposes?
I've heard and read from more than one source that Speaker for the Dead is an allegory of Hitler and his crimes against humanity and the Mormon doctrine that claims even sins so great as those are, in ...
8
votes
4answers
482 views
Why do alien cultures tend to have one language, one religion etc
What are some common logical reasons given within any sci-fi universe for the lack of cultural diversity within a single alien race?
Examples of what I mean:
Star Trek: Vulcans come from Vulcan and ...
1
vote
1answer
180 views
Is “House of El” related to Hebrew “El” word for God?
Superman was born on Krypton with the name Kal-El in the House of El. Does this term "El" in Superman relate in any way to the Hebrew word "El" which kind of means God (and IIRC is linguistically ...
10
votes
1answer
168 views
Christianity within Snow White
Within the movie, Snow White and the Huntsman, Snow White recites the Lord's Prayer, which comes from the Bible's New Testament.
Is there any depiction of Christianity within the original story ...
12
votes
1answer
290 views
Why were the ways of the Force considered a “religion” in the Galaxy Far Far Away during ANH by non-Force-users?
For some reason, the ways of the Force are nearly universally considered a religion in the Galaxy Far Far Away during year 0 BBY by "laymen" (e.g. non-Jedi-nor-Sith):
Han Solo: Hokey religions ...
10
votes
2answers
443 views
Why did Stannis convert to the R'hllor religion?
Stannis is a strict follower of the law, and appears to be a sensible military commander, but to me he doesn't seem to have a religious character or be someone who'd worship and have faith in ...
17
votes
1answer
284 views
Seva, the fictional Greek Goddess of Destruction, in a pre-1955 book
My father named me after a character he read in a Science Fiction novel published prior to 1955. The character's name is Seva, who is the Greek goddess of destruction within the context of that book. ...
2
votes
2answers
215 views
First Amalgamated Church
In Futurama there are a series of religions, the most diverse being the robot faith. The reason for that is because Religions of Earth joined into one religion.
Why and when did the Religions combine ...
3
votes
4answers
165 views
What was the first appearance of Olympic gods as characters in modern SciFi or fantasy?
What was the first appearance of any of the Olympic gods as character(s) in modern (1880+) SciFi or Fantasy outside of ancient greek settings?
I'm talking about them being major characters, ala Neil ...
9
votes
1answer
401 views
Are there practiced religions in the wizarding world?
The question of why is there religion in Harry Potter made me wonder as to whether wizards, any of them, do practice religion. Whether there be magic-person only religions or shared muggle faiths, I ...
12
votes
6answers
443 views
What is the nature of Christmas observance in the Potterverse?
Every winter, Hogwarts students return home and celebrate Christmas with their families. However, given their extensive use of magic, it does not seem likely they'd understand Christianity the way ...
3
votes
0answers
85 views
What's the meaning of Lucifel's corrected years in the opening?
The opening to El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron begins with Lucifel saying
Let me tell you a tale. It took place 360,000 - no, 14,000 years ago. Well. To me it seems like yesterday. To you, ...
3
votes
1answer
180 views
Identify: book about a Jesuit arguing that lizard people are Satanic?
I got most of the way through this book a while back but had to return it to the library. Now I can't remember the title or who wrote it. I do remember it was written sometime around 1955.
An ...
9
votes
1answer
291 views
What religious effects did Thor's appearance have?
With Thor referred to as a god in the Marvel universe, what effect did the explicit appearance of a god (especially one not of their pantheon) have on mainstream religions in the Marvel universe?
...
16
votes
3answers
471 views
Religion in the Marvel universe?
With Thor referred to as a god in the Marvel universe, do modern day religions get any references in the Marvel universe, e.g. Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, etc?
15
votes
4answers
636 views
Do Earth religions persist in Star Trek?
We see that in DS9 the Bajoran religion is alive and kicking, but I've never seen any mention of a religion that came from Earth, or one practiced by humans.
Are any of Earth's religions still ...
2
votes
1answer
784 views
The Navras mantra used in Matrix 3. Mantras religious context
At the end of Matrix Revolutions (Matrix 3), before the words "it is done", the Hindu mantra Navras is played. What context is Navras usually placed in? How do the Hindus view the mantra and how is ...
11
votes
1answer
143 views
Were Gnostics/Gnosticism a recurring religion in Heinlein's work?
Jelly glanced over at Sergeant Migliaccio, first section leader. "Five
minutes for the Padre," he stated. Some of the boys dropped out of ranks,
went over and knelt in front of Migliaccio, ...
10
votes
2answers
458 views
Cross breeding of men and orcs in Lord of the Rings
A question was asked: Why is breeding men and orcs considered evil? Specifically it's described as Saruman's greatest evil, and since Saruman committed many appalling acts the questioner wondered why ...
8
votes
1answer
78 views
What denomination is Kemp?
In Being Human (the original British series) season 2, what Christian denomination does Kemp (and presumably his partners) belong to? I seem to recall him being described as Catholic, but that was a ...
7
votes
3answers
605 views
Are Jews in Chapterhouse: Dune the same cultural group as in our universe/timeline?
Religion features a huge role in Dune universe and there are many religions involved in the story line.
These fictional religions are mostly ecumenical or syncretic combinations of existing ...
3
votes
2answers
223 views
Was crucifom a symbolic criticism of church?
Was cruciform organism from Dan Simmons' Hyperion supposed to be a symbolic criticism of Christian church?
One can easily notice several possible allusions to church (spoilers ahead):
On the ...
3
votes
1answer
165 views
Help finding a novel where a man goes through a wormhole to a futuristic religious dystopia
I read a novel about ten or fifteen years ago (which I didn't really enjoy very much) but it is now bothering me that I can't remember what it was.
At the start, this guys is on Earth and I think he ...
8
votes
3answers
4k views
Who is the unnamed God in the book 'American Gods'?
In Neil Gaiman's American Gods novel, many of the gods and other mythological creatures are recognizable from real-world cultures. With most of these, the link to the real-world is very clear (either ...
26
votes
4answers
594 views
Originator of the “Gods Require Belief” Trope
Terry Pratchett (and Neil Gaiman afterwards) seems to have popularized the idea of gods as supernatural beings that require belief in them to exist. But is this idea truly original to him? Or are ...
17
votes
3answers
565 views
What is the explanation for the basis of Buddhislamic faith in Dune Universe?
As a follow-up to a previous Dune question, Buddhislamic religion always struck me as a somewhat strange concept.
From my limited (but greater than a random westerner) understanding of both, they ...
17
votes
4answers
530 views
Are there any churches in Dune?
In the Dune series there are several mentions of the Orange Catholic Bible and quotations from it. But it looks like the book from the long forgotten past. Are there any mentions of major functioning ...
17
votes
2answers
710 views
Which short story was about aliens thinking soccer was a form of worship?
I read a collection of short stories a while back. One story, I think it was the final one in the book, was about aliens visiting a sports event (I think it was a football (soccer) match). They ...
