188
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Accepted
In-universe, is Aslan actually Jesus?
Yes.
There are a few quotes by C.S. Lewis relating to Aslan and Jesus.
In a letter to a young girl named Sophia, Lewis writes, "I don't say. 'Let us represent Christ as Aslan.' I say, 'Supposing ...
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81
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Is Kirk’s comment about “LDS” intended to be a religious joke?
No, the point is that Kirk, despite having an interest in 20th Century history, is still largely ignorant of the finer details. He's dredging up half-forgotten memories in what the original script ...
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79
votes
Accepted
Why isn't the religion of R'hllor, The Lord of Light, dominant?
The religion seems to be gaining power, as the priests gain actual powers.
This is an interesting question, and I suspect that it'll be explored more in future books and that it's deliberate that all ...
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78
votes
How many Gods are in Game of Thrones?
In the "modern day" era of the Song of Ice and Fire there are quite a few different religions, but figuring out how many "gods" there are is a bit tricky.
On Westeros (the continent where most of the ...
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74
votes
What religious references are there in the Matrix trilogy?
I did a little bit more research, and found something interesting. Agent Smith’s vehicle has a license plate on the front, which contains a Bible verse, as seen below:
That verse, which is Isaiah 54:...
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71
votes
If there are students of other religions at Hogwarts, why are only the Christian holidays celebrated?
I don't think it's really as complicated as some of the other answers (and comments) suggest. The British, by and large, consider the secular celebration of Christmas to be part of their cultural ...
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64
votes
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What religious references are there in the Matrix trilogy?
Some references:
The two other leads in the Matrix are both religious references.
Trinity is the Christian conception of the godhead three-in-one. Morpheus is the Greek god of Dreams.
The Oracle is ...
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52
votes
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Are hobbits religious?
Doubtful
Tolkien wrote in a footnote to Letter 153 that Hobbits had no practice of worship or prayer:
There are thus no temples or 'churches' or fanes in this 'world' among 'good' peoples. They had ...
- 163k
51
votes
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What does Aslan mean about being a bridge builder in our world?
To add on to what NKCampbell said, consider this from CS Lewis' Mere Christianity (emphasis mine)
An ordinary simple Christian kneels down to say his prayers. He is trying to get into touch with ...
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50
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Why did Tolkien describe religious cults in Numenor only?
Tolkien himself covers this quite bluntly in Letter 165. I will try not to say to much and let the quotes do the talking, however we will later see the details are more greatly fleshed out in the same ...
- 77k
45
votes
What does Aslan mean about being a bridge builder in our world?
In context, I believe the river is death.
As you correctly note, Aslan is Jesus, not an allegory for Jesus or another member of the Godhead, he's just Jesus. And unfortunately for humanity, there is ...
- 39.6k
41
votes
What religious references are there in the Matrix trilogy?
In addition to the references given in another answer, there are other references to Neo as a Christ figure:
His last name is Anderson, which means "son of man" -- a name that appears in ...
Null♦
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40
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Is Kirk’s comment about “LDS” intended to be a religious joke?
The dyslexic comment indicates that he was aiming for 'LSD' and arrived at 'LDS'. No Mormons were harmed in the creation of this joke.
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40
votes
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Old site with the religious affiliations of most science fiction writers
You're probably looking for this. It's a wayback machine (web.archive.org) link (from 2019; thanks to @Nzall), as suggested by @lucasbachmann. (The earliest working snapshot is from August 2000.)
...
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39
votes
Accepted
An average heaven where everyone has sexless golden bodies and is bored
This is Philip Jose Farmer's "A Bowl Bigger Than Earth " which was first published in If, September 1967. Your description is spot-on. (Here's a link to an online version.)
It's been ...
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34
votes
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What makes the Lord of the Rings a Catholic work?
Catholics (and Christians generally) see the universe as the handiwork of God, and therefore essentially Good. However Satan introduced Evil and seeks to set himself up as better than his creator. The ...
- 6,220
34
votes
Why isn't the religion of R'hllor, The Lord of Light, dominant?
R'hllor is very prominent on Essos, where the religion is based. There the red priests are born and gain their station; only a few have come to Westeros. For example, Thoros is from Myr and ...
- 18.6k
31
votes
In-universe, is Aslan actually Jesus?
Appears to be "Yes"
I haven't found a primary source for this, but numerous secondary sources claim that Lewis once wrote:
'[Aslan] is an invention giving an imaginary answer to the question, "...
- 163k
30
votes
If there are students of other religions at Hogwarts, why are only the Christian holidays celebrated?
There are three main elements here.
There are were no Jewish students at Hogwarts.
Bear with me before you start yelling. One day, JKR waved her magic twitter-wand (long, long after she'd finished ...
- 677k
30
votes
Accepted
Short story: member of 'atomic priesthood' reminisces
Short version: I think this story is almost certainly "Aspic's Mystery" a short story by Arsen Darnay. Originally published in Analog in 1976, it was later anthologised in "Space Mail, ...
- 61.8k
26
votes
Accepted
Did any Star Trek actors have issues with the anti-religious nature of the series?
It is unlikely that any of the well-known actors made such statements.
Your premise is not entirely correct. Roddenberry's thoughts are well known, but they didn't always translate to the screen. The ...
- 6,378
25
votes
Accepted
Who or what do the members of the Abbey worship?
From The Unofficial Redwall FAQ:
Is there religion in Redwall?
No. Although the terms "abbey", "abbot" and "abbess" are usually associated with the Roman Catholic Church, Brian Jacques has said ...
- 216k
25
votes
Looking for a Neal Stephenson passage on religion as inoculation / vaccination / prophylactic
I think the OP is conflating the passage from Cryptonomicon which @JohnRennie posted, and a passage from chapter 61 of Snow Crash between Hiro and Juanita:
"Why? Why doesn't [the cult of Asherah]...
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23
votes
How many Gods are in Game of Thrones?
Some other gods:
The Great Shepherd or lamb god is the deity of the peaceful Lhazareen. They are taught that all men are one flock.
The Old Man of the River is a lesser god of the Rhoynar. He is the ...
- 1,642
23
votes
Do the Calormenes worship any gods other than Tash?
The Calormenes regularly refer to "the gods" collectively, but Tash ("the irresistible, the inexorable") seems to be supreme. It suggests that "the gods" are comparable ...
- 121k
23
votes
Science fiction short story about teleportation and a tiny civilization
This is "Prominent Author" (1954) by Philip K. Dick.
The story itself is a precursor to THE CRACK IN SPACE (1965) in that a businessman takes the ‘jiffi-scuttler’ short-cut through space to ...
- 331
22
votes
What makes the Lord of the Rings a Catholic work?
The Letters give a few examples of how Tolkien saw his work as specifically "Catholic" (rather than Christian in general), or recognised that others did so.
Letter 153 includes a footnote ...
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20
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Originator of the "Gods Require Belief" Trope
TL;DR: The trope is almost as old as fiction itself.
The ancient Babylonian flood myth, The Epic of Atrahasis, which inspired the better known Epic of Gilgamesh and the biblical flood narrative, was ...
- 69.4k
20
votes
In-universe, is Aslan actually Jesus?
Since nobody else has quoted it yet, I think this is the most relevant passage in the actual text, from the very end of The Last Battle (abridged slightly):
'There was a real railway accident,' said ...
- 17.8k
20
votes
Accepted
If there are students of other religions at Hogwarts, why are only the Christian holidays celebrated?
Out of universe
J. K. Rowling is a Christian and as thus she wrote the books about Christianity.
To me the religious parallels have always been obvious, but I never wanted to talk too openly about it ...
- 88.6k
Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible