Science Fiction and Fantasy (SF / F), novels and short stories often religious issues as an integral part of the story. This can, in general, the experimental nature of science fiction and fantasy fishing. Of course, the use of religious themes in SF authors F / do not want that religious faith is not necessarily encouraged. Often the stories are critical of religion as a human institution and theology, as a pertinentof thought. But in this article we consider the use of religious themes in SF / F are different points of view, narrative, stories that deal with matters of a spiritual or religious.
cataloged religious themes in SF / F as follows:
For life, eternal state
Angels and Demons
Church
Eschatology, end times
God (s)
Hell and punishment
Mankind, what it means to be human
Jesus (divine, human, fictitious)
Messiah who will save humanity
MetaphysicsPowers, abilities and knowledge
Morality
Sin and evil
Theocracy, political governance of religion.
Within these issues in some of the characters there is a Creator, while others are agnostics or atheists. But all work and behave in a way that the light illuminates the author's use of religion.
The big questions
It 's almost a kind of religious dialogue writers of SF / F over the years has performed as a writer the story from another author responds. AExample is CS Lewis' stories is a source of inspiration for Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials to write. Lewis is a Christian, while Pullman and Lewis hates the church almost as much as atheists such as Richard Dawkins, every religion, but hated his own special kind of scientism.
It 's interesting that a discussion of "big questions" of life in which more than one genre, rather than held in the halls of science. With the rise of analytic philosophy and logical positivism,academic philosophers began to ignore the major issues and stressed instead the logical clarification of thoughts to say that children are no longer the great philosophical questions. This type of post-modernism is generally atheists or agnostics. Some prefer to thoughts and behaviors that follow Eastern religion is a personal God. Many men of Commons or to the environment for traditional religion, the choice of their faith in naturalism and evolution, rather than a placeCreator of the Bible.
Sample of authors and their stories are a lot of writers and SF / F stories, theology, religion and as a platform. All this bubbles up to the mind and the imagination of SF / F writers. Here is a brief selection of some of the best known, that the religion / theology to use in their stories.
Robert A. Heinlein 's Stranger in a Strange Land, in the past, writers like Robert A. Heinlein (a Baptist), remove the struggles of humanity in its historyStranger in a Strange Land, where his main character, Valentine Michael Smith (raised on Mars of the future), Mars philosophy becomes a human religion. As Messiah, Smith Pyschic ability and forces him apart from other people. Heinlein gives us a religion alien to the Eastern idea of unity of the whole is based. It provides a life after death, the spirits of the wise and holy communion, to eat the bodies of their dead relatives. Heinlein creates a Church of All Worldsto run for his character, going into the similar practices of ancient mysteries, but also teaches its members how to respond to suffering. It was all done in a convincing way that a genuine religion founded by Tim Zell, its principles, modeled on the Church of fiction.
Frank Herbert's Dune Dune Messiah by Frank Herbert, Paul Muad'Dib combines characteristics of a prophet, Muslim-Arab Christians and Messianic concepts. Like Jesus, Paul Atreidessuffering before he rose to divinity. The idea of the spoken word to a physical weapon, the water of life, the monastic order of the Bene Gesserit, some of the many elements of Christianity, Islam, Buddhism and Herbert used in the story. Some unique ideas Herbet also a God, "happy surprise" to the mixture of spices and the use of space, both in the physical and spiritual help in omniscience.
Another Writer / F SF ideas that were directlyresponsible for the founding of a church was Lafayette Ronald Hubbard, whose creation we know as the Church of Scientology. How many Eastern religions, his church for spiritual growth techniques in a series of religious teachings focused. Ideas for After Hubbard's Dianetics was clear, has moved from science fiction writing (138 pulp novels), Dianetics writing his new faith in books such as: The Modern Science of Mental Health.
CSLewis 'Space Trilogy, CS Lewis' Space Trilogy, consisting of novels Out of the Silent Planet, Perelandra (Voyage to Venus), and Hideous Strength. Lewis, an outspoken Christian uses characters with motivations and actions that appear are based on biblical examples. Oyarsa is like Lucifer, Maleldil the boy Jesus, and the old seem to God the Father. If you remember, is the reason for the planet earth is still, just that its inhabitants have rebelled against the old.Elsewhere in the world, all creation rejoices him. Book 2 takes place on Venus, where a new Adam and Eve (Tinidril) into a new Garden of Eden to live. A physical man, Professor Weston travels to Venus to ruin her innocence. The story focuses on the heroes of Elwin Ransom seeks another phenomenon "case". In his struggle with Professor Weston, Ransom goes underground in a battle that has some similarities with Dante's Inferno. In Volume 3 of threat exploitation agency NICE(Killed Eldila) to destroy humanity, by evil spirits. The protagonist, Dr. Elwin Ransom, with the help of good spirits, is the group of S. Anna, the progressives of Bracton College, allied with NICE There are a lot of drama for propaganda and political intrigue, but pagan elements, such as speaking are Unlike the severed head Alcasan are mixed with Christian and heel injuries of Mercy. A final Armageddon of explosions and earthquakes destroy evil peopleand gives the victory of S. Anna and her group of animal allies.
Philip Pullman His Dark Materials, of course, in his Dark Materials trilogy, Philip Pullman gives us three stories that oppose the story of Lewis'. Pullman is in the history of the church who are fighting evil and professors and scientists who are good. The universe is full of many parallel universes, dimensions, and the church wants to ensure that the common man was never found. In the world everyone has a Coach"Demon" and demons are good. The moral struggle against the review by the supreme being who had brought an old man, barely restrained by a crystal field, is the life
Baptist SF / F Writers There's an amazing storyteller Baptist wing of the SF F /. Stephen R. Lawhead Pendragon Cycle tells a story by Arthur decidedly Christian tone. Theodore Beale The war in the sky tells of angels battle for control of a special guy. In series Don Robert Hughes' The Wizard andDragon, focuses on the law with a man unjustly harm others and the right to protect his wife from a dragon. Calvin Miller gives us the Singer trilogy, a fantasy prose poem review of the Gospel story. There are at least eight other Baptist SF / F writers, we are not talking about space.
Secular SF / F writers famous writers like Philip Jose Farmer The River World Series, Cole Planet Lucas resurrection is connected with the second coming and JRR Tolkien,George MacDonald, Charles Williams, Arthur C. Clarke, Isaac Asimov, among many others offer non-Christian and Christian religious perspectives. Unfortunately, we do not speak of all the Star Wars, Star Trek, Stargate, and other films and books, emphasized religious themes.
Stories of Jesus Before concluding, we point out some books about Jesus These include Richard Matheson's The Traveller (1954), John Brunner countless times, Arthur Porges historyRetter, Michael Moorcock, Behold the man that John Boyd are last Starship from Earth, The Book of Poul Anderson, Garry Kilworth's time will we go to Golgotha, Jeremy Robinson, a Didymus contingency, and, finally, Simon Hawke's Time Wars series . Most of these stories are not particularly friendly, Jesus or the church.
Bottom line is surprising that while the teachers are out their corner of logic to argue, and precise meanings, and the Ministerpushing in the opposite corner trying to animate the biblical stories to a public property, often in decline, but here in science fiction and fantasy Nation, the debate continues. Most people do not like to put their faith into question. Some sit still in class philosophy are never a problem offering an opinion. Others visit the church of their choice, where you hear nothing from the pulpit that challenge their thinking.
But it is uncertain whetherYou open a book with a / F SF theological or religious problem. They adhere to something that bag on his chest and ask you to read what you really think about the big questions? If you want to write SF / F, you would do well to study up. Get to know what these religious themes which are all cataloged. A beautiful story that can not jump to mind.
