religion and science fiction

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dooku
dooku

i'm currently fascinated by religious themes in science fiction... can you recommend any books or movies i should check out?

i've been reading the "Dune" series. i think Herbert is sending a warning about the dangers of religious government.

the "Star Wars" series of course. i really think Lucas could have done more with The Force, Jedi / Sith conflict...

i liked "Lord of Light" with its theme of Buddhism vs Hinduism and Science and Progress vs Religion and Repression

what else should i read along these lines?

thks

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gyro
gyro

You really think Star Wars is a religious allegory ?

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dooku
dooku

sure, to some degree:
---
MOTTI: Don't try to frighten us with your sorcerer's ways, Lord Vader.
Your sad devotion to that ancient religion has not helped you conjure
up the stolen data tapes, or given you clairvoyance enough to find the
Rebel's hidden fort...

Suddenly Motti chokes and starts to turn blue under Vader's
spell.

VADER: I find your lack of faith disturbing.
---
and a whole bunch of people think Jedi is a religion...

smarter people than me have pointed out Lucas borrowed from all kinds of mythologies and religions including Taoism another wikipedia reference

although i think he really messed up in episodes 1,2,3 by trying to over explain the workings of the Force with midiclorians and virgin births and other such nonsense

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gyro
gyro

I think you're reading WAAAAAY too much into what is essentially just a fairy story in space.

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usher73
usher73

Try "Stranger in a Strange Land" by Robert Heinlein

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godstar
godstar

Some of Philip K Dick's stories have religious themes, such as VALIS.
Wouldn't at any rate consider it his best, though. Religion tends to get in the
way. Why not skip it altogether and concentrate on one of the best sci-fi
writers ever, J G Ballard?

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marle
marle

My cousin wrote a paper about entitle The Father, The Son and the Holy Force. It was pretty interesting an aparently full of religious allegory. Personally I'm not into Star Wars.

I was going to suggest a TV series. One of my favourite plots in Battlestar Galactica is the religious plots. I really enjoy the entire mythology. Seriously check it out.

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rossam
rossam

Isn't The Matrix inspired by Hinduism and messianic religions?

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lonelier_planet
lonelier_planet

Not explicitly about organised religion, but with a lot of religious-moral content to do with the nature of Good and Evil, Guilt and Innocence, and other such grand themes affecting the human condition. It's a novel set in the distant future: "Riddley Walker" by Russell Hoban.

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gyro
gyro

You should read Behold The Man, by Philip K Dick (I think). It's about a bloke who makes a time machine so he can go back and find out if Jesus really existed. Marvellous it is.

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