A request for assistance - on the topic of religion and science fiction
Hello all,
I have a project brewing that I need some assistance with and I am hoping you all might be able to help me with the first stage of things.
As many of you know, or have figured out by now, much of my writing deals with spirituality, since I also write fanfic and adore Science Fiction I have set for myself the task of looking at where these two worlds intersect and in what ways. I have several theories and ideas and of course my own favorite examples, but upon reflection, it occurs to me that my knowledge is probably only a fraction of what is actually out there. This is where you all come in!
To be clear, I am not talking about religious themes within sci-fi, that’s a huge topic and well addressed by many, but rather religion / spirituality and how, when they are used as characters in and of themselves, or defining aspects of characters and plot, they are then portrayed and or dealt with as thematic topics within stories. To put it another way, I am looking at when stories engage with theology and theological discussion rather than using (or pretending to use in too many cases) theology as plot and backdrop.
During my quick overview of web hits on the topic I found one site that recommended two books that I think fit this search well:
Walter M. Miller Jr.'s A Canticle for Leibowitz and Stanislaw Lem's short story, the "Twenty-First Voyage" [of Ijon Tichy] both recommended by this blog. While I have not yet read either one, Canticle has been on my to-read list for a while, and clearly just got bumped up, the other I will add. From the descriptions both fit my less than easy to describe search string.
More of what I have personally be focusing on has been in the realm of television. There the most obvious show for me is Babylon5, not just for the Mimbari but because the show routinely incorporated religious discussions into the plot lines. One of my favorite episodes is “Waiting at Gethsemane” which deals with a space-age Christian Monk dealing with issues of faith.
This brings me to my last note, the type of religion is not important, in fact the more diversity the better as far as I am concerned. I am interested in examples of the mainstream, the fringe, the invented, and the imaginary. If it deals with the divine and humanities interaction with the divine, bring it on! :)
All that being said, I would love to hear suggestions from you on any or all - your choice, of the following, just please keep it within the world of science fiction/fantasy:
The Questions:
Literature:
Short stories, novellas or novels that have religion / spirituality as a key component in the plot or world building for the story.
- A specific storyline within a universe or series that deals with or addresses religion / spirituality in some significant way
-
Screen
Television shows or movies that have religion / spirituality as a key component in the plot or world building for the story.
- A specific episode of a show that deals with or addresses religion / spirituality in some significant way
Non Discussion:
A story line in any medium where religion / spirituality is specifically avoided for some reason (ideally stated within the story’s context, but I’ll take a presumed reason as well and think about it later)
Favorite/Successful:
A story line in any medium where the religion / spirituality is handled really well in your opinion, for whatever reason, but please do tell me why and how you think it was handled well.
Least Favorite/Successful:
A story line in any medium where the religion / spirituality is handled really badly in your opinion, for whatever reason, but please do tell me why and how you think it was handled badly.
Many thanks!
Wynkat
I have a project brewing that I need some assistance with and I am hoping you all might be able to help me with the first stage of things.
As many of you know, or have figured out by now, much of my writing deals with spirituality, since I also write fanfic and adore Science Fiction I have set for myself the task of looking at where these two worlds intersect and in what ways. I have several theories and ideas and of course my own favorite examples, but upon reflection, it occurs to me that my knowledge is probably only a fraction of what is actually out there. This is where you all come in!
To be clear, I am not talking about religious themes within sci-fi, that’s a huge topic and well addressed by many, but rather religion / spirituality and how, when they are used as characters in and of themselves, or defining aspects of characters and plot, they are then portrayed and or dealt with as thematic topics within stories. To put it another way, I am looking at when stories engage with theology and theological discussion rather than using (or pretending to use in too many cases) theology as plot and backdrop.
During my quick overview of web hits on the topic I found one site that recommended two books that I think fit this search well:
Walter M. Miller Jr.'s A Canticle for Leibowitz and Stanislaw Lem's short story, the "Twenty-First Voyage" [of Ijon Tichy] both recommended by this blog. While I have not yet read either one, Canticle has been on my to-read list for a while, and clearly just got bumped up, the other I will add. From the descriptions both fit my less than easy to describe search string.
More of what I have personally be focusing on has been in the realm of television. There the most obvious show for me is Babylon5, not just for the Mimbari but because the show routinely incorporated religious discussions into the plot lines. One of my favorite episodes is “Waiting at Gethsemane” which deals with a space-age Christian Monk dealing with issues of faith.
This brings me to my last note, the type of religion is not important, in fact the more diversity the better as far as I am concerned. I am interested in examples of the mainstream, the fringe, the invented, and the imaginary. If it deals with the divine and humanities interaction with the divine, bring it on! :)
All that being said, I would love to hear suggestions from you on any or all - your choice, of the following, just please keep it within the world of science fiction/fantasy:
The Questions:
Literature:
Short stories, novellas or novels that have religion / spirituality as a key component in the plot or world building for the story.
- A specific storyline within a universe or series that deals with or addresses religion / spirituality in some significant way
-
Screen
Television shows or movies that have religion / spirituality as a key component in the plot or world building for the story.
- A specific episode of a show that deals with or addresses religion / spirituality in some significant way
Non Discussion:
A story line in any medium where religion / spirituality is specifically avoided for some reason (ideally stated within the story’s context, but I’ll take a presumed reason as well and think about it later)
Favorite/Successful:
A story line in any medium where the religion / spirituality is handled really well in your opinion, for whatever reason, but please do tell me why and how you think it was handled well.
Least Favorite/Successful:
A story line in any medium where the religion / spirituality is handled really badly in your opinion, for whatever reason, but please do tell me why and how you think it was handled badly.
Many thanks!
Wynkat