Re: Scifi religion, Christianity
Öjevind Lång
news:v3fvs4pvuenofac9s...@4ax.com...
> On Sun, 29 Mar 2009 05:33:01 -0700 (PDT), claire....@ntlworld.com
> wrote:
>
>>On 27 Mar, 21:18, admin <andrew.fo...@ntlworlld.com> wrote:
>
>>> any thoughts? is scifi incompatible with religion ( christianity??)
>
> No.
>
> C.S. Lewis (a Christian) wrote scifi.
>
> as did Arthur C. Clarke (probably a Buddhist).
I don't know about Clarke, but James Blish was a believing Catholic. It
comes thrugh in his fascinating science fiction novel "A Case of
Conscience", about a Jesuit scientist who is a member of a space expedition
which discovers a planet with sentient beings who are completely moral but
don't have any religious belief at all. I'll not relate the rest of the
story, but it is fascinating. Anthony Boucher, who wrote some science
fiction though he was mostly known as an editor, was also a believing
Cathholic.
�jevind
Öjevind Lång
news:cpydnbQlsuuaIFLU...@posted.toastnet...
[snip]
> And add Ursula K. LeGuin, whose fiction is suffused with Taoism.
She may have used some language and imagery from Taoism, but she's a rather
militant atheist.
�jevind
Derek Broughton
> "Steve Hayes" <haye...@hotmail.com> skrev i meddelandet
> news:v3fvs4pvuenofac9s...@4ax.com...
>> On Sun, 29 Mar 2009 05:33:01 -0700 (PDT), claire....@ntlworld.com
>> wrote:
>>
>>>On 27 Mar, 21:18, admin <andrew.fo...@ntlworlld.com> wrote:
>>
>>>> any thoughts? is scifi incompatible with religion ( christianity??)
>>
>> No.
>>
>> C.S. Lewis (a Christian) wrote scifi.
>>
>> as did Arthur C. Clarke (probably a Buddhist).
I read something just within the last week in which Clarke was rather
scathing of Buddhism, but I think he came around...
There is of course, L. Ron Hubbard, who built a whole religion around SF.
--
derek
Zorag
groups, so, without knowing where this discussion came from in the
first place, I'll arbitrarily trim england.religion.christian.
On Jun 26, Derek Broughton wrote:
> Öjevind Lång wrote:
> > "Steve Hayes" <hayesm...@hotmail.com> skrev i meddelandet
> >> C.S. Lewis (a Christian) wrote scifi.
>
> >> as did Arthur C. Clarke (probably a Buddhist).
>
> I read something just within the last week in which Clarke was rather
> scathing of Buddhism, but I think he came around...
>
> There is of course, L. Ron Hubbard, who built a whole religion around SF.
Orson Scott Card is a devout Mormon.
I'm not sure about Walter M. Miller, but I remember thinking that
Canticle for Leibowitz was very fair to the Church and the Christians
that were its main characters. Not just evil stupid bad guys as one
often sees in books.
Zorag
John Wright
This sounds very similar to the first two novels by Mary Doria Russell
the first of which won several SF awards, this was "The Sparrow" (its
follow-up was called "The Children of God"). Both of these examine the
exploits of a Jesuit scientist in the first contact with an alien race.
The title of The Sparrow is inspired by the gospel of St. Matthew,
10:29-31. Wiki claims that the concept of first contact is one of SFs
oldest storylines.
--
John Wright
Öjevind Lång
news:A_OdnQMX9OMPAdrX...@pipex.net...
[snip]
> This sounds very similar to the first two novels by Mary Doria Russell the
> first of which won several SF awards, this was "The Sparrow" (its
> follow-up was called "The Children of God"). Both of these examine the
> exploits of a Jesuit scientist in the first contact with an alien race.
> The title of The Sparrow is inspired by the gospel of St. Matthew,
> 10:29-31. Wiki claims that the concept of first contact is one of SFs
> oldest storylines.
Well, H. G. Wells certainly used it, both in "The First Men on the Moon" and
in "The War of the Worlds".
�jevind
Erik Jan
And do not forget C.S. Lewis' "Out of the Silent Planet"!
Erik Jan
Öjevind Lång
news:4a47cad7$0$12142$bf49...@news.tele2.nl...
� had de volgende lumineuze gedachte op 28-06-09 19:06:
[snip]
> And do not forget C.S. Lewis' "Out of the Silent Planet"!
Oh, yes - a superb book! As a mater of fact, it's my favourite in Lewis'
trilogy.
Öjevind
Halmyre
> "Steve Hayes" <hayesm...@hotmail.com> skrev i meddelandetnews:v3fvs4pvuenofac9s...@4ax.com...
>
> > On Sun, 29 Mar 2009 05:33:01 -0700 (PDT), claire.easth...@ntlworld.com
> > wrote:
>
> >>On 27 Mar, 21:18, admin <andrew.fo...@ntlworlld.com> wrote:
>
> >>> any thoughts? is scifi incompatible with religion ( christianity??)
>
> > No.
>
> > C.S. Lewis (a Christian) wrote scifi.
>
> > as did Arthur C. Clarke (probably a Buddhist).
>
> I don't know about Clarke, but James Blish was a believing Catholic. It
> comes thrugh in his fascinating science fiction novel "A Case of
> Conscience", about a Jesuit scientist who is a member of a space expedition
> which discovers a planet with sentient beings who are completely moral but
> don't have any religious belief at all. I'll not relate the rest of the
> story, but it is fascinating. Anthony Boucher, who wrote some science
> fiction though he was mostly known as an editor, was also a believing
> Cathholic.
>
Clark wrote a short story, "The Star", where a Catholic priest(?) has
his faith severely shaken.
--
Halmyre
Öjevind Lång
news:f31dc3d6-a932-4fac...@c9g2000yqm.googlegroups.com...
[snip]
> Clark wrote a short story, "The Star", where a Catholic priest(?) has
his faith severely shaken.
Yes, I know. I won't mention the content of the story, since some people
here may not have read it, but it is heartbreaking.
�jevind
Stan Brown
<bredba...@ojevind.lang>:
He also wrote one that went in the other direction, "The Nine Billion
Names of God", with its utterly chilling final sentence: "Overhead,
without any fuss, ..." (I won't finish the sentence because anyone
who hasn't read the story should get the full effect the first time.)
--
Stan Brown, Oak Road Systems, Tompkins County, New York, USA
http://OakRoadSystems.com
Tolkien FAQs: http://Tolkien.slimy.com (Steuard Jensen's site)
Tolkien letters FAQ:
http://mysite.verizon.net/aznirb/mtr/lettersfaq.html
FAQ of the Rings: http://oakroadsystems.com/genl/ringfaq.htm
Encyclopedia of Arda: http://www.glyphweb.com/arda/default.htm
more FAQs: http://oakroadsystems.com/genl/faqget.htm
Öjevind Lång
news:MPG.24b45611a...@news.individual.net...
[snip]
> He also wrote one that went in the other direction, "The Nine Billion
> Names of God", with its utterly chilling final sentence: "Overhead,
> without any fuss, ..." (I won't finish the sentence because anyone
> who hasn't read the story should get the full effect the first time.)
I agree with you. I'd put either that one or "The Wall of Darkness" right on
top in his pruduction of short stories.
C. S. Lewis deeply admired the sf novel "Childhood's End" - not without
reason.
�jevind
Öjevind Lång
news:MPG.24b45611a...@news.individual.net...
[snip]
> He also wrote one that went in the other direction, "The Nine Billion
> Names of God", with its utterly chilling final sentence: "Overhead,
> without any fuss, ..." (I won't finish the sentence because anyone
> who hasn't read the story should get the full effect the first time.)
I agree with you. I'd put either that one or "The Wall of Darkness" right on
Derek Broughton
> On 26 June, 14:45, Öjevind Lång <bredband....@ojevind.lang> wrote:
>> "Steve Hayes" <hayesm...@hotmail.com> skrev i
>> meddelandetnews:v3fvs4pvuenofac9s...@4ax.com...
>>
>> > On Sun, 29 Mar 2009 05:33:01 -0700 (PDT), claire.easth...@ntlworld.com
>> > wrote:
>>
>> >>On 27 Mar, 21:18, admin <andrew.fo...@ntlworlld.com> wrote:
>>
>> >>> any thoughts? is scifi incompatible with religion ( christianity??)
>>
>> > No.
>>
>> > C.S. Lewis (a Christian) wrote scifi.
>>
>> > as did Arthur C. Clarke (probably a Buddhist).
>>
> Clark wrote a short story, "The Star", where a Catholic priest(?) has
> his faith severely shaken.
Also, "The Nine Billion Names of God" - where the non-believer's atheism is
also shaken.
--
derek
Öjevind Lång
news:ilvsh6-...@morgen.pointerstop.ca...
[snip]
>> story, "The Star", where a Catholic priest(?) has
>> his faith severely shaken.
>
> Also, "The Nine Billion Names of God" - where the non-believer's atheism
> is
> also shaken.
Although in a somewhat dioferent way. As I said I I'm not sure whether that
one or "The Wall of Darkness" is Clarke's greatest short story.
Öjevind