What if religious themes in science fiction

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To learn more or opt-out, read our Cookie Policy. In "Man of Steel," the most recent Superman film, when Superman's parents send their son away from their dying planet to save his life, his mom worries he will not be accepted on Earth because he is an alien to the planet. He'll be a god to them," says his father, Jor-El, who believes Superman will be an ideal Earth's inhabitants will strive to reach. Some might see Christian symbolism in this scene, but it's not the only religious reference in the film.

And superhero films do not have a monopoly on religious metaphors. In fact, religious and spiritual themes are woven into the plots of many popular science fiction films, TV shows and novels. The strong ties between science fiction and religion may seem odd; after all, some religious fundamentalists and a number of atheists constantly pit science and religion against each other. But Dr. We've envisaged our cosmos as full of powerful beings who come from the sky, and select human beings as having rare opportunities to travel up there," says McGrath, adding that science-fiction authors today can explore questions that religions throughout history have attempted to answer.

Religious concepts are commonly portrayed figuratively in science fiction, explained Doweyko. He said religious ideologies in the long-running series "Star Trek" coincided with an earthly belief system. Maya Kaathryn Bohnhoff, a science fiction and fantasy writer who has co-authored three Star Wars novels for LucasBooks, says religious commentary is prevalent in the Star Wars film franchise which includes some of the highest-grossing movies of all time.

Donovan believes many apocalyptic TV shows and movies contain Judeo-Christian religious symbols. For example, he indicates "World War Z" which he classifies as science fiction as opposed to horror because there is a scientific explanation for zombies, rather than a supernatural explanation reminds him of biblical plague stories.

Superhero films are also rife with religious symbolism, particularly savior figures, according to Donovan. Furthermore, the Green Goblin tempts Spider-Man and tries to persuade Peter to join in his evil cause, much like Satan tries to persuade Christ to leave the path of righteousness in the New Testament. Other science fiction films and TV shows have overtly religious themes.

McGrath says media that features "ancient aliens" often directly addresses religion. In the film "Prometheus," for example, a group of explorers travel to space to meet their alien creators. The name field is required. Please enter your name. The E-mail message field is required. Please enter the message. Please verify that you are not a robot. Would you also like to submit a review for this item? You already recently rated this item. Your rating has been recorded.

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