tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7430714140256664147.post3185791344311100199..comments2020-04-25T05:23:33.111-07:00Comments on The Writer Limits: Faith, Belief, Religion, and Science Fiction -- Is it really a conflict?Tami Deehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13560464600304020129noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7430714140256664147.post-51181066115713937182012-03-10T18:56:07.903-08:002012-03-10T18:56:07.903-08:00Thank you for your thought-provoking post, Gail.
...Thank you for your thought-provoking post, Gail.<br /><br />I practice Nichiren Shoshu Buddhism---a religion, but not a form of theism. Therefore, the question you address about whether God created life elsewhere in the universe doesn't apply in my belief system. From the Buddhist point of view, or at least the point of view of this Buddhist, if extraterrestrial life is for real, it must have arisen and flourished for the same reason it did on this planet: because of karma.<br /><br />In my religion we see no conflict with science. According to the Buddhist concept of origin, there's room for the Big Bang. And if there's room for that, there's certainly room for a comparatively minor matter such as the evolution of mankind.<br /><br />What's more, Buddhist scriptures describe other worlds and other realms of existence. In particular, there is a concept that a Buddha, an enlightened person, appears in any world where the need for one arises, and the time is right. Therefore, it's plausible that life exists elsewhere. And that enlightened beings have appeared in such places to teach their inhabitants how to attain the same state of enlightenment. <br /><br />About the religious affiliations, beliefs, and practices of futuristic characters, allow me to note that in every society throughout the ages that I've read about, there's a religion or a religion-substitute. In modern times, the most prominent examples of the latter are communism, fascism, and capitalism. This aspect of society is so important that it's central to all the others. <br /><br />Therefore, in creating an imaginary world of science fiction or fantasy, a writer should consider what its inhabitants believe in. At least, that should be the case if verisimilitude matters. There might be aesthetic reasons why it doesn't.<br /><br />But more often than not, religion plays no role at all. Legitimately so, if the story is focused on other matters so tightly that religion is irrelevant. <br /><br />If that's not the case, and religion isn't mentioned, I suspect that perhaps a writer might not feel comfortable dealing with it. In a work of commercial fiction, unless it's aimed at members of a specific religious community, religion can seem like the third rail of a subway track. Better not touch it! <br /><br />Still, I think there's room for serious treatments of religion in science fiction and fantasy. I try to do so in some of my own works. Not in a preachy way, of course. In a way anyone who reads the work can relate to, in his or own terms. Or so I hope.<br /><br />Keep up the good work!Mary Anne Landershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01846610621610508819noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7430714140256664147.post-14364671711726718992012-03-10T18:53:14.752-08:002012-03-10T18:53:14.752-08:00This comment has been removed by the author.Mary Anne Landershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01846610621610508819noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7430714140256664147.post-35591589057855354762012-03-09T19:17:50.650-08:002012-03-09T19:17:50.650-08:00Thank you, Maria. With the Phoenix series, it was ...Thank you, Maria. With the Phoenix series, it was very important to have different kinds of people. It would have been boring if they were all patriots or evil, all died-in-the-wool soldiers or all civilians. It's all a mix. I hope you do read. :-)Gail R. Delaneyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15907327144254546554noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7430714140256664147.post-33581781905176519732012-03-09T19:16:17.754-08:002012-03-09T19:16:17.754-08:00Thank you, JMo. :-) I imagined us having this talk...Thank you, JMo. :-) I imagined us having this talk when I wrote it. And don't worry, I won't tell Jenn you mentioned "that other show". I didn't get into that movie because of the whole franchise, it was one example. Didn't feel it was enough in an "in general" post. :-) But, you're absolutely right.Gail R. Delaneyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15907327144254546554noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7430714140256664147.post-18462913450286467942012-03-09T17:24:59.902-08:002012-03-09T17:24:59.902-08:00Gail, this is a very good blog post. I really appr...Gail, this is a very good blog post. I really appreciate your open-mindedness, and I love the way you say, "Just like in life, my characters range in their belief systems." <br /><br />I haven't read your books yet, but it's definitely on my to-do list. <br />:-) MariaHammarbladhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13200542977473714512noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7430714140256664147.post-76150124952197619502012-03-09T16:29:13.290-08:002012-03-09T16:29:13.290-08:00Gail, this post is amazing. I think most science f...Gail, this post is amazing. I think most science fiction authors must hold some claim to being Christian, even if they don't realize it. SciFi is about hope, faith and believing in something, some one, bigger than ourselves. Hope that we set aside our differences and come together as a people to build the future. Faith that we don't blow ourselves up before that future comes true. Belief in God, that He will guide us to this perfect future we can only hope our children or children's children will have the chance to experience. Sometimes SciFi isn't pretty, but those things resound in it. I've yet to read one that doesn't offer some glimmer of hope, faith or belief.<br /><br />One thing. You totally forgot Star Trek V. Don't tell Jenn I mentioned the other Star. But, it addressed the quest for knowing a Higher Power that apparently not even the future can deny exists.J. Morganhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18423123847802839361noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7430714140256664147.post-92102283453838996182012-03-09T08:59:27.114-08:002012-03-09T08:59:27.114-08:00Exactly, Jenn! :-) We live on little more than a ...Exactly, Jenn! :-) We live on little more than a dust mote in the grand scheme of the universe.Gail R. Delaneyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15907327144254546554noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7430714140256664147.post-60179513152619170142012-03-09T08:58:24.789-08:002012-03-09T08:58:24.789-08:00Thanks, Caina. Actually, I've heard there are ...Thanks, Caina. Actually, I've heard there are several acclaimed scientists who are a part of our history who set out not to disprove God, but to prove God. As an intelligent human being, one cannot deny science. As a Christian who believes God is the source of all things, than how can you deny science? The thing to remember is that both ideas are, in truth, theory. No one was there (but God) to know without question how it all began.Gail R. Delaneyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15907327144254546554noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7430714140256664147.post-8704109546853601802012-03-09T08:37:52.230-08:002012-03-09T08:37:52.230-08:00Thanks for sharing this Gail. You know I fully be...Thanks for sharing this Gail. You know I fully believe that faith, fantasy, and sci-fi can all play together and get along just fine. As far as science fiction goes, here's my thoughts: God gave man the Bible. This is God's story as it pertains to humans... God is A BIG GOD! He can have as many stories going as he wants. I fully believe there could be other worlds out there that God has and he shares His story with them in a way that works for them.Jenn Hartzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12923822610493678667noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7430714140256664147.post-36429600963955634792012-03-09T08:11:04.075-08:002012-03-09T08:11:04.075-08:00I used to think that in order to be religious one ...I used to think that in order to be religious one had to deny science because I thought so many in science were atheistic in their world view. A lot are, but a lot aren't. For me science goes hand-in-hand with God. It's God's way of helping us to understand the world He gave us, so there's no reason why science-fiction (or any kind of fiction) should clash with religion and a belief in God.<br /><br />Great meta here, Gail!C. Fullerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06782847596610415979noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7430714140256664147.post-90568393582649271882012-03-09T07:55:24.705-08:002012-03-09T07:55:24.705-08:00Thank you, Patty.
My parents raised me in faith, ...Thank you, Patty.<br /><br />My parents raised me in faith, but also raised me not to take anything blindly. The pastor I had as a child encouraged the congregation to ask questions, to seek rather than just say "Well, you said it so it's fact". That goes for anything, religion or otherwise. <br /><br />My pastor now, as an adult, though 30 years and 3,000 miles removed from my little church in Maine, says much of the same thing. He teaches no one has it absolutely right. NO one. If we don't understand or necessarily agree with what he says, he encourages us to talk about it. Ask about it. Discuss it. And study for ourselves. <br /><br />So, given all that, I don't let the two cancel each other out but support each other. :-)Gail R. Delaneyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15907327144254546554noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7430714140256664147.post-12035893821491471902012-03-09T07:47:42.607-08:002012-03-09T07:47:42.607-08:00great post! i think we all struggle with faith/sc...great post! i think we all struggle with faith/science at some point. i remember asking my dad about it and his answer was, "you are given two options by public opinion. why can't there be a third way of looking at it?" that stuck with me. i think you've got a third way of looking at it. :)Pattyhttp://pattyfroese.comnoreply@blogger.com