Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/17/84 chuqui version 1.7 9/23/84; site nsc.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!mhuxr!ihnp4!nsc!chuqui From: chuqui@nsc.UUCP (Chuqui Q. Koala) Newsgroups: net.religion Subject: Re: Yellow Press in SciFi? Message-ID: <2163@nsc.UUCP> Date: Sun, 6-Jan-85 11:54:46 EST Article-I.D.: nsc.2163 Posted: Sun Jan 6 11:54:46 1985 Date-Received: Mon, 7-Jan-85 03:26:13 EST References: <1253@hou4b.UUCP> Reply-To: chuqui@nsc.UUCP (Chuqui Q. Koala) Organization: The Warlocks Cave Lines: 37 Summary: >If I recall, H.G.Wells had a heavy anti-religion bias, but confined it mostly >to public debates with Chesterton and published essays. I don't know for sure. > >Are my observations typical of scifi writings? If so, why? Is perversion of >religion just a good way to depict a damaged society? Or do these writers >consider religion a malady of society? And is the Catholic Church singled out >the way that IBM is singled out when we think of computers -- ``They have an >IBM machine'', or do these writers have a grudge against Catholicism ? Wells got in his digs as much as anyone-- look at 'Things To Come' for instance, and there are sub-themes in both 'Food of the Gods' and 'Time Machine'. No, I don't think your observations are any more typical of SF (scifi? ugh!) than they are of any other genre or media. How many evil priests show up on TV and movies? There are certainly a number of 'free-thinking' SF authors, as well as agnostics and true athiests, but that is true of the population in general. If you are interested in looking for SF books that show religion in an intelligent and thoughtful way, I suggest you track down 'A Case of Conscience' by James Blish, 'A Canticle for Leibowitz' by Walter MIller, or 'Behold the Man' by Michael Moorcock. A very interesting book about religion from a less traditional view is 'Black Easter', also by Blish, and its companion 'Day ofter Judgement'. An interesting short that comes to mind is 'The Star' by A.C. Clarke. I wouldn't call any of these stories pro-religious propoganda, but I also don't believe any of them to be blatantly anti-religious. Their basic purpose is to look at religion and make you think about it and I think they are all fair (some more than others) to religion as a concept. chuq (someone is gonna flame me for Behold the Man... I can feel it already) -- From the ministry of silly talks: Chuq Von Rospach {allegra,cbosgd,decwrl,hplabs,ihnp4,seismo}!nsc!chuqui nsc!chuqui@decwrl.ARPA Now look here Mister "I'm not just a word processor"...