I never got into the whole science-fiction genre.
Fell asleep through Lord of the Rings (friends made me watch the Extended Editions).
Never understood the appeal of Star Wars (the first one I saw was Episode 2… I went with friends to the theater against my will).
I have yet to see an episode of Doctor Who (sorry, Richard Dawkins).
And I’ve only seen one episode of Star Trek. It was on a first date. Her idea. It was also our last date. My idea.
But maybe I should’ve given that show another shot.
In the latest issue of The Humanist, Nick Farrantello writes about how “Star Trek Made Me an Atheist“:
And so as a boy I found it increasingly hard to understand why Christians weren’t acting the way Kirk and Spock were. If there was a God, some being causing earthquakes and hurling hurricanes, why wouldn’t Christians (or Jews or Muslims for that matter) fight against such a being? What I was learning on Star Trek seemed more moral to me than what I was learning in church. As I got older and learned more about suffering around the world, the more I wondered why religious people didn’t oppose such a cruel God. These holy men should be up in arms, I thought. If they were faithful Star Trek watchers, they would be trying to build some sort of giant phaser to take him out.
…
When you first watch Star Trek it’s this campy sci-fi show that occasionally takes some not-so-subtle potshots at religion. At a very young age it made me question the nature of God even to the point of questioning his (her or its) very existence. And it showed me that those questions were okay to pose, that there were other people out there like me, asking the same questions. But then Roddenberry’s campy little show goes so much farther. It explores what it means to be human. It is a message of hope for the future of our species and an expression of pride in all of humanity. Through it, I learned that although people aren’t perfect, it is that striving to be better (the voyage) that makes us special…
(via The Humanist)
Atheists Sue Ex-Education Secretary Betsy DeVos for ..."
A North Dakota GOP Lawmaker Filed ..."
Atheists Sue Ex-Education Secretary Betsy DeVos for ..."
Conservative Christians Have a Bunch of ..."