Maybe it was the Devil but they killed him with a photon torpedo
Jesus & Christianity
- Thread starter Methuselah Flint
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Maybe it was the Devil but they killed him with a photon torpedo
It was a small devil. On the other hand, he could project his thoughts very far! halfway across the galaxy.
It's largely a secular celebration in the UK - it's about family, friends, turkey, gift-giving and trees. Even traditional carols have been largely replaced by eighties pop songs! It's Wham and Shakin' Stevens, not Hark the Herald... Church attendance is low. But it's still the pre-eminent celebration period in the country.
That may well continue to be the case into the 23rd and 24th centuries, but there aren't many references to it as a widespread celebration, even among humans. Picard sees Christmas entirely in Dickensian terms with his fantasy nuclear family (which seems way out of character for Picard, even considering the events of the film).
Kirk's a pretty old fashioned guy though! He collects antiques and reads very old literature. He even has an ancient 'Chrismas' party on his ship.I will concede, however, that Kirk joking about dipping little girl's pigtails in inkwells has not aged well.
Seems like the kind of antiquated expression he'd come out with, to the bemusement of his shipmates.
But wasn't Jesus born before December, so where did the whole December thing come from?
That's when people were celebrating the winter solstice anyway. It was easier to hijack an established celebration than create a new one from the ground up.
It's hard for me to imagine that the monotheistic religions will survive in their current form into the future. It's obvious some things reported in the Biblical literature did not happen, and can be shown not to have happened by science. (Such as a flood in the time of man that completely covers the Earth.) The appeal of an afterlife though is a powerful one, and that part will not go away easily for a lot of people.
I'm actually glad Star Trek doesn't try to address it directly, most especially in the US. It's the proverbial can of worms, with the worms on steroids.
I'm actually glad Star Trek doesn't try to address it directly, most especially in the US. It's the proverbial can of worms, with the worms on steroids.
And access to guns, that can of worms has access to that too.
But yeah the US has a fairly messed up relationship with religion.
They address it in TNG, albeit subtly. In both Tasha's funeral and in Beverly's grandma's funeral the language about living in the memory of other is used; these people do not believe in supernatural afterlife. And as you say, that's really the biggest selling point of the religion, but they're past that.
Also, I think that it being such a can of worms is exactly the reason it should be addressed!
Why not address it? Not like religious people haven't been mocked in media before!
I wouldn't hazard a guess to how religious practice is going to evolve in the future. A couple years ago I thought the republican party was going to basically become libertarian, a small government party that becomes more tolerant on social issues, and boy was I wrong on that account. Pretty much the exact opposite.
I'd like to say, it becomes more secular and private, but I'm afraid we're moving in the other direction. Not in all areas, of course, but in the immediate future I'm worried there's going to be a wave to use religion as it has been used traditionally, as a social indicator to establish one's self in the group that's better and more moral than everyone else, endorsed by corrupt leaders who use this social indicator to handwave their corruption.
I'd like to say, it becomes more secular and private, but I'm afraid we're moving in the other direction. Not in all areas, of course, but in the immediate future I'm worried there's going to be a wave to use religion as it has been used traditionally, as a social indicator to establish one's self in the group that's better and more moral than everyone else, endorsed by corrupt leaders who use this social indicator to handwave their corruption.
Yes, why no one thinks about those poor oppressed Christians? They need to face unimaginable horrors like someone teaching evolution in schools or wishing them 'happy holidays!"
Or being killed. Oh, wait, different country
That of course is horrible. However, it is almost always some religious people killing other religious people because they believe in the wrong fairytales. No fairytales are worth killing over.Or being killed. Oh, wait, different country
We gave it a chance, but this thread has gone down exactly the hole I knew it would the second I first saw the title.
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