FOUR: FAITH
Early on editor Marco Palmieri and I decided that SoD would, among other things, be about Faith. Not which ones are right or wrong or whether or not Faith and Reason can co-exist (or should) but simply, "How is Faith expressed in a universe with beings like the Q, the Prophets and the Organians running around? How does worship shape a society as a whole? What factors can cause belief in a deity that displays no true intelligence or ability to make contact with Her/His/Its constituents?"
Hence Erykon. Hence the Eye.
All the Star Trek series have touched on the subject of Faith at one time or another and many of the books and stories have as well. Many times people of faith are depicted as intolerant or misguided or simply dangerous zealots which, of course, in real life, they have been too many times and much to the detriment of many individuals and societies. But, also in real life, it is often people of deep religious conviction who have changed the world for the better due entirely to that conviction.
But we weren't really trying to tell that story. SoD is about, among other things, how the Deity FEARING may not be quite as powerful or beneficial as the Deity LOVING. Because there is a difference (at least in my mind). I prefer the latter. And, of course, I really don't get all the fear that seems to be at the core of too many people's Belief.
I, personally, am not a person of Faith. While I have been known to argue with the myopic fundamentalists who insist on literal interpretations of their bibles or in presenting them as accurate descriptions of historical events, I do not believe such people should have their right to believe as they wish removed or even curtailed. it's a big ol' world out there and there's room for pretty much everybody.
I tried to create balanced views on how various people and species in the Trek universe approach the subject of God(s) and I tried to be respectful of the notion of belief while purposefully not including any recognizable human belief systems.
I do feel everybody, Believers and Non Believers, can get along when it comes to this stuff. They just have to accept that Science and Faith aren't attempting to describe the same Universe or answer the same Questions.
Hence Erykon. Hence the Eye.
All the Star Trek series have touched on the subject of Faith at one time or another and many of the books and stories have as well. Many times people of faith are depicted as intolerant or misguided or simply dangerous zealots which, of course, in real life, they have been too many times and much to the detriment of many individuals and societies. But, also in real life, it is often people of deep religious conviction who have changed the world for the better due entirely to that conviction.
But we weren't really trying to tell that story. SoD is about, among other things, how the Deity FEARING may not be quite as powerful or beneficial as the Deity LOVING. Because there is a difference (at least in my mind). I prefer the latter. And, of course, I really don't get all the fear that seems to be at the core of too many people's Belief.
I, personally, am not a person of Faith. While I have been known to argue with the myopic fundamentalists who insist on literal interpretations of their bibles or in presenting them as accurate descriptions of historical events, I do not believe such people should have their right to believe as they wish removed or even curtailed. it's a big ol' world out there and there's room for pretty much everybody.
I tried to create balanced views on how various people and species in the Trek universe approach the subject of God(s) and I tried to be respectful of the notion of belief while purposefully not including any recognizable human belief systems.
I do feel everybody, Believers and Non Believers, can get along when it comes to this stuff. They just have to accept that Science and Faith aren't attempting to describe the same Universe or answer the same Questions.
posted by Geoff Thorne at
13.10.08
0 Comments
