Science Fiction and Theology - Part 9 - God and Science Fiction

There is always a popular front to any discussion of intellectual battle. In the case of the debate of science verses God, science fiction is that front. In it you will see every type of ethical quandary, every stand against conforming to a certain idea of God, every challenge that technology has given to claims of Scripture. But why does this matter?

It matters because in the end it is the story teller who wins. If a person lectures on the differences between God and science or an ethical dilemma most people will tune him out or fight him, but if someone tells a story and takes those issues and weaves them into that story, they are accepted and thought on with deepness.

Does that mean I would like to see it disappear. No. Some of the greatest mental challenges I have ever read to my faith have appeared in the pages of Science Fiction, and because of them I have had to re-think God and his relationship to the universe. In the end, it is the challenges that make faith stronger, not when it is easy.

The only thing that is really missing is the science fiction writers of faith. Ones that want to demonstrate a wider understanding of God as one who rules not just earth, but the universe and how the universe's possibilities do not in any way disrupt the truth of who He is or what He does. Perhaps that is because, Theists in large part have accepted a certain view of God. In this view there is little room for using one's imagination and combining it with new ideas of God and science. Also many Theists look upon science as the enemy and that leads to a prejudicial treatment of the subject. This means there is only a small pool of people to draw from for the purpose of demonstrating, in story, that faith does not have to be sacrificed in order to be scientifically accurate.

I do not know what the future hold but I do know that right now the people who do not have faith hold and edge, they hold it because they are willing to rethink everything and to question what is commonly held. The Theist then finds himself to afraid or ignorant to act because he is stuck in a single minded theology that cannot see beyond certain borders.

My only appeal is that this changes -- God did not give us reason, imagination and common sense for us to sit them on a shelf and not use them. I think God want to see us use creativity and thought to construct our own view of the possible. If we did maybe more people would realize that there is more out there than we previously thought or imagined and have a new respect for the wonder and creativity of God.

Science Fiction and Theology - Part 8 - Robots

Just for the record -- I thought I, Robot with Will Smith was fairly well done, but also for the record, it is a conglomeration of various stories told by Isaac Asimov in his robot series of books and short stories. The movie is based on them but the story told in the movie never appears in Asimov's works at least as far as I know.

Robots are not just science fiction anymore as they do indeed exist and are getting more complex all the time. They real problem with them is cost. It is simply easier in many context to have a human do it because to design a robot to do it and build it would be far more expensive. Until they truly design a robot that can do and act like the ones in I, Robot and are affordable, I just don't see them on every street corner.

The movie and books brought out many of the social issues that could be faced with robots being reality: a safer world with the cost of human ability and freedom. But the largest issue was one of -- can we eventually design a machine that replaces us to the point that that machine is 'alive'? Seems to be a foolish question to Christians as most of us believe life comes from God, but how do we handle it when robots get advanced enough that humans talk about giving them rights? How do we convince people that there is a difference and can we?

There is also a flip side to robots that has been portrayed in movies like the Terminator Series -- what if they take over? Scary option and a bit ironic as the creator becomes enslaved by their creation.

Next: God and Science Fiction

Science Fiction and Theology - Part 7 - Cryogenics

Time to finish this series up.

Cryogenics is the science of trying to freeze living matter to the point of death but with the ability to revive that matter back to normal life. In science fiction this has been put to various uses.
1. Storage of clones as extra body parts
2. Putting criminals 'on ice'.
3. Use for space travel in that the crew is frozen for long duration while the ship travels.
4. Medical -- store the person until a cure can be found or a donor comes along.
5. Effect a form of immortality. Body is slowed in function, but brain is allowed to roam a virtual world (The Matrix)

Where this crosses into theology is in the field of ethics -- medical and social.
1. Medical ethics - is a clone life? Robert Heinlein theorized in Time Enough for Love, that cloning could get so advanced that an entire body could be cloned without a true functioning brain so that when a person got old their brain could be moved to the new body. Along with other rejuvenation technologies, this could give a person effective immortality. What happens to "appointed once to die and then the judgment" (Hebrews 9:27)
2. Is it really punishment to put criminals in cryo-freeze based on the Bible? Not really, just prolongs things and releases that criminal back into society unchanged. Not really justice from a Biblical point of view.
3. Space Travel has been discussed but what are ethics of volunteering for a trip from which you may not wake up should technology fail on the way?
4. In the case of medical waiting till a cure is found I can see some uses but at what point does it end and how do we determine who is valuable enough for this?
5. Living in a virtual world brings in the whole ethical questions of the what is life and how do we live it? Effective immortality or slavery?

Next: Lest We Forget - Robots.

Science Fiction and Theology -- Part 6 -- Space Travel

I know this is hard to believe but my daughter picks on me. In specific she pick on me because of an app game I play on Facebook called Starfleet Commander. I play this one along with its twin sister Starfleet Commander Extreme. I am accused of being a nerd. It is just the thought of space travel has always fascinated me.

Not to mention theological issues abound.
1. Colonization of other worlds would change the way the Bible is interpreted. Particularly Revelation where current thought is earth centric.
2. Depending on the type of space travel -- issues abound as people are separated by distance. Relativity and all that. But even more puzzling is that realistic space travel you are dealing with cold sleep. This means either unmarried people or entire families would have to agree to travel together. (More on this later) The social issues of marriage come into play. Particularly if you get a separation due to travel that has no hope of returning to each other.
3. The vastness of space -- The universe is a HUGE place. I wonder what thoughts we would have about God actually travelling through the vastness of the universe?

Next:Cryo Sleep

Science Fiction and Theology -- Part 5 -- The Information Hyperhighway

Computers, cell phones, Internet, etc. etc. Do you ever feel overwhelmed with how much information you can access? Is it becoming alarming to you how much people can know about anything? It is to me.

When science fiction popularized the notion of computers and cell phones long before they existed people thought only of the wonders of it, now the problems of such information overload are becoming evident.
1) Privacy -- anything you put out there, is out there all over the place in seconds. A person who posts a picture of themselves must take not that someone can view it on the other side of the globe in minutes. What gets more disturbing is the fact that these cell phone things can take such pictures and download them. Is there really such thing a privacy anymore?
2) Information overload -- how much can you absorb? We are getting to a point where you almost need an information sorter to filter out the junk.

The future of this promises more speed, more info and greater access. Will we one day forget the real world for one that is digital?

Next: Space Travel

Science Fiction and Theology -- Part 4 -- Brain Transplant -- Effective Immortality

Probably the most sticky questions of Science Fiction are raised when medical ethics and technology are discussed. One thing has always been organ transplant. Now many of the medical procedures that do this where originally some form of Science fiction; now many are science fact. One that remains fiction in brain transplant. Perhaps it would be better to say central nervous system transplant. Robert Heinlein postulated this in his book "I Will Fear No Evil". In it a rich beyond billionaire transplants his brain into another body. The big issue though is the body is female and is young, sensual and pretty. By so doing the man extends his life into another.

This of course leads to a whole host of ethical questions:
1. Who is the person then? The brain or the body or both.
2. Does this really constitute a sex change? Not really in a sense but this could be used to do it.
3. Who would be a donor body for this?

Now what get really frightening is when you couple this idea with cloning.
1. Could we then keep spare bodies around when we get tired of the one were in? Effective youth and immortality.
2. Are such clones persons when their only function is to be the next shell?
3. What happens to -- a man is appointed once to die and then the judgment?

Gets interesting and sticky doesn't it?

Next: The Information Hyper Highway

Science Fiction and Theology -- Part 3 -- Alien Religion (Faith and Practice)

OK, along comes and alien race with a Scripture that reads like ours but different and has a different concept of how God is. The issues are limitless. But the two that interest me the most are -- our concept of who man is, or better what our concept of being a being created in God's image is. If the alien race is also created in God's image and they are different from us in outside appearance what does that do to our concept of the image of God? What does do to our concept of being a person.
The other issue is faith along with practice of that faith. What is faith if an alien race has a different concept of what faith is? Practice: how is faith lived? Were talking prayer, meditation and service. So you have a race that serves God but their definition of prayer is to stand on their head -- what then?

Next: Brain Transplant -- Effective Immortality.

Science Fiction and Theology -- Part 3 -- Alien Religion (Scripture)

Now consider this. When an alien race is discovered they too have a Holy Bible. What then?

If you really consider it, it becomes a difficult question. On what level would such a book be authoritative? Is it inspired? How do we determine these things? Not easy questions at all are they?

The questions of what Scripture would be if done by other races other than the human race becomes a quagmire of thought.

My thoughts are that it would be differ net from our own -- different events and characters with different actions. It would contain history, the history of God's interaction with that race, but it would be completely foreign to our own. The one thing it would have in common is that through that interaction between God and the aliens there would be a revelation of God in truth. It would echo our own understandings but would not be completely the same. it might, were we to understand it, give us a view of God that we would find opens up our own understanding and that of the aliens.

Because of this we would understand it is inspired but to whom -- us, the aliens or both? Possible both, maybe just to them.

It is also possible that they may also have conflicting religions each with their own scriptures and that means sifting through them all to find the ones that are inspired. But what criteria to use? Maybe simply finding common understandings about God may be enough; maybe not.

Next: Alien Religion (Faith and Practice)

Science Fiction and Theology -- Part 2 -- Aliens!

My issue here is what does the existence of aliens do to our understanding of God and ourselves. The issue of whether they exist I will leave to you the reader but for the sake of argument lets us assume they do. I will add though that the universe is a BIG place and to assume that we are the only sentient life form God every created is not only egotistical but Human centric nonsense. God is also a very creative God and I doubt he has limited his creativity to just us here on planet earth.

This brings us to the first issue. Human egotism. On two fronts this confronts us a) that God's plans may involves something larger than this speck of dust rotating around a bright light in the Milky Way. Other races and beings my be involved in God's plans and we may only be a small part of that and a) In humility we may have to realize that we are not even really essential to God's plans at all and do not have an inherent right to those plans.

The second issue. The nature of what the image of God is may be called into question. If other races are also created in this image but they do not look or act like us, what does this do to our understanding of ourselves as created in God's image.

What becomes very clear is the discovery of aliens would do one of two things -- create fear or humility. Given our sinfulness -- fear is more likely and there would be war and we would start it if the race we encounter is sinless.

That brings up a final issue, one that C.S. Lewis explored in his Sci-Fi series of books -- what if another race of aliens faced their test and did not fail? How would we react to them and how they would react to us becomes and interesting issue. A non-fallen race would completely compliant with God's will. Maybe that is why we haven't met them -- it would be too dangerous -- for them. I know another blow to human pride and ego.

Next: Alien Religion

Science Fiction and Theology -- Part 1 -- The Challenges

New Series to break things up a bit and have a little fun.

The issues science fiction has brought to theology are numerous. People may say 'why bother' but science fiction has an alarming way of becoming science fact in a quick hurry. Robots, cell phones, landing on the moon, space stations all have moved across this line. Probably more alarming are some of the medical ones -- cloning, regenerative medicine and others.

Theology, unfortunately, always seems to be reactive to these issues mostly because we have have this 'stay in the real world' mentality. The problem is the real world has a rapid way of turning into the sci-fi one. Then we're always scrambling.

Some of the issues out there are:
1. Aliens -- existence and who.
2. Alien Religion -- if aliens do exist what about their beliefs?
3. Brain transplant -- effective immortality?
4. The continued advance of information and the spread of information.
5. Space Travel -- moral questions abound about (marriage, children and colonization)
6. Cryo sleep -- what do we do with people who sleep through centuries?
7. What does all these things do to our understanding of the Scriptures?

Next: Do Aliens Exist?