Religious Parallels And Interactions In The Technic History

(We have covered most of this before but there is always something new.)

In the monotheism of the Merseian Roidhunate, the God favors the Race. A human being conditioned by a Merseian scientist briefly envisions a Merseian Messiah.

The Ythrian Old Faith and Christianity share the barbaric idea of blood sacrifice. An Aenean Christian, Peter Berg, is disturbed by the New Faith idea of God the Hunter. Berg says that, before spaceflight, the church had decided that Jesus came only to mankind. However, later, the Wodenite Axor is ordained as a Jerusalem Catholic priest. Between Berg and Axor, another Wodenite had been converted to Mahayana Buddhism. Axor seeks evidence of an extraterrestrial Incarnation. This would make Christianity more like Hinduism which recognizes multiple divine incarnations.

Ikranakan planetary conditions generate a pervasive demonism although, in the region where the sun is seen to rise and set, there is a more conventional death and resurrection mythology. The League will fund some Buddhist missionaries. (Maybe I had better reread this story to get the details straight.)

An unmarried female Ythrian on heat is supposed to avoid males and to spend the energy on work, study or meditation although, otherwise, the Ythrians do not seem contemplative.

Personally, I go with the Buddhist practice of meditation but not with their idea of rebirth which seems like an unwarranted hangover from Jain/Hindu reincarnation.