Sunday 9 January 2022

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.

4 comments:

Sean M. Brooks said...

Kaor, Paul!

Except that the atoning sacrifice of Christ on the Cross was a once and for all, infinitely sufficient means chosen by God for bridging the gap between Him and fallen mankind. And nothing at all like the endless, futile animal sacrifices of pagans.

But we don't know WHICH "church" Peter Berg meant. And since we do see the Catholic Church accepting non human converts, I have to conclude Berg's church was not Catholic. Anglicans? Lutherans? We don't know.

Ad astra! Sean

S.M. Stirling said...

Note the Puritan "British Israelite" in A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S TEMPEST, who actually seems to have come to a religious position strikingly similar to the Meresian one, with God favoring his "British Hebrews" over all others.

British Israelitism is actually a thing, btw. There are still a few of them around, I believe.

paulshackley2017@gmail.com said...

Brirish Israelites thought that the God of Abraham would preserve the British Empire forever so I don't know what they think now.

Sean M. Brooks said...

Kaor, Mr. Stirling!

Yes, you reminded me of how Sir Malachi Shelgrave thought like that, in MIDSUMMER. And I have heard of British Israelitism. Been a long time since I read up on them. Can't be many left now.

Ad astra! Sean