Plotinsky on Science FIction & Religion

“You are a slave...like everyone else, you were born into bondage.”

A phrase from one of Paul's epistles or Jesus' lessons to his Disciples? No, it's from Morpheus, explaining to Neo his new altered reality in The Matrix.

I found this older article (from last winter) rather interesting, since it collects examples of Science Fiction's use of Christian allegory/imagery all in one place. A few examples are obvious, such as The Matrix and Star Wars, but the author also mentions details I'd never considered in regard to The Day the Earth Stood Still, Terminator, and Harry Potter.

The author, Benjamin Plotinsky, goes on to point out how political allegory held sway during the Cold War before giving way to religious symbolism and now returning again to geopolitics. If you've ever seen those "Gospel According to..." pop-culture books, you'll be familiar with the concept.

Read "How Science Fiction Found Religion" here.