Science Fiction and Religion

Journal for Religion, Film and Media [1/2020]

In science fiction films, we explore remote universes and use yet unknown technologies – the world as we know it is left behind. But although the technical devices in these films are impressive and the science advances in huge steps, the protagonists still search for a superior entity, for the main creator, for a god, for a lost paradise… The human quest for knowledge and for the unknown does not end, and the questions remain the same: What is humankind in relation to the undiscovered universe? Are we, in the near future, able to unravel all the mysteries that have always been tantalizing scientists and religious seekers? What ethical challenges might this progress bring? Will we become gods, “creating” humans by writing genetic codes using synthetic biology? The Interactions between science fiction and religion are manyfold and amazing … The three articles in the thematic section of this issue propose different views of the interaction between science fiction and religion. Joel Mayward explores the “parabolic transcendence” in Shane Carruth’s Primer (US 2004) and Upstream Colors (US 2013). James Lorenz offers an interpretation of Andrei Tarkovsky’s Stalker (USSR 1979), focusing on the genre, style, and form of the film, especially the theme of the journey as a spiritual trip surrounded by trinitarian and christological imagery. Bina Nir analyzes the “biblical narrative and myths” in Christopher Nolan’s Interstellar (US/GB 2014).

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