Thursday 18 February 2016

A Christ for Klingons?

What means this Nicene Creed, P'tahk?
There's a new Star Trek series in the pipeline. Will it be set in the original timeline or the new one where the Vulcans have been all but eliminated? Time - and timelines - will tell.

But for those who ponder the significance of such things, there's another question, one that has surely bothered a lot of Trekkies.  How many sleepless nights have you spent worrying whether Jesus died to save all sentient species or just the human population of planet Terra?

What about Klingons, Romulans and Vulcans (of either timeline)?  Is Mr. Spock able to enter the pearly gates? What about Dr Phlox? Has God incarnated himself separately in gigs on all possible worlds - a kind of universal road show? Would Franklin Graham hold rallies on Romulus?

Okay, so Spock and co. are fictional creations, but the multiverse is - it seems - a pretty big place, and ETs are likely to be out there somewhere, right? Would alien religions all be false?

The Roman Catholic church has already determined that aliens can be baptized, though as far as we know the UFOs haven't been arranging package tours to Rome to take up the offer. It seems tough luck if you're tucked away in another corner of the universe without the benefit of either the Jesuits or Creflo Dollar to point the way.

It's apparently a serious question, even for the US government. So much so they brought in a heavyweight theologian tackle the big question.  Professor Christian Weidemann has been on the case; may the Force be with him. Whether he's clarified matters or just muddied the waters is a moot point.

It sure makes a nice change from the usual esoteric stuff German theologians concern themselves with.

2 comments:

  1. I wonder if groups like the Mormons have an advantage here; their official doctrine embraces science fiction notions — life on other planets, other divine beings, etc.

    Tangentially related, the new, superb hard SF series The Expanse features the Mormons as basically the only religion still going strong, and they're building a colony ship to take their message to the stars.

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  2. YISua' (Jesus) was a klingon and the last son of kahless our god of warriors souls. Keeper of the white fleet of angels.

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