Religion in Science Fiction Essay Sample

Having grown up around a very religious mother you would think I would be religious too but that is strangely and ironically not the case. I don’t care much for topics such as religion, but it’s always interesting to discern how big or small of a role religion can play in any subject; not only sci-fi. The role of religion and how this concept spiraled and shaped the ending while influencing the actions of the characters was my personal favorite aspect. Whenever the monks discovered all the names of god, the stars began to disappear in the sky; which was a polar opposite to the ending of “Nightfall” where the stars were appearing in the sky. Since I don’t have a strong connection with religion personally, or am not affiliated with a specific one, I wasn’t able to grasp the religion aspect on my first read through; however, when looking more closely at these stories the second time around, I was able to pick up on the interactions between religion and science better than I did the first time. 

In “The Nine Billion Names of God'' the story mentions some of the man made labels given to the Supreme Being. The names given include the name God, Jehovah, and Allah. Jehovah is one of the ways of saying YHWH, the true, perfect name of God. Nevertheless “God’s connection to astronomy is simple: It is His Handiwork and we should be thankful and give recognition and praise to Him for it.” (Seiglie) Additionally, all Christians know “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth” which affirms that God created the universe and all that lies within them. So it’s not crazy to think that when the monks finally revealed all of his names, God made the stars flicker out to signify that they have achieved what the human race was created to do, furthermore suggesting that God will create a new universe so to start from the beginning. As King David says in Psalms 19:1-4: “The heavens keep telling the wonders of God, and the skies declare what he has done. Each day informs the following day; each night announces to the next. They don’t speak a word, and there is never the sound of a voice. Yet their message reaches all the earth, and it travels around the world.”

In “Nightfall” the story combines scientific principles and the myths and prophecies proposed in the religious texts, while simultaneously incorporating multiple biblical parallels. Aton accepts both the truth of the foretold prophecy in the Book of Revelation, with his entire mission being to find a scientific explanation for the end of the world. The nation of Israel had many prophets come and prophesy of events to come if they did not return from their sin, counterparting that of the Bible. Jeremiah was called to prophesy to Israel and its kings. “Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations. (6) Then said I, Ah, Lord God! Behold, I cannot speak: for I am a child.” (Jeremiah 1:5-6 KJV). The Romans in the New Testament worshipped idols that they could physically see and touch, criticizing the Jewish nation for worshipping a God that was unseen. The people of Lagash behaved in the same manner. They criticized the Cult and the astronomers in the story for believing the Cult and the “Book of Revelations.” The people had never lived through darkness before so when Aton told them that the Cult was right and darkness would soon cover their world, they did not trust him because they had never seen complete darkness before. “You have to understand that people don’t believe the Book of Revelations anymore, and it annoys them to have scientists turn about-face and tell us the Cultists are right after all” (Asimov). Even Isaac Asimov himself believes in the same principle as his Lagash counterparts. (I need to perceive it to believe it). “What if you died,” he was asked in an interview, “and found yourself face to face with God? What then?”...“I would say, ‘Lord, you should have given us more evidence.'” (Popova) 

Religion and sci-fi, or the sciences in general, are closely related and intertwined in multiple ways. In “The Nine Billion Names of God” there were such interactions where God is credited as creating the universe and all that live within it, which explains the star phenomenon observed at the ending. “Nightfall” is littered with biblical references and parallels while, in regards to religious views, the characters also act and think in the same way the author Asimov does.