Top Ten Stories of Doctor Who With Religious Elements and Themes

9. The Impossible Planet/ The Satan Pit

The Tenth Doctor, David Tennant, and his companion Rose land aboard a base orbiting a black hole, a human base which is served by the kind but horrifying Ood. The planet should not exist, and on it is another impossibility: an ancient tomb for what appears to be Sata himself. Once the tomb has been opened up, Satan appears to be possessing one of the crew, using him to kill the rest and find a way to escape his imprisonment on the planet. While a simple story, it is very well executed, and provides the Doctor a puzzle which he never really solves. Who or what is this creature, this Beast, which appears to be Satan and seems to have had power from his tomb over all kinds of civilizations throughout the universe?  The Doctor’s encounter with the Beast goes beyond his knowledge and understanding and yet — this, we find out is key, for it is what intrigues him, and such intrigue is what gives him the desire to continue on his adventures.  The universe is still full of mystery which is beyond his comprehension. The joy of discovery is possible even for him, even if the discovery is not always positive such as his encounter with the Beast.

Instead of giving us answers, the story gives us questions, questions which should excite us as they do the Doctor. This is the religious element contained in this story: the wonder, the awe of the unknown, and the draw it should have for us once we encounter it. Its is, moreover, reminiscent of Dostoevsky, who used the existence of evil, of Satan, to promote belief in God in The Brothers Karamazov. 

The Doctor is the wise man, the scientist, who finds himself still a fool in a universe beyond his comprehension. No matter how great his intellect, no matter how diverse his knowledge, the universe is mysterious and worthy of exploration and engagement; it is what gives him joy. And so it should. For the pursuit of truth in our exploration of the great unknown is exactly what should lead us to the heart of truth itself. When we find things which challenge us in our beliefs, we should not give up but rather accept the challenge and take what we find seriously, developing ourselves and our beliefs in the process.