The episode “A Day in the Death” from the second season of Torchwood has not just vague religious themes or overtones, but explicit reference to the story of Jesus. And so it makes for an interesting starting point for a discussion of religion and science fiction. The story focuses on Owen Harper, who died in a previous episode, only to be brought back to life using alien technology, and now, for some reason, he remains conscious and human and active,... Read more
Earlier today I created an image to illustrate one popular inversion of the Bible, and now I am sharing another, which I found rather than created. If the Samaritan who behaved as depicted in the story in Luke came to be known as the good Samaritan, then must we not say that one who speaks and behaves in the quite opposite manner depicted in the image above would be a bad Samaritan? If so, then what ought we to say... Read more
It took me until now to get around to watching the movie The Avengers. But I’m glad I did. In addition to action and great (if not scientifically feasible) special effects, it contains a great deal that is food for thought and discussion, for those of us interested in the intersection of religion and popular culture in general, or religion and comic books and/or science fiction in particular. Perhaps it is obvious that a movie which includes gods as major... Read more
The thought struck me today that, since fundamentalism tends to be about having the right doctrines and the right understanding of them, it represents a reversal of the classic memory verse, Proverbs 3:5. The original reads (here in the New Living Translation), “Trust in the LORD with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding.” For many fundamentalists, what it means to trust in the LORD is precisely to believe that you have understood and accepted the true... Read more
Here's a list of the most popular posts on Exploring Our Matrix this year (of course, the year isn't quite over, but unless something very surprising happens in the next few days, the list is unlikely to change). The list goes up to 11. You'll see why at the end. Counting down… 11. “Ten Really Bad Reasons to Believe in a Historical Adam.” 10. “What Fundamentalists Worship” 9. “Jabba's Binders Full of Women” 8. “How to Care for Introverts” 7.... Read more
Someone needs to tell the cartoonist about quantum mechanics…and that the universe is much bigger than a single solar system. Read more
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