To give credit where credit is due, I had this realization while listening to the prog rock concept album Ones and Zeros Vol.1<\/a> by 3RDegree<\/a>. I had been thinking a lot lately, as you know<\/a>, about intersections between the Bible and music. But it struck me recently that one could do a progressive rock<\/a> concept album<\/a> exploring the major themes and topics in my course on religion and science fiction \u2013 the kinds of topics explored in my recent book<\/a>\u00a0Theology and Science Fiction<\/a><\/em> as well.<\/p>\n What kinds of topics? The question of whether a robot can be a person \u2013 there could be a song that explores it, told from the AI\u2019s perspective. (The robot<\/a> could also be running for president<\/a>, but maybe that should be a different song.) Doing mundane things \u2013 finding love, making tough choices \u2013 in a deep space and\/or distant future setting, or in a virtual reality.\u00a0Telling a tale of pilgrimage, leaving ambiguous whether the destination is a traditional sacred space or a sci-fi convention.<\/p>\n But add to those too things that have been in the news lately<\/a>? Trying to keep a dead loved one\u2019s presence with you through artificial intelligence<\/a>. Programming\u00a0drones to kill<\/a>. \u201cWhat would a machine as smart as God want?\u201d<\/a>\u00a0 There are more options than could fit even the double albums that prog rock embraced more than others.<\/p>\n