Since religion has been such an interesting theme in BSG with the Cylon God pitted against the poly-theism of the Colonials, I thought I’d throw some of the other great Sci Fi religions into the mix. Which do you think are the most compelling as religions. Which is not to ask, obviously, which is closer to the Truth.
Not sci-fi but the ‘religion’ of the Many Faced God in George RR Martin’s ‘A Song of Ice and Fire’ are pretty cool. I think to join the Faceless Men you need to be a badass ninja assassin type.
BoobGod FTW!
I wanted to vote Baltar but had to go for Frank Herbet’s Islam in space - it was such a detailed treatment, and utterly compelling, dealing with the nature of religious power, the nature and meaning of prophesy, and the evolution of religious belief over millennia.
Can I also add Bokononism, from Vonnegut’s “Cat’s Cradle” - a religion openly based on comforting lies, whose followers communed by contact through the soles of their feet - try it, it’s nice 
Mau’dib… His name is a killing word.
( .)
Heck of a list!
Hmm. Vaalism means hot girls, but no sex. Also, feeding Vaal. Pass.
Nine Billionism means the universe shuts down. Um, someone stop those monks!
Cthulhuism means the same, only with soul-rending terror. Makes Catholics look like pikers. No thanks.
E Plebneesta-ism seems to mean paying attention to the damn Consititution. Worth a try, I think.
wow, this is a rare poll when Baltar actually makes sense as a legitimate voting option!
Frak. I didn’t even think of it that way. Boobism FTW!
I thought of Dune even before I saw the options… 
Though to be fair, I think the Bene Gesserit are pretty “believeable” as well, and compelling. I loved the Litany Against Fear when I was younger.
Me too. I also thought of the Bene Gesserit. And when I was younger I memorised the litany against fear. In fact I think the whole Dune universe had a formative influence on my overall personal development in my younger days, although I’m not sure whether I should be admitting that in public!
These days of course, I take my moral guidance from BSG :eek:
finally a religion i can get on board with.
It’s good to know that I’m not the only one who memorized it… and I did it at the age where you still remember it…
Moral guidance from BSG? Well it depends how and who you take it (from), right?
I could quote it now I reckon, almost or entirely word perfect - after 3 readings of the Dune series in my teens, twenties and thirties…
The good Gaius of course! Only kidding (although for some reason I relate to Baltar more than most of the other characters - oops! But BSG is great at forcing you to confront moral issues and thus develop a moral standpoint. It’s like exercise for the conscience muscles.
This was a tough choice i mean the whole dune thing was up there, which was cool but a little boring and the whole i’m not particularly fond of holy wars; so i’ll give a pass
and than we have planet of the apes nuclear missile worship, horribly disfigured people and nuclear missiles, and Charlton Heston … but in the end It was just a little too phallic of a Religion, for me to get behind. I mean they were worshiping a giant metal tube that represented human agression (yeah i went there and i’m ashamed but only a little :o)
but in the end it falls to
Whatever the heck the zombies were worshiping in “Omega Man”
and why it still has Heston factor but there were zombies with a zombie Hot rod!! and thats enough for me
Zombies + Zombie hot rod = Greatest made up religion ever so long as i get to drive from time to time otherwise. its cricket bats and machetes.
I’ve seemed to have lost my train of thought/sanity so i’ll just stop.
I have to disagree on the boring, but as far as the unattractiveness of religious violence goes, I concur. But I took “compelling” to mean convincing and intellectually satisfying (in terms of being complex, coherent, complete and well constructed).
If this wasn’t what was meant by the question I may have to reconsider, in which case,…Baltar!
You know i might have to change my mind here, if I were to think about the most compelling maybe indeed those blue eyed desert freaks have it, cause the depth of there religion is compelling as told in the novels (to be honest i just read the first two novels) i voted from the posts header and voted on best fictional religion and continued as always to be a smart ass.
but the religious aspects and cultural aspect of Dune are the most interesting part of the book
So maybe Dune is the most compelling still i love myself a good zombie hot rod
so i’ll sit on the fence and think on the thing for while.
I’d forgotten that one. Haven’t read any Vonegut in 20 yarens. Good pick.
When compiling the list, my first thought for a Dune reference was “Orange Catholicism” but that seemed too obscure.
“Bene Gesserit religion” would have been a good option, but my impression (such as it is – I haven’t read any Dune in along time) was always that the Bene Gesserit were more cynical manipulators of the religious impulse than they were faithful practitioners.
Now the Muad’Dib followers, jeesh, they were true believers! What with the killing millions of people and all…
I agree with your analysis here. OC was never developed that much in the books. BG were definitely cynical - they didn’t really believe in anything except their own breeding programme and right to manipulate the universe to achieve what they saw as a desirable end. If anything their belief was in biological and social engineering and the survival and improvement of humanity. But nothing transcendent there.
I loved the fact that Muad Did-ism drew so much inspiration from history, and the social, political and cultural contexts were explored so thoroughly.
Nickname Boomer, if you read the first two books I’d recommend the third. Dune Messiah was a little esoteric, and seemed to be as much a treatise on the nature of prophecy as much as anything else. Children of Dune was less obscure, and remains my favourite book of the entire Dune series. But I can understand people reading Messiah and not going any further.
Well you know when it comes to religious poll exegesis, the intent of the author is never dispositive, or even illuminating, really. The text has its own independent existence and will always be interpreted in the context of changing societal circumstances. The real question is how do you engage with the text and how does the (also independent) text of your posts interact with the text of the poll to form the fabric of religious-pollness upon which is written the meta-narrative containing the true meaning of the poll.