Science, Science Fiction, and
Spirituality
Part 2
New Myths in Place of Old Creeds
“[T]here is today—in a time when old beliefs
are withering—a kind of philosophical
hunger, a need to know who we are and
how we got here. There is an ongoing
search, often unconscious, for a cosmic
perspective for humanity.”
Carl Sagan, The Cosmic Connection (1973), p. 59
New Myths in Place of Old Creeds
“We need a new religion.”
Ray Kurzweil, The Singularity is Near: When
Humans Transcend Biology (2005), p. 374
New Myths in Place of Old Creeds
“The search for superior beings, the quest
for extraterrestrial intelligence, is itself a
kind of religion.”
Stephen Dick, Life on Other Worlds: The 20th
Century Extraterrestrial Life Debate (1998), p. 253
New Myths in Place of Old Creeds
“[There is] an emerging canon of transcendent
stories that provides meaning to our lives . . .
the mythmaking work of two powerful engines
of cultural influence—speculative science . . .
And the works of science fiction . . .
New Myths in Place of Old Creeds
“. . . [presented to us as] a much-needed
alternative to more traditional perspectives on
God, people, and the destiny of the human race,
an alternative that will open a spiritual pathway
into the increasingly technological future.”
James Herrick, Scientific Mythologies: How Science and
Science Fiction Forge New Religious Beliefs (2008), p. 13
James A. Herrick
Scientific Mythologies: How
Science and Science Fiction
Forge New Religious Beliefs
Intervarsity Press, 2008
The Myth of the Extraterrestrial
New gods for a technological age
The Myth of the Extraterrestrial
 Belief in “other worlds” as old as 4th century BC
 Rejected by early church fathers under influence of
Plato and Aristotle (only one “Prime Mover”)
 ET visitation idea of science fiction first appears
in 17th century
 French scientist and science fiction writer Bernard le
Bovier de Fontenelle (1657-1757): Conversations on the
Plurality of Worlds (1686):
 hostile to Christianity, promoted polygenism
The Myth of the Extraterrestrial
 French scientist and science
fiction writer Bernard de
Fontenelle (1657-1757):
Conversations on the Plurality of
Worlds (1686):
 hostile to Christianity, promoted
polygenism
The Myth of the Extraterrestrial
 Case for polygenism made by contemporary, Isaac la Peyrere, Men
Before Adam (1655)
 Fontanelle warned inhabitants of other worlds not men.
 Scientists like Edmund Halley (1656-1742): other habitable planets
with life “taken for granted”
 Thomas Paine proponent of plurality of worlds.
 Nicholas of Cusa (1401-1464) first theologian of prominence to
endorse plurality of worlds.
 “perhaps the inhabitants of these worlds are nobler than ourselves”
The Myth of the Extraterrestrial
 “made sense” because of Darwin
 French astronomer Camille Flammarion (1842-1925) applied
Darwinism to other worlds with most effort.
 Plurality of Inhabited Worlds (1862); reprinted 33 times by
1880
 “all planets would attain life in due time”
The Myth of the Extraterrestrial
 Flammarion was also a mystic,
obsessed with life after death
and reincarnation.
 Believed in “evolutionary
reincarnation” where souls
migrated not only from body
to body, but planet to planet.
The Myth of the Extraterrestrial
“Once life has started in a relatively
benign environment and billions of years
of evolutionary time are available, the
expectation of many of us is that
intelligent beings would develop.”
Carl Sagan, The Dragons of Eden: Speculations on
the Evolution of Human Intelligence (1978)
The Myth of the Extraterrestrial
 By end 19th century, the myth of the intelligent, spiritual,
and benevolent ET was entrenched in Western thought.
 By end 20th century, ET visitation and displacement of
theism (current or ancient) was also entrenched in
Western thought.
 Official sources (astronomers, military, NASA, etc.)
 Unofficial sources (science fiction writers and film-makers)
 First UFO “wave” in mid-20th century
The Myth of the Extraterrestrial
 By end 19th century, the myth of the intelligent, spiritual,
and benevolent ET was entrenched in Western thought.
 By end 20th century, ET visitation and displacement of
theism (current or ancient) was also entrenched in
Western thought.
 Official sources (astronomers, military, NASA, etc.)
 Unofficial sources (science fiction writers and film-makers)
 First UFO “wave” in mid-20th century
Michaud
The Myth of ET Salvation
Saving Humanity from Itself
The Myth of ET Salvation
Carl Sagan, The Cosmic
Connection, 220-222, 243, 267
“Interstellar communication . . . May be the agency of our
own survival.”
“[These beings are] supercivilization gods . . .”
“. . . motivated by benevolence . . . [and] hundreds or
thousands or millions of years beyond us . . . [they] possess
sciences and technologies so far beyond our present
capabilities as to be indistinguishable from magic.”
The Myth of ET Salvation
“Humankind will remain vulnerable so
long as it stays confined here on earth.”
Martin Rees, Our Final Hour: A Scientist’s Warning:
How Terror, Error, and Environmental Disaster
Threaten Humankind’s Future in this Century—
On Earth and Beyond (2003), p. 170
The Myth of ET Salvation
 These beings are here to save us from a “newly
redefined fallenness” (Herrick, 68)
 Humanity is not lost in sin, but in the primitive stages
of biological, spiritual, and social evolution.
 Humanity in its present condition is a threat to itself; it
must be saved by a greater intelligence
The Myth of ET Salvation
 Space is where humanity will meet its gods—our
deliverers
 Will achieve Eden—utopia
 We attain unlimited knowledge
 Overcome human evil
The Myth of ET Salvation
“Heaven, purged of religion, is
transformed into Space.”
James Herrick, Scientific Mythologies (2008), p. 89
The Myth of ET Salvation
 Science fiction propaganda blurs the lines between ET
and Christian theology (or redefines theism)
 God, angels = benevolent ETs
 It’s about messaging, not cartoonish nonsense
 Hundreds of thousands of pages and hours of print
science fiction, TV, and film have transmitted the memes
since late 19th century.
Christian minister / priest reads
from Psalm 91:11 before humans
chosen to join the aliens.
Hands the human race over to
the “real” truth or a greater
truth.
ET possesses powers to heal
and fly.
Spiritual connection with
Eliot.
Rises from the dead.
Klaatu
The Myth of the New Humanity
“We will be as gods”
The Myth of Becoming Gods
“I teach you the superman. Man is
something that is to be surpassed.”
Friedrich Nietzsche
The Myth of Becoming Gods
“The center of the science fiction universe
(in place of the absent God) is . . . man as he
will ‘become’ in the future.”
Seraphim Rose, Orthodoxy and the Religion
of the Future (1996), p. 73
The Myth of Becoming Gods
 Again, humanity is not lost in sin; it needs to evolve.
 Humanity is the divine image; its destiny is to become
divine.
 In an evolutionary worldview, the divine image =
panspermia (intelligent or otherwise)
 ET evolution undoubtedly propelled by science and
technology.
The Myth of Becoming Gods
 Our evolution must proceed with same tools
 We must restore Eden, whether helped by ET contact or
not
 Trans-humanism
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Digital enhancement; uploading consciousness
Genetic enhancement
Cloning
Re-shape matter in all forms,
Synthetic biology
biological or otherwise, upon
Nanotechnology
demand
Arthur C. Clarke in 3001:
“Now they were Lords of the
Galaxy, and could rove at will
among the stars.”
The Myth of God
 The propensity for people to believe our future is in
space, and that ET really is out there, explains (in part)
why people are willing to believe past human history is
also connected to space.
 God/gods = ancient ET visitation
Prometheus
Prometheus Mythology
 Titan; trickster figure credited with creating
man from clay
 Divine “gardener” from space
 Movie: engineers look like smooth white
clay; our DNA comes from theirs
 Defies the gods by giving fire to humanity
Prometheus Mythology
 This gift enabled civilization and progress
 Prometheus known as “champion” of
humanity
 Sentenced to eternal torment by Zeus
Prometheus Mythology
 Bound to a rock, where each day an eagle
(symbol of Zeus), came to feed on his liver,
which would then grow back to be eaten
again the next day.
 The giver of (human) life has his abdomen torn
Prometheus
Mythology
open, a dying god
 Jesus = spear wound in his side = the creator-redeemer,
giving his life for humanity, keeping the devil at bay.
Prometheus Mythology
 Movies.com: We had heard it was scripted that the
Engineers were targeting our planet for destruction
because we had crucified one of their
representatives, and that Jesus Christ might have
been an alien. Was that ever considered?
Prometheus
Mythology
 Ridley Scott: We definitely did, and then we
thought it was a little too on the nose. But if you
look at it as an “our children are misbehaving down
there” scenario, there are moments where it looks
like we’ve gone out of control, running around with
armor and skirts, which of course would be the
Roman Empire. And they were given a long run. A
thousand years before their disintegration actually
started to happen. And you can say, "Let's send
down one more of our emissaries to see if he can
stop it." Guess what? They crucified him.
See this review by Cavalorn
Bottom Line
 What we regularly assign to entertainment is
actually a viable worldview in the mind of many.
 Postmodern Zeitgeist
 Failure of Christian thinkers to care