Catholic Ragemonkey

Renewal of Literature

Via Musing on Muses. There has been some discussion about how certain genres need some reworking because they have become cliche. So far we have folks working to fix fantasy, horror, spiritual thrillers, and romance. I'll throw my hat in for science fiction.

Science fiction uses a speculative future to examine the things that make us truly human. It is analysis by comparison. By contrasting the things that changed we see the things that have remained the same within ourselves. When the average person thinks of sci-fi, two things come to mind: Star Trek and Star Wars. Nothing wrong with that if a little limited. This sort of sci-fi thinking leaves out people like Heinlein, Asimov, Bradbury, Turtledove, Dick, and many others.

Religion is a rarely treated subject. For me, the question of what religion will look like in the future opens my thinking about what is happening around me now. What if we discover aliens? Are they persons? Are they fallen? If so, how would you evangelize? If the speed of light is the maximum matter can move, then would you assign a bishop and a few priests to care for the needs of a generation ship (a ship that can sustain a society aboard it)? Would that ship be its own diocese? Would you limit how often people can go to communion because you might run out hosts or wine? And don't get me started on what the seminary would be like?