My best friend bought me the book, Religions Of Star Trek (by
Kraemer/Cassidy/Schwartz) for Xmas. How cool is that!? :)

I haven't read it yet, but, what the heck, let's start a religion in ST
thread! :)

In TOS, religion was only glancingly referred to.

EXAMPLE: In Balance of Terror, the bride-to-be briefly kneels at the
altar before her wedding... and nobody seemed to think that THAT was
odd. So in Kirk's day, at least a few Earth people are apparently still
actively religious and devout.

Example: In Dagger of the Mind, Dr. Noel mentions that she first met
Kirk at an onboard Xmas party.

NOTE: In TOS, they have a chapel onboard.

Example: When Kirk is presumed dead in Tholian Web, Spock officiates at
a memorial service in the ship's chapel, and, prayer is NOT specifically
forbidden, it is in fact specifically allowed... in the form of private
thoughts.

ToolPackinMama wrote:

EvilBill wrote:

Earth religions are in fact referred to at least twice, in TOS:

1) At the climax of Bread And Circuses - the Terran's "Son of God" is
mentioned.

2) In Who Mourns For Adonais? - the whole Greek pantheon is at issue.

ToolPackinMama wrote:

EvilBill wrote:

ToolPackinMama wrote:

Kirk: "We find the one [god] quite sufficient". (Or something like that, I
may be paraphrasing). Was he speaking for Spock, and other non-terran crew
members as well? ;o)

Ian

At the time of TOS, the representation of the Federation was
overwhelmingly human so Kirk was probably speaking either personally
or what was consitered the common representation. Consitering the rise
of Islam today, there should be a corrisponding representation but
that of course wasn't the case in the sixties. Our Earth hasn't seen a
third world war or meeting an alien race so what religion goes through
on Star Trek's Earth is speculative.

Star Trek: the animated series introduces the winged serpent god as an
actual being plus we see Lucifer and 'witches' who once visited Earth.
Not canon, as some say, but it happens in the trek universe.

Shows how well I remember titles but there was the Trek movie with the
god wanting to be freed. Seems every one of the raaces who end up
there have a god that they thought they were in the presence of.

EvilBill wrote:

It was referred to explicitly in "Who Mourns for Adonis?" Kirk tells
Apollo that "Humanity has no need of gods....We find the one quite
sufficient."

My guess is that the last part of that line was added at the insistence
of NBC's Broadcast Standards (censors) Department.

Steven L. wrote: