"Religion in Star Trek" Topic

"Religion seems to be largely absent from the futuristic and secular world of the Federation and in particular from human society. Star Trek's takes on religious topics are often critical, and they almost routinely close with a victory of science over faith. This is anything but a surprise, knowing that Gene Roddenberry was an active atheist who struggled against any form of religion:…"
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Amicalement
Armand

Umm…

Both Vulcans and Klingons have religions. It isn't science that make Klingons cry out a warning to those on the other side that a Klingon warrior had died.

Did not bajorans (?) have a religion based around the worm hole?

Don't forget the regular human sacrifices the "red shirts" made, in the name of exploration, as well……..

I think Star Trek TOS had more religion overtones than STNG had. Yes Vulcans/Klingons and most "races" had a religious system.

Star Trek simply reflects the prejudice of its writers. Every kind of native religion is held in respect. Examples would be Chakotay's indian religion or Neelix's sacred forest in the afterlife. There is however no hint of Christianity and all those who presumably would be Christian rather proudly declare that they are atheist.

Religion and even Christianity actually does pop up every once in a while.
The most notable I can think of is the TOS episode with the 20th century Rome. "Not the sun in the sky but the son of God" as the tag. And there is a chapel on TOS Enterprise, but rather nondenominational. Seen in at least two episodes. The Tholian Web and one hat starts with a wedding.

I remember those also…

Amicalement
Armand

There's the capitalist wet dream, the Ferengi Divine Treasury repeatedly mentioned in DS-9. Is Jeff Bezos a Ferengi?

Deep Space 9 is full of religion in almost every episode. How many time was Prophets mentioned or Emissary. Odor liquid race was regarded as Gods by the Jimhadar and others.

In the Original series you had religion as an influence if not a theme. The parallel warlord where the barbarian Yang turned out to be defeated Yankees worshiping the constitution.
I many episodes the superior aliens wanted humans to worship them from the Platorians to the children controlling mental force. Many as well.
In STTNG it is less obvious but mentioned as a higher being.

There is however no hint of Christianity and all those who presumably would be Christian rather proudly declare that they are atheist.

I don't recall any declarations of atheism, but then I have certainly not see every episode of every Star Trek series.

With a crew drawn from apparently everywhere on Earth, many crew members would presumably be Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, and Jews, but none of those enormous contemporary religions appear in Star Trek, either, as far as I know.

Excerpts of an interview in which Roddenberry expressed his experiences with and views of religion are collected here:

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And so we had aliens with their religions to add some variety to episodes while presumably all of the current religions in existence today have conveniently disappeared.

Using alien religions means you can critique existing religions or practices without actually stepping on the toes of those religions & insulting their practitioners. Other than as a footnote, that is why real Earth religions are not featured in Trek or most SF for that matter.

Damon.

Picard declares that humanity is "humanist" once or twice in TNG, and that's really the only mentioned.
He says something to the effect that humanity has left behind superstitions and beliefs in the supernatural in the episode who watches the watchers (I think)

But there is always ambiguity in trek, what one writer writes in one episode doesn't necessarily affect what happens in another.

No tv sci fi except B5 has a clear concise reality as JMS wrote 95% of the episodes, so it was his vision throughout.
B5 also talks about current human relations.

Stargate naturally dealt with it as the main premise was false gods.
And the Ori arc actually got some flak by people who saw it as a critique of christianity while others saw it as a critique of Islam.

The Religions Of Star Trek ….
Of possible interest?

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Amicalement
Armand

"Humanist"? Can non-human alien races be humanist?

There was an episode in Enterprise where the ship encounters a group of aliens whose religion centered around a variable Nova, if I remember correctly.

The crew are invited to watch the variable Nova burst with the aliens and the Captain has a conversation with the Denobulan Doctor who mentions that in his time on Earth he visited certain religious sites, such as St Paul's in Rome and another location (can't remember where now).

So Trek steered away from clear of references to real world religions whilst bringing in alien culture's religions all the time (DS9 in particular) as others have mentioned above.

I would assume in the modern military religion may play second fiddle, especially while on duty. Could be wrong.

If trek spent longer on earth you would see more human religion.

Tasha's funeral service?