3 ms·

Atheist here: Not true, there is much more in Hyperion (and even Endymion)

by mbeex 7mo ago

layer8 7mo ago
I’m not saying that you have to be religious. But if you find those topics and related symbolisms rather uninteresting in your sci-fi, then the books may not be for you.
- Freak_NL 7mo ago
  I mean, it's not my fandom, but Catholics do have a wicked sense of symbolism and decoration. Hyperion wouldn't be as colourful if Simmons used a bunch of Evangelicals instead.
  - SmirkingRevenge 7mo ago
    There really is a huge stockpile of stuff there to build into fiction. There's a whole crazy universe of occult-like lore within Catholicism that a subculture of Catholics really get into, it's pretty wild, often quite macabre. I have a couple of those types in my family. The way they talk about praying to specific saints is like they're paladins in an RPG using divine magic. Then there's the whole thing where the church has bones of long dead saints encased in ornate reliquaries that supposedly dispense miracles.
  - throw0101a 7mo ago
    > I mean, it's not my fandom, but Catholics do have a wicked sense of symbolism and decoration. Catholics (and other denominations too) consider the three transcendentals to be Truth, Goodness, and Beauty, which are all natures of God†: * https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transcendentals https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transcendentals This philosophical/theological thinking goes back to (at least) the Middle Ages: * https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/transcendentals-medieval/ https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/transcendentals-medieval/ So the fact that "decoration" would be present is unsurprisingly, as Beauty in this reality can help to lead to greater reality of Truth and Goodness as well. It's why there have long been traditions with art, music, architecture, etc, in Catholic culture. † God is Truth, God is Goodness (itself), and God is Beauty. (God is Love as well.)
- indubioprorubik 7mo ago
  Well, i detest jihadism, but still could enjoy dune
- Brian_K_White 7mo ago
  People are interesting, and religion is a thing people do. In this case there is quasi-religious imagery but you as the reader aren't actually supposed to be mystical about the god/devil in the story the way the characters themselves are. It's not C. S. Lewis Do you also find LeGuin uninteresting?

Atheist here: Not true, there is much more in Hyperion (and even Endymion)

by mbeex 7mo ago

Atheist here: Not true, there is much more in Hyperion (and even Endymion)

I’m not saying that you have to be religious. But if you find those topics and related symbolisms rather uninteresting in your sci-fi, then the books may not be for you.

Freak_NL 7mo ago
I mean, it's not my fandom, but Catholics do have a wicked sense of symbolism and decoration. Hyperion wouldn't be as colourful if Simmons used a bunch of Evangelicals instead.
- SmirkingRevenge 7mo ago
  There really is a huge stockpile of stuff there to build into fiction. There's a whole crazy universe of occult-like lore within Catholicism that a subculture of Catholics really get into, it's pretty wild, often quite macabre. I have a couple of those types in my family. The way they talk about praying to specific saints is like they're paladins in an RPG using divine magic. Then there's the whole thing where the church has bones of long dead saints encased in ornate reliquaries that supposedly dispense miracles.
- throw0101a 7mo ago
  > I mean, it's not my fandom, but Catholics do have a wicked sense of symbolism and decoration. Catholics (and other denominations too) consider the three transcendentals to be Truth, Goodness, and Beauty, which are all natures of God†: * https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transcendentals https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transcendentals This philosophical/theological thinking goes back to (at least) the Middle Ages: * https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/transcendentals-medieval/ https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/transcendentals-medieval/ So the fact that "decoration" would be present is unsurprisingly, as Beauty in this reality can help to lead to greater reality of Truth and Goodness as well. It's why there have long been traditions with art, music, architecture, etc, in Catholic culture. † God is Truth, God is Goodness (itself), and God is Beauty. (God is Love as well.)
indubioprorubik 7mo ago
Well, i detest jihadism, but still could enjoy dune
Brian_K_White 7mo ago
People are interesting, and religion is a thing people do. In this case there is quasi-religious imagery but you as the reader aren't actually supposed to be mystical about the god/devil in the story the way the characters themselves are. It's not C. S. Lewis Do you also find LeGuin uninteresting?