Details

Autor(en) / Beteiligte

• List, Julia

Titel

"Call Me a Protestant": Liberal Christianity, Individualism, and the Messiah in "Stranger in a Strange Land", "Dune", and "Lord of Light"

Ist Teil von

• Science-fiction studies, 2009-03, Vol.36 (1), p.21-47

Ort / Verlag

Montreal: SF-TH Inc

Erscheinungsjahr

2009

Quelle

Alma/SFX Local Collection

Beschreibungen/Notizen

• Robert Heinlein's "Stranger in a Strange Land" (1961), Frank Herbert's "Dune" (1965), and Roger Zelazny's "Lord of Light" (1967) are important works of 1960s sf that share an emphasis on the social ramifications of scientific developments, particularly in the domain of religion. Centered on ambiguous messianic figures, the three novels use science-fictional worlds to critique contemporary religious institutions and beliefs and to explore possible alternatives. This paper argues that while many features of traditional theism and organized religion are rejected in this process, certain concepts and values of religious origin remain relatively unchallenged. For the most part, the values that are retained are those of one of the most liberal and well-educated segments of 1960s American society: the mainline Protestant upper and middle classes.