How do you have an animistic religion in a space opera setting where everyone has easy access to science and...

did that thread on space shinto get archived? I can't find it.

The fuck is orthopraxy

Emphasis on correct behavior and conduct, as opposed to the correct faith and mindset of orthodoxy. Learn2theology

performing correct actions, regardless of belief. Seen a lot more in Europe prior to the Reformation.

That may be true but in Asian countries 'correct behavior' is a doctrine and religion all its own

Basically Hinduism, in space.

The other anons explained it, but to illustrate it: in Christianity (an orthodox or belief-centric religion) you can be a Christian even if you never go to church as long as you acknowledge Jesus as your Lord and Savior. In Shintoism (an orthoprax or practice-centric religion) you can be a Shinto even if you renounce the existence of Kami as long as you go to the temple on special days, participate in certain festivals and do other rites associated with the beliefs.

Of course these two are the extremes and in both traditions there's a whole spectrum in between (like the Catholic Church only accepting you after baptism, and the fact that baptized Catholics keep identifying as such even if they don't believe in God).

Kanna is the cutest.

Stuff like this is why I still enjoy learning about religion as an atheist. So many interesting perspectives.

How about a spacer religion? Praying for safety in the cold void?

I have spacers making little shrines to major Tom in my settings. It started out as a joke, and most of them would say it still is, but they're plenty sincere when they thank the unofficial patron of lost spacers

>mudcrab
>not most aggressive

So the more delicious a crab is the more passive it is? Interesting...

let me put it to you this way: could science, regardless of how advanced it is, ever disprove the existence of god or the spirit?
If I say that there is an essential and ethereal part of my being that exists after my death, what could disprove that?

The fact that we cannot detect it, there has never been any genuine reproducible phenomena, and I'm gonna skip the next paragraph to skip to the conclusion.

You are a wet sack of chemicals and meat. Existence has no purpose. You will die and cease to exist, because your measurable brain electricity stops - that is your soul. Your all. Brain electricity. You die it gone. The end.

Yeah, animism and science are kind of at odds with each other so one would have to give way, so to speak.

Does rain come from measurable meteorological phenomena interacting or is it a rain/cloud/water/storm spirit having fun?

Perhaps you could still use some science to measure, like "the barometer does a thing when storm spirits are nearby" but ultimately one has to be "true" I think.

So in turn, technology would advance totally differently. If we could coax fire spirits to burn hotter and regular we could have superior steel without blast furnaces. If we can ask a health spirit to help cure people, why bother with germ theory? Sure there would still be weirdos who dissect people to see how they work and experiment with big furnaces, but depending on how prevalent spirit-talkers are, it'd be hobby stuff rather than need.

So you need to decide first: Which is true? and How common/easy is it to interact with the spirits?

I'd love to see a setting where androids were treated identically to humans from a religious standpoint.

Just thinking about the Geth now. "Does this unit have a soul?"

>an·i·mism n.
>1. the attribution of a soul to plants, inanimate objects, and natural phenomena.
>2. the belief in a supernatural power that organizes and animates the material universe.

Given how spacers anthropomorphize their ships...I don't see the issue. Spiritual practice doesn't necessarily have to be more than a group of superstitions, however the question becomes if the people pray do the spirits listen?

If so, why bother trying to convince someone of same? There's no point.

>How do you have an animistic religion in a space opera setting where everyone has easy access to science and information? What kind of elements would the religion have?

I'm pretty sure people would just worship planets, systems, stars, etc.. maybe out of sentimentality, but a few generations of material would be enough to start a full-blown-religion in my books.

And why wouldn't you? You know? Space is scary, cold, hot, empty, expect when it isn't and then it's full of meteorites, black holes, space whales, etc.. All of which don't even WANT to kill you, but accidentally do so without a second thought.

At any rate, I don't think it'd be outlandish for spacers to have all manner of animistic rituals, trinkets, etc:
-Jars of Dirt, Sand, or Water from their homeworld seem like the easiest.

-Maybe they compulsively grow and tend to dozens or hundreds of potted plants all scattered across their ship?

-You might have some people who insist on bringing some sort of good-luck pet from their homeworld: fish, lizard, dog, cat, maybe a bird or something else alien.... Maybe they don't have it alive and it's a taxedermy or just a claw/hide?

-Not necessarily "animal" animism, but I bet you anything people would definitely name their ships (can't have a nameless vessel), maybe even going so far as to paint on them: sexy people, animal faces, abstract designs, etc..

Just some food for thought.

Randal. Let's go, motherfuckers.