In Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970), a group of mutated, telepathic humans who survived nuclear holocaust have retreated into underground bunkers and evolved a new religion – the worship of the atomic bomb.
Trevor Talley’s new article for CBR.com reveals the intense, cult-like preparations undergone by actors and stuntmen who played the fearsome War Boys in George Miller’s Mad Max: Fury Road (2015). More details on the War Boys’ behind-the-scenes training is available in the book Blood, Sweat & Chrome: The Wild and True Story of Mad Max: … Read more“Shiny and Chrome”: The Cult of the V8 in Mad Max: Fury Road, Before and Behind the Cameras
Author Craig Chalquist on Lamplight, the religion of his Assembling Terrania Cycle of stories: Even more than readers, writers find themselves astonished by unexpected plot twists. In the story “Ten Lamps,” a mysterious philosopher named Simeon writes down ten cosmic operating principles that work at any scale, even inside us. One of these Lamps declares … Read moreLamplight
The New Religion Wiki is: (…) a free online encyclopedia where contributors edit, converse about religion, philosophy, ethics, or life in general. Since our reformation of 2014 we’ve maintained 139 articles about religions formed by our contributors (along with articles on currently existing new religious movements). Serving as both an encyclopedia and hangout, contributors have … Read moreThe New Religion Wiki
Blogger Yvonne Aburrow writes: Constructed religions, whatever their origins, suggest that there is a need not filled by pre-existing religions, and offer new ideas, stories, and rituals. Many of them focus on environmental concerns. Parody religions perform the very important function of preventing religion from taking itself too seriously – but if they are well-constructed, … Read more“Fictional and Constructed Religions”
CHAPEL by [M] Dudeck/RELIGIONVIRUS September 7-9/2023 at Graffiti Gallery was a three day durational performance. [M] Dudeck, PhD, (born in Winnipeg, 1984) is an artist and cultural engineer who invents their own queer religion as art. Their project, called RELIGIONVIRUS, has been performed, exhibited, screened and published in over thirty countries worldwide. Their work as … Read moreCHAPEL by [M] Dudeck
Tor.com’s Ruthanna Emrys has compiled a list of five recommended works of science fiction concerning invented religions: Delve deep enough into linguistics, and eventually you’ll want to try constructed languages, with new vocabularies and grammars that illustrate the principles and limitations of those that occur naturally. Spend enough late nights arguing theology, and you start … Read more“Five Books About Invented Religions”
From Ursula K. LeGuin’s 1976 essay “Myth and Archetype in Science Fiction“: Where intellect fails, and must always fail, unless we become disembodied bubbles, then one of the other modes must take over. The myth, mythological insight, is one of these. Supremely effective in its area of function, it needs no replacement. Only the schizoid … Read more“Myth and Archetype in Science Fiction”
A featurette on the enigmatic Guilty Remnant cult from the TV series The Leftovers, set three years after an inexplicable event known as the Sudden Departure caused 2% of the world’s population to vanish into thin air. I think one key to understanding the series, and the GR in particular, is to sympathize with the … Read moreThe Guilty Remnant
From the publisher’s blurb: To the casual observer, similarities between fan communities and religious believers are difficult to find. Religion is traditional, institutional, and serious; whereas fandom is contemporary, individualistic, and fun. Can the robes of nuns and priests be compared to cosplay outfits of Jedi Knights and anime characters? Can travelling to fan conventions … Read more“The Sacred in Fantastic Fandom: Essays on the Intersection of Religion and Pop Culture”
