“How to Imagine the Future”
The inimitable M. Dudeck on This Podcast is a Ritual, discussing Xenotheology and the intimate relationships between imagination and spirituality.
Science Fiction
“13 Artworks by Deborah Kelly”
The Cordite Poetry Review offers 13 collage artworks by Australian artist Deborah Kelly, in connection with her queer insurrectionary science fiction climate change religion known as CREATION: “The religion proceeds from a text I commissioned from artist SJ Norman called the Liturgy of the Saprophyte, and some of these artworks were made as part of calling-into-being … Read more“13 Artworks by Deborah Kelly”
Memento Mori Religion in “28 Years Later”
In the 28 Days franchise, much of the world is laid to waste by an accidentally-released pathogen called the Rage Virus, which reduces human beings to almost mindless biting and eating machines. The third installment is set 28 years after the original movie and takes place in a radically re-wilded England. Nature has largely reclaimed … Read moreMemento Mori Religion in “28 Years Later”
“Making Fictional Faiths Real: Invented Religions”
Click here to listen to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation’s Soul Search interview with Prof. Carole Cusack on the subject of invented religions.
New Eden: Science Fiction Mythologies Transformed (ArtScience Museum of Singapore, 21 Oct 2023 – 3 Mar 2024)
Click here for more information on this exhibition. “New Eden: Science Fiction Mythologies Transformed” offers fresh insights on science fiction, a genre built on envisioning alternative futures and imaginary realms. The lines connecting science fiction with Asian philosophy and mythologies are brought to light through the work of twenty-four Asian women artists and collectives. The … Read moreNew Eden: Science Fiction Mythologies Transformed (ArtScience Museum of Singapore, 21 Oct 2023 – 3 Mar 2024)
“Justified and Ancient” – the KLF and Tammy Wynette (1991)
Justified and Ancient was written and produced by the British music/performance art/culture-jamming group The KLF, who were inspired by the mock-conspiracy-theory, quasi-occult, “high weirdness” movement more-or-less started by the underground classic novel The Illuminatus Trilogy. Basically, they thought it would be hilarious to have country legend Tammy Wynette star in a pop-music video based on … Read more“Justified and Ancient” – the KLF and Tammy Wynette (1991)
“Renew! Renew!” The Cult of Carrousel in Logan’s Run (1976)
In the futuristic world of Logan’s Run (1976), humanity – or at least that portion of humanity that the movie is concerned with – is sequestered away from the unknown “world outside”, living and dying inside vast Xanadu-like pleasure domes. Their lives and deaths are supervised by an AI who ensures that they want for … Read more“Renew! Renew!” The Cult of Carrousel in Logan’s Run (1976)
First Public Shrine to the Flying Spaghetti Monster (Solec-Zdrój, Poland)
The unveiling of the world’s first public Pastafarian shrine is scheduled for Saturday, September 27 at 3 p.m. The sculpture was created by artist Bartosz Banasik of the Słaboszów commune, who said: I love spirituality in its broadest sense. I’ve created many religious objects, primarily for Christian denominations. When a representative of the Flying Monster … Read moreFirst Public Shrine to the Flying Spaghetti Monster (Solec-Zdrój, Poland)
“Why Fictional Religions Feel So Fake”
The ReligionForBreakfast YouTube channel offers advice for science fiction and fantasy worldbuilders towards creating imaginary religions that feel lived-in and real.
Breaking the Unspoken Commandment (Children of Dune, 1976)
Religion is the emulation of the adult by the child. Religion is the encystment of past beliefs: mythology, which is guesswork, the hidden assumptions of trust in the universe, those pronouncements which men have made in search of personal power, all of it mingled with shreds of enlightenment. And always the ultimate unspoken commandment is … Read moreBreaking the Unspoken Commandment (Children of Dune, 1976)