We love it when science fiction gets cosmic. And some of science fiction's greatest creators have proved, over the years, that science fiction doesn't have stay away from big religious topics — as long as you avoid some basic mistakes.
From a neurological perspective, spiritual sensations like out-of-body experiences are fairly easy to understand. They're the result of changes in the brain's arousal system. But animals have the same system as humans...meaning animals could have a spirituality all their own.
People who are interested in seeing science fiction handle religion in a non-kludgey way should check out B.J. Keeton's essay on the subject. Inspired by Eric James Stone's "alien Mormons" story in the September Analog, Keeton derives some no-nonsense rules.
The debate over religion's place in science fiction
"The culture-shaping force of science fiction storytellers may be more significant and more widespread than we imagine. That's because they trade in myth. By myth, I mean a transcendent story that helps us make sense of our place in the cosmos. This common definition makes the Christian gospel, as C. S. Lewis suggested, …
