Entropy Gate

God and Science Fiction part two

In one of my favorite episodes of Babylon 5, a Monk is asked by the Mimbari Ambassador what is the most important part of his religion. The Monk thinks it over briefly and then replies that it is the point in time where Jesus is in the garden of Gesthemene and he hears the men approaching to take him away to be brutally tortured and killed. The Monk goes on to speak of temptation and faith and courage...it's an amazing speech that he gives, but what is even more amazing is that the story was written by J. Michael Straczynski...an atheist!

I had become so sick and tired of "Christians" being the bad guys on TV and movies that it came as a bit of a shock when I saw that episode and realized that Christianity was not being lampooned, distorted or put down. I can think of several movies, and I bet you can too, where the villain is a "Christian". The real shame is that some of the movies are really entertaining...or at least they could be if it wasn't for the fact that my beliefs are the driving force behind the villain's insanity, his killing sprees or his megalomania.

So here's the way I look at it. I very easily could have written a novel that had no mention of God or any of my beliefs. I could have had the heroes be brave men and women who continually beat the odds and the bad guys because they are resilient and strong and powerful and...well, you get the idea. But that's not me. That's not the way I try to live my life. If JMS can write such an honest and insightful story about my beliefs, can't I at least attempt to do the same?