Summary:
Despite the scientific backdrop of Xenocide by Orson Scott Card, there are many religious themes and references. This analysis of the book explores several elements and events that raise questions about the roles of Jesus, God and religion in its plot.
In this book by Orson Scott Card there are a bunch of religious arguments that are brought up. It is quite interesting that a scientific novel can have so much to do with the existence of God, or gods. The book is about the universe after people have discovered how to travel at the speed of light. There are many different worlds out there where people can live on and one special world is the world of Path. The world of Path is a world in which it is of a Chinese civilization. Even though people ride in hover cars this world stuck to it's Chinese heritage and is very traditional. They believe in the gods speaking to them and there are special people in this world called god-spoken. These people are supposedly gifted with the ability to speak to the God's and are therefore forced to perform cleaning rituals because they have to be clean in the eyes of God. As the book progresses the one very high powered god-spoken learns that he doesn't actually have the power to speak to gods, it is just that the government of the universe has genetically manipulated his gene so that he has OCD and therefore thinks he is special.
This is quite scary because it is almost saying that humans might be able to manipulate a person into a religion just by changing their genes. It is also quite horrific because the government is giving them a disorder and just using them to promote their ideas because if the gods are with the government then why shouldn't it be good.
Another religious argument that arises in this book is the ability to convert animals or a separate species. On a world called Lusitania there is another intelligent animal that somewhat resemble pigs. The humans share their world with these creatures. This world is also very much strong Roman Catholic. Now the problem that arises is that if they should try and convert these creatures over to Christianity. Does the bible actually say Jesus died to save all animals or just humans? If there is actually alien life out there in the universe why would God create it? It would be interesting to know of another form of life out there in the universe. I don't think it actually exists though because nowhere in the Bible does it state that there are other creatures on other worlds, and what would Gods purpose be, if we haven't even gotten and sign that they exist. I guess God gives us these things to think about so that he knows we are thinking, but I guess some things only God can answer.
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