Religion - Revision history

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Role in Society

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	Within the last few centuries due to events such as the French Revolution, historical grievances and ideological campaigns focusing on things like empiricism and subjectivism, there has also been a significant amount of anti-religious sentiment, which regards religion as at best redundant and at worst destructive (beyond what's already stated, the reasons for this view and whether or not those arguments have any merit shall not be discussed here). In spite of the endless debates one could have on the subject, it is true to say that there have been people who believed themselves to be of great faith who have also been [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Massacre_at_B%C3%A9ziers objectively] [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isabella_I_of_Castile terrible] [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rohingya_genocide people]. In some cases, such as with the Aztec, Scientologists, or Jim Jones' cult, they have been unilaterally despised around the world for having borderline irredeemable qualities of their "faith".		Within the last few centuries due to events such as the French Revolution, historical grievances and ideological campaigns focusing on things like empiricism and subjectivism, there has also been a significant amount of anti-religious sentiment, which regards religion as at best redundant and at worst destructive (beyond what's already stated, the reasons for this view and whether or not those arguments have any merit shall not be discussed here). In spite of the endless debates one could have on the subject, it is true to say that there have been people who believed themselves to be of great faith who have also been [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Massacre_at_B%C3%A9ziers objectively] [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isabella_I_of_Castile terrible] [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rohingya_genocide people]. In some cases, such as with the Aztec, Scientologists, or Jim Jones' cult, they have been unilaterally despised around the world for having borderline irredeemable qualities of their "faith".

	This has led to a simplistic belief among some that religion itself is wrong/bad and has to go, leading to regimes that try to exploit or promote this for personal gain, with [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/State_atheism#Human_rights terrible and] [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/League_of_Militant_Atheists almost predictable] [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khmer_Rouge_rule_of_Cambodia#Religious_persecutions results] each time - the first avowed example in human history being Soviet Russia. ~~For the most part, within the~~ 20th century ~~a combination of people identifying more with their culture or nation than their religion and the concept that religion and functions of state should not interfere with each other has turned into~~ more of a "live and let live" mentality that doesn't really support or oppose any one religion and only reacts when said religions begin actively defying the state or the state starts bringing the boot down on religion. ~~Most~~ of the world's population is religious, with the amount of piety varying from country to country, and ~~there are~~ religious and non-religious people ~~who~~ tolerate those on the opposite side.		This has led to a simplistic belief among some that religion itself is wrong/bad and has to go, leading to regimes that try to exploit or promote this for personal gain, with [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/State_atheism#Human_rights terrible and] [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/League_of_Militant_Atheists almost predictable] [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khmer_Rouge_rule_of_Cambodia#Religious_persecutions results] each time - the first avowed example in human history being Soviet Russia. The 20th century saw more of a "live and let live" mentality that doesn't really support or oppose any one religion and only reacts when said religions begin actively defying the state or the state starts bringing the boot down on religion, though things got more polarized in the 21st century. Even now, most of the world's population is religious, with the amount of piety varying from country to country, and of course many religious and non-religious people at least tolerate those on the opposite side.

	Aside from the aforementioned theocracies, the most religious nations are countries such as Brazil in South America or Zambia in Africa (Zambia even has a state religion alongside a law that allows for freedom of religion). China is - at the time this was written - the world's least religious and most atheistic country followed by Japan and Sweden. North Korea is [[Skub\|debatable]] because they have the Kim Cult of Personality - where lip service is as permitted as actual faith - blended with the Marxist-Leninist offshoot ideology Juche which violently suppresses religion [https://www.foxnews.com/world/north-korea-publicly-executes-80-some-for-videos-or-bibles-report-says to the point that ''merely having copies of religious texts can be grounds for execution''] [https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/north-korea-toddler-parents-jailed-for-life-after-being-caught-with-bible/ar-AA1bNM4N#:~:text=A%20two-year-old%20North%20Korean%20was%20sentenced%20to%20life,regime%20continued%20to%20%E2%80%9Cexecute%E2%80%9D%20and%20%E2%80%9Ctorture%E2%80%9D%20religious%20worshippers. ''or see entire families imprisoned for life''].		Aside from the aforementioned theocracies, the most religious nations are countries such as Brazil in South America or Zambia in Africa (Zambia even has a state religion alongside a law that allows for freedom of religion). China is - at the time this was written - the world's least religious and most atheistic country followed by Japan and Sweden. North Korea is [[Skub\|debatable]] because they have the Kim Cult of Personality - where lip service is as permitted as actual faith - blended with the Marxist-Leninist offshoot ideology Juche which violently suppresses religion [https://www.foxnews.com/world/north-korea-publicly-executes-80-some-for-videos-or-bibles-report-says to the point that ''merely having copies of religious texts can be grounds for execution''] [https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/north-korea-toddler-parents-jailed-for-life-after-being-caught-with-bible/ar-AA1bNM4N#:~:text=A%20two-year-old%20North%20Korean%20was%20sentenced%20to%20life,regime%20continued%20to%20%E2%80%9Cexecute%E2%80%9D%20and%20%E2%80%9Ctorture%E2%80%9D%20religious%20worshippers. ''or see entire families imprisoned for life''].

115.70.44.117: /* Role in Society */

2023-05-30T06:10:04Z

Role in Society

← Older revision		Revision as of 06:10, 30 May 2023
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	This has led to a simplistic belief among some that religion itself is wrong/bad and has to go, leading to regimes that try to exploit or promote this for personal gain, with [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/State_atheism#Human_rights terrible and] [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/League_of_Militant_Atheists almost predictable] [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khmer_Rouge_rule_of_Cambodia#Religious_persecutions results] each time - the first avowed example in human history being Soviet Russia. For the most part, within the 20th century a combination of people identifying more with their culture or nation than their religion and the concept that religion and functions of state should not interfere with each other has turned into more of a "live and let live" mentality that doesn't really support or oppose any one religion and only reacts when said religions begin actively defying the state or the state starts bringing the boot down on religion. Most of the world's population is religious, with the amount of piety varying from country to country, and there are religious and non-religious people who tolerate those on the opposite side.		This has led to a simplistic belief among some that religion itself is wrong/bad and has to go, leading to regimes that try to exploit or promote this for personal gain, with [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/State_atheism#Human_rights terrible and] [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/League_of_Militant_Atheists almost predictable] [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khmer_Rouge_rule_of_Cambodia#Religious_persecutions results] each time - the first avowed example in human history being Soviet Russia. For the most part, within the 20th century a combination of people identifying more with their culture or nation than their religion and the concept that religion and functions of state should not interfere with each other has turned into more of a "live and let live" mentality that doesn't really support or oppose any one religion and only reacts when said religions begin actively defying the state or the state starts bringing the boot down on religion. Most of the world's population is religious, with the amount of piety varying from country to country, and there are religious and non-religious people who tolerate those on the opposite side.

	Aside from the aforementioned theocracies, the most religious nations are countries such as Brazil in South America or Zambia in Africa (Zambia even has a state religion alongside a law that allows for freedom of religion). China is - at the time this was written - the world's least religious and most atheistic country followed by Japan and Sweden. North Korea is [[Skub\|debatable]] because they have the Kim Cult of Personality - where lip service is as permitted as actual faith - blended with the Marxist-Leninist offshoot ideology Juche which violently ~~suppressing~~ religion [https://www.foxnews.com/world/north-korea-publicly-executes-80-some-for-videos-or-bibles-report-says to the point that ''merely having copies of religious texts can be grounds for execution''] [https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/north-korea-toddler-parents-jailed-for-life-after-being-caught-with-bible/ar-AA1bNM4N#:~:text=A%20two-year-old%20North%20Korean%20was%20sentenced%20to%20life,regime%20continued%20to%20%E2%80%9Cexecute%E2%80%9D%20and%20%E2%80%9Ctorture%E2%80%9D%20religious%20worshippers. ''or see entire families imprisoned for life''].		Aside from the aforementioned theocracies, the most religious nations are countries such as Brazil in South America or Zambia in Africa (Zambia even has a state religion alongside a law that allows for freedom of religion). China is - at the time this was written - the world's least religious and most atheistic country followed by Japan and Sweden. North Korea is [[Skub\|debatable]] because they have the Kim Cult of Personality - where lip service is as permitted as actual faith - blended with the Marxist-Leninist offshoot ideology Juche which violently suppresses religion [https://www.foxnews.com/world/north-korea-publicly-executes-80-some-for-videos-or-bibles-report-says to the point that ''merely having copies of religious texts can be grounds for execution''] [https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/north-korea-toddler-parents-jailed-for-life-after-being-caught-with-bible/ar-AA1bNM4N#:~:text=A%20two-year-old%20North%20Korean%20was%20sentenced%20to%20life,regime%20continued%20to%20%E2%80%9Cexecute%E2%80%9D%20and%20%E2%80%9Ctorture%E2%80%9D%20religious%20worshippers. ''or see entire families imprisoned for life''].

	'''[[TL;DR]] Like it or not, religion is an intrinsic part of human civilization. [[Skub\|Whether that's a good thing or a bad thing is a matter we leave to the reader.]]'''		'''[[TL;DR]] Like it or not, religion is an intrinsic part of human civilization. [[Skub\|Whether that's a good thing or a bad thing is a matter we leave to the reader.]]'''

115.70.44.117: /* Role in Society */

2023-05-30T06:09:01Z

Role in Society

← Older revision		Revision as of 06:09, 30 May 2023
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	This has led to a simplistic belief among some that religion itself is wrong/bad and has to go, leading to regimes that try to exploit or promote this for personal gain, with [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/State_atheism#Human_rights terrible and] [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/League_of_Militant_Atheists almost predictable] [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khmer_Rouge_rule_of_Cambodia#Religious_persecutions results] each time - the first avowed example in human history being Soviet Russia. For the most part, within the 20th century a combination of people identifying more with their culture or nation than their religion and the concept that religion and functions of state should not interfere with each other has turned into more of a "live and let live" mentality that doesn't really support or oppose any one religion and only reacts when said religions begin actively defying the state or the state starts bringing the boot down on religion. Most of the world's population is religious, with the amount of piety varying from country to country, and there are religious and non-religious people who tolerate those on the opposite side.		This has led to a simplistic belief among some that religion itself is wrong/bad and has to go, leading to regimes that try to exploit or promote this for personal gain, with [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/State_atheism#Human_rights terrible and] [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/League_of_Militant_Atheists almost predictable] [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khmer_Rouge_rule_of_Cambodia#Religious_persecutions results] each time - the first avowed example in human history being Soviet Russia. For the most part, within the 20th century a combination of people identifying more with their culture or nation than their religion and the concept that religion and functions of state should not interfere with each other has turned into more of a "live and let live" mentality that doesn't really support or oppose any one religion and only reacts when said religions begin actively defying the state or the state starts bringing the boot down on religion. Most of the world's population is religious, with the amount of piety varying from country to country, and there are religious and non-religious people who tolerate those on the opposite side.

	Aside from the aforementioned theocracies, the most religious nations are countries such as Brazil in South America or Zambia in Africa (Zambia even has a state religion alongside a law that allows for freedom of religion). China is - at the time this was written - the world's least religious and most atheistic country followed by Japan and Sweden. North Korea is [[Skub\|debatable]] because they have the Kim Cult of Personality - where lip service is as permitted as actual faith - blended with the Marxist-Leninist offshoot ideology Juche which violently suppressing religion [https://www.foxnews.com/world/north-korea-publicly-executes-80-some-for-videos-or-bibles-report-says to the point that ''merely having copies of religious texts can be grounds for execution''] or [https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/north-korea-toddler-parents-jailed-for-life-after-being-caught-with-bible/ar-AA1bNM4N#:~:text=A%20two-year-old%20North%20Korean%20was%20sentenced%20to%20life,regime%20continued%20to%20%E2%80%9Cexecute%E2%80%9D%20and%20%E2%80%9Ctorture%E2%80%9D%20religious%20worshippers. see entire families imprisoned for life].		Aside from the aforementioned theocracies, the most religious nations are countries such as Brazil in South America or Zambia in Africa (Zambia even has a state religion alongside a law that allows for freedom of religion). China is - at the time this was written - the world's least religious and most atheistic country followed by Japan and Sweden. North Korea is [[Skub\|debatable]] because they have the Kim Cult of Personality - where lip service is as permitted as actual faith - blended with the Marxist-Leninist offshoot ideology Juche which violently suppressing religion [https://www.foxnews.com/world/north-korea-publicly-executes-80-some-for-videos-or-bibles-report-says to the point that ''merely having copies of religious texts can be grounds for execution''] [https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/north-korea-toddler-parents-jailed-for-life-after-being-caught-with-bible/ar-AA1bNM4N#:~:text=A%20two-year-old%20North%20Korean%20was%20sentenced%20to%20life,regime%20continued%20to%20%E2%80%9Cexecute%E2%80%9D%20and%20%E2%80%9Ctorture%E2%80%9D%20religious%20worshippers. ''or see entire families imprisoned for life''].

	'''[[TL;DR]] Like it or not, religion is an intrinsic part of human civilization. [[Skub\|Whether that's a good thing or a bad thing is a matter we leave to the reader.]]'''		'''[[TL;DR]] Like it or not, religion is an intrinsic part of human civilization. [[Skub\|Whether that's a good thing or a bad thing is a matter we leave to the reader.]]'''

115.70.44.117: /* Role in Society */

2023-05-30T06:08:07Z

Role in Society

← Older revision		Revision as of 06:08, 30 May 2023
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	This has led to a simplistic belief among some that religion itself is wrong/bad and has to go, leading to regimes that try to exploit or promote this for personal gain, with [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/State_atheism#Human_rights terrible and] [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/League_of_Militant_Atheists almost predictable] [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khmer_Rouge_rule_of_Cambodia#Religious_persecutions results] each time - the first avowed example in human history being Soviet Russia. For the most part, within the 20th century a combination of people identifying more with their culture or nation than their religion and the concept that religion and functions of state should not interfere with each other has turned into more of a "live and let live" mentality that doesn't really support or oppose any one religion and only reacts when said religions begin actively defying the state or the state starts bringing the boot down on religion. Most of the world's population is religious, with the amount of piety varying from country to country, and there are religious and non-religious people who tolerate those on the opposite side.		This has led to a simplistic belief among some that religion itself is wrong/bad and has to go, leading to regimes that try to exploit or promote this for personal gain, with [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/State_atheism#Human_rights terrible and] [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/League_of_Militant_Atheists almost predictable] [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khmer_Rouge_rule_of_Cambodia#Religious_persecutions results] each time - the first avowed example in human history being Soviet Russia. For the most part, within the 20th century a combination of people identifying more with their culture or nation than their religion and the concept that religion and functions of state should not interfere with each other has turned into more of a "live and let live" mentality that doesn't really support or oppose any one religion and only reacts when said religions begin actively defying the state or the state starts bringing the boot down on religion. Most of the world's population is religious, with the amount of piety varying from country to country, and there are religious and non-religious people who tolerate those on the opposite side.

	Aside from the aforementioned theocracies, the most religious nations are countries such as Brazil in South America or Zambia in Africa (Zambia even has a state religion alongside a law that allows for freedom of religion). China is - at the time this was written - the world's least religious and most atheistic country (followed by Japan and Sweden; North Korea is [[Skub\|debatable]] because they have the Kim Cult of Personality~~, but~~ lip service is as permitted as actual faith~~, and it's~~ blended with the Marxist-Leninist offshoot ideology Juche which ~~includes~~ violently suppressing ~~religions~~ [https://www.foxnews.com/world/north-korea-publicly-executes-80-some-for-videos-or-bibles-report-says to the point that ''merely having copies of religious texts can be grounds for execution'']).		Aside from the aforementioned theocracies, the most religious nations are countries such as Brazil in South America or Zambia in Africa (Zambia even has a state religion alongside a law that allows for freedom of religion). China is - at the time this was written - the world's least religious and most atheistic country followed by Japan and Sweden. North Korea is [[Skub\|debatable]] because they have the Kim Cult of Personality - where lip service is as permitted as actual faith - blended with the Marxist-Leninist offshoot ideology Juche which violently suppressing religion [https://www.foxnews.com/world/north-korea-publicly-executes-80-some-for-videos-or-bibles-report-says to the point that ''merely having copies of religious texts can be grounds for execution''] or [https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/north-korea-toddler-parents-jailed-for-life-after-being-caught-with-bible/ar-AA1bNM4N#:~:text=A%20two-year-old%20North%20Korean%20was%20sentenced%20to%20life,regime%20continued%20to%20%E2%80%9Cexecute%E2%80%9D%20and%20%E2%80%9Ctorture%E2%80%9D%20religious%20worshippers. see entire families imprisoned for life].

	'''[[TL;DR]] Like it or not, religion is an intrinsic part of human civilization. [[Skub\|Whether that's a good thing or a bad thing ~~and to what degree~~ is a matter we leave to the reader.]]'''		'''[[TL;DR]] Like it or not, religion is an intrinsic part of human civilization. [[Skub\|Whether that's a good thing or a bad thing is a matter we leave to the reader.]]'''

	==Types==		==Types==

1d4chan>Saarlacfunkel: Maybe, but we need to differentiate between Atheists and Antitheists. The blurring of the two is bad.

2023-05-05T01:24:20Z

Maybe, but we need to differentiate between Atheists and Antitheists. The blurring of the two is bad.

← Older revision		Revision as of 01:24, 5 May 2023
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	Some terms for other relevant concepts:		Some terms for other relevant concepts:

	* '''Atheism''': Belief that no gods actually exist. The T'au really like this one.		* '''Atheism''': Belief that no gods actually exist. The T'au really like this one. On its own, not as bad as its reputation, mainly because the more vocal atheists espouse...
	* '''Misotheism''': Hatred of God/the Gods.		** '''Antitheism''': Actively hating religiosity, which often includes any who follow a religion. See: The [[Emperor of Mankind]]'s [[Imperial Truth]].
			* '''Misotheism''': Hatred of God/the Gods.
	* '''Maltheism''': Belief that God is evil. [[Chaos\|Chaos anyone?]] <ref>Differs from Misotheism in that (1) you can think God is evil and not hate him (particularly if you're [[Alignment\|evil]] yourself (see Religion of Evil, under the Special Cases section)), and (2) You can hate God and not consider him evil; for example, you could think Him merely indifferent to suffering. Also crops up in arguments for antitheism and misotheism. That being said, the main reason we include it here is because there have been factions in /tg/ relevant settings who hold this belief, particularly Gnostic influenced ones.</ref>		* '''Maltheism''': Belief that God is evil. [[Chaos\|Chaos anyone?]] <ref>Differs from Misotheism in that (1) you can think God is evil and not hate him (particularly if you're [[Alignment\|evil]] yourself (see Religion of Evil, under the Special Cases section)), and (2) You can hate God and not consider him evil; for example, you could think Him merely indifferent to suffering. Also crops up in arguments for antitheism and misotheism. That being said, the main reason we include it here is because there have been factions in /tg/ relevant settings who hold this belief, particularly Gnostic influenced ones.</ref>
	** The belief that God is neither good nor evil is "'''Dystheism'''", while the belief that God is wholly Good is "'''Eutheism'''".		** The belief that God is neither good nor evil is "'''Dystheism'''", while the belief that God is wholly Good is "'''Eutheism'''".

1d4chan>A Walrus: /* Some terms that matter for /tg/ purposes */ extremely loaded terminology, Begging the Question fallacy.

2023-05-04T23:08:19Z

Some terms that matter for /tg/ purposes: extremely loaded terminology, Begging the Question fallacy.

← Older revision		Revision as of 23:08, 4 May 2023
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	Some terms for other relevant concepts:		Some terms for other relevant concepts:

	* '''Atheism''': Belief that no gods actually exist. The T'au really like this one~~. On its own, not as bad as its reputation, mainly because the more vocal atheists espouse...~~		* '''Atheism''': Belief that no gods actually exist. The T'au really like this one.
	** '''Antitheism''': Actively hating religiosity, which often includes any who follow a religion. See: The [[Emperor of Mankind]]'s [[Imperial Truth]].		* '''Misotheism''': Hatred of God/the Gods.
	* '''Misotheism''': Hatred of God/the Gods. ~~Often synonymous with, or includes, antitheism.~~
	* '''Maltheism''': Belief that God is evil. [[Chaos\|Chaos anyone?]] <ref>Differs from Misotheism in that (1) you can think God is evil and not hate him (particularly if you're [[Alignment\|evil]] yourself (see Religion of Evil, under the Special Cases section)), and (2) You can hate God and not consider him evil; for example, you could think Him merely indifferent to suffering. Also crops up in arguments for antitheism and misotheism. That being said, the main reason we include it here is because there have been factions in /tg/ relevant settings who hold this belief, particularly Gnostic influenced ones.</ref>		* '''Maltheism''': Belief that God is evil. [[Chaos\|Chaos anyone?]] <ref>Differs from Misotheism in that (1) you can think God is evil and not hate him (particularly if you're [[Alignment\|evil]] yourself (see Religion of Evil, under the Special Cases section)), and (2) You can hate God and not consider him evil; for example, you could think Him merely indifferent to suffering. Also crops up in arguments for antitheism and misotheism. That being said, the main reason we include it here is because there have been factions in /tg/ relevant settings who hold this belief, particularly Gnostic influenced ones.</ref>
	** The belief that God is neither good nor evil is "'''Dystheism'''", while the belief that God is wholly Good is "'''Eutheism'''".		** The belief that God is neither good nor evil is "'''Dystheism'''", while the belief that God is wholly Good is "'''Eutheism'''".

115.70.44.117: /* Star Trek */

2023-03-04T05:43:28Z

Star Trek

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	===Star Trek===		===Star Trek===
	* [[Star Trek]] creator Gene Roddenberry ~~had a low opinion of religion~~ and in his vision humanity had done away with it and was better off for it and he had no interest in adding it to the aliens. However, most of the cast and crew disagreed and occasionally references to religions found their way into the show, which increased after Roddenberry's death. The Federation's culture is distinctly humanistic (extending the concept to alien species) in its outlook, in which religion is regarded as a thing of the past.		* [[Star Trek]] creator Gene Roddenberry was an antitheist and in his vision humanity had done away with it and was better off for it and he had no interest in adding it to the aliens. However, most of the cast and crew disagreed and occasionally references to religions found their way into the show, which increased after Roddenberry's death. The Federation's culture is distinctly humanistic (extending the concept to alien species) in its outlook, in which religion is regarded as a thing of the past.
	** While there are plenty of "Godlike" entities in Star Trek, almost all are treated as Sufficiently Advanced Aliens in the Arthur C. Clarke sense--and in particular, in ST:TNG, the flip side, that Picard and his crew are frequently shown to look like Gods to sufficiently primitive aliens, is gone into in more than one episode.		** While there are plenty of "Godlike" entities in Star Trek, almost all are treated as Sufficiently Advanced Aliens in the Arthur C. Clarke sense--and in particular, in ST:TNG, the flip side, that Picard and his crew are frequently shown to look like Gods to sufficiently primitive aliens, is gone into in more than one episode.
	** The primary religion of the Federation's main frenemies, the Klingons, is a deistic religion where a Klingon warrior killed their gods, and in their belief Klingons who live according to those tenets get to live in a pseudo-Valhalla.		** The primary religion of the Federation's main frenemies, the Klingons, is a deistic religion where a Klingon warrior killed their gods, and in their belief Klingons who live according to those tenets get to live in a pseudo-Valhalla.

115.70.44.117: /* Religion as a Bad Thing/Detractors */

2023-03-04T05:42:11Z

Religion as a Bad Thing/Detractors

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	There are several writers of Science Fiction and Fantasy that are of the opinion "Religion Is Bad", having an axe to grind (sometimes warranted, sometimes not) with either one or more specific real-life religions. This is more common in Sci-Fi than fantasy because the focus on science appeals to the naturalist, empiricist and/or humanist worldview of such writers, with the supernatural being seen as an obstacle to that. Despite that, the view is found among some fantasy authors as well, such as Philip Pullman (who wrote the "His Dark Materials" trilogy partially in response to C.S Lewis' "Chronicles of Narnia" series). Whatever the genre, this comes in flavors of "The Gods are Incompetent" (more on that below), "The Gods Don't Exist" or "The Gods are Evil". Cosmic Horror also tends to use the latter two or combine them into "The Gods are actually Incomprehensible and Destructive Aliens" ([[H.P. Lovecraft]] himself was an avowed anti-religious atheist - hence cults are recurring villains in his stories). This also has the side effect of inclining science fiction towards an atheistic perspective.		There are several writers of Science Fiction and Fantasy that are of the opinion "Religion Is Bad", having an axe to grind (sometimes warranted, sometimes not) with either one or more specific real-life religions. This is more common in Sci-Fi than fantasy because the focus on science appeals to the naturalist, empiricist and/or humanist worldview of such writers, with the supernatural being seen as an obstacle to that. Despite that, the view is found among some fantasy authors as well, such as Philip Pullman (who wrote the "His Dark Materials" trilogy partially in response to C.S Lewis' "Chronicles of Narnia" series). Whatever the genre, this comes in flavors of "The Gods are Incompetent" (more on that below), "The Gods Don't Exist" or "The Gods are Evil". Cosmic Horror also tends to use the latter two or combine them into "The Gods are actually Incomprehensible and Destructive Aliens" ([[H.P. Lovecraft]] himself was an avowed anti-religious atheist - hence cults are recurring villains in his stories). This also has the side effect of inclining science fiction towards an atheistic perspective.

	Another major component is personal issues of the author such as grievance or prejudice, but that's case-by-case and a major can of worms. A writer could have issues with a specific religion and single them out in their works. Worst case scenario, the story is a preachy anti-religious wish fulfillment story or power fantasy~~; two~~ examples are Frank Miller's "Holy Terror" comic series against Islam and Garth Ennis' "Preacher" comic series against Christianity.		Another major component is personal issues of the author such as grievance or prejudice, but that's case-by-case and a major can of worms. A writer could have issues with a specific religion and single them out in their works. Worst case scenario, the story is a preachy anti-religious wish fulfillment story, power fantasy and/or Troll Fic. Two examples are Frank Miller's "Holy Terror" comic series against Islam and Garth Ennis' "Preacher" comic series against Christianity.

	Whatever the motivation, writers saying this message either model their fictional religions on the worst excesses of real world religious people, distorted or strawman versions of them or a fictional stand-in. The most frequently targeted religions are Christianity, Islam, Scientology and faiths that practiced human sacrifice such the Aztec's. <!-- Let's keep the Aztecs last, because anything after will be read as practicing human sacrifice with the way the sentence is currently worded. --> Cults, especially those with beliefs that mainstream religions consider unorthodox or outright heretical, are especially fertile ground for this message, albeit running the risk of being misapplied to tar other groups with the same brush.		Whatever the motivation, writers saying this message either model their fictional religions on the worst excesses of real world religious people, distorted or strawman versions of them or a fictional stand-in. The most frequently targeted religions are Christianity, Islam, Scientology and faiths that practiced human sacrifice such the Aztec's. <!-- Let's keep the Aztecs last, because anything after will be read as practicing human sacrifice with the way the sentence is currently worded. --> Cults, especially those with beliefs that mainstream religions consider unorthodox or outright heretical, are especially fertile ground for this message, albeit running the risk of being misapplied to tar other groups with the same brush.