Sample Short Story

Hi everyone! I thought I'd share with you a short story I wrote a few years ago and never published, in case it helps provide inspiration for your own stories you are currently working on. I posted it at Exploring Our Matrix. Your comments and criticisms are welcome!

Is Tom Cruise an Accurate Representation?

I agree that Tom Cruise's image is not what most religions would want to be representing them. I agree that his image can be overbearing, but I do not think that a religion should be discredited because of the image or actions of a single follower. Tom Cruise is just one scientologist and I am sure that not all scientologists carry themselves in the same manner as Tom. I am sure there are examples of people in other religions who are not "good" representations of what the religion stands for. Religions should not be judged by the actions or perception of one follower and who are we to judge a person anyways.

Scientology Endorsements

Today in class we talked about the fairly new religion of Scientology. I do not know a lot about Scientology. However whenever I hear about the religion I cannot help but to think about Tom Cruise. I believe that his celebrity overshadows the religion. I also feel that his endorsement makes me less likely to believe in the values of Scientology. I feel that some of the famous believers in Scientology make the religion less credible, because to me it feels like they are just trying a new "trend". Sort of like they try on the latest label for the red carpet. Maybe this is just me misunderstanding celebrities, but I am always skeptical of endorsements made by celebrities. Do celebrities really believe what they are saying, how much are they getting paid for making these statements, or when the cameras are off do they continue to live what they are preaching to the mass media? These are the thoughts that run through my mind when I hear Tom Cruise talk about Scientology. I am sure now that you are thinking about these theories as well.

Whatever your opinions on the theories are, I am sure that you have failed to notice one thing. Scientology. By having celebrities represent the religion, viewers are distracted by the celebrity and the ethics behind the endorsement. Try to watch the following clip with detachment. Try to forget that the narrator/host is Tom Cruise. Try to focus on the core values of Scientology that are presented. Let me know how this attempt goes. Maybe you will succeed, but I find myself criticizing and second guessing a lot of the topics he presents.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UFBZ_uAbxS0

What is a true fan

One thing that I kept wondering is how big of a star trek fan do you have to be for it to be considered a religious obsession. The reason I ask this is some people who say they are religious do not even go to church on Sunday and actually only go to service around the holidays. Some of these star trek fan have been to more conventions in year than some people who have been to church in year. I mean to be considered a star trek fan do you have to seen every episode like these people. Also do you have to like every single part of star trek to be considered a true fan? People who are religious have different sects that match up with their beliefs. I wonder if this true of star trek are there some fans that only like the first series and say rest horrible or are there some fan that only like next generation? If there are different sects of star trek fandom than I think it is a lot more similar to religion then I thought. I wish Icould have seen people in the video how did not like every part about star trek and only liked one series.

Scientology: Religion, Philosophy, or Cult?

After exploring Scientology.org I find its concepts interesting in it's deviations from other religions and yet it's use of other religions taxonomy and icons. For the only major religion constructed in the 20th century, at first glance the home page suggests a branch of Christianity with the cross in the title, use of the words "Church", and "God." Although later "God" is replaced with "Supreme Being," my first impression of this "new" religion was not of difference but of assimilation of many religions into one. The biggest difference between "conventional" religions and Scientology would be the focus or center of their religion. In Scientology, the center of the religion is the individual (Dynamic One), then family (Two), then society (Three), then species (Four), then the "Circle of Life" (Five), then the relationship of all living beings with nature (Six), then spiritual wellness (Seven), and finally Infinity (Dynamic Eight--the relationship with the "Supreme Being" and a sense of identity within the cosmos). "God" is last priority but the end goal. In other religions, the deity is the focus and man, family, and society conforms to the "wishes" of the deity. The views of scientologist can be seen in many current religions like Hinduism and Buddhism along with the current practices of psychology. The biggest question I have with Scientology: Cult or Religion? The foundation of this religion is based on other religions, scientific acceptable norms, and science FICTION novels written for to criticize current social times and entertain the readers. Maybe I should start a religion based on Star Wars? (Or is Star Wars and Star Trek already a religion?) Or even better, I'll start a religion based on another genre like comedies...laughter is the root to all happiness. When can you consider a philosophy about life a religion? Needless to say, although I believe in some of the Buddhist and Hindi views, responsibility for good works, and individual freedom...I'm still a skeptic due to its origin in entertainment...

Journey Beyond Star Trek

I thought I'd share the link to the clip from my presentation in case someone wanted it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Npm6q1oCQd4

Star Trek & Religion vs. Spirituality

I found this handy dandy article published by a writer for Smithsonian magazine about Star Trek as a religion. It quotes several of the articles we've read in class about Star Trek, actually.
http://io9.com/5272441/is-star-trek-a-religion

The comparison of Star Trek to a religion doesn't seem as convincing to me as the comparison of Star Trek with a worldview or even a spirituality. It seems a number of people in the U.S., at least, describe themselves as being more spiritual than religious, which is understandable, since spirituality tends to be more open-ended than religion, which often has a defined structure. While Star Trek does have a structure within its own world (and indeed, various religions), no one tries to force a worldview on another. At least, no protagonist does. These are the ideals touted by Gene Roddenberry, imbued in his baby.

The community of Star Trek fandom often centers around these ideals, as illustrated by the Trekkies excerpts and various articles we've read in class. The way a person keeps these ideals, however, is up to him or her; people are not penalized for failing to keep Star Trek ideals or shunned across the board for it (perhaps certain individuals might behave that way, but not the entire body of fandom). Also, Star Trek fandom lends itself to a symbiotic relationship w/ a variety of other, terrestrial religious beliefs. Unless Star Trek directly conflicts w/ a set of religious beliefs (and even then, I can only think of a few...perhaps some Menonites might object to the reliance upon technology?), it seems that Star Trek is capable of enhancing a person's understanding of his or her faith. It's like reading the Church Fathers to better understand the Bible, or the Talmud to better understand the Torah.

As a humanist, Gene Roddenberry had a deep belief in the goodness of humanity and all of which it might be capable. I see no reason why reinforcement of the goodness of man should not be a supplementary message to a religious path. I am not saying that Gene Roddenberry is a prophet. If he is, I don't think he represents the "Church of Trek." But every now and then, I have met people in my life who make me want to be a better person. I think Gene Roddenberry was trying to inspire people to be the best they could be w/o giving them a dogmatic code. What could be more spiritual than that?