Idea Science vs Religion

[Folly-Derrezzed]

Science and religion has always clashed with one another. However, i wish to take it to an extreme. Somewhat inspired by altered carbon, a world where people augment themselves to repair disabilities. Mayhaps a government ruled by a church that punishes those who use technology to "corrupt their bodies and souls". However, the problem with that is if its possible to be set in a futuristic setting.

Could possibly be a mix of renaissance architecture with underlying cyberpunk themes such as neon lighting. However, this is a new idea to reverse the roles to which religion is the oppressive party to which science users rebel. I uh..need help to flesh it out a bit more if anyone has any ideas.

 

[Becker]

"Religion is the oppressive party."

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[defenderofberk]

View attachment 734259
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Honestly can I please use this

 

[Becker]

Jokes aside, I do like the idea of a religious 'purity' culture ~ something like the Purity-first group in the Deus Ex games where extremist individuals are completely against any form of augmentation as though it turned the average human into a unpreditable killing 'machine'. Also reminds me of Blade Runner for some reason, with hunting down machines/androids.

You could even have some members of this Religious goverment to secretly have augments but they've obviously kept it quiet, whether it be for helping in detecting "Aug's" or to simply have a unexpected advantage in situations where someone might just presume them to be 'flesh-bags'.

 

[Becker]

Honestly can I please use this

Go for it

 

[defenderofberk]

Go for it

I'm doing a modern role play with heavy religious themes to counter the Supernaturals and it pretty much sums up the attitude of the Humans

 

[Becker]

I'm doing a modern role play with heavy religious themes to counter the Supernaturals and it pretty much sums up the attitude of the Humans

Supernatural starts charging up a fireball

Me: "hur-hur, gun go brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr"
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[Folly-Derrezzed]

Ooo! Okay, i was also thinking of like a massive city slums deal where the people hide to get augments or cybernetic prosthetics. To which they feel real and work fine with bio-neural circuitry. These people would finally we able to live productive lives under new names. With the fear of Church Militia stalking your every move elsewhere in the city.

There could even be elements of people who transferred into machine bodies marked "Fleeters" or something. These people could be the dying or rebels. These people are heavily despised and are hunted constantly. Ooooo maybe there cpuld be a whole other city where the population is mostly Fleeters and the Church sends put Militia men to exterminate them.

 

[Folly-Derrezzed]

Purity such as pure skin. I also wanna go into a racial divide to where other ethnicities are banned or shunned. People with defects are killed.

 

[defenderofberk]

Purity such as pure skin. I also wanna go into a racial divide to where other ethnicities are banned or shunned. People with defects are killed.

Maybe you can try and explore how these tensions started, or whether there been any attempts to change the system?

 

[Becker]

Purity such as pure skin. I also wanna go into a racial divide to where other ethnicities are banned or shunned. People with defects are killed.

I think perhaps you should focus more on seeing that Augments are impure rather than ethnicities, for the sake of making the RP appeal to a wider audience ~ there is that slight risk of alienating a significant portion of your playerbase if you throw in racial tentions for the sake of drama. Obviously if this was set in a historical setting/fantasy.. then you can get away with certain ethnicities/species being seen as lessers but with yours being set in the future.. people have wised up.

 

[Folly-Derrezzed]

I think perhaps you should focus more on seeing that Augments are impure rather than ethnicities, for the sake of making the RP appeal to a wider audience ~ there is that slight risk of alienating a significant portion of your playerbase if you throw in racial tentions for the sake of drama. Obviously if this was set in a historical setting/fantasy.. then you can get away with certain ethnicities/species beening seen as lessers but with yours being set in the future.. people have wised up.

Your right, i was kinda going into a weird time thing. Would be awkward to work around.

 

[Crayons]

However, this is a new idea to reverse the roles to which religion is the oppressive party to which science users rebel.

Not to get political here but how is religion not the oppressive party IRL? How is science the oppressive party IRL? Can you explain this a bit....?

Also science and religion clashing is pretty much a modern concept rather than a tale as old as time. See: The Enlightenment.

 

[defenderofberk]

Not to get political here but how is religion not the oppressive party IRL? How is science the oppressive party IRL? Can you explain this a bit....?

It depends where you live and thus where the role play is set, for example in mine there's a balance between faith and science.

 

[Jannah]

This actually sounds somewhat similar to an idea I once tried to establish in a RP. I don't believe the two have to clash irl(but that's a discussion for another time perhaps), but it works well for a dystopian concept.

In the setting I tried to do it was post-apocalyptic and basically the entire foundation of the ruling theocratic party was lies. They were a powerful religious cult, but the leaders themselves knew that everything they taught was a lie. They pushed it on the populace to keep them under control.

 

[Crayons]

It depends where you live and thus where the role play is set, for example in mine there's a balance between faith and science.

I'm just finding it hard to swallow that science is oppressing anyone.

 

[Becker]

I'm just finding it hard to swallow that science is oppressing anyone.

"But Jesus said so.."
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[defenderofberk]

I'm just finding it hard to swallow that science is oppressing anyone.

You could make it work, for example the drive for extreme perfection due to being able to "play God". It covered it pretty well in star trek with Bashier - genetic engineering is banned because it was worried parents would feel required to enhance their children rather than just letting them live naturally.

 

[Crayons]

You could make it work, for example the drive for extreme perfection due to being able to "play God". It covered it pretty well in star trek with Bashier - genetic engineering is banned because it was worried parents would feel required to enhance their children rather than just letting them live naturally.

Yeah, but OP specified that their setting was one with a role reversal from normal, where religion is oppressive rather than science, implying that in our current world science is oppressive.

I'm not saying that you couldn't write that into a scifi premise. You can pretty much do anything.

 

[Folly-Derrezzed]

Maybe you can try and explore how these tensions started, or whether there been any attempts to change the system?

Then we would have to make a timeline, working backwards. I would imagine that as technology progressed, the Church became more powerful with their word from God and thus went out and demoralized augmentation before outright outlawing them, saying it was against Gods will and they couldn't enter heaven for it. Later, a Militia member irrationally tore off a mans prosthetic while quoting the bible before arresting them. They would be beaten and imprisoned, executed later publicly. Those who needed these Augments, ran. Although this is a rough concept.

From that day, protests were made in the streets which was quickly brought down by militia with rubber bullets and tear gas. From then on, those who use advanced technologies rioted.

Hmm...now im kinda thinking magic vs science..

 

[Folly-Derrezzed]

Yeah, but OP specified that their setting was one with a role reversal from normal, where religion is oppressive rather than science, implying that in our current world science is oppressive.

I'm not saying that you couldn't write that into a scifi premise. You can pretty much do anything.

There is power in Gods word. There is power in a railgun. What i mean is that i think that you can fearmonger and rule with either side. I wanna explore into other perspectives on the subject in RP form.

 

[Folly-Derrezzed]

Does that make sense to yall?

 

[Grey]

Buncha stuff here you would benefit from looking at, especially So You Want To Write

Tutorial - Grey's Learning Annex

Just going to link all my advice, essays, and etc., here because I see situations where they'd be relevant come up often enough but haven't got the patience to always link or bump them. Also, if anyone wants to discuss or request anything this is as good a place as any...

www.rpnation.com

 

[Windsock]

Does that make sense to yall?

I've always hated the idea of science and religion being intrinsically opposed but anything is possible. It could make for a nice story but emotions could flare up and it'd be best to make sure it's kept simmered down. It's a common problem with particularly combative RP's.

Edit: More info in orange.

 

[Grey]

Honestly the idea of the clash is a bit recent, historically, and very Christendom-focused.