The Sha-Ka-Ree Entity posing as the Christian God
A depiction of Jesus Christ
Four Christian books the Holy Bible (second from the right) and the works of Milton, including Paradise Lost and Paradise Regained, Inferno by Dante found aboard the SS Botany Bay
Christianity was a Human religion based upon the teachings of Jesus Christ (Jesus of Nazareth), born from the Virgin Mary. The prophets of the Old Testament and New Testament of the Bible like Methuselah, Solomon, Lazarus, and Saint Paul and many saints like Saint Andrew, Saint Émilion, and Saint Moritz also inspired the teaching of the Christian religion.
Christ was the main teacher of the Christian religion on the planet 892-IV on which a group of Romans were mistakenly thought to be "sun worshipers" by the USS Enterprise landing party in 2268. They were later corrected by Lieutenant Uhura, who, after monitoring Imperial broadcasts, concluded the "sun" reference was intended to mean the "son" of God. Kirk thereafter assumed that the planet had shared both Imperial Rome and Jesus Christ with Earth. (TOS: "Bread and Circuses")
Christianity was a monotheistic religion, stating that there was one God who created the universe. Most images of the Christian God depicted a wise old man, seen as the universal father figure (indeed, God was often called "God the Father"). In 2287, the entity of Sha Ka Ree assumed this form of the Christian God so as to "better suit the expectations" of the USS Enterprise team who had encountered it. (Star Trek V: The Final Frontier)
The Virgin Mary and Saint Anne were depicted in Leonardo da Vinci painting The Virgin and Child with St. Anne, which was found among the relics in Kathryn Janeway's da Vinci holodeck program. (VOY: "Scorpion", "The Raven", "Scientific Method", "Concerning Flight")
Related belief systems included Judaism and the teachings of Plato. (TOS: "Plato's Stepchildren")
Christianity was one of the major religions on Earth and was the origin of several well-known beliefs such as the concept of Heaven, Hell, angels, and the Devil. Christianity was a major religion in the 21st century and its influences were still felt into the 23rd and 24th centuries – most notably the use of Christian elements in weddings and holiday celebrations like Christmas.
In Christian beliefs, Hell was the underworld where the dead went, ruled by a figure named the Devil. It was believed that people would be sent here after their death if they did not adhere to the religion's code. During his captivity on Talos IV, Captain Christopher Pike was subjected to an illusion of Hell when he refused to cooperate with his Talosian jailers. (TOS: "The Cage")
Holy writings
The main written work used by Christians was the Bible. The name of the Genesis Device was taken from the Christian Bible (the Book of Genesis) which described the beginnings of life on Earth. (Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan) A well-known precept from the Bible was "Love your neighbor". (VOY: "Fair Haven")
Parts of the Bible described the end of the world; however, Jean-Luc Picard seemed to indicate a strong distaste for apocalyptic traditions, first when discussing his personal beliefs about the afterlife, (TNG: "Where Silence Has Lease") and again when he was briefly taken by the Mintakans to be their ancient god. (TNG: "Who Watches The Watchers")
A 20th century preacher
Captain Benjamin Sisko made reference to the Bible with his father. In a vision sent to him by the Prophets, Benjamin's father took the role of a 1950s preacher. (DS9: "Far Beyond the Stars")
In 2370, Beverly Crusher attended her grandmother Felisa Howard's funeral on Caldos. The colony leader, Maturin, performed traditional burial rites and used the expression "ashes to ashes and dust to dust". (TNG: "Sub Rosa")
Flint possessed a Gutenberg Bible, a version of the Bible mass-produced during the 15th century by Johann Gutenberg, among his collection of extremely rare books. (TOS: "Requiem for Methuselah") Berlinghoff Rasmussen compared being close to Data to examining a rare Gutenberg Bible. (TNG: "A Matter of Time")
Samuel T. Cogley had a Bible in his library in 2267. (TOS: "Court Martial") A copy of the Holy Bible was among the small collection of books found aboard the SS Botany Bay. (Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan)
The ideas from the Bible were used in many sayings and written literature. Joseph Sisko often told Benjamin that "the road to Hell is paved with good intentions." (DS9: "In the Pale Moonlight") In the 17th century, John Milton of Earth wrote in his poem Paradise Lost that "It is better to rule in Hell than serve in heaven." (TOS: "Space Seed")
An angel is a figure from Christian mythology described as a messenger of God. In a holographic simulation Lord Byron said to Gandhi that "It is said the angels themselves take pleasure in their bodies of light." (VOY: "Darkling") In 2267, Dr. McCoy, expressing frustration at the restrictions of the Prime Directive, joked that he would like to beam down to a primitive planet and say, "Behold, I am the Archangel Gabriel!" (TOS: "Bread and Circuses") In 2375, Jack claimed that his laws of physics-bending machine "could clip the wings of an angel dancing on the head of a pin". (DS9: "Chrysalis")
Holy places and rituals
A cross in the chapel
Christians practiced their religion in churches, cathedrals, and chapels. In the 2150s, Dr. Phlox of the Enterprise NX-01 recalled attending a Mass at Saint Peter's Square in Rome, the historic headquarters of Catholic Christianity. (ENT: "Cold Front") A century later, at her wedding, phaser specialist Angela Martine genuflected toward the altar of the ship's chapel, (TOS: "Balance of Terror") and another century later the hologram of Leonardo da Vinci asked Kathryn Janeway if she would like to pray with him in Santa Croce church. (VOY: "Scorpion")
During a trip back to the year 1930, James T. Kirk made reference to an American missionary living in China. (TOS: "The City on the Edge of Forever")
Q in a Franciscan monk's garb, wielding a cross
Christians sang and played music. Despite Montgomery Scott's disbelief in gods, he played a Christian hymn traditionally associated with Scottish funerals, Amazing Grace, on the bagpipes at Spock's funeral in 2285. (TOS: "Who Mourns for Adonais?"; Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan)
In 2376, The Doctor portrayed a Catholic priest in Tom Paris's Fair Haven holoprogram, a simulation of a 19th century Irish village. (VOY: "Fair Haven") During an appearance to the crew of the USS Enterprise-D, Q pretended he was a Franciscan monk. (TNG: "Hide and Q")
The Christian religion had many holidays; one called Christmas was experienced by Captain Jean-Luc Picard during his interrogation by Gul Madred, and during his time spent in the Nexus, his visions included one of a traditional Christmas tree. (TNG: "Chain of Command, Part II"; Star Trek Generations) Before that, Christmas parties were celebrated on the USS Enterprise, (TOS: "Dagger of the Mind") and another called Carnival, a traditional celebration before the beginning of the Catholic season of Lent, was still celebrated in Spain during the 24th century. (DS9: "The Ship")
When Jake Sisko ran into a wounded soldier on Ajilon Prime, the soldier asked that he made sure that he died with his eyes directed toward sky. (DS9: "Nor the Battle to the Strong")
External links
- Template:NCwiki
- Christianity at Wikipedia