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Imagination!, v. 1, issue 6, whole no. 6, March 1938
Page 6
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Anent Atheism & Stf -- By Erick Freyor. In a recent article in Cosmic Tales the correlation between atheism & science fiction was strest; or rather, the relationship between sf readers & atheists. Its author reacht the conclusion, thru contacts with other fans, that there is a predominant tendency to discard all basic beliefs either entirely or retaining at most only a tenuous abstract conception of a Deity which might best be described as an "oblong blur". This is not at all sur-prising. However, I feel that caution must be exercized in attributing all these desirable filosofical developments solely to the steady diety of stf. Natural selection, tho a trite traze, undoubtedly has a great fiction is the kind of literature that would be read & appreciated by an individual who already has discoverd that the mumbo-jumbo of the latter-day Witch Doctors doesnt "track" with the discoverys of modern science. This type individual finds the average storys of luhve, wes-tern "God-awfuls" & detective misadventure hopelessly boring with their Mission Padres who solve the romantic problems of Hellfire Harrys by advising them to put their trust in God & pray in the twilite ea eve nr the old Mission tower; their sloppy sentimentality, Guestian homilys & tear-jerking themes characterized by lil lithping girl-babys who kneel by their bed 7 whithper "Pleath, God, make dathy a better man". It can be seen that those who have had access to librarys (& who hasn't?) & who possess fairly analytical minds inevitably will arrive at atheism--or at least agnosticism, even tho they have been so unfortunate as not to have discovered science fiction. & when they do make the acquaintance of "our" imaginative literature; & find within it theorys, ideas & sug-gestions compatible with their knowledge; they automatically will ac-cept it as their literature. On the other hand the typical religious in-dividual could be fed stf with a hypo & his reaction still would be a wry face & fearful look over his left shoulder to wee if the Wrath of God be upon him---yet! It has been said of science fiction readers that they are ardent escapologists, using the odd & exotic worlds of their authors as dream hosues east of the equinox & west of Antares where they may retire on more or less frequent occasion & indulge in a hebc-frenic holiday. This accusation comes mostly from the religious ones who, if they were capable of logical reasoning, would realize that the old adage of the pot calling the kettle black was being amusingly & clearly demonstrated: If the science fiction fan does lose himself at times in the supramundane realm of Imagination he at least realizes his action. Our Godly friends perpetually are dwelling in mirages but they accept their illusions as reality. In conclusion, I'm a bit fearful science fiction will have very little success in lifting the lamb from his flock. The lamb doesn't want to be lifted. He is quite content with the delicious dreams he enjoys in his life-long spiritual jag, Who reads scientifiction already has a conscious or unconscious seed of skepticism which stf grantedly will bring to fruition. & this acceler-ation of intellectual progress is, in my estimation, sufficient justi-fication for this type literature... The Infidel's Epitaf: HERE LIES AN ATHEIST, No God Did He Know...Now "All Drost Up & No Place To Go--!"
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Anent Atheism & Stf -- By Erick Freyor. In a recent article in Cosmic Tales the correlation between atheism & science fiction was strest; or rather, the relationship between sf readers & atheists. Its author reacht the conclusion, thru contacts with other fans, that there is a predominant tendency to discard all basic beliefs either entirely or retaining at most only a tenuous abstract conception of a Deity which might best be described as an "oblong blur". This is not at all sur-prising. However, I feel that caution must be exercized in attributing all these desirable filosofical developments solely to the steady diety of stf. Natural selection, tho a trite traze, undoubtedly has a great fiction is the kind of literature that would be read & appreciated by an individual who already has discoverd that the mumbo-jumbo of the latter-day Witch Doctors doesnt "track" with the discoverys of modern science. This type individual finds the average storys of luhve, wes-tern "God-awfuls" & detective misadventure hopelessly boring with their Mission Padres who solve the romantic problems of Hellfire Harrys by advising them to put their trust in God & pray in the twilite ea eve nr the old Mission tower; their sloppy sentimentality, Guestian homilys & tear-jerking themes characterized by lil lithping girl-babys who kneel by their bed 7 whithper "Pleath, God, make dathy a better man". It can be seen that those who have had access to librarys (& who hasn't?) & who possess fairly analytical minds inevitably will arrive at atheism--or at least agnosticism, even tho they have been so unfortunate as not to have discovered science fiction. & when they do make the acquaintance of "our" imaginative literature; & find within it theorys, ideas & sug-gestions compatible with their knowledge; they automatically will ac-cept it as their literature. On the other hand the typical religious in-dividual could be fed stf with a hypo & his reaction still would be a wry face & fearful look over his left shoulder to wee if the Wrath of God be upon him---yet! It has been said of science fiction readers that they are ardent escapologists, using the odd & exotic worlds of their authors as dream hosues east of the equinox & west of Antares where they may retire on more or less frequent occasion & indulge in a hebc-frenic holiday. This accusation comes mostly from the religious ones who, if they were capable of logical reasoning, would realize that the old adage of the pot calling the kettle black was being amusingly & clearly demonstrated: If the science fiction fan does lose himself at times in the supramundane realm of Imagination he at least realizes his action. Our Godly friends perpetually are dwelling in mirages but they accept their illusions as reality. In conclusion, I'm a bit fearful science fiction will have very little success in lifting the lamb from his flock. The lamb doesn't want to be lifted. He is quite content with the delicious dreams he enjoys in his life-long spiritual jag, Who reads scientifiction already has a conscious or unconscious seed of skepticism which stf grantedly will bring to fruition. & this acceler-ation of intellectual progress is, in my estimation, sufficient justi-fication for this type literature... The Infidel's Epitaf: HERE LIES AN ATHEIST, No God Did He Know...Now "All Drost Up & No Place To Go--!"
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