A Depressing Future

I offer this only as a brief comment and not a lengthy analysis like many of the posts I included throughout this semester. In discussing the essay (Lyotard, “Can Thought Go On Without a Body?”) that we read for Thursday, I was reminded why I have problems with the science fiction genre and its portrayal of the future. For a Christian, it is hard to rectify the differences of many stories in the genre with the vision of the future described in Revelations. Those who have read the book of Revelations are aware that it is a dark look at the end times, but, for me, it is more hopeful than the vision presented in some science fiction novels. That essay was hard to read and even harder to hear, because its content was truly depressing for me. To me, I would rather have hope of an eternal life than be planning some machine to store the thoughts of the destroyed human race. The thought of such a meaningless life is difficult to accept and this might be the reason why I have problems with some of the futures that science fiction stories depict. Even considering that the Bible describes incredible pain and torment in the last days, at least it provides a way out for believers. I know that many people prefer to not believe the Bible's version of the future but, for me, the depressing descriptions such as this essay only help affirm to me why I believe what I believe. I would much rather have hope in one faith (Christianity) than emptiness in another (and, yes, Evolution theory does not have enough proof to be considered anything more than a faith, which means it too requires a belief). Often, religion can conflict with science fiction, which might explain why I had problems with most of what we read in class and was offering opposition. Still, really, how interesting would a discussion be if it only provided one side?