Bringing Religion to the Outer Solar System

Abstract

Mankind is at the brink of colonizing the moon and eventually the nearby solar system. Will religion be left behind or come to life in these new territories? The latter is assumed so in the recent book "Mission to Saturn" by Arnold Benz and Samuel Vollenweider. Here five reasons are discussed why and how religion may spread to outer space. First, religion is related to human experience in the direct perception of reality. Then, the Overview Effect when seeing the Earth from afar has previously been related to religious feelings including thankfulness, responsibility, and guilt. Third, the long travel times will cause psychological effects, such as solitude, isolation, and boredom, but also a quest for spiritual depth. Furthermore, religion may come into the play in the discussions between the astronauts, unable to avoid the Great Questions of human existence. Finally, religion is a fundament of the social ethics in society and in particular in the conduct among the space travellers. As it may also be the cause of conflict, religion must be handled proficiently. It is concluded that objective science and religion as a spiritual experience, being intrinsically different, need to be related to each other from a superior point of view.