What Religion is Book?
POSTED BY: Lukasaurus
UPDATED: Wednesday, May 21, 2025 16:38
VIEWED: 16439
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First off, just want to say straight up, that I really don't want any bashing or arguments :) Just a discussion based on the show. For the record, I'm a Christian.
From the episodes I've seen, Book appears to be a Hybrid of Roman Catholicism and Baptist beliefs. In Our Mrs Reynolds, he is seen to be giving some sort of "last rites" to the dead men, a Roman Catholic tradition, but in other episodes, namely, Jaynestown, he speaks with River about faith changing a person, not works or things like that, and doesn't appear to be very ritualistic.. this leads me to believe he is of a protestant denomination.. likely Baptist. However, he did go to an abbey, and never married (although, he never says he isn't allowed to Marry.. just that he didn't.. Paul the apostle chose not to as well)
Anyway, discuss :)
There is a special level of hell reserved for people who talk in the theatre ;)
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I'm thinking for the purposes of the show and the notion of a 'conglomerated' future where MANY cultural things have all meshed together. . .
The religion that Book follows is a mish/mash of several Christian denominations, to include Catholicism, Episcopal and Protestant. This is probably also an effort on JW's part to avoid rocking a boat he doesn't need to rock. . .or it could very well be that the nuances of the religion are not important and he doesn't want us to 'over focus' on THAT aspect instead of just simply noting. . ."Okay. . .Book. . .man of some sort of cloth. Got it."
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"Wash. . .we got some local color happening. A grand entrance would not go amiss."
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I believe Static has the right of it. Book is not of any one religion, but rather the result of what appears to be several religions blended together.
I think Joss did this to further emphasize that the future the show takes place in is a melting pot of cultures.
"May have been the losing side. Still not convinced it was the wrong one."
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Not too many protestant religions have monks, or celebate priests at all. Truth be told, I've never heard of a non-apostolic religion that has monks. If I had to choose, I would say Anglican/Episcopal or Catholic.
However, that being said - I agree with STATIC. We're probably not supposed to tear this apart and analyze it. He's a christian, and that's all that's really important (he may even have the "shady past" that most Christian saints are known for before they turn to a life of spirituality).
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Quote:
Originally posted by zeke023:
Not too many protestant religions have monks, or celebate priests at all. Truth be told, I've never heard of a non-apostolic religion that has monks.
Aren't there Buddist monks?
I grew up Catholic, and Book doesn't strike me as being especially Catholic (of course, that may be because most of my priests were old white men who didn't have to worry about their hair killing their brains). But I agree with the general impression everyone else seemed to get of some kind of Christian, not necessarily one we've got now. Religions evolve and change, new denominations appear and die out all the time. It makes sense that a religion from 500 years in the future wouldn't look exactly like one we have now.
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Yeah, I agree.. I think we are just meant to say.. okay, Book, man of faith.. voice of reason, conscience of the firefly. However, it would be interesting to know more about the religion(s) in the FF universe, as well as some of the cults and sects.
There is a special level of hell reserved for people who talk in the theatre ;)
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I believe that Book is the representative of some sort of faith built around the construction trades. He said in "Heart of Gold" that he'd been following the teachings of a carpenter.
Perhaps there are religions built around stoneworks, bricklaying, plastering, plumbing, electrical work and maybe even painting.
I think I'll go say 10 "Hail Kilz" and go to bed early. I've got a wax and buff on the morrow.
** For all the uptight folk out there, I'm kidding. Take another prozac.**
"Just keep walkin, preacher man."
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Quote:
Originally posted by Knibblet:
I believe that Book is the representative of some sort of faith built around the construction trades. He said in "Heart of Gold" that he'd been following the teachings of a carpenter.
Perhaps there are religions built around stoneworks, bricklaying, plastering, plumbing, electrical work and maybe even painting.
I think I'll go say 10 "Hail Kilz" and go to bed early. I've got a wax and buff on the morrow.
** For all the uptight folk out there, I'm kidding. Take another prozac.**
"Just keep walkin, preacher man."
LOL @ Knibs!
Leave it to Knibs to make us laugh about religion.
"May have been the losing side. Still not convinced it was the wrong one."
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Catholic all the way! You have to realize that after Vatican 19 in 2437 things get a little interesting...
HKCavalier
Hey, hey, hey, don't be mean. We don't have to be mean, because, remember, no matter where you go, there you are.
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Well, it is clearly a mixture. Heavy Catholic elements (Monastic brotherhood, Celebit, dressing to make his status clear to others), but in one of the comentaries someone says that Joss had to force Ron (who is a Budist) to take the character in a more American Protestant direction (heavy reliance on the word). Then there are the eastern elements (meditation is refered to rather than prayer in Arial).
Perhapse Book is a member of a secret sect of Warrior Protestant Monks, a combination of Templars and Shou Lin(sp) with an Evangelical philosophy?
Traveller, if you go to Sparta, tell them you have seen us lying here as the Law commands.
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