Warhammer 40K's take on religion

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

The game Warhammer 40,000 has a rather involved backstory to give context to all the pretend battles you fight with your toys. One part of that is the Emperor of Mankind, who starts his career with a crusade to exterminate religion only to end up being venerated as a God-Emperor. (It would take too long to explain the details or why it makes sense within the crazed canon of WH 40K. There are plenty of fan sites that explain the setting better than I could in a single post.)

[Antonio the Sixth]

A cheap Dune ripoff.

[World politics is up Schmitt creek]

A cheap Dune ripoff.

This. There are interesting religions in 40k but that of the Imperium isn't one of them. (At least not theologically; some of the aesthetic trappings surrounding it are kind of badass.)

I voted for the third option, but overall I don't dislike 40k's worldbuilding as much as that might imply.

[John Henry Eden]

It's an entertaining franchise but I wouldn't use it as a guide for your political compass. We do that too much with fiction these days. *stares at harry potter fans* 

[Filuwaúrdjan]

A cheap Dune ripoff.

First time I've ever heard Games Workshop products be described as cheap!

[Antonio the Sixth]

A cheap Dune ripoff.

First time I've ever heard Games Workshop products be described as cheap!

lol, fair point

[GoTfan]

As mentioned above, the Emperor of Mankind is literally millions of years old, and came to the conclusion that after witnessing all of humnaity's strife, that religion was the cause, and thus he united the techno-barbarians (yes, they really were called that) of Terra (Earth, for non-Latin speakers) under the Imperial Truth. Basically, it boiled down to "Religion bad, science good."

However-and this is really important-the Emperor presented himself as a quasi-religious figure from the outset. Golden armour, a flaming sword, an Iron Halo, a Golden Throne. He proclaimed that he was anti-religion, yet used a lot of imagery that would easily be described as religious.

[Statilius the Epicurean]

As mentioned above, the Emperor of Mankind is literally millions of years old, and came to the conclusion that after witnessing all of humnaity's strife, that religion was the cause, and thus he united the techno-barbarians (yes, they really were called that) of Terra (Earth, for non-Latin speakers) under the Imperial Truth. Basically, it boiled down to "Religion bad, science good."

It's not quite that simple. The Emperor's atheist paradise in the end was undermined and destroyed by the actually-existing Chaos Gods. Along with salvific faith in the Emperor it's only the Imperium's religious structures (monstrously inefficient and evil they may be) that prevents humanity from suffering instant obliteration. All of the planets that try to go rationalist away from the Imperium get taken over by Chaos and everyone dies horribly. Religion in 40k is the Noble Lie that keeps the slowly deteriorating house called the Imperium of Man from collapsing due to the sheer Grimdarkness of the galaxy.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

As mentioned above, the Emperor of Mankind is literally millions of years old, and came to the conclusion that after witnessing all of humnaity's strife, that religion was the cause, and thus he united the techno-barbarians (yes, they really were called that) of Terra (Earth, for non-Latin speakers) under the Imperial Truth. Basically, it boiled down to "Religion bad, science good."

It's not quite that simple. The Emperor's atheist paradise in the end was undermined and destroyed by the actually-existing Chaos Gods. Along with salvific faith in the Emperor it's only the Imperium's religious structures (monstrously inefficient and evil they may be) that prevents humanity from suffering instant obliteration. All of the planets that try to go rationalist away from the Imperium get taken over by Chaos and everyone dies horribly. Religion in 40k is the Noble Lie that keeps the slowly deteriorating house called the Imperium of Man from collapsing due to the sheer Grimdarkness of the galaxy.

When you think about it, it's an incredibly Anglican vision of dystopia.

[Kingpoleon]

This. There are interesting religions in 40k but that of the Imperium isn't one of them. (At least not theologically; some of the aesthetic trappings surrounding it are kind of badass.)

I voted for the third option, but overall I don't dislike 40k's worldbuilding as much as that might imply.

Are you trying to show off how much of a Catholic you are, by firstly (and thus far uniquely) referring to aesthetics in a religious context?

[bagelman]

Both options 1 and 2 at the same time. He is God but the religion surrounding him...