I’ve heard it said that the basic structure of the universe for humans is a modified form of communism. There are no rich people or poor people, just people of different ranks who’s needs and desires are all fulfilled.
Russian communism was Atheistic. I believe China’s is also.
Some of the alien species in Trek had religion, but IIRC, it was strongly implied that humanity had given up religion centuries ago. In TWOK, McCoy says, “According to myth, the Earth was created in six days. Now, watch out! Here comes Genesis! It’ll do it in six minutes!”
These issues aren’t really spelled out very clearly. There is SOME sort of economy there, and people do seem to get paid for their jobs, though with the use of replicators and such, it doesn’t seem like there are status goods that can be easily lauded over others as a sign of wealth, and psychologically most people in the Federation just don’t seem to care or “get” the idea of amassing lots of wealth over and above what others have: technology is good enough to give everyone a good standard of living and most seem satisfied with that.
As for religion, it’s clear that some cultures still have religious convictions, but most of the humans don’t seem to be believers, or at least the subject is mostly avoided in the show so we can’t really say for sure how pervasive any remaining religion is. I think in part this is because a universe with thousands of cultures all with their own quaint but incompatible religious mythos, most of which developed in ignorance of all the rest despite claims to being universal… well, that complicates things.
In “Who Watches the Watchers” Picard becomes a god figure for a local planetary species. When it’s suggested that he give them a set of Commandments to follow he explicitly states that humanity as a whole gave up religion centuries earlier. Earlier in “Who Mourns for Adonais?” Kirk flatly rejects the notion of worshipping Apollo but I can’t recall offhand if he specifically commented on the state of religion amongst humans at the time.
McCoy’s reference to the biblical creation myth as “myth” doesn’t necessarily mean that he doesn’t believe it or comment on the state of belief in it amongst humans in general. Many scholars who identify as Christians don’t believe in the literal truth of the six-day creation story and it’s often called a “myth.”
I think it was along the lines of `“we don’t want to be shepards”
The ST movie Shatner directed in which they travel to and find a God-like alien who needs a starship probably has some dialogue that would enlighten this question. Problem is, you’d have to watch that movie to find out.
There’s no inherent relationship between communism (or socialism) and atheism. Either can exist without the other.
With all due respect, is there any reason to take your authority on this matter over that of Karl Marx? He made it quite clear that communism and faith are incompatible.
Since no society in history has ever applied Marxian communism it doesn’t seem to matter what Marx said or believed.
In practice, communist states have always substituted a state religion and repressed the native religions of the area. The merits of this system can be debated, but it seems to have been extremely successful in perpetuating the regime, as in North Korea today.
You could say that communism always requires religion. Just not religion in the conventional sense. Atheism and religion are overlapping, not mutually exclusive, categories in this real-world sense.
If that’s your argument (i.e. “we’ll define true communism only and just however Marx described it as being, in detail”), then you’ve negated the question of Russia and China, both of which Marx didn’t believe fit his professed ideology either.
Otherwise, well, there is the plain logical and historical fact that, well, communism and faith are not incompatible and can indeed co-exist (and have co-existed), regardless of the situations of Russia and China.
And unfortunately, no one ever has, so we’ll never know.
Actually, it makes it’s point in a rather subtle way. Kirk does ask, “Uh, excuse me, but what does God need with a starship?”
And you people just need to stop being wimps about the movie. It’s not that bad. I can certainly think of other big budget films which were way worse than that.
In teh “ancient Rome” TOS episode, McCoy said something like “if you are talking religion, we have varied beliefs” or “we represent many beliefs”
Brian
Also, Uhura seemed rather excited by the discovery that the oppressed believers didn’t worship the “Sun God” but “the Son of God”, as if that belief had some resonance with her.
Basically, Classic Trek humanity was more open to religion than was Next Gen humanity. Why? Because Rodenberry had to be subtler in his anti-religion biases back in the 1960s.
Well, in the movie Generations Picard experiences a family Christmas with an illusory family while in the Nexus, so there is evidence that he is probably a Christian.
Also, although I can’t cite the episode, I distinctly remember a Christmas party being thrown on Voyager.
Aren’t (or weren’t) many Latin American countries simultaneously Communist and Catholic?
Marx died in 1883. He never lived to see a Communist revolution (unless you count the short-lived Paris Commune).
Doesn’t mean much. My family isn’t Christian, but we have Christmas just for the sake of the celebration. Many holidays become almost entirely secularized.