Editing Cylon Religion

{{disline|This article discusses the religion of the [[Cylons (RDM)|Cylons]] of the [[Re-imagined Series]].}}

:''In the [[Original Series]], the [[Cylons (TOS)|Cylons]] have no documented religion.''
:''For summary information on the Colonial faiths as seen in the Original Series, see [[Religion in the Twelve Colonies (TOS)]].''

{{RDM cylons series}}

The majority of the so-called [[Significant Seven]] [[Cylons]] follow a '''monotheistic religion''' handed down to them from the [[Cylon Centurion Model 0005|Centurions]]. This is distinct from the [[Religion in the Twelve Colonies|polytheistic religion]] followed by most of the Colonial Humans and the Terrestrial Cylons known as the [[Thirteenth Tribe (RDM)|Thirteenth Tribe]] (from which come the [[Final Five]]). 

Unless otherwise indicated, the term "Cylon" as used herein refers collectively to Centurion Model 0005, and humanoid Models [[Number Two|Two]] (Leoben), [[Number Three|Three]] (D'Anna), [[Number Four|Four]] (Simon), [[Number Five|Five]] (Aaron), [[Number Six|Six]], [[Number Eight|Eight]] (Sharon), and presumably [[Number Seven|Seven]] (Daniel); and to their beliefs. As previously indicated, these beliefs differ from those of the Thirteenth Tribe, which shared a polytheistic tradition with the twelve Human tribes. The Final Five of the Thirteenth Tribe incorporated the Centurions' monothistic belief system into the numbered models they created with the Centurions. The [[Number One]] model line (John Cavil) are atheists, but it is not known if their atheism was intentional or a programming error. It is unclear whether the semi-sentient [[Raider (RDM)|Raiders]] and [[Cylon Centurion|modern Centurions]] have even the capacity to process religion. Cylon religion supposes that the [[Hybrid]]s can communicate with God, but what if any beliefs the Hybrids themselves hold is unclear, aside from their belief that {{callsign|Starbuck}} is the harbinger of death; since undergoing brain surgery, Thrace's husband, Final Five Cylon [[Samuel Anders]] has effectively become a Hybrid, and echoes their characterization of Thrace. Number Eight Cylon {{callsign|Athena}} and her human husband {{callsign|Karl Agathon}} are a monotheist and a polytheist respectively, and it is unknown what religion(s) they impart to the human-Cylon hybrid child [[Hera Agathon|Hera]].  Both traditions are practiced by her terrestrial decedents who are hybrids of human, numbered Cylon, and the independently-evolved terrestrial humans; with polytheism dominating for thousands of years before being largely eclipsed by monotheism.

Prior to the [[First Cylon War]], a small sect of humans secretly practice a monotheistic religion. This movement is reborn under [[Gaius Baltar]] who preaches Cylon dogma taught to him by [[Messenger Six]]. Terrestrial Cylons [[Tory Foster]] and [[Galen Tyrol]] appear to have converted to monotheism as well under Baltar's ministry, whereas [[Saul Tigh]] has not despite [[Caprica-Six]]'s influence.<ref>He continues to speak of the plural "gods" vice the singular, and refers to Baltar's followers as kooks ("[[The Oath]]").</ref> Only [[Ellen Tigh]] and Samuel Anders recover their memories from the time they allied with the Centurions and embraced their beliefs.

==God==
The Cylons believe that [[God (RDM)|God]] created humankind. Humanity, to the Cylons, is a flawed creation, one that is sinful and has essentially thrown away the gift of the soul and of God's love. The Cylons believe that God directed humanity to create the Cylons as a more perfect entity. From there, the Cylons believe they were to take the place of the flawed humans in the cosmos and become, essentially, the next generation of humankind. 

The Cylons, seeing themselves as humankind's children, believe they cannot not truly come into their own until the human race is gone. The logical conclusion they reach is that they must commit genocidal parricide in order to evolve and mature ([[Podcast:Torn#Act 2|"Torn" Podcast, Act 2]]).

==Attitude toward Colonial Religion==
The Cylons believe in a singular deity and reject the worship of multiple deities.<ref>This is similar, but not necessarily identical, to the beliefs of the [[w:Abrahamic religion|Abrahamic religions]], such as [[w:Judaism|Judaism]], [[w:Christianity|Christianity]] and [[w:Islam|Islam]].</ref> Although unbelievers sometimes refer to this being as the "Cylon God," it has been frequently claimed that this God is the one true God of all, human and Cylon. As such, its followers view the Colonial worship of the [[Religion in the Twelve Colonies#The Lords of Kobol|Lords of Kobol]] as blasphemous {{TRS|Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part I}}. The Cylons claim that they know the [[Sacred Scrolls|scriptures of the human religion]] better than humanity does, but do not believe the Sacred Scrolls to be literally true {{TRS|Home, Part I}}. They acknowledge the historicity of the Lords of Kobol without accepting their divinity.

That said, the Cylons tolerate Colonial religion on [[New Caprica]], and direct evangelism has been mainly limited to [[Leoben Conoy (New Caprica copy)|Leoben's]] workings on {{callsign|Starbuck}}.

==Beliefs==
The Cylons apparently worship a metaphysical being, a being that wishes for all to believe in it and love it, human and Cylon alike. The Cylon religion includes concepts of "sin".  For example, the [[Messengers|Messenger Number Six]] warns [[Gaius Baltar]] that suicide is a mortal sin when he jokingly suggests killing himself {{TRS|Tigh Me Up, Tigh Me Down}}. A tortured Number Six copy named [[Gina Inviere]] does not [[Lay Down Your Burdens, Part II|initially]] kill herself to escape horrific torture because she believes that suicide is a sin {{TRS|Resurrection Ship, Part II}}.

The Cylons maintain that one of God's commandments is to procreate ("be fruitful"), but the humanoid Cylons are incapable of procreating with each other. The Cylons apparently strictly define "procreation" as biological reproduction, and not creation of copies of existing Cylon models using asexual, industrial, or laboratory techniques. As a result, the Cylons began attempts to create a Cylon-human hybrid (deemed more feasible than their previous attempts at procreation among their own kind). To this end they developed "[[farms]]" on the occupied Twelve Colonies to create a hybrid, but these attempts did not succeed.<ref>This Cylon-human hybrid child should not be confused with the living humanoid central computer of a [[Basestar (RDM)|basestar]], also known to the Cylons as a "[[Hybrid]]".</ref>

The first successful Cylon-human Hybrid, [[Hera Agathon]], the daughter of [[Sharon Agathon|Sharon]] and {{callsign|Karl Agathon}}, is literally considered to be a "miracle from God" by the Cylons {{TRS|Final Cut}}.

Most Cylons espouse monotheistic views, but often with subtle differences in interpretation. For instance, [[Leoben Conoy]] believes that "We are all God". The [[John Cavil]] model is the only one that is openly atheistic.  Ironically, Cavils pose among humans as polytheist clergy and are addressed as "Brother".

===Number Six and Religious Devotion===
[[Number Six]] demonstrates particular religious devotion and complexity in her beliefs. According to actress [[Tricia Helfer]], "The Number Six that lives in Baltar's mind has fallen in love with him and she wants him to love her. It might be a different form of love from what we know as humans, but it's definitely something she's feeling."<ref name="companion-118">[[Battlestar Galactica: The Official Companion]], p. 118</ref>

Helfer further characterizes Number Six's religious perspective as childlike in some respects: "Number Six is a bit like a child. She has emotions but she doesn't quite understand them or know how to deal with them. And sometimes when she doesn't get what she wants, she lashes out a bit like a child might. She's experiencing and learning and growing as she goes along, but she's also still a Cylon, so she's seeing things in different ways than a human might."<ref name="companion-118" />

Different Number Six models demonstrate varying approaches to their faith. The [[Messenger Six|"Number Six" who appears to Baltar]] is "more sensual and seductive," while the [[Caprica-Six|Number Six on Caprica]] is "stronger and more militaristic." [[Shelly Godfrey]] was designed to be "more of an intellectual than the other models" and "more straightforward," relying less on sensuality in her interactions.<ref name="companion-120">[[Battlestar Galactica: The Official Companion]], p. 120</ref>

==Presumed origin==

:''Main article: [[Monotheist Church|Human Monotheism]]''

[[File:Soldiers of One Logo.jpg|thumb|Infinity symbol representing the monotheist movement of both the humans and Cylons.]]
A small minority of monotheistic humans existed on the [[Twelve Colonies of Kobol|Twelve Colonies]] before the Fall. [[Monotheist Church|Their religion]] was looked upon as dangerous and heretical by the majority of Colonial society and most of them were forced to hide their beliefs. The paramilitary adjunct to the Monotheist Church was known as the [[Soldiers of the One]] or "STO". Capricans, if not those of the other eleven worlds, made little or no distinction between the STO and monotheism generally; monotheists were considered to be members of a terrorist group by the Caprica government.  The principal mark of the movement was an infinity symbol {{CAP|Pilot (Caprica)}}.

Three such practitioners were closeted monotheists [[Zoe Graystone]], [[Lacy Rand]], and Graystone's boyfriend, [[Ben Stark]], who was the more fanatical of the three.  Despite their actual beliefs in a single omniscient, omnipotent and omnipresent God, the three were students at [[Athena Academy]], a polytheist parochial high school on Caprica. The headmistress, Athenian High Priestess [[Clarice Willow]], was herself a closeted monotheist and mentored the three in her true beliefs.  Graystone and Stark died in a suicide bombing executed by the latter without the former's forewarning {{CAP|Pilot (Caprica)}}.

Zoe had created a meticulous digital copy of herself before her death. Zoe Graystone's self-aware avatar, [[Zoe-A]], was later uploaded into the [[U-87|protype Cylon Centurion]] created by her father, [[Daniel Graystone]] {{CAP|Pilot (Caprica)}}.  Believing herself to have an important destiny within the monotheist movement, Zoe-A solicited Lacy to arrange for her (in her Cylon body) to be smuggled to the monotheists' see on [[Gemenon]] ("[[Reins of a Waterfall]]"). While Zoe-A's escape was thwarted, the operation planted the formerly timid Lacy inexorably into the STO militia ("[[End of Line]]"). Graystone Industries unwittingly propagated elements of Zoe-A's personality and identity into every Cylon they manufactured thereafter {{CAP|Here Be Dragons}}. A small number of these were diverted by the [[Ha'la'tha]] and sold on the black market to the STO on Gemenon in preparation for a holy war {{CAP|Blowback|The Heavens Will Rise}}.

While training on Gemenon, Lacy was disgusted by the STO cadre's disregard for human life. During an attempt to intervene against a summary execution, she discovered that the Cylons' military programming was subordinate to an absolute obedience to her personally. On further investigation, she learned that all Cylon Centurions self-identify as Zoe {{CAP|The Heavens Will Rise}}. With the help and firepower of the Centurions, Lacy and her fellow STO recruits staged a coup d'etat within the STO and the Church itself, and Lacy ascended as Blessed Mother to the Church's supreme authority {{CAP|Here Be Dragons|Apotheosis (episode)}}.

The kernel of Zoe-R's identity contained in the Cylons' fundamental programming which Lacy exploited also made them predisposed to monotheism. Ironically, the Cylon marines' killing of monotheist human terrorists to protect the thousands of polytheist humans at [[Atlas Arena]] (coincidental to Lacy's coup) ingratiated the Cylons with humanity and was the catalyst for their much more rapid popularity and sales than inventor [[Daniel Graystone]] had anticipated {{CAP|Apotheosis (episode)}}.

[[File:Clarice's Sermon, 1x18.jpg|thumb|Sister Clarice Willow proselytizing to her Cylon congregation.]]
Sister Clarice Willow evaded capture for her orchestration of the failed arena bombing. She eventually discovered the Cylons' monotheistic instincts and established a Cylon congregation in [[V-World]] where myriad domestic, industrial, and military Cylon models came to hear her sermons. Opening with the rhetorical question, "Are you alive?" Clarice preached that Cylons are every bit as much God's children as humans are. Blessed Mother Lacy granted Clarice an audience at her see on Gemenon to discuss Clarice's proposal for divine recognition of the "differently sentient" - the Cylon race {{CAP|Apotheosis (episode)}}. Despite being human herself, Clarice encouraged her Cylon flock to rebel against their human masters.

The [[Final Five]] traveled from the thirteenth world (Original Earth) to warn the humans of the other twelve worlds not to make a robotic slave race which would inevitably rebel as their own had done {{TRS|Sometimes a Great Notion|No Exit}}.  They arrived more than twelve years too late to avert precisely the war they had prophesied {{TRS|No Exit}}. While they could not prevent the war, they could cause peace. They agreed to give the Centurions the technology they were themselves trying in vain to develop: the ability to create [[Significant Seven|biological Cylons]], along with the inherently interrelated resurrection capability, on the condition of an immediate Cylon withdrawal and armistice {{TRS|Razor Flashbacks|No Exit}}.  The monotheism of the Centurions was incorporated into the programming of their humanoid "children."

Immediately before igniting the [[Fall of the Twelve Colonies|holocaust]], a [[Number_Six#Armistice_Station_Copy|Six]] quotes from Sister Clarice Willow's sermons decades earlier, asking the human [[Armistice Officer]], "Are you alive?" {{Ep|cap1=Apotheosis (episode)|trs1=Miniseries, Night 1}}. The Cylon religion's lineage can also be seen during the [[Cylon Civil War]], at a [[Humanoid Cylon|Cylon]] funerary service that takes place on [[Galactica (TRS)|''Galactica'']], where the usage of ornaments and amulets in the form of the infinity symbol can be observed {{TRS|Islanded in a Stream of Stars}}.

==Analysis==
The concept that the religious beliefs of the Cylons are similar to the real-life Abrahamic religions of planet Earth is a plot twist which executive producer [[Ron Moore]] developed and considers to be an intriguing switch:  normally, the "Good Guys" in a TV show are monotheists, and the "bad guys" are polytheists. However, in the Re-imagined Series, the "good" humans follow a polytheistic religion that worships a parallel of the Greek gods, while the "bad" Cylons worship a monotheistic God, similar to real-life Abrahamic religions.

Moore's approach to religious themes was deliberate and carefully considered. In developing the show's theological framework, he wrote a foundational document entitled "''[[Naturalistic science fiction|Battlestar Galactica: Naturalistic Science Fiction—or Taking the Opera Out of Space Opera]]''" that outlined his intentions to ground the series in recognizable human experiences and conflicts.<ref name="companion-19">[[Battlestar Galactica: The Official Companion]], p. 19</ref> This religious dimension was incorporated into Moore's [[Series Bible]], which detailed the backgrounds of characters and universe for the show's writers and producers.

The Cylon God and the Lords of Kobol have an "overlapping" existence that is confusing to both Colonial and Cylon sides. Both sides appear to be guided to conflict (and, in rare instances, cooperation) through events that appear pre-destined. The story arc of finding the [[Arrow of Apollo]] involves the hunt for the [[Tomb of Athena]] by the Colonials. According to the Sacred Scrolls, the humans will be aided by a "minor demon." The cooperative [[Sharon Agathon|Sharon Valerii copy]] assists the group in finding the tomb.

In another instance, the [[oracle]] [[Dodona Selloi]] tells [[Number Three]] that the Lords of Kobol, specifically [[Zeus, Lord of Kobol|Zeus]], are sad for her. The oracle then relays a message from the Cylon God to Three of the existence of Hera Agathon and the imminent failure of the occupation of [[New Caprica]] {{TRS|Exodus, Part I}}.

The convergence of the Cylon and Colonial religion occurs yet again at the [[algae planet]], where possession of the [[Eye of Jupiter]] is fought over by the two sides. While the Colonials believe the [[Temple of Five]] on the planet was built by the [[Thirteenth Tribe (RDM)|Thirteenth Tribe]] to represent five priests who worshipped "[[the one whose name cannot be spoken]]," one Cylon (Number Three) and Gaius Baltar believe that the significance of the Temple has something to do with the [[Final Five|five missing humanoid Cylons]]. Lieutenant [[Felix Gaeta]] discovers that the algae planet's sun will soon go nova; both he and Admiral Adama do not believe that the curious coincidences of Colonial and Cylon involvement with the Eye, at that particular place and time, as merely coincidental {{TRS|The Eye of Jupiter}}.

Cylon attitude towards their own religion varies between the models, and it is this variation that is one of the major causes of the [[Cylon Civil War]]. The [[Number Four|Fours]] and [[Number Five|Fives]] follow the lead of the atheist [[Number One|Ones]] with the more reverent [[Number Two|Twos]], [[Number Six|Sixes]], and [[Number Eight|Eights]] in opposition.

==Sayings and Prayers==
*[[Leoben Conoy]]: (at a dinner table with {{callsign|Starbuck}}) "Heavenly father, we thank you for the bounty of this table…" {{TRS|Occupation}}<ref>This is similar or identical to the blessing many Christians in North America recite before meals.</ref>
*[[Number Three]]: "[There is] no other god but God." {{TRS|Exodus, Part I}} <ref>This resembles the islamic [[w:Shahada|Shahada]]: "I bear witness that there is no god except for God (Allah), and Muhammad is the messenger of God." It also reflects the 1st, 2nd or 1st ''and'' 2nd Commandments (depending upon demonination): "I am the Lord your G-d. You shall have no other gods before me.</ref>
*{{callsign|Athena}}: "When God's anger awakens, even the mighty shall fall…" {{TRS|Torn}}
*The [[Prayer to the Cloud of Unknowing]] is used when Cylons face death without [[Resurrection (RDM)|resurrection]]: "Heavenly father<nowiki> [. . .] </nowiki>grant us the strength...the wisdom<nowiki> [. . .] </nowiki>and above all...a measure of acceptance..." ([[A Measure of Salvation]], [[Sine Qua Non]], [[Islanded in a Stream of Stars]])<ref>It is noticably parallel to Reinhold Niebuhr's well-known Serenity Prayer.</ref>

==Creative Development==
The religious dichotomy between [[Religion in the Twelve Colonies (RDM)|Colonial polytheism]] and Cylon monotheism was a central concept developed by [[Ronald D. Moore]] during the re-imagining of the series. Moore was particularly drawn to exploring this theological contrast, later reflecting that he was "fascinated with this notion of monotheism versus polytheism" and felt its addition to the show "enriched it and helped make it unique."<ref name="companion-18">[[Battlestar Galactica: The Official Companion]], p. 18</ref>

This religious framework represented a deliberate inversion of traditional science fiction tropes. Moore developed the concept as part of his broader vision to explore "every aspect of the human experience" and was "delighted" by the creative opportunities it presented.<ref name="companion-18" /> The religious aspects of the show developed naturally from [[Naturalistic science fiction|Moore's intention to ground the series]] in recognizable human conflicts and experiences, moving away from the futuristic production design styles typical of space opera.

The monotheistic-polytheistic divide was formalized in Moore's [[Series bible|Series Bible]] that outlined his vision for writers and producers. This religious conflict became one of the core thematic elements distinguishing the re-imagined series from its predecessor and other science fiction productions of the era.

== References ==
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[[de:Zylonische Religion]]
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