Religion in the Twelve Colonies (RDM)

2006-02-05T08:37:44Z

Choi9999: /* The Cycle of Time */ This page originally said ancient Greek religion did not have a notion of eternal return; however, the Stoics did

{{Twelve Colonies Series}}
The religion of the Twelve Colonies, which the various characters of Battlestar Galactica practice to greater or lesser extent, is a polytheistic faith shared with real-life [[Wikipedia:Greek mythology|Greek mythology]], with a strong emphasis on the philosophy of [[Wikipedia:Eternal return|eternal return]].

==Origin==
There is substantial circumstantial evidence that people of Kobol originated on [[Earth]], and it is also known that one of the thirteen tribes later returned there. The similarity in beliefs of the Colonials and the ancient Greeks is probably not coincidental, although it is not yet clear which gave rise to the other. See [[History of the Twelve Colonies]] and [[Sacred Scrolls]] for a more detailed analysis.

==Belief==

===The Lords of Kobol===

Colonial religion is centered on the Lords of Kobol, analogous to the [[Greek Gods]]. So far within the series, a total of six Lords of Kobol have been explicitly identified:

* [[Zeus]] - The father of the gods. [[Tom Zarek]] has twice referred to [[William Adama|Commander Adama]] as "Zeus" ([[Bastille Day]], [[The Farm]]).
* [[Apollo, Lord of Kobol|Apollo]] - His son, said to be the god of the hunt and of healing ([[Bastille Day]]).
* [[Artemis]] - ([[Flesh and Bone]])
* [[Aphrodite]] - ([[Flesh and Bone]])
* [[Athena, Lord of Kobol|Athena]] - Comitted suicide "out of despair over the Exodus of the thirteen tribes" ([[Home, Part II]]). Her [[Tomb of Athena|tomb]] holds a map to [[Earth]]. ([[Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part I]])
* [[Hera]] - ([[Home, Part II]])

According to the [[Sacred Scrolls]], the gods once shared a paradise-like existence with the people of [[Kobol]]. Later circumstances forced the exodus of the human population of Kobol to [[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)|the Twelve Colonies]] and [[Earth]], and lead to Athena's suicide. See [[History of the Twelve Colonies]] for more.

The existence of the Lords of Kobol is attested to by the survival of numerous artifacts, including the [[Arrow of Apollo]], the [[Tomb of Athena]] and the [[Gates of Hera]]. However, although she accepts their historicity, [[Sharon Valerii (Caprica copy)|Sharon Valerii]], a [[Cylons (RDM)|Cylon]], has called their divinity into question.

There is a notion in fan circles that there are twelve lords of Kobol, by analogy to the twelve Cylon models and twelve Colonies, and perhaps the [[Wikipedia:Twelve Olympians|Twelve Olympians]] of greek mythology. A post in RDM's blog loosely addresses this.

:Q: "Twelve cylon models and twelve Olympian gods seems too much of coincidence to me. Is there any connection? "
:RDM: And Twelve Colonies. Coincidence....?" ([http://blog.scifi.com/battlestar/archives/2005/03/index.html#a000023 RDM, March 12, 2005])

===The Jealous God===

In a [http://www.scifi.com/battlestar/episodes/season01/112/mov/bsg_del_112_regret.mov scene] cut from the episode "[[Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part I]]", [[Elosha]] states that the exodus from Kobol was precipitated when "one jealous god began to desire that he be elevated above all the other gods, and the war on Kobol began."

===The Path of Olympus===

[[Tom Zarek]] conveys to [[Laura Roslin]] and members of her command staff of [[Laura Roslin faction|factioners]] of the news that Commander [[William Adama]] had resumed command of ''[[Galactica]]'' after the attempt on his life by saying: "Zeus has returned to '''Olympus''' " ([[The Farm]]).

In Greek mythology, the home of the gods on Earth resided high on the top of Greece's highest mountain, Mount Olympus, at a time where access to the mountain summit would be almost impossible with the inhabitant's technology of that age. By Zarek's comment we can infer that Colonial religion appears to acknowledge the existence of a place called Olympus. It cannot yet be determined, however, if Olympus was thought of as the residence of the gods at a specific physical or ''metaphysical'' location of Kobol, as there has been no mention of Olympus elsewhere in the series. If Olympus is a metaphysical locale, this may contradict [[Elosha]]'s comment that the gods and man lived on Kobol together in harmony.

===Other Mythological Names in Colonial Culture===

Various items have been identified which are apparently named after other gods and legendary figures, although these have not been explicitly identified as Lords of Kobol.

* [[Triton]] - ([[Mini-Series]]) - The namesake of a battlestar lost in the [[Fall of the Twelve Colonies]].
* [[Atlantia]] - ([[Mini-Series]]) - The name of a [[Wikipedia:Hamadryad|hamadryad]], a form of nymph. Namesake of another battlestar lost in the [[Fall of the Twelve Colonies]].
* [[Pegasus (RDM)|Pegasus]] - A legendary horse and namesake of Admiral [[Helena Cain]]'s [[Mercury class battlestar]].
* [[Zephyr]] - ([[Fragged]]) - A ship in [[The Fleet (RDM)|the Fleet]] is named after this god.
* [[Mercury]] - The lead ship of the [[Mercury class battlestar|Mercury class]], apparently named for the Roman version of the Greek god Hermes.
* Pluto - Namesake of the element [[Wikipedia:Plutonium|Plutonium]] mentioned in the episode "[[Bastille Day]]", and Roman version of the Greek god Hades.

===The Cycle of Time===

''"All this has happened before, and all this will happen again."''

According to [[Gaius Baltar]], this line from the Pythian Prophecy is very well known ([[The Hand of God]]). [[Laura Roslin]] later expands on it, reminding [[Kara Thrace]],

:"If you believe in the gods, then you believe in the cycle of time that we are all playing our parts in a story that is told again, and again, and again throughout eternity" ([[Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part I]]).

The notion of a circular progression of time (also known as [[Wikipedia:eternal return|eternal return]] or eternal recurrence) is a common theme in other faiths, particularly [[Wikipedia:Maya#Religion|Mayan]] mythology. Moreover, [[Wikipedia:Stoic|Stoic]] philosophy did believe in the concept of ekpyrosis, the fire which consumes the old world and signals the birth of a new world, identical to the old, for a recurring cycle of birth, death and rebirth. Various events throughout the series have led some characters to believe that they are playing out another turn of this cycle. See [[Sacred Scrolls]] for more detailed analysis.

==Individual Practice==

The Colonials display a wide spectrum of religious practice, ranging from [[Billy Keikeya]]'s atheism ([[Home, Part II]], [http://www.scifi.com/battlestar/episodes/season02/207/deleted4.html cut scene]) to Corporal [[Venner]]'s literalist readings of the Sacred Scrolls. Colonials express their faith in a number of ways.

===Idols===
<div style="float:left; margin-right:1em;">[[Image:Idols.jpg|100px]]</div>
At the end of the episode "[[Flesh and Bone]]", Kara Thrace, a devotee of Artemis and Aphrodite (as stated by [[Leoben Conoy]] in the same episode), prays to them on Conoy's behalf using figurines that bear a similarity to classic representations of Artemis and Athena. Artemis is depicted with her bow and arrow, and Athena with her helmet of war.
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===Rosaries===
<div style="float:left; margin-right:1em;">[[Image:Rosary.jpg|100px]]</div>
When Roslin begins to suffer from Chamalla withdrawl in "[[Fragged]]", Corporal [[Venner]], a fundamentalist from [[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)#Gemenon|Gemenon]], anxiously clutches a set of white prayer beads.
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===Group prayer===
<div style="float:left; margin-right:1em;">[[Image:The_Farm-Group_Worship.jpg|100px]]</div>
Some prisoners on the ''[[Astral Queen]]'' seeking rehabilitation have turned to group prayer. In the episode "[[The Farm]]", they greet Laura Roslin as a prophet and she provides them with a blessing.

Priestess [[Elosha]] sings a group prayer in the service for the dead at the conclusion of the [[Mini-Series]]. Curiously, the language she sings is Sanskrit, a classical language of real-world Earth's Hindu/Indian peoples. More about the verses that she sings and their meaning can be found in the [[Language in the Twelve Colonies#Liturgy|Language in the Twelve Colonies]] article.''<br clear="both">

===Artifacts===
<div style="float:left; margin-right:1em;">[[Image:Bsg-arrow-apollo.jpg|75px]]</div>
Despite Gemenon's fundamentalist climate, the city of [[Delphi]] on [[The Twelve Colonies (RDM)#Caprica|Caprica]] was apparently of a mind to store an important religious artifact, the [[Arrow of Apollo]], in a [[Delphi Museum of the Colonies|museum]], rather than a devotional institution.
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==The Priesthood==

The separation of church and state is less rigorous in the Colonies than in the contemporary United States. Laura Roslin [[Case Orange|is sworn into the presidency]] by a priest, [[Elosha]], who continues on in an advisory capacity within Roslin's administration. Priests also preside over military funerals, without regard for the beliefs of the deceased. That this is a matter of course is perhaps indicative of the religious homogeneity of the Colonies.

Priests in the Twelve Colonies are apparently not required to practice celibacy, as in some Christian denominations. In the episode "[[Resistance]]", Chief [[Galen Tyrol]] states that his father was a priest and his mother an oracle.

According to Billy Keikeya, some priests use the [[Chamalla]] plant for its hallucinogenic properties. The prescient dreams it imparted to Laura Roslin may imply the use of something similar by [[Pythia]], an ancient prophet.

[[Category:A to Z]]
[[Category:Colonial History]]
[[Category:Colonial Religion]]
[[Category:Colonial Society]]
[[Category:RDM]]

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Religion in the Twelve Colonies (RDM)