Religion In BioShock

* See also Rapture Society
* See also Philosophy
* See also Simon Wales
* See also Comstocks_Cult
* See also BioShock_Game_Elements
* See also Levines_Faux-Religion (in Columbia)
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 "Rapture" - Not THAT "The Rapture" :
Ryan being non-religious/atheist/anti-state-reliongist would NOT be referencing the 'Apocalyptic' definition of that word.
'Rapture of the Deep' ( a reference to nitrogen narcosis which acts like a narcotic ), Rapture (joy) of being Freed from a World bent on stealing the Freedoms of the Individual ... Of destructive Big Governments ... Those would be more fitting.
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Ryan Had a Little Lamb and Comstock was White as Snow ... :
Sofia Lamb was simply a liar and employed religion ( her sacrificial death cult ) for her own ends.  Her thinking that she could be able to remove humanity (human nature) from the human race is a serious delusion. She wanted to play god and her 'Utopian' was to be her pawn. Various cliches and symbolisms are attached by "the Rapture Family" to Jack and Eleanor and mouthed by Simon Wales. Most of it is kept fairly vague and generic.
Comstock uses religion similarly, and may be exactly the same (deluded), or actually believed the stuff he has made up ( a largely missed psycho-drama for the game ... ).   Levine laid his Pseudo-Christian Cult stuff on pretty thick. I do wonder how anyone could somehow seriously compare Columbia's strange 'religion' to any reality of America in that era ( in religion or in ANY other way ). 
(( Could Levine have been that ignorant to allow the game to be written that way ? But then, the whole Infinite pile of stuff is Fantasy -- Smokin Pixie Dust ........  ( Sub-par and a sad waste ... but KA-CHING!!! $$$ trumps integrity/ethics for some people. ) ))
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 "Religion" In A Rapture MMORPG :
Probably something the Game Company wouldn't want to touch with a 6 Fathom pole.
Prohibition on Religion ( of whatever Ryan had actually done ) was rescinded in New Rapture. There would be No 'State Church'No State Church - just like in the US Constitution.. The Citizen has a Right to their own religious beliefs, but no Right to force it on others.
No official 'state' church in New Rapture is to exist, but Citizens of various denominations might build their own Places of Worship ( Alexis de Tocqueville mentions looking at one American town and seeing many dozens of different churches of all sizes ... ) The number of 'smuggled' Crosses in BS1 indicated that numerous citizens still wanted religion despite any official restrictions/discouragement.
Religion might have failed Ryan as a child, when the Bolsheviks murdered his family. But the lack of it turned his old homeland into a hellhole of fear, misery and mass-graves. Religion is one of the great factors that make Societies work -- an answer to the criminal who simply says "Who are any of YOU to tell ME what is Right or Wrong ..."
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Separate Issue : Is 'Charity' necessarily 'Altruism' ??? :
The Great Chain, to move Rapture forward, needs to have broken links 'repaired' from time to time ... Ryan should have been shown as more practical, with people trapped in his creation which he himself admits will go thru phases of difficult adjustments.
How exactly could Religion be shown in The MMORPG ?? Creations of the buildings and their accessories is one thing. Public signs and various media advertisements ... NPCs involvement simulations ??? Religious interactions can be rather complex. It may be moot point with game company wanting to avoid any 'religion' manifestation 'like the plague' -- to avoid any 'controversy'... ( except for past efforts denouncing/denigrating it - which Levine & Co found acceptable ). They would have to define the Policy on what to allow. (( Having something be destroyable by Players in a game where 'most everything' is interactive - that would be a key point, but possibly lessened when a Player doing damage faces real SERIOUS in-game costs, and NPCs can rebuild things. ))
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Not All the Religionists in Rapture Would be Like Lamb's Murderous Cultists :
"As long as they worship their fetish in the privacy of their own homes" - Ryan 
THIS also does NOT mean that people can't worship in groups "in their own home". State Religions were the trap the (REAL) US Constitutionalists (America's 'Founders') feared and made provisions against. For Ryan, his further fear of the compulsion towards Altruism ( actually False Altruism to be accurate ) via Religion.
This supposed 'Prohibition' (the game vaguely implies) kinda conflicts with Ryan's "I Will Make Only One Law" pronouncement ( which was about Smuggling ... ) - doesn't it ? But we were never really filled-in with the societal expectations which those who came to Rapture 'Signed On To'.
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"Pssst, Hey Buddy, You Wanna Buy a Bible ?" :
An odd distortion was presented to the BioShock Player (in Rapture) showing large numbers of Contraband Bibles and Crucifixes.  Bibles and Crucifixes were NOT illegal to own ( seemingly it is implied though ? ).  Wasn't it actually the fact that they were SMUGGLED IN, which made those ones illegal/contraband ? With such large piles in evidence, it was some pretty dimwitted Smugglers to have so-many/so-much of the same never-sold accumulated goods.  Real Contraband has to be valued sufficiently by those receiving the stuff so that there is Profit left after ALL the cost/expenses required to obtain them : The operations on the Surface, the Sub transport ( including difficulties avoiding security ), labor, bribes(?), hideout construction and operating expenses, needing to obtain in Rapture whatever they 'Traded the stuff FOR' to The Surface ...  There 'Have To Be' sufficient Profits to pay for the Risk of a criminal operation being found out ( ie - all those side costs of Fontaine killing/coercing employees he thought might otherwise squeal ).
Crucifixes could be MADE in Rapture (seriously), Piles of Newspapers get handed around pretty quickly once seen.  Booze FROM Rapture ??? ( It better be really good stuff to compete ).   How many 'Bibles' ( which don't get used up, and COULD be printed IN Rapture ) really were needed BEFORE Rapture's small population all had theirs ?   SO, Not the most lucrative items to smuggle.  Where are the Chocolate Bars, Silk Stockings, good Cigarettes/Cigars, Caviar, and Spices ??   Up where we saw all that 'Seized' labeled stuff anything good would have been carted off and sold to pay for the City's criminal investigation. But would it remain down in the still hidden Smugglers Hideout ??
The MMORPG could elaborate on the REAL (corrected) Smuggling Operations which Rapture had ( thereby exposing the seedy/criminal sub-culture which existed ).
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The "Saturnine" Might Be Considered a "Religion" ...
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== INFINITE'S GAMEMAKER'S RELIGION = IGNORANCE : ==
Another Part of Kennyboy's Weird Ideas about American Religion :
"I Baptise you in the name of our Prophet, in the name of our Founders, in the name of our Lord"
So that (AGAIN) shows these Odd Cultists are not even close to being "Christians". Hardly something/someone ANY amount of government (American taxpayer) money would EVER knowingly go towards funding. SO THAT whole aspect should have had to be intentionally hidden in the storyline, which unfortunately then would go against the whole 'Amazing "Prophet" who influenced things' storyline. AND if Comstock lied and fraud'd his way through that part of the story, then most of his original supporters would abandon and condemn him when he "changed his tune", and was mutating his creed into something they DID NOT and WOULD NOT believe.
This part of the Infinite BS story shows how much a sad feeble Fantasy it really is ( Worse than the 'quantum' bullshit ). It shows how much a bunch of Hacks the writers were, and the One who 'gave them their marching orders'.
Levine's Trinity - "Hype, Fraud and CASH" ?????????????
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The Infinite BS setting looks to have tried for a Theocracy -- I don't recall if they based (supported) their racism on religious beliefs ( as was done in the South previously with scripture ) in the game.
The writers mixed in too many themes in the game so that it became a big mish-mosh of conflicting/overlapping ideas.
For many reactionary religious types in America, 'the Big City' was anathema to them. Similarly for the racists who saw them as dens of the detested immigrants. Strangely, the game replicated Big City aspects to be part of the chosen setting for such a religious community. Consider also that "The City on a Hill" doesn't have a Slum/slave labor camp attached to it ( and isn't a blatant Police State ). 
If the game was trying to portray the hypocrisy involved, then it was a bit forced and contrived ( remembering how 'narrow' the people who ran Columbia were supposed to be - opposite of America actually ).
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THIS is Cult type crap, and YOUR 'Knowing So' only takes VERY basic theological knowledge.
What Infinite BS/Columbia shows ( and this in-game evidence - in its image and message ) is NOT Christianity, American or Otherwise. Pretending/implying that it supposedly is, IS simple Careless Stupidity or Willful Dishonesty ( and Hack Writing 'Hack Writing' - like Lizzie Borden writing a self-serving autobiography where SHE is the hero of the story... ).
Levine says in an interview that he "Knows Little about Religion" - Then why does he push Shit like this at the Player in this game ? 
That whole pseudo-historic 'America is Evil' crap he panders-forth towards ignorant SJW"SJW" - Social justice warrior - type of stuff - like the current Woke-ism BS - more simpleton "joining instead of believing" soft-headedness. Players ... Is it just to TRY to be 'edgy' and 'relevant' -- Deceit to $ell a Game. 
 "That is faulty History which I would scrape off the bottom of my shoe." - Samuel Clemens
 "Lying about Religion is the Bread and Meat of the Atheist" - Will Durant
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MOVE THIS TO Levines_Faux-Religion ??
Infinite BS
Faux-Religion In Infinite BS's Setting :
"The Awakening" - A rejection of the big dominant church thing ??? Huh ? Why didn't we see much 'individualism' in Religion which was a major component of "Americanism". Alexis de Tocqueville a famous historian mentions being in a SMALL American town ( he toured America around 1830 ) and finding dozens of different (separate) churches. 
Many Irish were extremely attached to their Catholicism, and would NOT have put up with Comstock forcing them into domination by his strange idolatrous cult. Anglican Irish likely also would reject the bizarre non-Christian cult also ( as would most Christian people who were in America ). I could hardly see how they could be forced to stay, and the real America awaited them ...
So this allegedly American(ish) cult place was a Police State with heavily armed police and paramilitary everywhere ? Good luck with that too, Kenny ... The place is too fragile to have survived for very long under those conditions, with the violence which would have quickly resulted.
( Sorry Kenny, You needed to buy a History Book -- Americanism : For Complete Morons and definitely "American Religion For Imbeciles" ).
This grotesque caricature is worse fantasy than the Faux-Science. Grade - FAIL MINUS.
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Comstock's Other 'Collections Bucket' ( If you Pass "GO", then Collect your Eternal Reward !! )... :
With Levine's strange ideas about Christian Religion ( what it really isn't ... his ignorance or intent ????? ), Levine missed the chance to have another 'Vending Machine' where you buy prayers and extra bonus's for when you get into heaven. All 'for a price' of course ( Comstock's religious viewpoint is mercantile enough to be selling 'Indulgences' ... ). Some appropriate verbiage and sound effects ( like the BS1 Epstein The Swami machines ) would result, as well as a "Receipt".
The 'Hallelujah Machine' ... ( Seems a "No Brainer" to have had something so fitting this absurd game setting. )
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Devils Kiss (Vigor) : 
You would think with Columbia's Faux-American religiosity, that 'devil' anything would be something to be avoided by the people there. ( Would YOU be likely to drink a soda named "Tasty Satan Excrement' or eat a "Damnation Donut" ?? ) Far more likely that the Procurers of such would be Lynched.
But then, Ken Levine has rather strange ideas about what Historic America and Christianity was.
Apparently the Vigors weren't used much by the inhabitants. It IS pretty hard to (program) make NPCs use situational/combination weapons appropriately ( hard for NPC AI ) -- Alot of work and skill to Script them to work properly. Perhaps, Vigor Wielding Opponents would have made for far too difficult opponents for Booker -- Much easier just to mob him the old simple way. In any case, that Game didn't advance in this aspect.
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Religion Allowed in Rapture Again - The lesson of what happens when you cut out a significant factor of Civilization :
* Never was 'NOT ALLOWED', was just limitations put on it to prevent it from becoming an imposition on the Populace ( State Religion, or 'In Your Face Proselytizing' ).
* How would this be handled in the game for New Rapture ???
** Player groups 'Playing at Religion' ( subject to Vetting and various other EULA restrictions )
** As long as there is no 'harassment' (EULA would cover) this would be a channel of endless imagination/creativity
** Benevolence Societies of all kinds would be allowed ( New Rapture isn't exactly "Ryan's Rapture" - lessons have been  learned or practicalities are inforce ... )
** Missionaries amongst the Splicers - Good source of worthy martyrs ( and rescue Missions ... ).
See Cat Buddha and Flying Bottle of Absinthe
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Levines & Co's Religion in Columbia is a Bunch of Bog-Bosh :
We might as well have had a cult worshiping the 'Beavis & Butthead's' god "CORNHOLIO" -- as it would have been more logical/realistic than what Levine ( who publicly admits he knows little about religion ) pushed into the Player's game. 
Even lame fantasy is NOT supposed to insult the Players intelligence.
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Astrology in Rapture  :
People can believe in what they want in Rapture.  Would be a good 'different' setting for a business with some strange props with the proprietor looking just like 'Epstein The Swami' ...
We saw the "Saturnines" and their Astrological/Alchemical scrawlings in Arcadia.  Question is - did this get started before the ADAM insanity.  Those convenient caves they used were originally created for something else ( My Extended Level Arcadia map turned it into The Colossal Cave underground park - with extensive artificial caverns -- real ones tend to leak too much. )
Tarot Parlor  -  Madam Blavatsky proprietor, and 'path to the eternal other' 'Channeling the Great Chain'. Even Charlatans can foresee the possibility of the world blowing itself up and "get out of Dodge" ...
"Age of Aquarius" ???   That supposedly starts around 2600 AD - so there really isn't any need to rush.  But since there are varying opinions on that, then anyone can pretty much makeup whatever they want.
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Saturnine Symbols (Glowing) :
Saturnine Prophesy which foresaw the stupid story/plotline of Infinite BS ( It is all gibberish of course ). A bit strange to have painted symbols behind an obviously trimmed plant ( It is not wildly everywhere as it would be if left to grow untended ). Who would put it behind an obscuring plant ?
Lazy game level artist ...
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Story might be : Some Academic and his students went crazy with ADAM ( kind of a f%^&ked up "Dead Poets Society" thing ) and created "The Saturnine". They, with their mystic symbols, decided to 'write' their history of Rapture, much of it being self-serving (to them) rubbish - Leading them to scrawl them about in Arcadia ( No doubt there were far more of this 'history' to be seen in the extensive tunnels and caverns ).
Some Defrocked Professor from Ryan University map ?? Some 'private' school ?
There's exists here an 'in' to have some absurd (and amusing) "prophesies" in Rapture from these Saturnine.
Comstock seeing the crazy parties through a Tear and saying to himself - "I'm gonna get me some of that" and getting Fink to get that ADAM stuff. (( Or maybe "I SEE ANOTHER SODOM WHICH NEEDS RIGHTEOUS DESTRUCTION !!!!" ... )
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Imagine :
With "Authentic Diversity" - IF Instead of that Faux-Christianity, Levine's Columbia had had Faux-Judaism ???
Shown in a similar distorted extremist way with other associated social ills piled on ... ( Imagine the Easter Eggs possible ... )
Imagine the Outcry ... (( Levine was nowhere near as 'edgy' as he made believe. ))
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Buddha Statues Smuggled to Rapture ?? :
Concept ? Idea implying some kind of Damage Control by the game company to try to make it appear there wasn't a generalized pandering to anti-Christian PC agenda in the game/brand.
Infinite BS had Chen Lin have his own Buddha Shrine -- it being well visible to his (missing) workers - which SHOULD have been numerous in his gun manufacturing building. A Bizarre/Contradictory scene contrary to the extreme 'racism' and 'bigoted white rule' themes the game's writers bombarded the Player with. (( More Evidence that WE Seriously SHOULD NOT look to Levine for any actual understanding of the Religion his games portray, OR of his understanding of all the related societal issues he tried to leverage. ))
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