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  • Subject: Halo as a Christian Allegory
Subject: Halo as a Christian Allegory
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I would like to preface what I say by saying that I am both an agnostic atheist and an antitheist. I do agree, that in many places, the storyline within the trilogy parallel the Bible. This is undeniable. I do not believe, however, that Bungie meant this to be any kind of "spiritual" connection, merely a literary one. They do the same thing by lifting elements of Dante's Inferno for Halo: ODST, and (to a much, much, much lesser extent) Seven Samurai/Magnificent Seven and other Western movies for Halo: Reach. It is often cited that the names for certain people or groups are a hint at the religiosity of the games (for example, the Flood). I would argue that this could be the writers using imagery and wording that, while is by all rights Bungie's own creation, a common and recurring story in most people's lives. Indeed, a small reason why I like Halo so much more than Marathon is because Halo is not plagued with hard to pronounce alien names that hold little meaning for the average person.

I would also like to say that contemporary religion (that is, the blood-spattered three Abrahamic religions and Hinduism) are essentially thrown out in the Halo universe, by pretty much directly claiming that the Forerunners are the inspiration for the old gods of the world. If they do not directly inspire Judaism, Christianity, or Islam, they most certainly inspire the old religions they evolved from and take from; Summerian, Egyptian, and various other pagan mythologies.

The UNSC is secular, only a few characters are ever exhibited with any religion at all, and the smartest human ever (aside from the ancient human civilization), Dr. Catherine Halsey, is an atheist. Conversely, the Covenant is portrayed as an evil (as they usually are) theocracy. Thel 'Vadamee also goes through a Christ-like death (public stripping of armor, branding of Mark of Shame) and rebirth as the Arbiter, a messiah-like sangheili that is created and destroyed in times of great stress to help hold the Covenant together.

To briefly summarize, I am of the opinion that while Bungie uses literary themes and elements that parallel those of the New Testament, within the "reality" of their universe, they almost condemn religion in any place other than within the confines of your own skull. I wouldn't say that Bungie is necessarily trying to convey some religious message, merely using recognizable aspects of religion to provide a framework to their games.

[Edited on 07.07.2011 4:31 AM PDT]

  • 07.07.2011 4:18 AM PDT

"Let the big man do his work"
"Look, Reach has been good to me, time has come to return the favor. Don't deny me this. Tell 'em to make it count." - Jorge 052
Terminus Est- Forward unto the end

Now you see, I appreciate your input. I actually agree with a lot of what you are saying, even though I myself am a Christian. I think that your post should serve as a model for other Non-Christians participating in this discussion. You stated your opinions in a thoughtful and mature manner, something that cannot be said for some of the others in this forum. You even left room for other opinions by stating that this is your own opinion, and you did so without condemning the rest of us.

  • 07.07.2011 1:12 PM PDT

I always i had an idea about that. Oh and well written.

  • 07.08.2011 12:14 AM PDT

"Moooooooo"
-Ghost cow

TL;DR

  • 07.08.2011 1:04 AM PDT

Wow, this was one of the best posts I've read. Nice Job!

[Edited on 07.08.2011 3:43 PM PDT]

  • 07.08.2011 3:24 PM PDT

Posted by: Jump Into Hell
TL;DR

  • 07.08.2011 4:44 PM PDT
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Wow. Way too long to read. A+ for effort.

  • 07.10.2011 6:10 PM PDT

"Find where the liar hides, so that I may place my boot between his gums!" - Rtas 'Vadum

Posted by: ROBERTO jh
The Covenant represent modern day humanity. We are blinded by Anger
greed
fear
over reliance on superiors to dictate our life and finally
an extreme thirst for power

Only those that are mature enough to look beyond the lies, look beyond the hatred, anger, fear, and power, those who retain their individuality and see the truth can possibly become more then they are.

Your first part is slightly debauching of Human existence and I personally find your comparison between those who are "mature enough to look beyond the lies, look beyond the hatred, anger, fear, and power, those who retain their individuality and see the truth" with the Elites, of all fictional races, to be nothing but a disingenuous slander. The Elites are not sceptical, freethinking (Which does not mean what you think it means) and secular. They are are the absolute antithesis. They have done nothing of what your analogy has prescribed.

Halo is obviously a criticism of Religion. Your debauching of Humanity by labelling it all of those things are actually products of (mostly) Religion. Therefore to embody those things in the Covenant is a criticism.

Anger? One of my points below deals with not just the divisions between different Religions but with the fractures within them; between different denominations. There is no greater dividing force than Religion. And when it is not the primary motivating force you will often find it at least taking a backseat. A bigoted fight between Rangers and Celtic fans may appear to be just sports bigotry until you look at the Religions behind each.

Greed/Power I would say are legitimate. They are not necessarily caused by Religion.

Fear? Fear of God and Hell and the lengths people will go to appease (Or avoid) these. Fear of Hell has even crippled some peoples psychological state.

Authority? Religion operates solely on the appeal to authority.

I'm going to add another one to your list: Arrogance. The Elites would actually represent that. They are, after all, an arrogant, selfish, egotistical race who think that they are superior to everything else and that anything that is not Sangheili is not worthy. That is Religion through and through in the way that it caters to our solipsism, anthropocentrism and selfishness, and the way that outsiders are unworthy.


The client races of the Covenant represent its power to completely dominate your life; the utter smashing of your individuality and personality. The Unggoy's pre-Covenant culture has been completely eradicated and are denied most rights that we take for granted. They, and most other races, are made to look unworthy in the Covenant which is a tenet present in most Religions. (Certainly the Abrahamic Religions in which you are born with "original sin")

The Covenant, at its core, is essentially a lie. What is the Covenant attempting to do in the period 2525-2552? Exterminate an innocent race to preserve this lie. That in itself is a moral catastrophe that only under dogma is such a thing even conscionable by a sapient being. (Think genital mutilation, which is a part of some Religions. Judiasm I think is one) Coming back to the lie, Religion has had the tendency to attempt to destroy anything that was a threat to its tenets. The burning of scientists and philosophers at the stake for "Heresy" and the debauching of Galileo by the Pope during the late Middle Ages/early Renaissance as examples. The Covenant is a portrayal of this: They are attempting to destroy that which is the truth and which opposes its doctrines. It is essentially a war on truth, a portrayal of things such as Christian Fundamentalists in Texas attempting to have Evolution sidelined and to have I.D. taught in schools. There is also the fact that many of Christianity's myths have been debunked in Halo. (Ark, Flood, etc)

The Jihad and brainwashing which resulted in the Human genocide should be self evident. E.g. Al Queda, Taliban. We also have, exemplified in the Elites committing utter atrocities yet supposedly being a just race (lol), Religion's ability to make good people do bad things.

The Covenant are always infighting with each other. We have the Heretics, we have the group of Sangheili in Halo Wars who opposed the Prophets (But who were eventually killed by Ripa). These I think exemplify Religion's tendency to turn on itself, e.g. Northern Ireland were Roman Catholics and Protestants have been at each others throats for decades, or the Shiite and Sunni Muslims who are in the same boat over in the Middle East. They each consider the other denomination to be Heretics and worthy of nothing but death and eternal hellfire.

The imitation theme of the Covenant is another big one. Religion teaches one to rely upon revelation, superstition and faith. One is taught that faith (Which is unfounded belief) is considered superior to all other traits. Essentially, freethinking and scepticism goes out the window. The Covenant do not think for themselves. They imitate and cannot (Or will not) think outside of the box; they won't think for themselves. What did Thel say to Zharn in the Cole Protocol when Zharn questioned the motives of the H-C war? "You think too much Zharn", before dismissing the evidence. Contrary, the UNSC is portrayed as innovative, that which the Covenant (faith) wishes to destroy.

[Edited on 07.11.2011 7:53 AM PDT]

  • 07.10.2011 7:53 PM PDT

First, wanted to post up the link to one of the Halo wikis that meticulously charts out most of the many, MANY religious references. It's a really interesting read-through.

I did want to throw my two cents in with the point that the highly religious Covenant refer to Spartans as "demons."

From the Covenant perspective, an entire race of heretics has inhabited countless planets, and have produced agents of death that know nothing but how to kill.

And to some extent, they're right.

The Spartans were created to be ultimate soldiers, originally to police human uprisings. That's always a grim reminder--that the heroic Spartans were originally intended to kill any humans trying to break away from the UNSC. They've been genetically modified, grafted with steel and cybernetic implants, granted nigh-unstoppable weapons and armor, and trained from an early age to know nothing but tactics and war.

A souped-up giant, trained to know only war, with the original purpose of killing its own kind? How far off is it to call them "demons?"

Oh, let's not forget, the society that produced them okayed the kidnapping of children and the replacement of said children with flawed, destined-for-early-death clones, and put those children through procedures that killed and crippled nearly half of them.

I think that there are good arguments to be made for the symbolism of the Covenant and the humans, but my opinion, particularly given the above example, is that each side is the religion argument taken to very dangerous extremes.

Covenant stagnate and blindly follow based solely on faith, and are dangerously easy to manipulate because of it. They've completely internalized religion.

Humans innovate and will do anything necessary to survive, even if that means abandoning morality and decency to do it. They've rejected religion, but it also seems any sort of moral code that couples with religions.

[Edited on 07.10.2011 10:19 PM PDT]

  • 07.10.2011 10:18 PM PDT

SubjectNameHere, I certainly appreciate your feedback! I definitely agree with many of your points and I am happy to see that you are not like some of the oblivious atheists who are missing some of the very clear connections. I would also agree that in no way is Bungie trying to be overly spiritual with this allegory, rather it is adding to the value of the story by drawing on very influential material from our western culture to enhance the tale. I appreciate your well thought out argument and encourage those who agree and those who disagree to respond with such courtesy and care in the future! Thanks for all of the input everybody. This thread has turned into one that we can all be proud of because of its exemplary maturity in discussing matters of the universe that we all know and love.

  • 07.11.2011 1:40 PM PDT
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Posted by: Crystallized
Humans innovate and will do anything necessary to survive, even if that means abandoning morality and decency to do it. They've rejected religion, but it also seems any sort of moral code that couples with religions.


Completely disagree. Uncoupling civilization with religion does not remove morality, morality does not, as it turns out, come from on high. The more important aspects of what's "good" and "bad" are innate in those of us with chemically sound brains. Those of us that are not socio- or psychopathic don't need to be told that killing an innocent person is a bad thing, you know this instinctively. Some specific aspects of ethics are culture driven, however. The humans of the UNSC do not seem any more immoral or amoral than present humans. I agree with anton, to me it seems that Bungie is using the literary elements of religion and alluding to it to provide familiar territory to players, all the while condemning organized religion as a governing force (theocracy).

And thank you, Adam 36O.

  • 07.19.2011 10:05 AM PDT

The Forerunner, the Great Journey, and Heaven Theory

[Announcement Trailer] Halo: Forerunner

Posted by: Agustus
I lol'd at the absurd miscommunication that occurs whenever dibbs post something. Perhaps his brain is so highly evolved that he can no longer clearly communicate with lesser life forms, even among his own species.

Posted by: SubjectNameHere
Psssh, what do you know? Practicing a system of ethics based on the promise of a reward, in religion's case an afterlife, is certainly preferable to practicing a system of ethics based on it simply being the right thing to do.

[Edited on 07.19.2011 10:35 AM PDT]

  • 07.19.2011 10:35 AM PDT
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Posted by: dibbs089
Posted by: SubjectNameHere
Psssh, what do you know? Practicing a system of ethics based on the promise of a reward, in religion's case an afterlife, is certainly preferable to practicing a system of ethics based on it simply being the right thing to do.


Is this sarcasm, lol?

  • 07.19.2011 10:44 AM PDT

WAR IS INFINITE PEOPLE TO FIGHT THEM ARE NOT

Bungie is working with the alluminati

  • 07.19.2011 11:01 AM PDT

"Where ere thou hast been, here or in yon world manifest? Canst thou tell what is, or what was, or what is to come? No thing shall last. Yet there are some things that will never change. History is written in blood, yet are battles really lost on the battlefield? Canst thou tell me where thou comest, and where thou goest, and what is, or what was, or what will be? For everything remains, AS IT NEVER WAS."

Posted by: SpartanS116
Bungie is working with the alluminati

Yeah, it's "Illuminati," and that's by far the most ridiculous statement made thus far.

Posted by: Crystallized
I did want to throw my two cents in with the point that the highly religious Covenant refer to Spartans as "demons."

I would like to add my $0.02 that not only Christians believe in demons.
Posted by: Crystallized
A souped-up giant, trained to know only war, with the original purpose of killing its own kind? How far off is it to call them "demons?"

Actually, quite far off, the full "definition" of demon taken into consideration.

DEMON

Origin:

1350 - 1400; Middle English

The original neutral Greek word "daimon" does not carry the negative connotation initially understood by implementation of the Koine (Hellenistic and New Testament Greek) [characters not allowed] (daimonion,) and later ascribed to any cognate words sharing the root, originally intended to denote a spirit or spiritual being.

Ancient Greek daimon is a word for "spirit" or "divine power," much like the Latin genius or numen. The Merriam-Webster dictionary gives the etymology of the Greek word as from the verb daiesthai "to divide, distribute." The Greek conception of a daimon notably appears in the works of Plato, where it describes the divine inspiration of Socrates. To distinguish the classical Greek concept from its later Christian interpretation, it is usually anglicized as either daemon or daimon rather than demon.

The Greek term does not have any connotations of evil or malevolence. In fact, [Greek characters not allowed], literally "good-spiritedness," is a term for "happiness." The term first acquired its now-current evil connotations in the Septuagint translation of the Hebrew Bible, informed by the mythology of the ancient Semitic religions.

Greco-Roman concepts of daemons that passed into Christian culture are discussed in the entry daemon, though it should be duly noted that the term referred only to a spiritual force, not a malevolent supernatural being. The Hellenistic "daemon" eventually came to include many Semitic and Near Eastern gods as evaluated by Christianity.

  • 07.19.2011 12:08 PM PDT

The Forerunner, the Great Journey, and Heaven Theory

[Announcement Trailer] Halo: Forerunner

Posted by: Agustus
I lol'd at the absurd miscommunication that occurs whenever dibbs post something. Perhaps his brain is so highly evolved that he can no longer clearly communicate with lesser life forms, even among his own species.


Posted by: SubjectNameHere

Posted by: dibbs089
Posted by: SubjectNameHere
Psssh, what do you know? Practicing a system of ethics based on the promise of a reward, in religion's case an afterlife, is certainly preferable to practicing a system of ethics based on it simply being the right thing to do.


Is this sarcasm, lol?
Yes.

Every time I say to people that morality is something innate; that religion does not have a hold on it (as some like to claim), all I get are confused stares. A child knows the difference between right and wrong (at a basic level) before it can walk; so too can the least religious be the most morally sound.

[Edited on 07.19.2011 1:55 PM PDT]

  • 07.19.2011 1:52 PM PDT

How fortunate for governments that the people they administer don't think.

I have to say, I was thinking this too, most people I know are afraid to even think of there not being a supreme being. But it is a perplexing question that will never be answered.

  • 07.21.2011 12:58 AM PDT

Firefight is made to AFK in. That's Reach's "Investment" system

Of course it is, so is every Block-buster. Halo is nothing more then an Amalgamation of the world's most popular stories/Movies, mainly Star Wars and Starship Troopers. Nice analyzation though, I'd like to re-read again later, since i just skimmed through it

  • 07.21.2011 6:37 AM PDT

I like gameming like this

Great post. Thanks for the sharing usefull information with us.Perfect! I liked tha way you published this post.
Alat Kesehatan
Medical Equipment

  • 07.22.2011 10:39 PM PDT

See you star side

Beautiful

  • 07.27.2011 8:20 AM PDT

@anoton

Perphaps I phrased it wrong. I know the Elites are just as easily blammed for destroying humanity. I also know that they are not truly free; they still worship the Forerunners.

But they were the only ones who would accept they had been played and did something about it, that is undeniable. To me, that shows they are more open minded, or at least have the potential to become more then just a race of beligerants.

When Spark straight out says that the Halos are a WMD, not a religious gateway, who believed him? Who accepted it? Not the Brutes, but the Elites. They were the more intelligent race.

Now something else I should say is that this line of thought is made to fit into a certain chain of events that are yet to take place, but I have theorized upon. I feel that the Elites will inherit the Mantle after humanity is done with it, because they broke away, the only ones who saw the truth, and therefore the only ones who would be responsible enough to take the Mantle. So obviously this analogy can never be 100% accurate since its based on something that has not occured yet and may never occur.

And after further reading the rest of your post, I feel the need to agree with you. However, that is not to say I am done.

Another ideology I worked under while considering this is one I adhere too.

I (at the risk of being flammed) find religion to be a waste of time. I find the concept of people using other's faiths to achieve their own ends or otherwise telling other people what to believe to be foolish. It shows a complete lack of self reliance and self esteem: "I feel powerless, so I feel the need to have a guy in robes tell me what to believe in life."

Nobody can tell you what to believe.

I tend to walk in the middle ground. I believe in a higher power, but I don't believe in any established "God." What you were saying, that Anger, Fear, Submissiveness (pertaining to the Drones, and by extension, all of the Client races) is kind of what I was getting at.

Religion and faith are two different things to me. Halo without a doubt heavily criticizes the concept of religion and I fully agree with it; its because of religion an entire society fell apart in the games. Its the main reason for a lot of the strife in human history as well.

Its filled with so much hypocrisy its laughable.

Now I'm not saying I cannot stand those who practice it, let me say that now because I'm out of flame suits. I'm also not saying all religions are like this, I'm just saying it as a practice has a huge resume of being used as such. Three of my best friends go to church every sunday; we just have an unspoken rule to never bring it up. If you practice a religion, that's fine, I'm not one to judge.

But what I'm saying is that the concept of deities and higher powers are still a driving aspect of the story. Great Journey, the Precursors, Neural Physics and so on. Greg Bear even says flat out the Precursors are akin to gods.

So yes, religion is ripped a new one in Halo. That does not preclude the possibility gods and higher powers can exist in the story, the concept that there is a spiritual level of consciousness (which, I believe, is proposed via the Great Journey, a kind of afterlife or heaven so to speak. It at least is most certainly alluded to being a higher plane of existance, so it'd fit nicely in those parameters. And yes, by the way, the Journey is real, the Didact says the Forerunners will begin their Great Journey without the Librarian.) can not be said doesn't exist.

To me, the Covenant represent the people who are being used by religion to fit the needs of those sitting on a seat of power; all you did, anton, was agree with me. Anger, Submissiveness, Fear, and even Greed and corruption. Surely the people who run these religious cults are driven by the lust for power, just like the Prophets.

And yes, the Elites and their arrogance. A lot of people who feel they will ascend to a higher reality while the other, non believers are punished for eternity have an incredibly inflated ego (case in point: West Bro Baptist Church). The delusion you are the sole inheritors of the universe can lead to that.

But the Elites, despite their ego, and despite what promises had built up that ego for five-thousand years still saw the lies for what they truly were and fought against it. It takes an awful lot of maturity to admit you were completely, ruinously, wrong. If only for the briefest moment, they took their destiny in their own hands, not lead by false Prophets or false Gods, but themselves.

Yes, the Elites still believe in their gods. To think that an entire culture that has stood for thousands of years would just say "-blam!- it" and move on over night (or in this case, a few months) isn't logical. But they no less took that first step that the others wouldn't take. And first steps are the most important part of any process of growth.

So as I said: perhaps I didn't word it correctlly. And I also do not doubt for a second the only reason I thought of this at all is because of my own personal beliefs. But to me, it makes sense.

  • 07.27.2011 9:16 AM PDT
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"I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith."

-2 Timothy 4:7

It's not religion that destroys people, people destroy people. A LOT of people still don't understand that, even today. If you think religion destroys people, that's basically saying that people have no free choice, and if you're going to say that, then ... you have some issues you need to take care of.

As to the Elites, after watching The Return on Waypoint, I wonder how intelligent these guys really think they are ... I mean do they still think of the Forerunners as gods, still, or have they figured out yet that they were just another species that came into existence after the Precursors?

These guys worry me, actually. It's like their entire existence has been in vain.

  • 07.27.2011 10:13 AM PDT

"Find where the liar hides, so that I may place my boot between his gums!" - Rtas 'Vadum

Posted by: Awx
It's not religion that destroys people, people destroy people. A LOT of people still don't understand that, even today. If you think religion destroys people, that's basically saying that people have no free choice, and if you're going to say that, then ... you have some issues you need to take care of.

False premise.

Out of respect for the OP I will not continue, otherwise the thread may get locked.

  • 07.27.2011 12:53 PM PDT
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Deva Path


Posted by: DecepticonCobra

We are all going to get banned aren't we?

I am with anton, i don't wanna start anything with that statement...

  • 07.27.2011 12:54 PM PDT
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Posted by: grey101
I am with anton, i don't wanna start anything with that statement...


The special treatment religion gets from open and aggressive (and rightly so) criticism affects us all.

  • 07.27.2011 1:31 PM PDT