- CavemanBCE
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- Honorable Member
Posted by: SubjectNameHere
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.
This was my original post in this thread, under a different username, and I'd just like to repeat it.