Most cyberpunks are agnostics, atheists, or neo-pagan, and don't
believe in any supernatual phenomena. They are intelligent free-minded
technocrats and love their free life and machines more.
Those cyberpunks who identify with a religious affiliation tend
to be relaxed about it, hostile to organized religion in general
and all forms of religious bigotry in particular. Many enjoy `parody'
religions such as Discordianism and the Church of the SubGenius.
Those who are religious, are seldom Christian. They tend to
lean towards Zen Buddhism and to a lesser degree to Taoism. Often
more than one religion is found in a single cyberpunk. Believe
in technology creates also some kind of "new religion" of technopaganism
and technoshamanism.
There is a definite strain of mystical, almost Gnostic sensibility
that shows up even among those cyberpunks not actively involved
with neo- or techno-paganism, Discordianism, or Zen. For example,
hacker folklore pays homage to `wizards' and speaks of incantations
and demons. It has too much psychological truthfulness about it
to be entirely a joke.
References
- Technopaganism
and Technoshamanism
- Introduction to technopaganism and technoshamanism.
- Portrait
of J. Random Hacker: Religion
- "Religion" section in a random hacker's portrait.
Religion in Cyberpunk Science Fiction
- New Future, Same
Questions
- By Katherine Sibley Angus.
- The Place of Religion
in Neuromancer
- By Keith Feldman.
- Voodoo in William Gibson's
Neuromancer Trilogy
- Voodoo and cyberspace.
- Divine Accomodations
- The Burning Bush and Other Divine Accomodations, by George
P. Landow.
- Neuromancer Afterlife
- By Joshua Conterio.
- Alternative Consciousnesses:
A "Case" Study
- By William Peña.
