Religion in Freelancer?

[beander2]

I don't really believe Christianity survived. Not really.

I'm not saying Christianity would be gone...

Okay, I was confused... :)

The Bretonian sleeper ship brought about 50 thousand people. These were likely not a random sample of people, but assume that they were. How many of them were likely to be religious? Religious enough to build a church in the new world, teach their children more than to be good to their neighbors, and enjoy the occasional festivals? How many people, today, do that, in Britain?

I don't know stats on practicing Christians in Britain today, though I wouldn't doubt for a moment it was currently on the upswing. Typically, this would occur in low-church settings, as opposed to the higher Anglican or Catholic ones, though they might be experiencing an upsurge, too.

In fact, there are several vibrant theological schools of thought emanating from Great Britain today, and several universities there are considered among the best in theological circles.

Edit: I'm not arguing for dominance in the FL context, btw, but your initial comments suggested an absence of anything theologically substantive, which I found doubtful.

I'm not saying Christianity would be gone...but I don't think it would hold nearly as much sway. I, of course, don't have any first hand experience, but I've always been taught that the world wars killed god in Europe. The coalition was, correct me if I'm wrong, atheist. Their war lasted hundreds of years. People forgot what started it. Thats a horrid, Horrid war, there. It might be hard to embrace the concept of a benevolent universe after something like that.

What we are taught is usually much more about the predispositions of our teachers, educational system, and culture than the material itself. The wars undoubtedly had an effect on regular practice of the faith in Europe, but I'd wager it was neither complete nor lasting.

You are probably right that the notion of a "benevolent universe" would be difficult to swallow, but typically, such a universe would be distinguished from God in these faiths. Moreover, religious faith tends to thrive more in times of suffering than in times of comfort.

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Sir Alisdair Buchanan, KBE ~ Gateway)Trafalgar