Church in Space

In which, for the first time, the 3-Ds never get to the planned topic; they started chatting about video games and never actually got around to starting the show.  In this randomly overheard conversation they ask (and Drew answers) why there are no full-on religious video games, discuss the changing definition of God, and debate the best style of that most divine of foods: pizza!  (Dave & Dan agree Columbus thin-crust is like cardboard with cheese on top...)  And we close by revealing our favorite Christmas movies.  Step aside, Red Ryder!

In which the 3-Ds ponder whether the Borg have the right idea, and if religion is really about assimilation.  We also learn of The Sermon on the Bridge while reflecting on William Shatner as a Lutheran pastor, hear Luther's opinion about free will, and come up with the concept of Quantum Sin.  And we decide which other sci fi forces could handily beat the Borg.  Cybermen, anyone?

In which the 3-Ds decide there's nothing quite so fun as a good disaster movie.  Like religion, hope is a major component to the success of a disaster movie.  Hope, and having a villain with a British accent -- that's critical.  Just as critical as making sure the end of the world begins in either London or Cardiff if it's a Doctor Who disaster...which gives Scotland the perfect tool for its independence (we reveal how deep inside this episode).  And we inadvertently stumble on the greatest disaster of them all: combining William Shatner and David Attenborough in one voice.  We're still shuddering over that one.

In which the 3-Ds find the Easter resurrection reminiscent of reanimated remains: zombies!  Is there a biblical basis for the undead?  We examine the many lives of Lazarus, humanity's Zombie Prime...and wonder if the Resurrection really means we'll all technically be zombies in paradise (hmmm...Zombies in Paradise sounds like a long-lost George Romero film...).  And don't think you won't have to work in paradise; somebody has to keep the infrastructure rolling, and it won't be the heavenly hosts!

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Can a machine have a soul?  The 3-Ds stay unusually focused (mostly) on whether true artificial intelligence can really exist -- and, if it does, whether it has a soul?  And if it doesn't, where do we draw the line with humans?  Just homo sapiens?  What about Neandertals -- do those of us with a lot of Neandertal DNA not have souls?  If we do, why not chimps...elephants...octopi?  For our game, we each reveal our scariest fictional AI.  Drew concludes none of that matters, because Pastor and Dan are just rebel scum.

In which the 3-Ds learn how the Federation's economy dovetails nicely with the Bible's (but the Ferengi...not so much), and we figure out where Jesus would boldly go in Star Trek's Federation.

In which the 3-Ds wonder why there are no Protestant galactic empires.  Islamic, Catholic, Judaic, Mormon, Buddhist, and more...sci fi has those in our interplanetary future.  So where are the Lutherans?  Maybe they just don't have the rich collective history cum character development other faiths have, so they're too boring for a rollicking space adventure.  We're pretty certain Tron: Legacy missed out on that character development, too (although it is pretty rollicking).

In which the 3-Ds look at luck tucked into science fiction -- and whether it's providence, predestiny, random chance...or just a convenient way for a writer to advance the plot.  That inevitably leads to the conclusion that from climate change to the pandemic, all bad things that happened since 2016 are the result of the Chicago Cubs winning the world series -- a statistical anomaly so great, it broke space-time.  And through a theological lens, God is constantly breaking the Prime Directive.

In which the 3-Ds go heavy on Star Wars debating whether the Force is a heresy the Council of Nicea would have banned, or is it part of the Truth and the Way?  On the way, we end up figuring out what constitutes an actual religion...and discover that, by any definition, Ohio State football is indeed a full-on religion.  Oh, and we all pretty much feel that movie theaters would be great -- without the other people being there!

In which we have no theme, as Pastor Dave posits his game questions throughout the entire episode.  To wit:

• Which Bible character would have the best Twitter account?

Oh, and on the way, we also ponder who could possibly match Ricardo Montalban as Khan...because it sure wasn't Benedict Cumberbatch!