This is not a new concept. A couple in my eWorld trek forum a decade ago were Unitarian ministers and used Star Trek references in their sermons, we used to discuss it all the time.
Going rather further back, for that matter, according to the Gospels, Jesus was a big fan of using contemporary stories to teach lessons. This is just following the example. Highly traditional!
Star Trek was all about metaphor anyway. People didn't often realize that they were the ones being lectured, from 60's anti-war storie to 90's anti-fundamentalist-sect story arcs in Deep Space Nine. And using sci-fi metaphor, they could truly bitch-slap the fundamentalist Christians and Muslims with the same storyline. Now that is Social Performance Art!
no subject
Going rather further back, for that matter, according to the Gospels, Jesus was a big fan of using contemporary stories to teach lessons. This is just following the example. Highly traditional!
Star Trek was all about metaphor anyway. People didn't often realize that they were the ones being lectured, from 60's anti-war storie to 90's anti-fundamentalist-sect story arcs in Deep Space Nine. And using sci-fi metaphor, they could truly bitch-slap the fundamentalist Christians and Muslims with the same storyline. Now that is Social Performance Art!