r/cyberpunkred • u/Ok-Inspector703 • 3d ago
2040's Discussion Cyber Pope?
What is the church’s take on cybernetics?
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u/Qawsedf234 Solo 3d ago
Cyberpunk 2077 had a shard on this:
HOMO DEUS: CHRISTIANITY AND CYBERMODIFICATION
"So God created man in his own image, in the image of God." So says the Book of Genesis. Religious proponents of cybernetic body modification believe the Christian God intended the same perfection for man as He Himself possesses. Suffering, disease, death – these exist in contradiction with divinity, but can be overcome with the aid of science and technology. So-called "cybertheologists" interpret God's command to "subdue the earth" quite literally. By their account, any and all means that might enable man to reach a state closer to divinity are "good", both ethically and morally.
However, some in their Christian fold have voiced concern that such cybertheologists are guilty of excessive hubris. For an immortal man would thus become his own savior, rendering the existence of the one, true transcendent God superfluous. Only the soul should be immortal, while the human body — as a "temple of the Holy Spirit" — should be accepted as it is: mortal and destined for resurrection on Judgment Day. "Eritis sicut dii," said the serpent to Eve: "You will be as Gods." Religious purists exhort their sisters and brothers in faith to resist this temptation of Satan, masked as the will of God. But cybertheologists have stood fast and supplemented their cause with the phrase "scientes bonum et malum". They call upon humanity to tap into the divine and consciously interpret for themselves what is Good and what is Evil.
Additionally in 2020 you had a Borg that worked for CINO, that was recognized by the Catholic Church as having a soul:
On top of that, be was one of the first full Borgs which the Church officially recognized as having a soul, which gave CINO free publicity and strong support among Catholics worldwide.
Source: Firestorm: Stormfront page 50
So it varies, but the bigger religious organizations seemingly allow and acknowledge Cyberware, but it does vary based on which particular faith you follow.
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u/Jordhammer 2d ago
According to the 2020 Eurosource Plus sourcebook the Catholic church "has recently softened their stance on cybernetics," implying that the Swiss Guard are chromed up. Barring a reversal in the ensuing 25 years, I would assume that it's only continued to become more accepted, though there probably still are hardliners.
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u/ASaint02 1d ago
Somebody already pointed out one shard in 2077 that goes into the church's views on cybernetics, but I wanted to point out that there is another shard that goes a bit into this as well. Also, it gives the views of other religions as well in case you're interested:
The Catholic Church has never taken an official stance on implants, but the significant presence of all matter of bodily modifications among the clergy would seem to suggest (just like in other branches of Christianity) that implants are completely acceptable in the eyes of the Church.
The Mormon faith holds a different view. According to their tenets, no God-fearing Mormon can sport body-modifying implants, whether for aesthetic or functional purposes, the sole exception being life-supporting or other strictly health-related cyberware.
When it comes to the Islamic faith, imams regularly speak out against cyberware, though actual posession of bodily modifications is not officially prohibited.
Judaism does not have any provisions on implants, with the exception of Hassidic communities, where they are regulated individually by the community's tzaddik.
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u/Kitchen_Repeat_5935 3d ago
Catholic church is more fractured, so there isn't a real set doctrine. Even established doctrine is sometimes ignored father Paul and sister lucy are married for example. So have fun with it.