Time and Relative Dimensions in Faith: Religion & Doctor Who

by Andrew Crome (Editor), James F. McGrath (Editor), Courtland Lewis (Contributor)

19 chapters written by contributors from the UK, US and Australia covering a wonderfully diverse range of subjects—all related to the exploration of religious themes in Doctor Who (in its many forms—TV old and new, books, audios, comics, etc).

Genres: Doctor Who, Nonfiction

304 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2013

Reviews

[Steph Robinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A brilliant academic look at religion and Doctor Who, as with all these things we have to remember that we put our own spin on thinga and can find themes that weren't intentionally intended by the writers of Doctor Who. However, I thoroughly enjoyed the jaunt through the history of Doctor Who with a view to faith and would highly recommend it to others.

[Jason · Rating 1 out of 5]

As an atheist, I picked up this book out of curiosity. I wish I hadn't. This book contains essays that make connections between biblical passages and events in the show. Several of them suggest that The Doctor is essentially Jesus and use his actions to support their theory. One essay suggested that watching Dr. Who is a satisfactory replacement for going to Church. Christians will eat up this book like chocolate mousse. I have always liked the secular nature of Doctor Who and in fact, several of the classic series episodes taught how faith can be very bad. You won't find those episodes mentioned here.

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating grouping of essays on Religion & Doctor Who. I will be watching old and new episodes and related print more closely with my midrash eye turned on.

[Avril · Rating 5 out of 5]

I bought a copy of this book when it was first published and it sat in one of my many to-be-read piles for a year or so before I got round to reading it. Then - disaster! I was two-thirds of the way through when my car was broken into and my bag and all its contents, including my copy of this book, were stolen. I mourned this on Facebook and editor James McGrath sent me one of his copies to replace my purloined one. (I hope the thieves at least read it!) So I can't in any way be objective about this book.

In my world Doctor Who and religion go together like a cup of coffee and a bar of chocolate. I occasionally feel guilty about this. In 2013 I was on a Doctor Who podcast (Splendid Chaps - go and check it out at http://www.splendidchaps.com/) and I told the Splendid Chaps that I was a little uncomfortable about using the Doctor in services at my church when Showrunner Russell T. Davies was such a committed atheist. They reassured me that since RTD had stolen so much Christian iconography it was pretty much quid-pro-quo. For a show that upholds science and secular humanism as the ideal (or does it?), there's a lot of religion in Doctor Who.

Doctor Who is a god-bothered television show, and this collection examines just how god-bothered it has been. The chapters cover all eras of Who and a variety of religions and philosophies. This revealed to me one of my own prejudices. Alexander Cummins' chapter, "'Qui Quae Quod': Doctor Who and the History of Magic" looks at whether the way that magic has been portrayed in the show is accurate - and I found myself struggling with the idea of an accurate portrayal of occultism, because to me magic isn't real. Buddhism is, so I read Kristine Larsen's chapter on "Karma, Conditionality and Clinging to the Self: The Tennant Years as See Through a Tibetan Buddhist Lens" with respectful interest, even though it described an understanding of the world that isn't mine, I had real trouble reading "'Qui Quae Quod'". I've discovered my openness to inter-faith dialogue apparently doesn't include magic.

My favourite chapters included Gabriel McKee's "Pushing the Protest Button: Doctor Who's Anti-Authoritarian Ethic"; Brigid Cherry's "'You're this Doctor's companion. What exactly do you do for him? Why does he need you?': Doctor Who, Liminality and Martha the Apostle"; and Joel Dark's "Doctoring the Doctor: Midrashic Adventures in Text and Space". I'm afraid that might just be because I generally agreed with their arguments.

Russell Sandberg's chapter "Bigger on the Inside? Doctoring the Concept of 'Religion or Belief' under English Law" frustrated me to the point of tossing the book across the room because the wee bit of my brain that did a law degree wanted to argue back - vigorously. I think that might be the sign of a good argument.

And I can't agree with Marcus Harmes in "The Church Militant? The Church of England, humanity and the future in Doctor Who" that the portrayal of the Church of England in Moffat-era Who is an optimistic one: "Moffat's trio of stories shows a Church that has endured, but at a cost. The army of clerics who confront the angels in the fifty-first century retain many historical names and trappings, but these clerics are militarised.' (pp. 232-3) That's not optimistic! That's abominable. If the way for the church to survive into the fifty-first century is for it to become an army show me the nearest exit!

As you can probably tell, I found this a stimulating and fascinating read, even with a great big gap in my reading due to horrible car thieves. I can highly recommend this to the many people who, like me, combine religious faith with faith in the Doctor. And I'm not just saying this because James McGrath gave me a present!

[M Christopher · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book that will inevitably have a small market, but I found it very enjoyable. This is not a casual or satirical book but a collection of thoughtful essays exploring the many connections between religion and the long-running science-fiction TV show. The vast majority of the essays are written for the serious student of religion -- a seminary degree isn't necessary but a fairly deep knowledge of the subject is. Only two of the essays failed to hold my interest -- one on the legal aspects of religion and how Doctor Who fulfills them, the other on religious aspects of the Big Finish audio adventures of the Doctor, none of which I've heard. The religious philosophies represented are primarily different aspects of Anglicanism but also include essays from agnostics, atheists, and at least one Jewish writer.

Serious students of religion with a love of The Doctor, this is a great book for you.

[L · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't read all of the articles, because the theological views offered sometimes contradicted the cultural studies approach to religion as it is taught at my university.

But as a fan, I loved how the book connected the New Who I know with Old Who episodes that will be my introduction to the subject!