The spiritual element has been with science fiction since it began.

When H. G. Wells’ wrote “The War of the Worlds” in 1897, the main character surveys the dead Martians and realizes that they were “slain, after all man's devices had failed, by the humblest things that God has put upon this earth.” And a short while later: “For a moment I believed that the destruction of Sennacherib had been repeated – that God had repented, that the Angel of Death had slain them in the night.” For a story that is presented in as a sober chronicle of the character's adventures, Wells subtly shows an underlying belief in something greater than man, a belief that comes through in many of his writings.

Even Wells' contemporary, Jules Verne, demonstrates a belief in the spiritual. In “Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas”, Captain Nemo is explaining his love of the sea. “The sea is only the embodiment of a supernatural and wonderful existence. It is nothing but love and emotion; it is the 'Living Infinite,' as one of your poets has said.”

The old science fiction writers are not the only ones who have explored the spiritual in their writings. More recent writers such as Arthur C. Clarke, Isaac Asimov, and Robert A. Heinlein all have stories that explore themes of man's search for understanding of something greater. In fact, “Stranger in a Strange Land” by Heinlein, is almost entirely concerned with this search. The main character, Valentine Michael Smith, is raised in isolation by Martians for twenty years before being returned to Earth. The Martians have a much greater understanding of the spiritual and have passed this knowledge on to Valentine, who cannot understand why humans do not have this knowledge. He attempts to teach others, but runs up against the existing religions, who are particularly upset over the Martian notion that, for all living things “Thou art God”.

In the novel “Childhood's End”, by Arthur C. Clarke, man's evolution to the next level is seen through the eyes of one man and aliens who cannot participate in that evolution.

In current times, TV series such as “Battlestar Galactica” and “Stargate: Atlantis”, have explored many spiritual areas. In Battlestar Galactica, the various religion beliefs of the colonists are common in, and influence, the story lines. There is also the Cylon's (the 'evil' robots) quest to find for their own spiritual path and their place in the universe.

A little older series, Babylon 5, had many episodes where various religions were demonstrated, with most of them demonstrating common spiritual themes, and in the fourth year, the central characters called on, and received, the help of much more highly evolved races in their conflict with two vastly superior alien forces. The concepts of God and spiritual evolution run throughout the series.

On the movie side, the most recognized SF film that delves into spirituality has to be “The Matrix”. The concept that everything we see about us is just an illusion echoes of Buddhism and some current spiritual beliefs. The follow up thought that by knowing it's an illusion, we can change it, also echoes these beliefs. I particularly like the end of Matrix 3, where you see characters of “the Architect” and “the Oracle” discussing the latest run of “the program” and wondering if the hero, Neo, will do something different in the next “run”.

Science Fiction has always had considerable more leeway than other forms of fiction. It is the art of the “speculative” and, as such, anything goes. With that leeway, many writers have been able to bring forth spiritual ideas which may not have been received well in other genres. Sometimes the ideas are in the background and subtle. Sometimes, however, they occupy a larger stage. For those who haven't considered science fiction before, I respectfully suggest trying some of the works listed here. For those who are SF fans already, I need say no more.