A Limited Choice:Religious Belief in Simak’s A Choice of Gods

Abstract

Clifford D. Simak's A Choice of Gods offers a nuanced exploration of religious belief systems within science fiction. This essay reconsiders traditional critical approaches, arguing for the utility of an epistemic analysis of religious belief over purely sociological or anthropological perspectives. Employing an epistemological framework, it investigates how Simak depicts spirituality and religious belief through the prism of Paganism, drawing on Roy Clouser’s three categories of the divine from The Myth of Religious Neutrality. While Simak juxtaposes diverse religious traditions, the essay posits that the novel ultimately converges on a singular Pagan paradigm that informs the spiritual and epistemological journeys of its characters. By scrutinizing the belief systems of monastic robots, Indigenous characters, and other humans—through their engagements with faith, reason, and mystical experience—the analysis illuminates Simak's critique of organized religion and his recognition of the inevitability of faith when confronting the unknown. Ultimately, A Choice of Gods emerges as a speculative meditation on the epistemic function of religion and the human quest for truth in a post-human future.