Are there any planets without religion?

[Cartoonist]

Obviously, this is all hypothetical, but science-fiction gives us a glimpse of what might be.

I find it odd that in most cases, when we visit other planets, the whole population is part of one culture. Not having any social divisions would seem to require a different mental process than us humans.

Has anyone found a fictional alien religion that makes sense? God knows none of ours do.

[dweller]

1. Arcturus

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Voyage_to_Arcturus

🙏🏻

[Cartoonist]

3. I have that book

I started to read it, but lost interest early on. I may give it another chance.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

2. I read a reasonable amount of science fiction,

and religion is rarely depicted in s-f.

But sometimes it is done very well. Read this: https://sites.uni.edu/morgans/astro/course/TheStar.pdf

[Cartoonist]

4. That old chestnut?

That story was written backwards. He had the ending first, then had to write the prelude. It was a disingenuous set-up.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

5. I will say that the very first time I read that story,

a very long time ago, I thought it was a bit contrived. I'm only offering it as an example of a rare time that religion shows up in science fiction.

In reality, since I hang out in science fiction, attend several cons a year, and know certain writers in that community, for the most part they do not have a very strong religious orientation. Or at least not one that shows up in their writing.

[Cartoonist]

6. Modern Sci-fi

Early SF was rather staid. I think more writers are exploring religious themes today. David Brin, Iain M. Banks, and Neal Stephenson come to mind.

[MineralMan]

7. No doubt. Many planets, if not most, cannot support

lifeforms. No lifeforms, no religion.

Are there any dogs or cats with religious beliefs? I doubt it. Some level of sentience would always raise curiosity about origins, purposes, end of life issues and the like. Religions try to supply answers to those questions. Typically, the answers are unsatisfying, really, if you think about them.