I do have to make a comment about something that was said in the intro by our fine co-host religion and science are not opposing forces though they are often treated as such in the modern world. Science and religion where once one in the same, some of the greatest thinkers of our time, including Newton and Einstein were highly spiritual, and in the case of Newton, if I remember correctly a devout catholic.
Newton's religious beliefs are
difficult to classify but he was born anglican and, by his thirties, held many opinions that would be considered heretical. Einstein definitely had a spiritual side but it was a spiritualism based on existential wonder and it excluded almost all institutionalized religions. this usually gets glossed over by pulling quotes out of context. the quote, 'science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind,' is immediately
followed by the qualification that this doesn't include religion's anthropomorphised vision of god.
I wasn't too comfortable with the almost ridiculous manner in which religion was treated in this piece, I understand the qualms and broken promises that religion especially Catholicism having once practiced the faith and leaving it after finding spiritual inadequate can render. During most of the story, the main character tries to understand and work around the non-believers that live among them only to prove there disbelieves true. I found the thing although incredibly well written and narrated to be a little too Catholic bashing for my tastes.
none of the characters were shown in a positive light, i was disappointed that every scientist was a condescending prick. sure, there'd be some resentment toward the guy who flew to mars as a symbolic gesture when you worked your ass off for your seat but that would wear off after a while and you'd see the man instead of the symbol. scientists can be an ornery bunch, their demand for intellectual rigor can be mistaken for personal attacks, but my experience is that they're likely to give people the chance to stand on their own merits.
i guess the story equally annoyed people on both sides of the issue which is a type of neutrality.
A knee jerk reaction may be to see this story as promoting all religion as a sham, and I'm sure many listeners were reading it that way, but I saw this more as the failed decision of one man.
i like reading it as religion-as-tool. it provided a great motivating power that grew the mars colony much faster than it would have otherwise, something religion has done for many frontiers.