As it’s Lent time, I decided to talk about my favourite show combined with one of my favourite times of the year.
It’s obvious that the Doctor has some similarities with Jesus, in particular the resurrection and regeneration of both characters. But there’s a lot more about the Doctor, and the show, which links in with religion.
I don’t know if I’ve mentioned this a gazillion times, but my favourite Doctor Who episode is The God Complex. One reason I love it so much is the compelling subtext behind the Doctor and the Minotaur.
The term “god complex” means having an unshakable belief in themselves and believe they can accomplish anything. In the episode, the Doctor believes he can get Amy and Rory out of the hotel, but he believes that the Minotaur feasts on fear. After the death of Rita, he realises it is faith which it feeds on, thus proving he believes too much in himself. This also ties in with the religious subtext of the episode.
All through the show’s 50 year history, people have looked up to the Doctor. They believe in him, they fear him and they even try to kill him. Sound familiar? The Doctor is similar to Jesus, and the God Complex shows this amazingly. This is why it’s so good, as it can bring subtle parts to the character which people may not notice. The show uses a religious character as background for its main character and shows a new side to him brought up in episodes like the God Complex.
So I think in some Doctor Who episodes, there is some strong character development of the Doctor, with a religious undertone. What do you think?
Editor’s note: The original version of Doctor Who and Religion was published on 13th March 2014 in Ben Williams’s World.
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