How we cite our quotes: The main text of the story is cited (Chapter.Paragraph). The date headers are not counted as paragraphs. The verses in the chapters with a single passage from the narrator's religious texts are cited (Chapter.Verse.Line#). In chapters with multiple passages, the verses are cited (Chapter.Verse#.Line#). The four section pages with the years and passages are cited (Year.Verse).
Quote #7
"Earthseed deals with ongoing reality, not with supernatural authority figures. Worship is no good without action. With action, it's only useful if it steadies you, focuses your efforts, eases your mind." (18.50)
Lauren says this to Travis while discussing Earthseed with him. She's drawing a very sharp distinction between her religion and the belief systems of many others. As she also discusses at 2.43, lots of people are interested in worshiping a supernatural authority figure, a deity that exists in a hierarchy above human beings. But she says Earthseed is a way of addressing ongoing reality and daily life. From this point of view, worship is useless unless it's tied to action for problem solving. She suggests that worship might indeed have a particular use that ties it to action: it can be a helpful way of controlling your mind and focusing your efforts.
Quote #8
[Travis] had asked and asked me what the point of Earthseed is. Why personify change by calling it God? Since change is just an idea, why not call it that? Just say change is important.
"Because after a while, it won't be important!" I told him. "People forget ideas. They're more likely to remember God—especially when they're scared or desperate." (18.60-61)
Why not just say change is an important idea, something we should keep in mind? Why make this into a religion? Lauren's response is that people forget ideas. It seems she's arguing that ideas are just a bunch of words that go out the window once real trouble hits, when you become scared and desperate. Once that happens, then you look for God. Lauren thinks that when we get into that condition, we should remember that God is Change, something to be shaped.
Quote #9
"But tell me, what do people have to do to be good members of an Earthseed Community?"
[...] "The essentials," I answered, "are to learn to shape God with forethought, care, and work; to educate and benefit their community, their families, and themselves; and to contribute to the fulfillment of the Destiny."
"And why should people bother about the Destiny, far-fetched as it is? What's in it for them?"
"A unifying, purposeful life here on Earth, and the hope of heaven for themselves and their children. A real heaven, not mythology or philosophy. A heaven that will be theirs to shape." (21.21-24)
This passage lays out two main ideas of Earthseed: 1) to belong to Lauren's ideal community, you basically need to help out with everyone's lives; and 2) the long-range goal or Destiny is to settle on other worlds in outer space. As for #2, the part of a religion that deals with the fate of humanity is called its eschatology. Lauren seems to think that she needs to have a destiny in mind if she wants to get people to even start go about doing #1. Is that true? Some characters disagree with her (e.g., 18.83). If everything changes, won't the Destiny change too?