The merging of man and machine is no longer just the fiction of Hollywood blockbusters. The concept of the cybernetic organism is fundamentally rooted in Trans- and Posthumanism, where the cyborg is viewed as a precursor to the digitization of human "consciousness." At the same time, transhumanists like Peter Thiel and Nick Land see the acceleration of technological development as the path toward a messianic age, defined by technocratic capitalist-monarchies. Must humanity become the machine to establish a technological world order—perhaps even as a bastion against the Antichrist? This lecture provides a religious studies perspective on the reception of technological phenomena like the cyborg and their eschatological significance.

In anime, we often encounter futuristic cities, high-tech societies, breathtaking nature, and superhuman beings with extraordinary powers. While these works are frequently categorized as Science Fiction or Fantasy, they simultaneously address very concrete aspects of life. As a narrative form primarily rooted in Japan, anime explores regional traditions, beliefs, rituals, technological progress, and questions of meaning—translating them into the present day. This lecture demonstrates how series and films intertwine religious and technological motifs: Where do spirituality, concepts of God, and rituals become visible? And how do cyborg bodies, Artificial Intelligence, and digitization change our view of identity, responsibility, and community? Which notions of gods, faith, morality, and coexistence are being negotiated?

Earth: the final frontier. The year is 2026. This lecture follows the adventures of a gaming humanity—a crew 3.4 billion strong—on a mission to explore itself, turn its body simulations into a technical arms race, and push into fantastic realms that no human has seen before. Cyborgs are a staple of the video game world. From Syndicate (1993) and BioForge (1995) to Return to Castle Wolfenstein (2001) and Cyberpunk 2 "Orion" (2030), we will critically examine the religious motifs of "cyborgization": Will our game end in a "mankind divided"?