Battlestar Wiki:Featured articles/Archive/Religion in the Twelve Colonies - December 2006
The religion of the Twelve Colonies, which the various characters of Battlestar Galactica practice to greater or lesser extent, is a polytheistic faith shared with real-life Greek mythology, with a strong emphasis on the philosophy of eternal return. The similarity in beliefs of the Colonials and ancient real-world Earth Greco/Roman mythology is probably not coincidental, although it is not yet clear which gave rise to the other.
Colonial religion is centered on the Lords of Kobol, analogous to the Greek Gods. Various items have been identified which are apparently named after other gods and legendary figures, although these have not been explicitly identified as Lords of Kobol. Various events throughout the series have led some characters to believe that they are playing out another turn of a repeating cycle of time.
The Colonials display a wide spectrum of religious practice, ranging from Billy Keikeya's atheism to Corporal Venner's literalistic readings of the Sacred Scrolls. The religious and government bodies of the Twelve Colonies work together. This association is likely based on the religious homogeneity of the Colonies. A connection between the Cylon God and the Lords of Kobol may exist. ...continued...