Zirconium
By Uniasus
~Selenium~
34) It always surprised Sam that such rational beings not only had a religion, but were devote followers.
It's not like Bee and the others said prayers before they ate, or before they slipped into recharge. They didn't have symbols inscribed on their body or ornaments they keep in their cabs or quarters. They didn't say 'God bless' or anything similar. But still, he knew they were religious.
"Till are all one" had the same ring to it as "amen", a final saying with lots of theology behind it. There was something about Optimus having been some type of priest. Ironhide used curses like "goddammit" surrounding the name Primus.
And then there was Jazz's funeral. It was all ritual, with Cybertronian phrases and actions whose meaning Bee explained later. And while the peaceful stance of the Transformers could have been solely the result of respect for a downed comrade he got the idea it was equally respectful of Primus and the religion.
It always made his head spin. Religion was not a highly debated topic, but it was one most of the public was aware of. Did God really exist, or was he (or she) a human construct designed to help the species understand the world and serve as an eye in the sky until Big Brother got real?
He wasn't too sure what to believe. Maybe Christianity, like the rest of the world. But religion didn't say anything about aliens.
Mikaela said they proved God. He created life in his image and it was surprising how similar the Transformers and humans were. Bipedal, symmetrical. And maybe it was all his science classes speaking, but he didn't think the same. Bee and him, they were only superficially similar. Underneath, blood and energon, bones and gear. They were very different. Hell, Bee could shift shapes!
Surprisingly, Bee agreed with him. He had figured since the Camaro believed in Primus, he'd believe God existed too but that wasn't the case.
"You have too many variations in your planet's history."
"And you don't?"
"Our belief in Primus has been solid since day one. While some of our practices might have changed, the religion hasn't. We don't have indigenous religions being overcome by new comers, like Christianity destroying the faith in many of Earth's old pantheons."
"How did your religion start?"
"Primus appeared."
And that really was the kicker. On Earth, there was a reason religion was sometimes called 'the faith'. It required it, belief in the unseen, the unknown. The Cybertonians had proof. And not just the appearance of Primus, which was so long ago he figured it could have become a thing of legend like Zeus appearing to Greek women. No, it was their sparks.
When a spark extinguished, a mech usually died. But it wasn't necessary. Ratchet likened it to a human vegetable. But leading theorist said vegetable status was the result of brain damage. In the Cybertronians, their hard drives could be perfectly functional. It was simply the missing spark.
Sparks were souls, consciousness, each one different.
Human religions talked about, but there was little proof. It was all in the brain chemistry scientists said. It couldn't be seen, couldn't be touched, couldn't be measured. And that, perhaps, made humans doubtful of religion because there was no evidence it was true.
But Bee had proof. And Ratchet, Ironhide, Optimus, and all the other new comers.
To them, it wasn't a matter of faith. Religion was a scientific theory.
A/N: Pretty sure this one is my favorite.
Also, in case anyone is interested, I'm now a published author! That's right, my novelette Flicker is now available for Kindle! Be prepared for ghosts, annoying older brothers, and partial souls. There's actually several books with that title, but search me, Gwen Tolios, and you'll find it ^_~