General Discussion

A reviewer for The Economist in 2024 called the novel "a peculiar mixture of pulpy action and political theorising". He noted that the novel version included extensive postscript by the author explaining his concerns. He quoted Heinlein words from it:

There is a latent deep strain of religious fanaticism in [America]; it is rooted in our history and it has broken out many times in the past...[T]here has been a sharp rise in strongly evangelical sects in this country in recent years, some of which hold beliefs theocratic in the extreme, anti-intellectual, anti-scientific, and anti-libertarian...The capacity of the human mind for swallowing nonsense and spewing it forth in violent and repressive action has never yet been plumbed.[5]

In academia, the story has been analyzed as an early critique (in science fiction) of "religion as a manipulative, hegemonic social tool", and argued to be an example of a feminist critique of religion.[6] It has also been mentioned as one of the first portrayals of fictional religion in sci-fi.[7]: 435