https://www.newsbusters.org/blogs/culture/callista-ring/2017/12/08/orville-religion-just-growing-pains-every-cultures-evolution

By Callista Ring | December 8, 2017 12:15 AM EST
Seth McFarlane isn’t content to undermine religion in just one episode of FOX's The Orville. He devotes 2 whole episodes of his 12 episode series to bashing religious beliefs. In tonight’s episode, tellingly titled “Mad Idolatry,” (http://forums.previously.tv/topic/64415-s01e12-mad-idolatry/?do=getLastComment) he calls religion a “poison.” Thursday’s episode had a religion develop around the Orville’s First Officer Kelly after she uses technology to heal a girl from a primitive alien culture. As a result, the planet begins to worship her as a deity, crucifying those guilty of “forsaking the word” of Kelly. In case the audience hadn’t caught on to the heavy-handed parallel to Christianity, one of the crucified characters shown is made to resemble Christ.

This is the only episode of Orville that I haven't liked so far. I don't believe that religion is something that cultures will simply "grow out of", or the implication that religion is bad because wars are fought in a deity's name. This episode made me cringe; I'll be happy when they steer away from the political and focus on more light-hearted comedy; that seems to suit this show much better.