[Arisama]

Originally Posted by Lazarus

My assumption is that it's in the food or something. Common with sci-fi settings is that it's no longer anything that needs to be worried about. There is no indication that accidental pregnancy is an issue.

That's your assumption only, and you well know that most people are not going to assume that birth control drugs are in the food - especially as one of the most major elements of the setting is the colonisation of new worlds and new lands, and that requires a significantly high birth-rate. On top of this, in the setting of the 'Verse medicines of any kind are frequently hard to get hold of, and expensive.

Originally Posted by Lazarus

There is no indication that birth control exists. It didn't even come up in the narrative.

Exactly true. It's the Wild West genre (but in space), meaning settlers, colonisation of new lands, and plenty of traditional families and generally God fearin' people.

Originally Posted by Lazarus

...Under my view of "magic handwavium birth control at 100%", she wanted a child, so went off it.

No mention of such a thing in the setting, and you're resorting to magic excuses instead of rational ones.

Originally Posted by Lazarus

The show also rarely talked about religion - my base assumption was that it was buddhism as the primary religion, rather than Christianity,

That must be why there's so many Buddhist temples shown in the movie and TV series and comic book on the vast majority of planets. At least it seems you saw heaps of them everywhere - because I sure didn't. Only the planet of Sihnon has Buddhist temples aplenty, beyond that the people were pretty obviously Christian out on those mucky little Rim and Border planets where the PCs would be expected to do most of their adventuring. Even Captain Mal Reynolds wore a Christian cross under his shirt - and he kissed it for luck while on the battlefield in Serenity Valley in the TV series pilot-episode/movie.

Originally Posted by Lazarus

Sure, the Sheppards are some flavour of Christianity, and all the weird fundamentalist places are Christian,

....Yes, and as you just pointed out "ALL the weird fundamentalist places are CHRISTIAN" - it's the Wild West in Space, of course there are mostly Christians out on those Rim worlds that the PCs would be visiting so often.

Originally Posted by Lazarus

but the Companion's Guild is Buddhist, as is the whole culture on Sihnon...

Did you happen to notice WHERE the Companion's Guild is located? It's BASED on Sihnon. One planet among many, and from what can be seen in setting of the Firefly 'Verse as shown in the TV series/comic-book/movie, most other places are at least nominally Christian.There are people in the movie in the first scene going to church. There are people in the comic-book already in a church. All the weirdo religious places are Christian (as you mentioned).

Since we're on the subject of "Religiosity", which you seem to be deliberately and absurdly pretending is perfectly fair and balanced....

Originally Posted by Lazarus

Religiosity is for those in significant position in their religion, or in a publically visible position, right?

No, and this is not stated in the Serenity RPG description of the trait. There are Minor and Major versions.

In the Minor version, it applies to typical worshippers who abide by the tenets of their faith; normal regular people. As most people (except you apparently) realise, Christianity is not gender-neutral, and neither are most of those other major religions mentioned in the background setting; Judaism, Islam and Hinduism.

In the Major version, Religiosity is described as applying to religious authority figures; pastor, priest, monk, rabbi. Ever seen female Jewish Rabbi? Was the Firefly setting overflowing with female Christian priests, preachers, reverends, and pastors? God damn it, I didn't see a single female preacher...

So, in this setting where a female PC with Religiosity for the Christian faith is going to be "adventuring" on numerous backward, generally christian Rim and Border planets where "ALL the weird fundamentalist places are CHRISTIAN" (and there are lots of them), and has to abide by all the tenets of her faith otherwise she's not roleplaying the Trait, such as;

1 Timothy 2
11 - Let a woman learn in silence with all submissiveness. 12 - I permit no woman to teach or to have authority over men; she is to keep silent.

1 Corinthians 11
3 - But I want you to understand that the head of every man is Christ, the head of a woman is her husband...

14 Does not nature itself teach you that for a man to wear long hair is degrading to him, 15 but if a woman has long hair, it is her pride? For her hair is given to her for a covering.

Ephesians 5
22 Wives, be subject to your husbands, as to the Lord. 23 For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. 24 As the church is subject to Christ, so let wives also be subject in everything to their husbands.

Damn strange that you can pretend that the Religiosity trait is gender-neutral, and has the same effect and value on both sexes.