I suppose it depends if someone is one of those "Nothing but the Facts" folk, or if you are one of those who has their head in the clouds. I think many of us see or feel something going on in our own heads or in the world at large that you won't hear about on the evening news.
We have a number of different ways of explaining it to ourselves, or maybe we don't. Maybe we just try to ignore it? Perhaps we have learned not to speak of it?
For me, I explain it in terms of my spiritual values, and I often feel that the vaunted religious leaders are pretty clueless. Perhaps some of them are the ones who have learned not to speak of it? Even if I was not religious at all, I would still firmly believe that something in the universe communicates with us as surely as plants can be seen to do something when viewed with Kirlian Photography. It is easily provable that something happens, but we don't know what? Just because we are not religous, it does not mean all things can be explained, else why in the heck would so many of you spend hours writing stories that contain magic, fairies and such?
I feel like I can't get a break because lately every time I write a story someone criticises me for bringing religion into it. I am quite sure that we can write about unexplainable things even if the writer is an atheist. So, why is it then that someone who practices a faith gets suspected in every little thing they write?
Comments
I Think That's the Point...
Fantasy is a field of writing that has little if anything to do with the belief that magical beings and powers exist. That's usually treated as a given for story purposes, whether an explanation for it is attempted or not.
At the reader level as well, most who choose to read such tales aren't actually inferring that this is a real thing; in effect they're saying that they can suspend their disbelief to the extent of enjoying the story.
I suppose the problem with extending this to religion may be that most organized faiths have tried to impose their views on others, leaving a suspicion that people who write from their POVs aren't simply employing them as vehicles for suspension of disbelief. There's an implied insistence on their literal truth that fantasy stories lack which, intended or not, can make nonbelievers uncomfortable.
I don't think I'm on totally shaky ground when I hypothesize that C.S. Lewis's revered fantasy series wouldn't have had nearly as much universal appeal if Aslan had been depicted in human form and named Jesus or Christ -- and that Lewis was well aware of that.
Thing is, a writer of stories that use the background employed by a modern religion (the Norse, Greek and Roman gods, among others, are now exempt and treated in the same way as fantasy figures) is tapping into years of coercive behavior that is liable to have affected many readers personally. As such, such stories may start from a position of hostility rather than neutrality on potential readers' part.
Whether an author practices a faith has little or nothing to do with the question, unless one counts initial suspicion drawn by, for example, an Islamic name or a religious title (from just about any religion). That's unfair -- readers are human and most are part of Western culture, however much they try to resist. But even there, I'd assert that it's not about the authors' practice of the relevant religion; it's about their showing it off, whether proudly or unwittingly. That's a lot of what many pseudonyms of the past were all about -- for example, women writing under male names, Jews writing under mainstream bylines -- avoiding that kind of prejudgment.
Eric
Inextricably interwoven
In looking, many of my stories have reference to other cultures, but I had felt that reference to Islam, or Mormonism was oblique enough as not to be offensive. These references were intended to be a back drop and not thinly concealed evangelism.
In "Alien Investigators" there were words whose second meaning would only be known to people in Mormon culture. The main protagonist still had not come round to belief that would be considered acceptable to a member, so I do not think that the story could be considered sneaky evangelism.
In one of my first stories, "Desert Princess", she was deeply immersed in Middle Eastern culture, though nothing was ever said about her adopting Islam. In "Katia in Afghanistan", Katia falls in love with a Muslim "preacher", but at that stage in the story it is clear that all religious belief as humans currently practice it. So, belief is all around us, but it is not all controlling.
It seems that with the nature of some recent stories, and the difference in my recent sentiments my future in writing is not clear.
As Eric pointed out, religion in stories, to any extent...
is tricky business. I personally tend to shy away from stories that lean too much on religion to form their basis, even ones that use fictional religions, and if I am asked for my opinion on a story (though not if I'm offering an unrequested comment) I will usually mention religious content as a sticking point for me. Now, keep in mind that by religious content I don't mean necessarily casually mentioning a character is a particular religion, or mentioning them going to church or something, but actively seeking to make a character's faith a central and major part of the tale? That bothers me, whether it be Christian, Wiccan, Islam, or almost anything else. Well, Shinto and Buddhism don't bother me that bad, but those are more philosophies than religions, so *shrug*
I've actually got a story I started myself that I've stopped writing simply because I felt I was getting too preachy in it, and I didn't know if I could make the story work without the preachy element (and trust me, it's hard to be overtly "preachy" about pseudo-Wiccan stuff.) That way lies madness, and conflict, and if you wanna avoid both then avoiding religious talk much beyond a church or mosque visit or two is really the only way to go, and that includes avoiding making characters particularly overly observant of their beliefs. It's either that, or be prepared to weather backlash, because whatever side of the religious argument you come down on, there are going to be those who hate you for it.
Melanie E.
Bigots
We're all bigots in one way or another.
We have fixed views about all kinds of things, but religion and politics must be at the forefront. So fantasy is fine, as it skirts around the issue of religion A versus religion B. But bring either of those religions directly to the forefront, and you're immediately alienating those people who believe their version of religion is right and yours is wrong.
Whatever religion or political view you choose, you're in danger of alienating the majority of people, who hold other views.
So unless you want to put forward a particular philosophy, probably turning off many of your potential readers, keep away from well entrenched arguments.
Inherit the Wind
Having just watched the Spencer Tracy classic on cable, I'm all for anyone using whatever disclosure they need to move their story along.
Angela Rasch (Jill M I)
I'm not shy
I use religion in my story and its overt. It has probably kept me from reaching the sales and the reads as say a Tanya Allan, but it has also given me a different audience as well. I have no qualms in people knowing that I am trying to show that christianity and being transgender can no only coexist, but can be complimentary.
I've tried to convert as many as I could and to be honest, most of the negative I hear is from the Christian community though the death threats have come from the trans community. My religion or spirituality, whichever word you want because usually it is interchangeable, is a part of me and I put my all in my stories. I think that I also tell a compelling story too, so I can get away with some of the things I attempt to do. I also don't shy away from negative christian archtypes in my story (the evil pastor, the hypocrite, the insane zealot, the thief) so I also provide a panoramic view of all things so-called Christian.
Katie Leone (Katie-Leone.com)
Writing is what you do when you put pen to paper, being an author is what you do when you bring words to life
Hey! I could preach to you!
But Erin will remove my preaching as it is not in lew with traditional christian beliefs.
So why your preaching should fare better? :-)
And don't tell me that your beliefs are based on any holy book. Your "avatar" picture points only to Tora. Not to Quaran... And I had not met a single "christian" who follows teachings of the Bible. (btw, do you know that accordihg to Bible only sin of Sodom citizens was that neigbours said that Sodom citizens are sinners? And guy who was ready to submit his daughters to rape is a saint. Not counting that couplemof pages later he was father of his daughters children and it was OK with god...)
On the other hand, I don't see anything over religious in your books. And I read your stories. And I know that I'm wrong but I care mostly for the storyline and could miss preaching parts as they have no events to notice :-)
I have no Problem
I have read most of your presented work and did NOT find you preaching. You used your characters faith as a part of there character, and did not ram it down my gullet. I am super sensitive about things like that which makes me the Canary in the mine. You are polite with your references which is so much better than being politically correct ; what a dumb phrase ' .
I am also worried about going beyond being polite in 'Haven's Salvation' because there is no way to cover what my story covers being politically correct. I will not bash any ones faith, but any people doing bad things are varmet's, to be shot by any literary weapon I have. No one faith has all the answers, only by the respectful sharing of what we believe and know, can all of us understand the enormity of the universe we live in.
Any one is welcomed to disagree with me but this is how I roll.
Huggles
Michele
With those with open eyes the world reads like a book