Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Spirituality
My son was christened last weekend.
I attended a pretty standard Catholic school. I’d heard the story of Adam and Eve more times than I could count. I’ve read Genesis along with the rest of the Bible (standard part of the curriculum at my college). Heck, our fair Hellion is writing about the First Couple, per se. So, I’m familiar with the story.
But during a pre-christening meeting, our pastor claimed he always saw “Original Sin” as less like the Garden of Eden and more like Operation Entebbe.
A little background, for those unfamiliar. In 1976, an Air France flight was hijacked. The hijackers rerouted the plane to Uganda, where a sympathetic president gave them amnesty. The hijackers released all non-Jewish folks and held the Jewish, claiming they would kill them unless Israel submitted to their demands. But instead of giving into their demands, Israel sent a group of commandos that eliminated the hijackers--Operation Entebbe--with only minor casualties.
The pastor said when he thinks of original sin, that he doesn’t think of the timid version in the Bible, the apple, the snake, etc. He thinks of it like the hijackers on that plane. An insidious evil, intending to do harm, intending to enforce its will upon something else. And he thinks of baptism like the Israeli commandos, the thing that’s going to come in and wipe the slate clean.
He said that what God did, by sending Jesus, would be like if I was on this plane full of bad guys and they said to me, “We’ll let everyone go if you just give us your son to kill.” He asked me if I would be able to sacrifice my son to save many others. I answered honestly, told him that I couldn’t. I’d go myself, but I didn’t think there was anything that would make me give up either of my sons.
I’m not sure if that makes me a good person or a bad person. I’d like to think that I’m a good person, that I’m loving and charitable. But when he put it like that, if I would give up what I prized most—these little people who completely trust me—I realized that I might be “good” but I’m not that “good.”
And worse, I am not sure I want to be that good. Do I believe that the rest of those people's lives—just because there are more of them—are somehow more valuable than my one son or even both of my sons? Do I believe that sort of sacrifice would make a difference in the “hereafter?”
I got his underlying message, but I’m still not convinced the correlation worked and I’ll leave you out of my personal spiritual questioning beyond this.
However, I can’t help but think that my questioning of these sorts of things, the way I view God and all that is spiritual, helps to define me. Yet I don’t think once in my years of writing that I've stopped to think about my character’s spiritual development. Even when I was writing my last book—with angels and demons and all kinds of religious stuff—I didn’t go near their own personal spiritual quests.
I had to ask myself why. Is it that I’m afraid of turning readers off? Spirituality is a very touchy thing in this PC age. Or was this something more personal to me?
I don’t know.
But I could see how a characters belief or disbelief in a higher power might change their outlook on the world. Might make them even question their ability to love and be loved. Maybe it would even make them question whether loving at all is worth it.
So, pirates, a very deep subject for you. Do you think about your characters’ spiritualities? How do you think pluming spiritual depths might affect your characters’ motivations?
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61 comments:
Wow, I'm not sure I could have gone where your pastor went either... And I can't say I see God as a passenger on a plane giving up his son so the rest of the passengers can live...
*blinks
Now, my Caribbean series...the one approaching 30 volumes...has a fair amount of spirituality, but not reall religion. My heroine has a very deep spiritual connection to the Crone incarnation of the Goddess, but some deep seated guilt from growing up Catholic...
Miranda is a witch and feels, experiences her spirituality quite deeply. Her connection to life and love, the roots of her magic in the sacredness of sex and the bones of the earth. They motivate her...the witch's creed of 'do what thou wilt...harm none' and 'what you do comes back to you' guide her.
I'll have to think about the rest of my stories...good topic!
God as an Israeli Commando....hmmmm :)
I have also stayed far away from spirituality of my characters. I grew up in a super-strict house, and was only allowed to read inspirational romance. It wasn't until part way through college, when I stumbled upon a Sandra Brown book while trying to keep my eyes open on the night shift, that the whole new world of mainstream romance opened up for me.
So I think part of my own reasoning for never going there in what I write is just because it's such a relief not to have a third of the book devoted to evangelical Christian teachings, and all the values that go along with that (like the character somehow being unworthy of the hero/heroine's love because they don't believe the exact same way.....ugh, don't get me started *g* I'm lumping here - I know all inspie's don't go that far, and there are currently some awesome ones printed. The ones I was stuck with were the super evangelical ones)
But I will say that I shove my characters into some really hopeless situations. And I would think that their spiritual beliefs (whatever they are) would have a huge impact on how they deal with those situations. There's a level of depth there that could be fascinating to explore.
Pamela Clare's latest book had a Navajo heroine, who was deeply spiritual, and it was cool because at no point (and I mean NO point) did I feel I was being preached at. It was simply her, it was a part of her that informed her actions and worldview, and so it showed through in the character. If I could pull of something like that, I'd totally do it.
Wow. This is deep. I really like this.
And I think you're right. With our PC nature nowadays, we don't exactly want to give our characters one faith or another out of fear of alienating readers who might have automatically been giving the character their own faith (you know how sometimes we give characters our eye color or build if it's not described--you picture how you will). We want to imagine someone we can identify with; sometimes it's easier to identify with someone who shares our religious beliefs.
However, I think it would be fascinating to read (and I have read) books where the characters had different faiths than I was brought up and it was cool to identify with the characters. The truth that no matter what separates us as a people--politics, religion, culture--we're still the same inside. We still battle universal right and wrongs, we're still afraid, we still love.
Hmm. Oddly, for the books I've finished, spirituality does play a role in both books. *LOL* (If you could call Lucy spiritual, but in a sense yes. And Livie is very much hung up on her upbringing, part of which is her church values--though oddly, yes again, you never see her going to church. It was like she had a falling out, but even so, you couldn't take the church out of the girl.)
As for Adam & Eve, I haven't thought about their spiritual sides. The Bible was written after them, by someone else; religion was created after them, the rituals.... Their spirituality was more native, becoming one with nature and the land. God is all around, et al. (At least that's how I imagine it. I don't want to imagine Adam as something like a preacher and Eve the preacher's wife. It would probably make the book deeper; I should probably consider it--but I don't know if I would like either character then. I don't know.)
My guess is that my characters are sort of infused with my own basic value system. There are things they'd never do simply because I'd never do them. Not that I think of it that way, but it's probably a subconscious thing.
I don't have my characters attending church regularly, but my hero does go to church with his mom upon his return to town. He knows she wants to "show him off" and he's willing to go for her.
When I first started writing I had an idea for a secondary character who was a young pastor and the heroine's best friend - someone you'd never think of as a pastor's wife - was going to fall for him and they'd get the next book. I remember being very aware of walking a fine line as to how much "religion" stuff to include and how vague to keep things. As Hal mentions, my intention is never to preach at people.
For what it's worth, I like Adam & Eve just the way they are. :)
Very thought provoking post, Marn. None of my characters exhibit religion or spirituality, since it's not really something I've considered as part of their makeup. Or maybe it isn't necessary to their story. If I felt it was something that needed to define them or their outlook on the world, I would definitely include it, but so far that hasn't happened.
I have to go burrow down to write some pitches for Christine. It's HARD work and I unfortunately can't AVOID it. Cuz you know I would if I could! LOL
Donna - My guess is your characters do have some level of spirituality, but this is where we'd need to define what spirituality means. For me, it's some basic level or personal version of right and wrong. Which is probably not what most people mean.
When I say your characters probably have it, I mean they aren't driving their cars along the sidewalk taking people out. Or basically running amuck. But that might be more a level of ethics.
I think I just wrote (and thought) myself in a circle. Do ethics and an establishment of right and wrong come from religion or do they come naturally? I think there are certain things that are right and wrong irregardless of any religious teaching. But this could be my perception simply from how I was raised. :)
Terri, I think I know what you're saying. I consider myself "spiritual" because I believe in "things unseen" that are benevolent, compassionate, etc. But I'm not religious, because I've explored that a lot and found it lacks a lot of the benevolence and compassion that I think it should.
I remember a friend saying her grandfather described all the different religions as "they're all the same mystery", and I liked that since it is a way to make sense of the world, our place in it, and what happens after we're gone. I think it STARTED with spirituality and then religion tried to organize and codify things.
So I think ethics is different, and I feel right and wrong comes from somewhere in addition to religion. In fact, it's when religion gets to define right and wrong that things get dicey, at least for me. :)
Okay, I give up! I misspelled religion.
I'm off to go write pitches. I can just see already how that's gonna go! LOL
Second paragraph didn't quite make sense! Let me try it again:
I remember a friend saying her grandfather described all the different religions as “they’re all the same mystery”, and I liked that since relion is a way to make sense of the world, our place in it, and what happens after we’re gone. I think all of those things STARTED with spirituality and then religion tried to organize and codify things.
Typos happan. :)
(Yes, I did that on purpose. I'm not that ditzy. But that might make a fun t-shirt.)
Oh, and it makes sense to me. There are a lot of basic similarities across most all world religions. I'm pretty sure they all say "Be nice to each other" at some point. Really, that's a pretty good concept to live by.
Chance - Miranda's power comes from sex? How fun is that to write? :)
As I read your post, this struck me. fair amount of spirituality, but not reall religion.
It might be me but I think a lot of our culture feel like this. Spiritual but not identifying strongly with a particular organized religion. I think that kind of mentality would resonate with readers.
I like the witch "do no harm" as a personal credo too. Very cool stuff.
Hal - You and I have talked before about this topic, maybe not exactly like this, but I could see how your current stuff is a swing away from what you grew up on.
And I think how their spiritual belief set affects their behavior would be great in your stories. Naomi? I'd love to see how what happened to her might have changed her spirituality. Or Jo? Wow. Those are some serious characters.
I haven't read Pamela Clare's newest. But I love Native American heroes/heroines. I'm going to check it out. I agree with you. I'd love to be able to do this without it coming off as elitist or preachy.
Hellie - I agree about their being universal truths and that even with different flavors of religion, it's nice if an author can still make us relate.
I also agree that a writer might not want to be too specific, worrying they will alienate someone.
I don't even know if this has to be something where the religion is defined. For example, my current heroine's father was a vicar. But, she ends up witnessing a murder, having her first love accused of the murder and hanged. Then she has to leave her family to stay safe, lives a hard life on the streets for a little while before she ends up becoming a prostitute. I'm wondering if she feels like there's still a God in all that. Or does she? If she doesn't, I'm not sure she'd feel very optimistic. If there's no hereafter, then her current world of suffering, of having no choices and little control of her life, would seem a bit intolerable. But if she does, if she believes there's a hereafter, then no matter what she suffers through, then it'll all turn out in the end.
I don't think I even need to go there explicitly. No she-believes-she'll-make-it-to-heaven speeches or whatever. But, I think that belief set would be there, for me to know about and help me to work through her motivations.
No she-believes-she’ll-make-it-to-heaven speeches or whatever.
No, it seems like she'd believe Hell is life on earth; and any afterlife, if there is one (even no afterlife would be better than the life she has now), would be better than the life she has. Then again, maybe she inwardly feels (being a vicar's daughter) that she's not good enough. She doesn't pray sincerely enough; she secretly doesn't want to be "that good", etc, and therefore God is punishing her for being wayward. *shrugs*
I sometimes think we think of God as...like our father (or mother, if you believe God's a woman). I mean, that's what they have, but I mean literally. If your birth father was strict and humorless and never let you have any fun and always seemed to be frowning at you for having personality, you think God must be strict, humorless, and frowny. If your birth father was warm, hugging, kind, then God must be warm, hugging, and benevolent as well. THEREFORE, I think your character would probably think God is like what her father was like. What was her father like?
Wow, Marn, that sounds like an amazing character. My guess would be the occasional internal thought of "Heaven help me" or "God, I could really use some help this time" would establish she never dropped the belief. A subtle way to show as Hellie says, you can't take the church out of the girl.
Bo'sun - I love the idea that he goes to church for his mom to show him off. LOL!
I think that all of us worry about coming off as preachy. It falls into that "show don't tell" thing, I think. Too much description, too much introspection. I think some of this could fall in there.
I think your pastor idea sounds great. Is the girl you were going to put him with sort of a wild child? Man, that'd be fun.
Yes, Miranda was half Italian and half Puerto Rican with big hair and a big personality. A love for expensive shoes and a deep independent streak. It was as if a Mariachi (sp?) band entered the room at the same time she did.
Donna/Bo'sun - Your conversation about spirituality reminds me of an article I read this week on CNN. (Another thing that got me thinking of this topic.)
http://www.cnn.com/2010/OPINION/10/26/coogan.bible.family.values/index.html
I'm not sure I can weigh in on the spirituality versus religion conversation as I've recently started really delving back into my own feelings on this and I'm not exactly sure how I feel about it all.
One thing I do know is that I think there's something else out there.
http://premium.edition.cnn.com/2010/LIVING/10/18/o.end.of.life/index.html?iref=nextin
This article reminded me of watching my father's last hours. He did a lot of these things, especially in the last minutes before he died. The reaching. Babbling to his brothers, long dead. These beautiful, joyful smiles.
Before his death, I'd lost a lot of faith. But watching him.... I walked away with a different perspective. And a lot more hope.
Sort of a tangent but... whatever. Pirate, right? :)
I read the first article after seeing it on your Facebook. That is something I've been saying for a long time but no one listens. But then I'm not a scholar and don't walk around writing articles and research for proof to back it up.
I love that second article. I realize this isn't about me or my week, but reading that made me realize all this moving crap isn't that big a deal. It'll get done and it'll barely be a blip in my life.
I needed that.
I haven't read the articles yet, Marn, but I will.
Today is 20 years since my mom died, and I'm actually older now than she was when she passed away. It's never my favorite day of the year, and it took a long while before I could enjoy my birthday (her funeral was the day after my 34th birthday), or even Christmas (which was her birthday). But today I'm feeling pretty good.
I feel very spiritual, and when I pray, it's usually to her, because I feel if there's anybody who has a vested interest in my happiness and/or success, it's my mom. :)
So I definitely believe in something out there, and I'm convinced she's with her mom and they're having a grand old time. I'm just not sure I believe in the "organized religion" regulations, requirements, etc. I know it provides comfort for a lot of people, and I think that's great, since that is what religion should do. It just isn't the way I want/need, so I find a different way.
And I didn't mention this to make anyone feel sad, or express sympathy -- I just used it to explain my thoughts on the topic a little more. :)
Those are both great articles, Marn! And I love the hope offered in the second one. That our loved ones return to retrieve us...
Donna - We're on the same page with the organized religion thing. I think it's my dislike of being told what to do and think. I'm contrary that way.
It gave my grandmother comfort though. It's such a personal thing really.
LOL, Terri -- yeah, my inner contrarian has a lot of chafe marks lately.
My faith is the cornerstone of my life; it sustains me every day. Since it's part of all that I do, it has to be a part of my writing. I'm not interested in writing didactic novels, and the guidelines for inspirationals when I started were so restrictive that I could never have written according to them. But I have read some wonderful books that are inspirationals over the past several years that push--or even cross--those old boundaries for inspirational fiction. I may end up writing inspys yet.
In my Home trilogy, the central characters are Christians. They go to church, and they pray. Their faith is not a plot point; it's central to their identity. One of my heroines is an assistant pastor when her story arc begins; she leaves the pastorate after a struggle because she comes to believe God has a different purpose for her life. I'm not writing to convert anyone or to answer deep, theological questions. I'm writing to entertain, and romance is the genre because I do believe love is the most powerful force. Romance lets me write about all kinds of love, and I believe that includes the love of the Creator for his creatures. I hope there is an audience for what I'm writing. I know I'm taking a risk by claiming ground that lies somewhere between the conventional secular romance fiction and Inspirationals.
Sorry for the killing the blog! I'm off to enjoy the unusual return to summer weather. See ya later, pirates!
If it's new ground then it's ground that needs explored. And I'm positive there are readers out there looking for just what you're writing.
I think some aspects of this topic are generational and some are regional. When I lived in Pittsburgh in my early 20s, I had a very close group of friends. We were together almost daily and went through a lot as a group, supporting each other when needed. But to this day, I couldn't tell you the religion of any of those people. I don't know how they were raised or if they belonged to any church in particular.
Then I moved south of the Mason Dixon line and found that everyone I met wanted to know about my religion. That was one of their first questions if not the first. I found it odd and I'm still not sure I ever got used to it, but I can see how details such as location, time period, and even character age could determine how much of this would make sense to include in a story.
Very deep blog and not one I'm so sure that I should comment on, so if you are easily offended maybe stop reading now... :)
I will say that I haven't ever considered the spirtuality or religion of my characters, expect that they are always "good people".
I'm a big believer that morals DO NOT come from religion. Religion does not hold the patent to being a nice person or knowing it's wrong to kill, steal, cheat, etc. Morals are not an invention of religion in my mind.
In fact, having grown up as a Southern Baptist I can say that my experience was that most religions or organized religion makes for not so nice people. Judgemental people in my experience. Obviously this is not true for all, but just my personal experience through many years of attending numerous churches, gatherings, events, conferences - I was hard core. :)
Now days, I don't know how I would describe myself. Def. not religious, but maybe spiritual. But again, not sure it totally fits.
I'm more of a flower child (born too late) in that I see the beauty in everything around us and believe in good and bad enegrgy and a sharing of that energy. Every living thing to me has that energy and I try to respect that. I'm a big believer in the "do no harm" philosophy and that the idea of karma (no matter what it's called) does ring true.
I think that for my writing I just want my characters to respect life and love and to be good people - beyond that I think the writing will let me know if there needs to be more.
Just want to say - I'm believe that we all have a right to our own beliefs and I do not hold anyone's against them. Personally, you should always do what you most believe feels true to you. I have very close friends who are very religous and it does not affect our relationship becuase we have mutual respect for our feelings and opinions. :)
Scape, I think too often the actions and attitudes of "good church people" has more in common with the Pharisees than it has with the Christ of the gospels.
Thanks Hells and Bo'sun. I think my heroine's an interesting character. I'm trying to get way into her head. I even have a relative who was married to a modern call girl and I've been very tentatively trying to find out more about her, to get an insight into the mind of someone who sells themselves for money. It's been super interesting.
I'm not sure about her father yet, Hellie. I have to decide which way works best. An early thought is that he's sort of the kind of dad who was there for everyone else but not so much for his family. Which is why my heroine currently thinks there's a God, he's just a bit too busy with everything else to help her out.
Donna - I'm sorry about your mom. I do think what you said, about her being the one most invested in your success, strikes a cord. Like in that article, where it talked about most dying seeing their mother. I know if it were me and I could help my kids through a major transition, something they might find frightening or feel uncertain about, there's not much that would keep me away if it were humanly (or post-humanly in this case) possible for me to be there.
Bo'sun - I am glad you liked the articles. :) And you'll be done before you know it. Then it'll be over! And you'll have a new place for new beginnings. It'll be worth it. It just sucks right now.
Hells - I love the idea that our loved ones come for us too. With my dad gone, some days it feels like he's really far away. But if those we love can come back for us, then they really aren't that far, are they? That makes me feel kinda good.
Janga - I’m writing to entertain, and romance is the genre because I do believe love is the most powerful force. Romance lets me write about all kinds of love, and I believe that includes the love of the Creator for his creatures. I hope there is an audience for what I’m writing. I know I’m taking a risk by claiming ground that lies somewhere between the conventional secular romance fiction and Inspirationals.
I think that the connection between love and spirituality is kind of what I'm trying to get at today. In most romance novels, at the end, when the heroine and hero realize that they want to share their lives with the other, that connection usually comes with some revelation. Some believe that there is goodness in the world and they've found it with this other person. That's kind of a spiritual revelation, I think, on some level. I don't think it has to be that we preach about it. But as the writer of these characters, I think it's important to recognize where that revelation is coming from--physically, emotionally, spiritually, whatever.
This blog is really making me think. We're all saying how we see, feel, and experience our faith and spirituality, but what about our characters? When they come from a different time and place and background, would their faith and beliefs, or lack there off, be the same as ours?
Could you write a character who believed something completely opposite and foreign to you?
For me a spiritual person is someone with a well developed inner life. It will be someone who meditates or prays and consequently becomes aware of a wider reality.
Such a person is not usually constrained by material considerations but places greater than normal value on the arts and culture in general.
When developed to extremes, outward manifestation might appear as religious leadership but could also appear, for example, as spiritual healing or through more general 'psychic abilities'.
Love (as opposed to lust) also counts as part of that 'wider reality' IMO and so should be relevant to the romance novel.
Somehow I don't think that trying to analyze 'love' by plumbing spiritual depths is going to help make a book a page turner, but could make for a fascinating read by the more discerning romance fan. *grin*
If such a romance was written by a spiritual person, someone like Jane Austen perhaps, I would be at the front of the que to buy it!
Fascinating blog and posts Marnee. :D
When they come from a different time and place and background, would their faith and beliefs, or lack there off, be the same as ours?
No. *LOL* Though I always found it funny that despite that people went to church more than they do now (IMO) and were stricter about it (no fidgeting, no children's church, et al), they'd throw these revivals (revivals started getting really popular, I think in the 1830s in America) and like 9 months later after the revival, a slew of illegitimate kids would be born. Okay, maybe not a SLEW, but a handful...and considering the social stigma of having sex out of wedlock, I always found it funny you were inspired to make love after a CHURCH REVIVAL. I've been to one and at no point was I inspired in such a fashion.
Scapegoat -- I grew up Southern Baptist as well (Southern Baptist church, high school and college). I'm so scarred by the experience that it's very difficult for me not to just dismiss all Baptists as evil and judgmental; but I'm am quite sure there are genuine, loving people who are members of that faith. I still consider myself a spiritual person, but you could hold a gun to my head and I wouldn't step foot in a Baptist Church.
When they come from a different time and place and background, would their faith and beliefs, or lack there off, be the same as ours?
I have two heroines I'm switching back and forth between right now. One grew up as a Catholic in West Belfast, where simply being Catholic also means discrimination (and in her case, violence).
The other grew up in Baton Rouge, LA, also Catholic. She's undercover, and her cover identity is as a Muslim woman (which adds a whole new slew of things).
It's funny, but that's about as far as I've gone with thinking through their religious or spiritual beliefs. Now their political ideology, that I could tell you backwards and forwards. Hmm. I think that says something more about me than them :)
Janga mentioned her faith is a cornerstone for her. Something that's (I'm assuming) central to her identity as a person. Because my spiritual beliefs are not something I see as central to my identity, I don't think it even occurs to me to consider that maybe my characters do define themselves by their spiritual beliefs.
Now that I think about it, it could be really fascinating to see what kind of tidbits Naomi has picked up from living (and hiding) in a Muslim community for so long. Maybe part of what has gotten her through all these years is hanging on to her Catholic roots, or maybe she's incorporated aspects of Islam into her personal belief system that will come as a shock to other characters when she returns to her normal, Catholic life. Interesting!!
Hellie, those 19th-century Jonathan Edwards-inspired, sinners-in-the-hands-of-an-angry-God revivals probably had people so terrified that they went looking for a little comfort.:) I've also seen young teenage girls at camp, emotionally wrought by a service, responding to an altar call by throwing themselves into the arms of a counselor or staff member who was their latest crush. It's one of the reasons I argued against having the calls; it seemed exploitive.
Hal, I hope you believe me when I assure you that I'm not "evil and judgmental." I think within any group there are people of the law and people of the spirit. Legalists, whatever their code, are usually going to be rigid, judgmental, and humorless because they are driven to see that others conform to the rules in which they believe.
Scape - Every living thing to me has that energy and I try to respect that. I’m a big believer in the “do no harm” philosophy and that the idea of karma (no matter what it’s called) does ring true.
I like this. :) I think this is kind of the underlying idea in the Bible (most religious texts) actually. Don't do anything to anyone you wouldn't want done to yourself. It's not complicated, but from the look of our society sometimes, I feel like we could definitely revisit the idea.
Q - I like your interpretation of spirituality. Very interesting.
And I think the myriad of perspectives on religion and spirituality here is just a taste as to how this could affect our characters, of what we could do with this. Everyone's different, has different places they come from and different experiences. Our characters are no different.
I meant to say earlier in response to Terri's post about her characters that one of Robyn Carr's Virgin River books (Forbidden Falls) features a minister as hero, one whose rebelled against his father's rigid, hypocritical religion and found a compassionate faith, and a former exotic dancer as heroine. So the seemingly impossible can be done.
Janga - Again, do you think Hal's experience could be regional? I really don't know, but the seven years I spent living in the, as I called it, "buckle of the Bible belt" were very different from my years spent elsewhere. Even in Nashville and exspecially over here in Va Beach, both considered southern, it's not the same.
I may have to check out that book. A minister and former exotic dancer. Wow, that's an interesting premise. Further proof, if you do it well you can write anything.
Bo'sun - I think I could write a character with different views on this stuff. In fact, I think it's fascinating. My husband is a borderline atheist right now. Super skeptical. I can see, from his perspective, how he might be like that based on his background, his experiences.
I think I could write a character like that. Maybe my hero had lost his wife. As his "creator" I would know that his despair, his unwillingness to love, came from the fact that he felt alone, like his wife's spirit was gone entirely. Maybe because of this void in his life, he inwardly thinks that she's gone from everywhere. And now he doesn't want to ever feel like that again, to feel that kind of complete loss.
I probably don't have to say that outwardly to my reader. But I'd know. So when I'm writing him, I'd have an insight into him.
I bet if he felt like she was watching over him or like she was somewhere better, he'd react differently.
Or if he felt like some God figure stole her from him before she'd finished what she was supposed to do (Maybe she'd left him with a small child or had been killed violently) he would feel like "God hated him" or like the world was out to get him in general. He'd be suspicious of meeting a new love, suspicious of any new good fortune.
Just thinking.... Or stream of conscious writing as it is....
Marn - It's almost as if his reaction would be based more on who he is and how he thinks than any matter of faith or religion. Though I could see a man of faith who follows the teachings closely thinking he's pleasing God and then to have God take away the love of his life would devastate him. That motivation and abrupt reaction would make total sense.
Hells - I've heard of babies born 9 months after bad snowstorms or inclement weather but a church revival? Interesting....
Hal - I was thinking of Jo earlier too. The fact that her defense of her religion is what ultimately motivates her violence. I wonder how her new circumstances, violence for violence sake in Spain, might sit different in her belief set. I'm guessing she's justified with her acts for the IRA, but for this new bit of work.... I wonder.
Janga - I think you're right; I think if people are looking for ways to be judgmental, they're going to be able to find them somewhere.
A minister and former exotic dancer. Wow, that’s an interesting premise. Further proof, if you do it well you can write anything.
hear, hear!!
My book, True Believers was released last week by Carina Press and is exactly about the characters' spiritualism -- and lack of it.
For a long time I was hesitant to add a spiritual layer to my characters for fear some people might think it was preaching something. Finally, I said the hell with it. This is what makes the hero do what he does. It's a part of him.
Not that you need a spiritual layer, but if it's integral to the plot, yeah, I'll include it.
To be fair though, the main characters are aliens and don't rely on known Earth religions except that they're faith is based on the Nephilim.
To be fair though, the main characters are aliens and don’t rely on known Earth religions except that they’re faith is based on the Nephilim.
Well, when you put it that way. Wha...?
I like the "to hell with it" approach. If that's who they are and the story they're in, then it is what it is. I need to embrace this approach.
Sorry to be awol. This is s topic that I always find fascinating. And so much depends on a person's perception of what religion is, what spirituality is, what morality is, and what a creative force is.
I've read many books featuring main characters of different religions. The Rabbi Small mysteries taught me a great deal about what it means to be jewish. I admit, I've seen very few heavily Christian sort books use faith in a positive fashion in reg. to a plot... Though I've read both editions of "Dialogue with the Devil" and found them fascinating...
All in all, my characters will reflect a faith, but a particular faith? Not so much. Perhaps because being raised a cafetteria Catholic, I always felt free to pick what worked for me and ignore the rest. (We heretic California Catholics!)
When I left the Catholic church, it wasn't from anger but just that I was hungry for something I could connect with. And there was the threefold path, paganism and a faith based more of connection to what I could see and feel a part of.
Anyway! It's like how the Pope condemned Avatar for promoting paganism... It's all in the perspective. My characters have faith. But few have religion.
Wow, did a wander, or what?
Hal, I hope you believe me when I assure you that I’m not “evil and judgmental.” I think within any group there are people of the law and people of the spirit.
Janga, I absolutely know that you are not evil or judgmental! I love the way you think and express yourself here, and judgmental is the very last word I'd use to describe you :)
I think you make a very important distinction between "the letter of the law" people and "the spirit." And that distinction will likely show up in every type of group, religious or otherwise.
I've never heard the term Cafeteria Catholics, but I think that's how I was raised. Which is odd since I didn't grow up anywhere near California. LOL! I don't think you have the market cornered on that, Chance.
BTW, am I the only one creeped out by the picture at the top of this blog?
Oh, doesn't creep me out. It's the Monty Python God, so it just makes me smile!
Never heard of cafetteria catholic? You know, a little of this, a little of that, nope...don't like that!
Hee, hee.
Janga - we love and know you aren't evil or judgemental and I totally agree with Hal that I love how you are expressing yourself here.
While I don't see myself as having my characters show/live a religion I do still find myself reading and enjoying books that do. I'm a huge Debbie Macomber fan - I may not totally agree with the religion but I have a deep respect for people and books/characters with a real, honest faith in something.
It's the same with people. I in no way think all Baptists or Christians are bad people just because of my past experience - the same way all atheists or agnostics aren't bad either. We're all in this together. :)
Which leads me to understanding how I can read and enjoy books with many different faiths. In reflecting, I do think I could write characters with faiths different from my own, but would I really do them justice? I've been a deeply faithful Christian in the past so I feel like I could draw upon that, but would I feel wrong about doing it. I don't know. Honestly.
Intellect teaches us to withhold judgement. Experience tries to meddle with that. Good and bad!
Peace, Scapegoat. It's all good...
I don't think I could do justice to a faith I don't share when creating a character. I'd probably use stereotype, so I steer away from it.
I get away with generalities at several points in the Caribbean series.
I thought that picture was from the Holy Grail. *LOL* It makes me laugh.
"Help! I'm being repressed! I'm being repressed!"
It is...Monty Python and the Holy Grail!
I love how his hand is resting on the cloud...
I got drug away today by RL. Sorry folks....
Maria - I think that it definitely depends on the story. It's not like every character needs to be obsessed with their spirituality. My most recent heroine--the vicar's daughter turned mistress--might have some sort of spiritual fallout. But maybe it's not even something that would come up with another character. My hero, I don't know. So, I think you're right. Let the story dictate.
Chance - Cafeteria Catholic. LOL!
I can understand where you're coming from. From my experience, the Catholic faith can be a bit distancing. I never really felt connected with the traditions, but I did feel connected to the church I grew up in and our pastor. When I moved away, I realized it was those people and not the faith in general that resonated with me.
I'm still trying to figure the rest out.
And Bo'sun's right. You don't have the corner on Cafeteria Catholics in Cali. LOL!!
Yes, the picture is the Monty Python God. LOL! It made me giggle last night. Sorry it's creeping you out, Bo'sun. I love that movie.
"Bring out your dead!"
I agree with Hal and Scapegoat; I can't see how anyone would think Janga was anything other than sweet. :)
Scape, I think that drawing on past experiences is the best way to get at this. And allowing the characters to decide. Let the story take you where it will and pick everything you can out of your brain.
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