Religion in my fiction
Aug. 24th, 2014 09:44 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
valarltdA post on a QUILTBAG SF/F blog I read asks about religion in queer fiction, particularly genre, and whether or not it's important.
Humans are almost never found without religion. No naturally atheist society has evolved yet, because religion serves many useful purposes, for both believers and their rulers. It provides explanations to large questions. It tells people the right way to live. It answers the need for story. It answers the need for ritual. It prepares people for death. It is a useful way to control people.
So I got to thinking about the faiths I've created, or about characters who have none.
The DJ'verse being our own with a visible Nightside, has its religious problems. Southern Baptists are not impressed when the preacher's daughter turns out to be a born witch. Many priests refuse to believe in the Nightside, seeing it as a snare of the Devil. More liberal protestant denominations have made their peace and welcome Nightside congregants. The Congregationalists host Sugar Anonymous meeting for the pixies.
Encountered characters:
DJ: no faith
Jinx: Elvis worship (the second faith of many Memphians)
Bran: Presbyterian, but slightly pagan. Has a Morrigan tattoo as well as bracers of prayers to the Lord and Lady. But still identifies as Presbyterian, along with his entire, very magical family.
Dan: moon-worshiper
Paul: lapsed Methodist
Father Scott: vampiric Catholic priest
Padre Ramon: Catholic priest
Paula Ramirez: Catholic
No word on the Bluesmen or most of the PMSquad
The Cyber'verse
Set about two hundred years in the future, this is a look at where some faiths might go. Most have changed with the times, some so as to be nearly unrecognizable. The Church of Christ, Programmer, considers God not as Father, Son and Holy Spirit, but as Artificer, Programmer and Debugger. The strictly gay male sect of Neo-Augustinians believe women to be the work of the devil.
Encountered Characters:
Gemini: Observant Jew. Mezuzah, prayers, the works. Judaism has not changed much in 200 years. It is still an on-going argument with God.
Irishgirl: formerly strict Catholic. Still superstitious level Catholic. Keeps a statue of St. Dismas (patron of thieves) and St. Isidore of Seville (patron of the internet) in her home. Insisted on actually getting married.
Sean: lapsed Catholic
Niall: Neo-Augustinian. Avoids as much contact with women as possible.
Technomancer: Church of Christ, Programmer
The Eight Thrones Cycle
Set about 75 years in the future, religion has only changed a little. In the DisUnited States, it is a huge force. The CS is a dominionist theocracy, with live stonings on the first Friday of every month. It not only codifies Old Testament law, but much Christian Brand Behavior as law. Gays and Atheists leave the country or learn to hide. Heartland has reverted to an era where you know who good people are by where their cars are at 11 AM on Sunday. Church is not mandatory as in the CS, but socially enforced. In Pacifica, the winter streetlights are hung with light shapes of wreaths and suns, dreidels and six-pointed stars, candy canes and mangers.
Encountered Characters:
James Ligatos: observant (with lapses) Jew
Steven Sparks: Zen Buddhist
Tanis: some form of protestant (it was always vague)
Charles and Linda Hummingbird: Episcopalian
Mother Vivian and her wife: Episcopalian
Chuck Hummingbird: former Ghost Dancer, now traditional Cherokee faith
Other Novels:
Shell Shocked: I bill this as my gay disabled pagan inspirational romance. Gabe is a Celtic solitary. His lover Sean is lapsed Methodist.
Barbarossa's Bitch: I play with the idea of religion adapting to the needs of the people a little. I would have liked to explore the Christopagan settlement a little more, but the boys were against it. My loose thoughts on the matter were that the people started by adapting a pagan calendar, with Christian overlay, and the lines started blurring on the deities. The only characters with any mentioned faith are Barbarossa, who refers to himself as "a nice Jewish boy" and White who is Catholic, Father Douglas White, OFM, Mission Santa Barbara. They name the title character "Cain" after the Biblical Cain and White reminds him that Cain was the father of technology and civilization, even as he takes to using it as Kane, for Killer Kane out of Buck Rogers.
Curse of the Pharaoh's Manicurists: Apparently in this universe, the Egyptian gods are real. Charlie Doyle, who is not Egyptian or pagan, has a personal encounter with them and privately takes up Isis and Osiris worship. Edward and Nigel are nominally Church of England, but had their faith shattered by WWI.
Heart of a Forest: Everyone is Catholic to greater or less degree, with a dash of pagan country customs in the mix. It's 1200 in England.
Alive on the Inside: This could be subtitled "Angel's religious issues, let me show you them." Nick Harper spouts a lot of the same teaching I picked up from the same Baptist Church and it's fairly unpleasant. Elijah, the Carolina Giant, is also a revival preacher, and his wife, Tabitha, sings.
Power in the Blood: Evangelical Christian vampires. A monk from the Inquisition driven quite insane. A hard-drinking Puritan. A warrior who marched with King David. Gilgamesh himself. A lot of religion in this one, and slightly warped.
Heart's Bounty: Space opera, so Gabriel invented a whole new religion. The world designates Father Earth and Mother Sky, so men handle all the farming, all the cooking. "Seed to table." and the kitchen is taboo for women. Flight is just as taboo for men. Women are the daughters of Mother Sky, so they do the piloting. Hevik's world has evolved out of gods, but still celebrates seasonal festivals.
Various Short story characters:
Carla is African Methodist Episcopal until a run-in with Pan. Her mother remains AME and her neighbors are pagan. (Fruits of thine)
Joe is Irish Catholic, and former IRA. There is tension between his faith and his bisexuality. (Tiocfaidh Ar La)
Daddy Frank, Ursula, and Arthur are vaguely deist. Daddy Frank teaches Arthur he has a soul and God loves him, and that's about it. An appropriate level of social religion for the 1930s (Songs for Guitar and French Harp)
Jace is Celtic pagan, evinced only by the large Tree of Life tattoo on his back. (Chain Male)
Josh is upper-class WASP Episcopalian and Anthony is working-class Italian Catholic. It only figures into their lives around Christmas. (Collared Hearts, Frosted Hearts)
Several of the tops in "Master Bear" express religious wishes to the dying William. Master Jonathan gives part of the kaddish. Master Ian promises to light a candle. Master Bear gives a pagan death blessing.
Adina and her family in "Eight Days Ablaze" are Jewish. Obviously.
Frank in the Space Ranger stories is a Vodou practitioner.
Humans are almost never found without religion. No naturally atheist society has evolved yet, because religion serves many useful purposes, for both believers and their rulers. It provides explanations to large questions. It tells people the right way to live. It answers the need for story. It answers the need for ritual. It prepares people for death. It is a useful way to control people.
So I got to thinking about the faiths I've created, or about characters who have none.
The DJ'verse being our own with a visible Nightside, has its religious problems. Southern Baptists are not impressed when the preacher's daughter turns out to be a born witch. Many priests refuse to believe in the Nightside, seeing it as a snare of the Devil. More liberal protestant denominations have made their peace and welcome Nightside congregants. The Congregationalists host Sugar Anonymous meeting for the pixies.
Encountered characters:
DJ: no faith
Jinx: Elvis worship (the second faith of many Memphians)
Bran: Presbyterian, but slightly pagan. Has a Morrigan tattoo as well as bracers of prayers to the Lord and Lady. But still identifies as Presbyterian, along with his entire, very magical family.
Dan: moon-worshiper
Paul: lapsed Methodist
Father Scott: vampiric Catholic priest
Padre Ramon: Catholic priest
Paula Ramirez: Catholic
No word on the Bluesmen or most of the PMSquad
The Cyber'verse
Set about two hundred years in the future, this is a look at where some faiths might go. Most have changed with the times, some so as to be nearly unrecognizable. The Church of Christ, Programmer, considers God not as Father, Son and Holy Spirit, but as Artificer, Programmer and Debugger. The strictly gay male sect of Neo-Augustinians believe women to be the work of the devil.
Encountered Characters:
Gemini: Observant Jew. Mezuzah, prayers, the works. Judaism has not changed much in 200 years. It is still an on-going argument with God.
Irishgirl: formerly strict Catholic. Still superstitious level Catholic. Keeps a statue of St. Dismas (patron of thieves) and St. Isidore of Seville (patron of the internet) in her home. Insisted on actually getting married.
Sean: lapsed Catholic
Niall: Neo-Augustinian. Avoids as much contact with women as possible.
Technomancer: Church of Christ, Programmer
The Eight Thrones Cycle
Set about 75 years in the future, religion has only changed a little. In the DisUnited States, it is a huge force. The CS is a dominionist theocracy, with live stonings on the first Friday of every month. It not only codifies Old Testament law, but much Christian Brand Behavior as law. Gays and Atheists leave the country or learn to hide. Heartland has reverted to an era where you know who good people are by where their cars are at 11 AM on Sunday. Church is not mandatory as in the CS, but socially enforced. In Pacifica, the winter streetlights are hung with light shapes of wreaths and suns, dreidels and six-pointed stars, candy canes and mangers.
Encountered Characters:
James Ligatos: observant (with lapses) Jew
Steven Sparks: Zen Buddhist
Tanis: some form of protestant (it was always vague)
Charles and Linda Hummingbird: Episcopalian
Mother Vivian and her wife: Episcopalian
Chuck Hummingbird: former Ghost Dancer, now traditional Cherokee faith
Other Novels:
Shell Shocked: I bill this as my gay disabled pagan inspirational romance. Gabe is a Celtic solitary. His lover Sean is lapsed Methodist.
Barbarossa's Bitch: I play with the idea of religion adapting to the needs of the people a little. I would have liked to explore the Christopagan settlement a little more, but the boys were against it. My loose thoughts on the matter were that the people started by adapting a pagan calendar, with Christian overlay, and the lines started blurring on the deities. The only characters with any mentioned faith are Barbarossa, who refers to himself as "a nice Jewish boy" and White who is Catholic, Father Douglas White, OFM, Mission Santa Barbara. They name the title character "Cain" after the Biblical Cain and White reminds him that Cain was the father of technology and civilization, even as he takes to using it as Kane, for Killer Kane out of Buck Rogers.
Curse of the Pharaoh's Manicurists: Apparently in this universe, the Egyptian gods are real. Charlie Doyle, who is not Egyptian or pagan, has a personal encounter with them and privately takes up Isis and Osiris worship. Edward and Nigel are nominally Church of England, but had their faith shattered by WWI.
Heart of a Forest: Everyone is Catholic to greater or less degree, with a dash of pagan country customs in the mix. It's 1200 in England.
Alive on the Inside: This could be subtitled "Angel's religious issues, let me show you them." Nick Harper spouts a lot of the same teaching I picked up from the same Baptist Church and it's fairly unpleasant. Elijah, the Carolina Giant, is also a revival preacher, and his wife, Tabitha, sings.
Power in the Blood: Evangelical Christian vampires. A monk from the Inquisition driven quite insane. A hard-drinking Puritan. A warrior who marched with King David. Gilgamesh himself. A lot of religion in this one, and slightly warped.
Heart's Bounty: Space opera, so Gabriel invented a whole new religion. The world designates Father Earth and Mother Sky, so men handle all the farming, all the cooking. "Seed to table." and the kitchen is taboo for women. Flight is just as taboo for men. Women are the daughters of Mother Sky, so they do the piloting. Hevik's world has evolved out of gods, but still celebrates seasonal festivals.
Various Short story characters:
Carla is African Methodist Episcopal until a run-in with Pan. Her mother remains AME and her neighbors are pagan. (Fruits of thine)
Joe is Irish Catholic, and former IRA. There is tension between his faith and his bisexuality. (Tiocfaidh Ar La)
Daddy Frank, Ursula, and Arthur are vaguely deist. Daddy Frank teaches Arthur he has a soul and God loves him, and that's about it. An appropriate level of social religion for the 1930s (Songs for Guitar and French Harp)
Jace is Celtic pagan, evinced only by the large Tree of Life tattoo on his back. (Chain Male)
Josh is upper-class WASP Episcopalian and Anthony is working-class Italian Catholic. It only figures into their lives around Christmas. (Collared Hearts, Frosted Hearts)
Several of the tops in "Master Bear" express religious wishes to the dying William. Master Jonathan gives part of the kaddish. Master Ian promises to light a candle. Master Bear gives a pagan death blessing.
Adina and her family in "Eight Days Ablaze" are Jewish. Obviously.
Frank in the Space Ranger stories is a Vodou practitioner.
