About: Religion in Literature
This is probably going to be shorter than I had originally intended but you never know.
Anyway, there are things I’ve noticed while reading books and things that include mentions of religion (Lord of the Rings is a big exception, and I’ll explain more below). I find myself confused. Now this might not seem like much, as it’s normal for me, but the thing is usually I’m quite firm that I know what I believe in. However, I have a pretty good imagination, and am usually very good at suspending my disbelief in a story in general – when I’m reading a story, I’m IN the story. (Unless it’s a terrible story like Escape 2000 – the MST3K is on YouTube). Ergo, I end up believing whatever interpretation of (Christian) religion is in the story while I’m reading it, which is probably understandable. (other kinds of religion don’t seem to affect me)
This is getting pretty rambling. …Meh.
Anyway, so when I’m reading things like The Robe (novelization of the life of the unknown soldier who crucified Jesus and ended up with his robe, and how it changed his life) or Paradis (quirky webcomic about angels) I believe in that… mythos? while I’m reading it. But then afterwards, I wonder if it’s true or not. And of course it isn’t; it’s all fiction. Simple enough. They tell you so themselves (Paradis: ‘for the purposes of this story, angels have free will…’). But then I start swinging the other way and doubting what I believe in because I haven’t looked up the source material yet. And THAT leads to the thought that the way people, even religious people, treat the Bible and other source material is very similar to how people treat canon and fanfiction in franchises. Not that I’ve studied such a thing terribly closely, but I’d like to know how we think we know so much. A bunch of, I’m sure, was revealed to someone or another, but it makes me wonder when Purgatory just shows up out of seemingly nowhere in what, the 3rd Century AD?
Oh, I was going to explain why LotR doesn’t fit in. It’s because it’s set in a world before any kind of modern religion at all, and therefore everyone believes in God and He doesn’t interfere in the story too too much after He sets it all up in the Ainulindale. The Valar are not angels, says Tolkien, and I believe him. Makes me wonder where the real angels are, but whatever. But while it’s an alternate history of Europe, it is far enough removed from my world as to be pure glorious fairy-tale that I can just enjoy and even believe in without it threatening my perceived view of the world today. C.S. Lewis is a bit harder, but still acceptable. My own mythology is very hard to wrestle with personally, though. I don’t want to offend anyone (and I’m not talking about humans!) so I want to make everything as true as possible – except with elves and unicorns and dragons and griffons, of course. But the religious aspect – which I don’t want to over-emphasize in the first three books – must be true for me, as true as Flairé has become if that makes sense. Except that I know (in my heart of hearts) that God and the angels exist and Flairé doesn’t. Maybe he does. In an alternate universe. But not in this one, except in my mind. I still get to love him though, don’t I?
So you know, I really don’t know. I know what I believe in, and I’m not leaving my faith. But I do wonder sometimes. Now where’s my Bible again?
This doesn’t even address what I think of Creationism which is pretty annoying stuff.
Reading this a few hours later, all I can say is that I sound pretty ignorant. : (
Yeah I’m getting back to reading after I finish piano practice and unveil my other new thingy.
Comment by Illinia — March 6, 2010 @ 7:49 pm