Hmmm. We're closer than you think. I believe there's a God out there, and I believe it in terms of my current understanding. In fact, that's what my story is about. But I'll tell you something that underlines that thinking. In my chosen religion, the body politic teaches that we have a female prophet. She became a writer. It is also taught that God came to two other members of that church, and both guys turned down the whims of God. Now, here's my point. If my Guardian Angel came to me, and 'spake,' "He-Who-Knows-And-Deserves-His-Name, (that's my name in Heaven), God wants you to be the 17th best potato farmer in all of New Jerusalem," what should I say? Look the angel right into the reflected glory, and say, "Naw, tell God I've got my day planned out already." I open myself up to the possibilities that there's a whole lot of ethereal unknown protoplasm out there who might be my Creator. Besides, I'm invested in this "story," I want to see how it comes out.
Well, I, too believe there is a Creator; we just don't have evidence to prove exactly which one. I'm up for any of them. They're all cool in my book. But getting back to point, go write it and see how it turns out!
The reason I put the word "story" in quotes is that my novel is fantasy semi-autobiographical action science fiction. While I type, two stories are being crafted. The one for my lead character, and my own. Oh, there's some overlap, I assure you. Now, it might come as no surprise that I have been banned by quite a few motorcycle forums. I have a good BS meter, and I have no time for posers or guys who claim to be real bikers just because they bought a black T-shirt. Same dealie for organized religion. I was still a young man when I saw something strange about a "vow of poverty" coupled with church officials riding around in limousiness. Had I not walked out of this divine comedy I would have been excommunicated. I probably should have stayed a bit longer just to get the gilt-edge certificate and probable death warrant just to get some "street (of gold) creds." So, here I am today. I left church to find God. Doesn't mean I seek him foolishly or that I do not do my homework. I just dislike idiots more sinful than I who claim a divine rite because of their nice clothes and the ability to scare people. BTW, I am not a member of any organized religion. I'm an Adventist. And if you think I'm a disruption in a saloon, I believe I was also one of the first to be excommunicated there, as well.
And if you had read my post and not just quoted it, you'd have noticed my praise for Milton, which renders this argument of yours void. I'm not dissing him for being Christian, I'm dissing him for taking the Christian faith, cloaking it whole and complete in funny-animal fairy tales in order to sell the message or prime the child for the message: "Yeah, that's baby-Jesus up there. He's just like poor Aslan in that book you love to read." It's underhanded, and especially when writing for children who have no internal defenses from manipulation. Not everything I write is meant to be taken seriously... As if I'd pay as much as a pebble for Narnia merchandise.
I guess the lesson here is that if you're going to have religious themes involved, be direct about it, not subtle. Especially if it's a story geared to children. (I never liked Narnia, but it had nothing to do with the Christian aspects. It was more to do with the fact that I was playing Zelda, and found it more cooler than the Narnia stuff. Again, different tastes. And, yes, I know one's a videogame and another is not.) However, Tourist, I think your story is more geared to young adults/adults. Still just be direct about it. Write it! Just write it! Who cares if some won't read it or, just assume it's yet another one of those 'Christian books'. It's your story! I honestly get the feeling that you're trying to explain yourself to us, when you don't need to. We respect your beliefs, and we encourage you to write what you're so passionate about.
tourist... my best advice for you is to stop wasting so much time on posts about what you're writing and why you are or are not writing it, and get back to just writing the dern thing! 'cause all this finger-jawin' ain't gettin' a book written, is it? best of luck with it... hugs, m
Pretty much what Mammamaia said. You are obviously passionate about it. Now the next step is to write it; and if you hear that voice asking you to stop writing it for whatever reason, kindly tell that voice to shut up, go to a corner, and cry alone.
I'm doing three things right now, and I write long into the night. The purpose here is to bounce as many ideas, tactics and crticism(s) off my work as I can manage. Trial by fire, so to speak. Since I've been a member here, I've cut down the number of words used to describe an action scene. I made it more terse, choppy, using more abrupt words of common vernacular. I have sent a snippet to another member. I wrote the entire epilogue. The value I see here being a member is a "cyber kick in the butt." A few days before signed on here I lingered on one pivotal scene for over three days. Imagining that you members were watching me type, I pushed through. Besides, I'm the kind of guy who needs sharp criticism. Compliments make me lazy. If I'm going to do my best on the story, it has to be completed like any other job. Being here is like punching a timeclock.
Like Prof Dawkins, I am an agnostic, but unlike him, I enjoy contemplating various religions, including Christianity. But I am not interested in books purely dealing with "finding God" unless it is a novel way of approaching the topic (like in "The Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance). Essentially, I enjoy philosophy, but steer clear of any kind of religious dogma. Since I have absolutely no idea what your book is like, it is impossible to comment on it, but one thing is for sure - anything worth writing will be loved and hated, and if you focus on the haters, it makes writing a burdensome task. My book's protagonist is a vampire and a refugee. It's got nothing to do with romantic pulp fiction we are seeing these days but the moment I mention the "v" word, some people roll their eyes. Heck, you belittled anything that has to do with vampires several times yourself, and there's no way for you to know whether my story is interesting or even revealing in some way. You will most likely never read it because of that one word alone. That kind of bigotry gets in the way of many a reader or a publisher or a critic. They already have misconceptions about the book and that's the end of it. But, you can't win them all. There's a reason why you feel compelled to write this particular story and I'd recommend you stay true to yourself and worry about haters later (if at all).
That is an interesting way to put it. Write as if the entire forum population is staring over your shoulder, expecting you to write instead of dawdle. I agree, jazzabel! 100% with what you had said.
Tourist, just write the thing and stop worrying about it! For the record, I am an atheist - and yet I still enjoy reading books with a religious theme. Two of my favorite books are Paradise Lost and The Divine Comedy.
