Do you think a novel about a Christian-LaVeyan Satanist (atheist, not actual Devil-worshiper) romance might interest people, or would it more likely seem gimmick> How could I make it not seem gimmicky?
Truthfully, my eyes automatically did an upward roll upon reading that combination. Unless you're wanting to get into the whole Anton LeVay shock and awe school of misleading titles, why not just go with a Christian and a plain old atheist?
Don't make it the main point of the story. Have them be complex people, with more going on in their lives than just what club they belong to or what belief system they have. Obviously they must be able to see past those things in each other or they wouldn't have a relationship (unless one was ready to dump their own belief system).
Everyone loved these two together in Stranger Things (Spoiler Alert: they were NOT a couple but every one shipped them together after 1 single scene of him making her laugh) But everyone like the possibility of a relationship between these two: Chrissy: good Christian girl dating a good Christian guy questions/really down on herself trying to be perfect cheerleader repressed angst Eddy: D&D dork "Satanist" IDGAF attitude... ...yet caring to a fault goofy emotional They were opposites. She, like everyone else, didnt like Eddy/was afraid of him because they thought he was a devil worshiper, but they got to talking and formed somewhat of a friendship (mutual acceptance?) So i would definitely say people would ride that wave if you wrote it... an if you wrote it well. Like @Xoic said, give them their own stories apart from each other and then have their lives intersect somehow. A mutual connection/bond. It could even be the "big bad scary atheist made cheered me up when i was feeling low." Will their beliefs play a very significant role in the novel? Or is it just background to cause a bit of conflict/tension
Aside from what I said earlier (one is ready to give up their belief system) it could be that they're just strongly attracted to each other, so much that their conflicting beliefs don't matter. It causes both of them intense anguish—"How could I feel this way about somebody who believes the opposite of what I do?" But still, if you're a Christian and becoming romantically attached to a Satanist, or vice verse, it calls into question whether you really believe in what you claim to believe, or have any real commitment to that belief. Is there any more depth to this than just 'Christian and Satanist get involved in a romance'? If that's the whole thing, then it's a gimmick, and I don't think you can make it not feel like one. To not be a gimmick it would start with some more depth to it—they'd have more dimension to them than just their religious beliefs. You haven't said anything about them as people, about their personalities or inner character, their other beliefs, etc. Or it could be a wild comedy.
As a Christian, I find the idea so ridiculous that I thought you were writing the idea to make fun of Romeo-and-Juliet-type romances. I actually laughed out loud when I saw the title. That’s not meant as an insult; you could write it as humor. But seriously, I just can’t see how it would work out. I can tell you this from experience: people think we Christians don’t like unbelievers, but the reality is that they’re the ones who dump me before I even have a chance to decide whether I like them. If you’re going to write this, I suggest talking to a real live believer in each of the two religions.
Im a Christian and have had a few relationships with witches. Usually is not a good step unless you're 100% in with Jesus. When you get into topics like religion you really gotta do your research and decide which point of view and effect you want to convey. It could work, but would take more effort to do well than a typical romance.
I used to be an active pagan and had active relationships with Christians. Some of my friends were Christian. I didn't hold it against them.
I'm a Christian, and I'd say about 90% of my friends and associates are either Athiest, or are of some other religious denomination. I can assure you, far fewer hijinks ensue than one might believe.
By atheist do you mean a hardcore Richard Dawkins type, or just regular people who don't subscribe to a religion? I think the majority of that kind of atheist is far from an activist who feels the need to argue all the time. And the same is true for the majority of Christians I've known. In both cases they're pretty live and let live.
The latter: they just don't believe in any kind of religion, and that's fine, because they don't seem to mind me believing in one.
I wouldn't say witches/wiccans/pagans are 'Satanists' or 'atheists'. Because both require believing in the Christian God or Lucifer. Which as a pagan, I do not. But people have called me Atheist before, just because I don't believe in their idea of a deity. So, that's my two cents. As for relationships, I would be open to dating someone who was a different religion as long as I don't have to change my own. Put up all the crosses you want, but I also have a right to put up Pentacles.
I believe some of the earliest instances of the label "atheist" were exchanged between Christian and polytheist polemicists... neither of whom would strictly be considered atheists today. But to take any kind of dogmatic position on religion, one must exclude other dogmas, which does open one up to charges of atheism by those who cherish the rejected dogmas. And, if we take the claims of apophatic theology seriously, then arguably some kind of atheism is a needed preliminary to experiencing the true God. Anyway I think atheism is a very fluid category and it's a shame that the caricature of 18th century rationalism propounded by the Dawkins crowd is being taken as synonymous with atheism as a whole.
I wonder what followers of any religion, Christianity or not, think of humanists? I know that question is incredibly broad, so I'll redefine it: I was raised Jewish secular, but after a long struggle with myself and a study of other religions, I decided I liked humanism best, and became a Jewish humanist. (I'm not giving up my Judaism, so as not to possibly offend my family and community). The reason is simple. Humanists, as I see it, follow these three criteria: trusts to the scientific method when it comes to understanding how the universe works and rejects the idea of the supernatural (and is therefore an atheist or agnostic) makes their ethical decisions based on reason, empathy, and a concern for human beings and other sentient animals believes that, in the absence of an afterlife and any discernible purpose to the universe, human beings can act to give their own lives meaning by seeking happiness in this life and helping others to do the same. Personally, I don't actively reject the idea of a supernatural being, nor actively tell anyone not to believe in one. I simply don't know if there is one, and I don't pretend that I know. I suppose that would make me an agnostic: I don't deny the possibility of a god or gods, but I don't believe it interferes with the universe. Since I don't deny the possibility of a god or gods, I also don't deny the possibility of an afterlife. It may be that way, but we simply won't know until we die. And because of that, I consider it my prime duty on this planet to care for and help, if I can, everything that lives, be it human, animal or plant. It is easy to destroy, but much harder to create. I may or may not believe in a god, but I believe in the sublime geometries, and the wonderous flight of birds, and the interplay of colour and light, and the transcendence of music well-performed, and the awe-inspiring magnitude of the universe, and the miraculous and artistic in everything. (I certainly hope no religious person has any problems with that). And yes, I know there are people who call themselves religious, but whose entire raison d'etre, so far as I'm able to make out, is either to damn anyone who does not believe as they do to a place of eternal suffering, or to hasten their arrival there by the use of violence. I do not consider these people religious, but hypocrites who use religion as a cover for their paper-thin tissue of lies, and I condemn their methods and messages utterly. I don't think any reasonable person can do otherwise. May they fade away into the dustbin of history, and the sooner the better. Or, as Professor Lehrer said more pithily than I ever could: "I'm sure we all agree that we ought to love one another, and I know there are people in the world who do not love their fellow human beings -- and I hate people like that!"
