Religious Characters

[CWatson]

Originally Posted by 3113

For example, what if your story about your ex trying to convert you involved pulling you into a cult-like atmosphere where you were slowly cut off from your friends, family, etc. If you were only interacting with other converts trying to get you onboard morning, noon and night. What if your ex and takes you to see the guru of this group often and he impresses the religion on you. What if eventually you're told you have to have sex with him?

Would any such story with a compromise ending have seemed reasonable to you? Understanding the passion of religious fanatic--of any fanatic--doesn't mean forgiving or ignoring when someone is crossing a dangerous line---one that insists you see the world their way, period, rather than attempting on their side, to understand you and be equally compromising.

Perhaps this was why you got such strong reactions to your character compromising --because the ex character did not do the same, and why should a reader forgive a character for not asking for the same that she is giving to the other, especially if the story is a romance rather than a horror story?

Hmm. That's a viewpoint I had never considered. o_O

Part of it is that the whole point of the story was the importance of compromise; religion, and to a lesser extent sex, was merely where it was all played out. Part of it was that I was taking a fairly radical stance for the times and for this website--that being a Christian isn't, in itself, inherently bad. But yes, it could easily have just been Bad Writing--not making things seem equal or not playing out the compromises well.

[tiggerlilly]

Originally Posted by LiquidMatthew

I've noticed that I myself tend to write pretty much every character as a secular humanist, and I want to work at expanding beyond such a narrow and familiar range. I was wondering whether other writers here tend to write their characters with a religion in mind, and if so, whether it's one that you don't share.

I suppose if you're placing a story in the distant past, you're almost forced to do so, but so far my only really Christian character was a grumpy, dour Prussian. What have you guys done?

My best and favourite character, Charley Matthews is a catholic lesbian but she manages the conflict quietly and stays out of trouble by being an earth mother. See Charley Torn, part 2.

'Lil

[RuzieD]

None of my characters in my Erotica writing are religious. That theme just doesn't need to make into my stories.

In other fiction writing, many of characters are religious. One of my other stories takes place at a Christian college. I really liked the movie "saved" for its fairly accurate, and at the same time not outrageously demeaning, satire of Evangelical Christianity and sexuality.

I suppose there's a lot ideas out there for religious characters and Erotica. E.g. Losing virginity in a bible college's prayer chapel, a pastor's kid dates the dangerous bad girl/guy, missionary to the tribesmen goes native, a sexually repressed late 20s person actualizes a dark fetish... etc.

Personally, I am nowhere near Bill Maher's or the Dawkins of the world. They're no less fundamentalist than the religious fundies they hate so much.

[chocolatecookie3]

This whole thread gave me an idea for a story about an evangelical Christian woman. I spent a few years around those types of people, and I can't imagine what their sex lives must be like. Then again, some of them practice exactly the opposite of what they preach!

For me, it's important that my characters do have some type of spirituality. Whether it makes its way into a sex story is the question.

[RuzieD]

Originally Posted by chocolatecookie3

This whole thread gave me an idea for a story about an evangelical Christian woman. I spent a few years around those types of people, and I can't imagine what their sex lives must be like. Then again, some of them practice exactly the opposite of what they preach!

80% of young Evangelicals don't follow the "no sex before marriage" rule. Those who don't do everything else first.

A close friend once commented if premarital sex sends you to hell, what about a premarital blow job? Do your feet just get hot?