Comment

Comment by Alyson Miers on October 24, 2011 at 5:22pm

Thank you, Tina!

 

I think the status of women in traditional religions is one of those things that comes back to the relationship between religion and culture. An answer to the question may be, for example, that their deity doesn't view them as second-class, though many of their co-religionists interpret their religion to believe that He does. They might say that sexism doesn't start with religion, it starts with culture. My view on the matter is that religion and culture tend to influence each other, and eventually what started out as culture becomes accepted into religion, and what started out as religion becomes inextricable from culture.

The difference I notice, though, is that it's always religion trying to disown the effects of culture. Other way around, not so much. 

Comment by Tina Deschamps on October 24, 2011 at 10:50am

Alyson,

I just ordered your book. It looks fascinating - kind of a cross between Contagion and The Road, but with a mystery. I can't wait to find out what happens! It's actually rare that I find a book so intriguing just by reading the premise.

 

I also find the affects of traditional religions on a woman's self-perception interesting. How are we to grow to believe in ourselves if our diety views us as second-class? I believe it is a fundamental issue that independent Christian, Muslim and Jewish woman have failed to fully address. They get a little quiet and uncertain when confronted with this fact.

Comment by Alyson Miers on October 22, 2011 at 5:59pm

Tina,

I do some writing about the consequences of belief. I just published my debut novel (http://www.redsresources.com/charlinder/index.html), which isn't immediately about the perils of belief, but the plot revolves around the response to the perils of proliferating belief. Does that make sense? The protagonist is an atheist, though he never actually says the word.

My third novel will deal more directly with how religion affects society and ways in which it undermines individuals' self-determination. One of the main characters is a young woman who ran away from home to escape a forced marriage. It's very much a WIP, though.

Comment by Serra Zander on July 12, 2011 at 9:09am

Anyone Following the Dawkins v Watson thing going on right now?

 

Comment by Serra Zander on May 25, 2011 at 7:40am

@Carol I live in Indiana, which is still part of the bible belt. 

 

As I said, I don't really have religious characters so much, but I did like @Tina's idea and have gone back to look over which characters I can add a lost-faith-and-loving-it element too.

Comment by Tina Deschamps on May 24, 2011 at 10:33pm

No, I don't live in the Bible Belt, but I grew up in an extremely religious apocalyptic home. I'm still struggling with the affects after all of these years.

My goal really is to make sense not only of my experiences, but of religious experiences in general and to offer kind alternatives rather than the "you're an idiot for believing" route that I am sometimes tempted to take. People turn to religion out of need. I just want my writing to hold a mirror up so that they can see this truth for themselves and hopefully find a less destructive way to meet their needs.

Comment by Carol Novack on May 24, 2011 at 9:12pm

i asked a question: does anyone live in the bible belt?  i moved down south from nyc last year.  i'm an atheist writer who doesn't come from a religious background. the only religious characters i've created are satirical because i'm sick of the delusional christian american anti-culture. one of my "atheist tracts" is on video on drunken boat.  another was just accepted for publication in the print mag Fiction.  i have no problems writing "atheist" fiction.

Comment by Serra Zander on May 24, 2011 at 4:56pm

@Tina, I write mostly genre fiction, but I like the idea you present here. It would  make for a more fleshed out character.

Comment by Tina Deschamps on May 24, 2011 at 3:30pm

I'm an agnostic writing about characters with a strong faith that lets them down. Is anyone else writing about the perils and consequences of belief?

Comment by Gee Roughin on May 24, 2011 at 2:50pm

I have a little bit of the opposite problem, having been steeped in religion from the ages of 0 to 30, the influence of religion on my characters is so extreme I think it's off-putting for the majority of un-atheist respectable religious practitioners.

Anyway, if you talk to enough fervent believers (or read enough) I think you can put it in your characters. Like any other quality a character might have that we don't...

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