Writing Characters with various Faiths.

I’m afraid I don’t have much wisdom in this area, but I’m definitely following this thread to see others’ answers.

@freedomwriter76

You’re welcome. This was an interesting question which has started me thinking, so I may randomly come back with a long rant. =)

@freedomwriter76

Great question! When it comes to other denominations, I don’t have any brilliant advice, unfortunately. As for other religions, while my advice is far from brilliant, at least I have some! XD

I’m assuming you’re writing these books to influence your readers toward Christ. This being the case, I think it’d be great to contrast the other religions with Christianity. Give them a fair standing, but show how they fall short in the long run.

(Either Lee Strobel or Ray Comfort used this analogy… Can’t remember which… I think it was Ray Comfort…) If life was a plane ride and death was jumping out of the airborne vehicle, each religion would offer a different solution. One would base it on works (“flap your arms hard enough, and you’ll survive the fall!”). Another believes in regeneration (“yeah, you’ll hit the ground, but you’ll teleport back up to the airplane and get to take the whole trip over again as someone else!”). Yet another would claim that none of this is real (“you’re not really falling, and the ground isn’t really there.”). How does Christianity differ from these? The Gospel offers a SOLUTION. Following this analogy, Christianity would offer you a parachute. It doesn’t force you to trust in your own works, brush off the problem, or deny the inevitable. It offers you a way out. All you have to do is accept the solution and trust it. No other religions do that.

If you could portray that in your book, I think it’d be very powerful, especially given your setting and plot. 😀 I hope this was helpful! You’ll do awesome. Go get ’em, girl! 😉 <3333

AHH. I have been trying to post a comment for DAYS, but it never goes through. Fingers crossed it works this time!!

@freedomwriter76 I LOVE THIS QUESTION. And I really need to write a blog post on it…but yeah.

So, first of all, allow me to direct you to two posts I already have written that kinda touch on this subject: one about faith in historical fiction and one about writing Catholicism.
Here: booknationsblog.wixsite.com/home/post/faith-by-the-era-a-guide-to-writing-christian-historical-fiction
And here: booknationsblog.wixsite.com/home/post/a-case-study-in-writing-catholicism-collab-with-stefanie-lozinski

Second, what @koshka said is basically the best advice out there.

(1) Be respectful and authentic in your portrayals of other religions/belief systems.

(2) Make their conversion to Christianity (in the cases of the characters that will convert) genuine and natural – don’t force it when they’re not ready, you know? Treat your character like an actual person who’s being witnessed to and led to Christ.

(3) Like Koshka mentioned the God-shaped hole, emphasize the aspects of their religion that are weak and unsatisfying, where God and faith in Him is strong and fulfilling. Show how God fills those holes and does for your character what nothing and no one else can. OR, if they don’t convert, how other Christians have what that character doesn’t. They have morals, values, unconditional love, peace in chaos, hope and faith, purpose, compassion, the power to forgive, etc., that people of other religions don’t have.

(4) Whatever you do, DO. YOUR. RESEARCH. One of the absolute worst things you could do when writing another religion/belief system is rely off of Google and your own assumptions/prejudices. Talk to people who actually believe that way. Get deep into why they believe, how they see the world, why their faith (or lack of) matters to them. Just because their religion is false (or at least partially false in the case of Judaism) doesn’t mean that their faith is false. They really do believe in what they believe in, you know? So treat it delicately, truthfully, and authentically!

@freedomwriter76

Disclaimer: I tend to get very passionate about this topic, so y’all please excuse me if I get heated. (Actually, let me know if I get heated. I’m trying to keep it down. XD)

*slowly raises hand* I wish I had noticed this topic earlier. XD Anyways, I’ll just give my two cents. Apologies if I get longwinded!

As aforesaid, I’m very passionate about writing characters with other faiths, because I have a lot of personal experience with other faiths. @gracie-j knows this, but for @freedomwriter76 (and @lydia-s 🙂 ), a lil fun fact about me is that I’m of the Seventh-day Adventist denomination. 😀 Needless to say, I love being an SDA and am very passionate about the doctrines we believe. Though if you don’t know much about SDAs (I don’t want to assume, but some people don’t really know we exist or at least who we are XD), you might not know we’ve historically been an *ahem* controversial denomination, shall I say? (We used to be called a cult. XD There’s your fun history fact of the day.) With controversial beliefs such as rejecting the idea that the soul is immortal; claiming that once you die, you rest in the ground rather than going to heaven or hell; and you can’t forget the most controversial of all, rejecting the belief that hell is a place where sinners stay forever. That one’s probably a close tie with the belief in Saturday worship instead of Sunday worship.

ANYWAY. Before this turns into a lecture, which is not what I mean, so I apologize. My point is that I’ve been on the receiving end of people making assumptions about my denomination without even bothering to ask about the scriptural evidence we have to back us up. And, I’m ashamed to say that I’ve done the same thing to others before – been judgmental, refused to listen to their side, stubbornly repeat “I’m right” while simultaneously belittling their beliefs. Ya know? Basically, what I’m trying to say that the biggest mistakes authors make in writing other faiths is this very same thing: being condescending and judgmental.

So if you’re writing a Catholic character and you’re Protestant (and Catholicism and Christianity are one and the same; although not all Christians will be Catholic, all Catholics will be Christian), don’t try to infuse the narrative with the doctrines that you believe in. This is the biggest mistake I see made, and it comes across as condescending and rude – and our goal in writing stories is to be Christlike, so we definitely don’t want to come across as belittling other faiths. Same goes if you’re Catholic and writing about a Protestant character. Also, do research from CATHOLIC sources, not Protestant sources, if you’re writing a Catholic character; and vice versa. I read a review for a book awhile back – a book where the author was Protestant and writing Catholic characters – where the Catholic reviewer mentioned that the author neglected to have her characters pray the rosary while they were literally holding the rosary. She had them do a regular ol’ prayer instead of the actual rosary prayer… and needless to say, that’s a terrible mistake that would definitely not slide past Catholic readers. It also comes back to the same issue: it comes across as ignorant and condescending.

Also, I think a lot of authors need to keep in mind that Jesus is what matters ultimately, not doctrines and theology. Yes, those things are important, but Jesus is far more important. We all believe in the same Jesus who died on the cross, and that belief is what will result in heaven for us. If you’re an SDA and also a horrible person, I would venture to say you might want to question your salvation. However, if you’re a Catholic and a good person who believes in Jesus and represents Him in your life (think Bishop Myriel from Les Misérables), you will sit by God’s throne one day. I feel that a lot of authors also forget this, that Jesus is what matters. They dwell TOO MUCH on the denomination and its doctrines and not on the central faith, which is Jesus.

If you’re not writing about another Christian denomination – like, let’s say you’re writing about an atheist, a Muslim, or a Jew – then it would look a bit different. The same thing stands: don’t be condescending or judgmental, and don’t try to infuse your own doctrinal beliefs. The latter isn’t to say that you can’t have the character convert to Christianity – I absolutely love conversion scenes in books when done right! – but it is to say, don’t treat your book like a sermon. Have the conversion happen naturally, and when it does happen, focus on Jesus, not on doctrine.

I also feel very passionately about writing non-Christian religions because one of my very best friends is a Muslim. I actually want to share a little real-life, personal story with you to wrap up – hopefully it’ll communicate what I want to say about this better than a list of rules would. XD

Several months ago, in Bible studies with my principal and chaplain (I go to an SDA school), I mentioned to them that I had a burden for my friend on my heart. I was very worried she won’t be saved because she isn’t a Christian. What they said in response was super eye-opening for me, and I still think a lot about it.

They pointed out to me that my friend was raised differently, first of all. And secondly, her faith is very devout. She is so dedicated to Islam and to Allah, and that is so admirable. She walks in the path of faith and love. And thirdly – this was the point that stuck with me most – when the Bible says that those who do not believe in Jesus will not be saved, it doesn’t mean that if you merely hear of Christianity and don’t believe, you’re doomed. It DOES mean that if you hear of Christianity and are thoroughly convicted of its truth, yet reject it, then you would not be saved. My friend isn’t in that place – she hasn’t rejected Jesus when she knows Him to be true. She sincerely believes Him to be only a prophet.

So when writing non-Christian religions, I would definitely say to portray their followers as image bearers above all else! Write with compassion and accuracy, and if you choose to have a conversion, make it authentic.

Anyway… I’m so sorry this went on so long! I hope you got something out of it. 😉