January Talking Meme: Faith and Fandom
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Had about a week off there, didn't I? Now it's time to jump back in courtesy of izhilzha, who inquires about "faith and fandom".
As anyone who reads this journal knows, I have my faith, and I have my fandoms. Generally, they go together well. That's usually because I don't often become a fan of something that denigrates faith. And, really, I think it takes a pretty lazy and self-centered creator to be unable to sympathize with viewpoints outside their own and present them well.
Take, for example, Terry Pratchett. As far as I know, he's an atheist. And he definitely takes a few potshots at Evangelical Christianity via the character of Constable Visit-The-Unbeliever-With-Explanatory-Pamphlets. They're genuinely funny potshots, though, and hit pretty close to home to anyone *cough* who's ever handed out tracts with members of their youth group.
But then you get books like Small Gods and Carpe Jugulum and even, to an extent, Thud!, where characters of faith are presented not only sympathetically, but heroically. Small Gods centers around the absolutely beautiful character Brutha, a man whose simple faith has literally kept his god, Om, alive in a world where Om's church has faith only in its own power. Brutha is rewarded for his faith in the end. And in Carpe Jugulum, Mightily-Praiseworth-Is-He-Who-Exalteth-Om Oats (Mightily Oats to his friends) and his struggle with his faith is central to the story, and pays off wonderfully. And in Thud!, the story centers around the totally-not-a-religion of the dwarfs. The grags, for all intents and purposes clerics, who define themselves by their hatred of all things non-dwarf are balanced out by one who simply seeks the truth, wherever it may lead.
I like creators like Pratchett. I have no idea where on the religious spectrum Jim Butcher, author of The Dresden Files falls, but he portrays the faith of his character Michael Carpenter, a holy paladin, beautifully, even as Harry Dresden himself prefers "theological Switzerland". Joss Whedon, another atheist, generally does well when portraying a character of faith.
Someone very stupid once came up with the "brownie" analogy. It goes like this: A kid wants to watch a secular movie or listen to secular music. Their Christian parent then presents them with a plate of brownies and says they can eat as many as they want, but just so they know, there's a little poop in the brownie mix. "Gross!" says the kid, and the parent then says that, like the brownies, the movie or music may seem nice, but it has bad stuff mixed in, so the kid should avoid it like poopy brownies.
I disagree. Yes, some entertainment is, in fact, really shitty. But the fact that you may not entirely agree with the worldview presented by a book or movie or TV show doesn't mean the whole thing is tainted. It doesn't mean you can't find truth or beauty in them. I take the "brownie" analogy another way. The brownies are tasty as they are, but you wouldn't want to make them your entire diet. And some brownies have nice flax or shredded zucchini or nutritious walnuts in them, so you get more than just a good taste. You need other things to eat, but a brownie now and then is a nice addition.
"Everywhere I look, I see something sacred," says Mightily Oats at the end of Carpe Jugulum, after he's found his faith and become a hero. It's not a bad motto for life. The sacred is there, if only you look for it.
Everywhere I look, I see something sacred.
Had about a week off there, didn't I? Now it's time to jump back in courtesy of izhilzha, who inquires about "faith and fandom".
As anyone who reads this journal knows, I have my faith, and I have my fandoms. Generally, they go together well. That's usually because I don't often become a fan of something that denigrates faith. And, really, I think it takes a pretty lazy and self-centered creator to be unable to sympathize with viewpoints outside their own and present them well.
Take, for example, Terry Pratchett. As far as I know, he's an atheist. And he definitely takes a few potshots at Evangelical Christianity via the character of Constable Visit-The-Unbeliever-With-Explanatory-Pamphlets. They're genuinely funny potshots, though, and hit pretty close to home to anyone *cough* who's ever handed out tracts with members of their youth group.
But then you get books like Small Gods and Carpe Jugulum and even, to an extent, Thud!, where characters of faith are presented not only sympathetically, but heroically. Small Gods centers around the absolutely beautiful character Brutha, a man whose simple faith has literally kept his god, Om, alive in a world where Om's church has faith only in its own power. Brutha is rewarded for his faith in the end. And in Carpe Jugulum, Mightily-Praiseworth-Is-He-Who-Exalteth-Om Oats (Mightily Oats to his friends) and his struggle with his faith is central to the story, and pays off wonderfully. And in Thud!, the story centers around the totally-not-a-religion of the dwarfs. The grags, for all intents and purposes clerics, who define themselves by their hatred of all things non-dwarf are balanced out by one who simply seeks the truth, wherever it may lead.
I like creators like Pratchett. I have no idea where on the religious spectrum Jim Butcher, author of The Dresden Files falls, but he portrays the faith of his character Michael Carpenter, a holy paladin, beautifully, even as Harry Dresden himself prefers "theological Switzerland". Joss Whedon, another atheist, generally does well when portraying a character of faith.
Someone very stupid once came up with the "brownie" analogy. It goes like this: A kid wants to watch a secular movie or listen to secular music. Their Christian parent then presents them with a plate of brownies and says they can eat as many as they want, but just so they know, there's a little poop in the brownie mix. "Gross!" says the kid, and the parent then says that, like the brownies, the movie or music may seem nice, but it has bad stuff mixed in, so the kid should avoid it like poopy brownies.
I disagree. Yes, some entertainment is, in fact, really shitty. But the fact that you may not entirely agree with the worldview presented by a book or movie or TV show doesn't mean the whole thing is tainted. It doesn't mean you can't find truth or beauty in them. I take the "brownie" analogy another way. The brownies are tasty as they are, but you wouldn't want to make them your entire diet. And some brownies have nice flax or shredded zucchini or nutritious walnuts in them, so you get more than just a good taste. You need other things to eat, but a brownie now and then is a nice addition.
"Everywhere I look, I see something sacred," says Mightily Oats at the end of Carpe Jugulum, after he's found his faith and become a hero. It's not a bad motto for life. The sacred is there, if only you look for it.
Everywhere I look, I see something sacred.