The color of the world changes day by day

[i_llbedammned]

So I have a writing/theological question. Is it offensive to mix together gods and pretend that they were always the same god to begin with, just that stories separated them

Comments

[lusimeles]

if you're writing about religion, somebody is guaranteed to be offended. i wouldn't worry about it and just concentrate on making a kick-ass story.

[ragnarok_08]

Yup, with religion - it is a guarantee that someone would be offended, but I say you should still wrote an awesome story :)

[vapor]

It's important for you to explore what you want to explore. I believe that you can't really have your voice in your head and every one else's voices. And when you think about all the what-if's, that's even more voices you can't fit in there. You should write whatever comes to you, and then when you re-read and edit it later, you can polish it better for others to read.

[snakesinspace]

Read about the Indo-Europeans for more on how several gods have similar starting places. Beyond that, some Pagans will be upset, but if they can love American Gods by Gaiman (yuck) they can get over it.

[goddessofchaos]

I've read a number of novels that play around with the identities of gods. I started writing one myself at one point as well, with a similar idea - that certain individual entities had been known by the names of different gods within different cultures. I never thought of it being offensive. I suppose some people would be offended by anything, but there are novels out there that have alternative stories for Jesus and ones portray religions in a very negative light... so I guess anything goes, really. I don't think it's good to set out to be inflammatory but your idea doesn't sound that way at all.

There are also many pagans who believe only in the God and Goddess and that all deities are just aspects of those two, so it's not as if the idea isn't already out there.