Religion can play several roles in fiction. In world building, it can form societal norms, act as an imposed alien order, or be considered a personal anomaly of no social consequence. In character building, it can be an ideological conviction, a personal relationship, or it can simply define a character’s understanding of “what is.” In any case, if you are going to invite religion into a story, there are a few things I think it helps to look out for in handling that element.
A story is ultimately about characters facing some conflict. Even in a story with religion in it, this conflict doesn’t have to be primarily religious. Instead, religion informs a character’s approach to handling the conflict because it is a part of who the character is. Of course, the conflict can be religious. Crises of faith when faced with difficult situations are the very stuff of drama. Just make sure this contributes to the story you are trying to tell and isn’t a distracting sideshow.
Theological discourse is the bane of action. Don’t bore your reader with dry exposition or impassioned sermons. Any faith worth embracing or examining will result in behavior. Does it lead to further conflict? Heighten the sense of danger? Treat religion in the same way as you do other motivations, through what the character experiences of them in the moment.
Nobody’s soul is a consistent, orthodox expression of some set of abstract postulates, even if they want it to be. No believable character embodies doctrine. A character who is trying to live up to what that religion means in his or her life, facing external pressures and internal drives, perhaps reaching for some internal integrity or wholeness, is much more interesting.
Don’t use religion decoratively. If “the gun on the wall in the first act goes off in the third” in your writing, use religion in a way that matters, however subtly, or let it go. Also, use it consistently. A character isn’t going to forget his or her faith except when it’s needed for plot. Even if the character isn’t “always on” – who is? – when they’re “off” should make some sense in the story.
The final vital thing to avoid with religion in fiction is “the altar call”, either explicit or implied. A religious character’s understanding and conflicts are that character’s own. The most you can do without violating your reader’s trust is to offer the reader a sense of how the character lives his or her faith, how that life “works.” The reader may identify with the character, leading to questions about their own lives – or not. It’s their affair entirely. Leave it there.
Overall, in my own work, I find religion, and especially the encounters of characters with different religions, a rich opportunity for drama, for exploring the spiritual landscape that we inhabit together. Amid all the other relationships, I explore various faiths I’ve had some contact with over the years, certainly not in every story, but frequently.
By applying the principles I’ve outlined above, I think I’ve navigated that landscape in a thought provoking, encouraging, and entertaining way without offending people or boring them stiff. The feedback I’ve gotten from people I’ve shared the stories with so far has borne that out. What do you think?
