tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6320269312957801390.post5018414863827480071..comments2024-03-28T05:59:52.454-07:00Comments on TalkToYoUniverse: Religion in Worldbuilding: A Google+ Hangout ReportJuliette Wadehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02879627074920760712noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6320269312957801390.post-31322768060595427172012-03-17T21:38:31.220-07:002012-03-17T21:38:31.220-07:00could = foundcould = foundAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6320269312957801390.post-10626979017017599122012-03-17T21:37:10.017-07:002012-03-17T21:37:10.017-07:00Sorry I missed it.
A work day, one of many, alas...Sorry I missed it. <br /><br />A work day, one of many, alas . . .<br /><br />In my observation, there are many religions depicted in fantasy novels, and as Geoffrey observes, many bear a striking resemblance to the medieval Catholic church. <br /><br />There are fewer religions in science fiction, and fewer still in 'hard' SF tales. (But that pendulum may well be swinging back, thanks in large part to several recent Analog magazine stories. (Some of them award-winning.) <br /><br />One aspect that's rare is genuine alien religions. Not resembling any human religion, especially the major ones. <br />A good example, IMHO, can be could in Kay Kenyon's novel "The Braided World." Aliens with a deceptively strange biology, and unusual beliefs to match.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6320269312957801390.post-89529219511561424022012-03-16T09:12:16.695-07:002012-03-16T09:12:16.695-07:00Geoffrey, thanks for your in-depth comment. You ta...Geoffrey, thanks for your in-depth comment. You take on quite a few interesting topics on your blog. I liked your insight on playing out the Reformation - that certainly has been done! Interesting point about the portability of text-based religions without landscape grounding. I'll certainly try to make sure I deliberately invite you if/when we do this topic again.Juliette Wadehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02879627074920760712noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6320269312957801390.post-14405438416322403812012-03-15T13:48:55.594-07:002012-03-15T13:48:55.594-07:00So much to comment on! First off, religion and wor...So much to comment on! First off, religion and worldbuilding is the subject of my blog, which you can find here: http://memory-theatre.blogspot.com/<br /><br />A few points:<br /><br />The tendency to make fantasy religions look like the mediaeval Catholic church is somewhat problematic, since our image of the institution is often shaped by early Protestant polemic. In short, if you're writing a setting that opposes a ritual-heavy, corrupt, politically-influential church against a group driven by faith and some surprising revelation from their scriptures, you're basically playing out the Reformation again. That doesn't mean you can't do it, just that it's been done. There are plenty of other ways to describe both religious structures and the changes that they undergo.<br /><br />The separation of religion and magic is an interesting point because, in the past, it's one that's been patrolled by scholars of religion. Moreover, definitions of both religion and magic have been shown to be grounded in certain theological assumptions that don't necessarily hold for all religions.<br /><br />The matter of religion and the need for scripture is a little too complicated to go into in a comment; I'll point you to the blog instead. Text-based religions that don't also have a grounding in landscape, however, tend to be better suited to missionary endeavours.<br /><br />I really do wish I'd been around for this one. Perhaps if you do another in the future, Juliette, I'll have better luck. Or maybe we can trade posts sometime, academic to academic.Geoffrey Mhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01633478511882948244noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6320269312957801390.post-6553219940446779682012-03-15T06:45:56.575-07:002012-03-15T06:45:56.575-07:00Jaleh, thanks for commenting. I knew as I was writ...Jaleh, thanks for commenting. I knew as I was writing that down that I didn't entirely recall/understand what you'd said, so thanks for clarifying. I'm glad the discussion got you thinking - that's exciting! Good luck with your project. :)Juliette Wadehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02879627074920760712noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6320269312957801390.post-85438292954526005432012-03-15T06:05:21.498-07:002012-03-15T06:05:21.498-07:00Nicole, thanks for commenting! There are a lot of ...Nicole, thanks for commenting! There are a lot of models for this (not the least of which is "the Force" from Star Wars); it's how you work out the details of practices that makes them really distinct from one another. I like the sense you give that there are outsiders to the religion who see things in a different way. We didn't get much into the idea of a religion's external reputation, but that's an interesting thing to consider in worldbuilding, for sure.<br /><br />Sareh, multiple religions are good and quite plausible so long as you handle them well. In urban fantasy I think it depends on two things: 1. whether the fantasy phenomena are religion-based and 2. whether the characters themselves are religious.<br /><br />Thank you both for your support and your comments!Juliette Wadehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02879627074920760712noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6320269312957801390.post-13244847441121524262012-03-15T06:01:02.688-07:002012-03-15T06:01:02.688-07:00Almost, the Church in my "real world" st...Almost, the Church in my "real world" story isn't Celtic influenced; the Celtic is another sort of faith brought in, not really to contrast with the Church but to help echo the past into the present. Plus Lugh and Balor are just fun characters. Especially since ordinary people don't realize who Balor really is. ;D<br /><br />And it's more of feeling strange using Christianity based religions in non-real world type settings. But one of these days, I'll get around to a seed idea I'm saving where I can work my own faith into the story without it being weird, to me anyway. (colonizing another planet)<br /><br />I've still been thinking about this discussion since last week, and yesterday I realized that I need to create some sort of religion into my active project. The MC was changed by magic into a troglodyte type form 15 years ago (the reason being tied into the book plot), but she's ostracized as though it's her fault somehow. I didn't want there to be actual other races in that world, and the fact that there seemed no solid reason for her to be treated as badly as she is on a societal scale has been bugging me for awhile. But if there's a religious reason, it fits very well with what I've already written about how her family had responded to her "curse" and the way the townsfolk treated her in the beginning of the story. I have no idea yet what the religion will be like except I'm thinking a multiple gods approach: faith based rather than factual. That will go well with the societal model of this world I've loosely based on various empires I've researched.Jaleh Dhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04942272578488986874noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6320269312957801390.post-18429812488262106272012-03-14T18:24:45.219-07:002012-03-14T18:24:45.219-07:00In one of my books, there is two main religions. T...In one of my books, there is two main religions. There's probably others but I haven't thought of those yet as the story really only focuses on the two. <br /><br />Anyways, I think that there's not enough religion mentioned in books. Even in urban novels set in the real world. In fantasy and science fiction I can kinda understand but I think religion is really important to include. You don't have to say alot, but it can really help define the story and its characters when you consider what religion they belong to. <br /><br />Great article! I wish I could have been there!Sarehhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01829472672254117776noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6320269312957801390.post-20545054916321832192012-03-14T14:54:26.513-07:002012-03-14T14:54:26.513-07:00So weird, I asked this exact same question a few d...So weird, I asked this exact same question a few days ago on GooglePlus in regards to the book I'm working on! I think religion is very important in terms of "where" the magic is coming from...For the world I created, I finally figured out that most of my characters that have the inner power believe in a higher power but in the sense that they believe in an energetic force that combines all of us together - no good or bad like heaven and hell. It's what you DO with the power you have that makes it either way. I do have another group that believes in more concrete terms but overall they believe anyone who has these particular abilities are of evil and are basically deadset against destroying everyone with this ability. I don't go into a lot of dynamics with religion in the book, but I think in fantasy it is an important element.Nicole Pyleshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06920135146911951755noreply@blogger.com