Writing Religion
*by Mari
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This page is simply about how to write about religion. I am NOT forcing you to use this guide, I'm just putting out some good ideas. Also, I'm not trying to convert anyone with this page. ;)

We all know what religion is. We all have our own personal beliefs about the unknown. The most important thing to keep in mind when writing about religion is to be respectful of others of the same/opposing religion. Religion is a sensitive subject for all people, even if they claim they don't have any. I'll run through some basic to knows about writing about Religion without betraying your own beliefs. ;)

It's also good to keep in mind that following one religion all your life is not as common in Japan as it is in Western culture. The trappings are often used, particularly in Catholicism. Thus the wearing of the Roman collar as a fashion accessory rather than a symbol of the office in character design. It doesn't always reflect the characters religious beliefs if any. Also...it's not the "point" of the series.

Stand up.
Know it.
Converting.
Converting Duo.
Heero's stance.
Trowa's mystery.
Quatre: Arab or not?
All hail Justice.
Why write conversions?

Stand up for what YOU believe to be the truth, don't give into pleasing everybody.
There's a difference between open-mindedness and relativism. Being open minded does not mean you give in to every person's opinion and not stick by your own. (I hate it when site owners say they are open-minded like that.) What that is, is a confusion with relativism. I'm defining relativism as the belief that nothing is right or wrong, because it's all relative. My point is don't fall into this fallacy of relativism cleverly disguised as open-mindedness. Stick by your personal values and beliefs. Who ever said you were obligated to please *everyone*? Hmmm? Uhh...but don't go tearing down other people's beliefs either now. ;)

Know about the Religion.
You should know some of the basic beliefs of some Religions before writing about them. I'm not saying to read the entire Koran or Catechism. Just basics like the defining statement of the belief. (Like in Islam: There is one Allah and Mohammed is his prophet.) It'd be embarrassing to twist someone's beliefs like that. And you'll get many angry emails, I'm sure.To the top

How to See the Light! Conversions
I hate it when fanfictions do this! Something to the effect of 'Duo looks up teary eyed at a crucifix and totally changes his life' or 'The girl who is to be his future girlfriend says "Duo there is a God, can't you see?" "Yes I see! Thank you Suzy! I believe now!"' Okay, so I'm being dramatic, but this is what really inspired this page. REALITY CHECK! Just talking to an atheist about God will not turn him to abandon everything he/she's believed in for years and years! (On rare occasions it will). Believe me, I've tried to talk ppl into changing their beliefs and they just laughed at me or got angry and never talked me again.

Alrighty, so I've talked about what doesn't work. What will work? Well, make it believable. It takes time to convert and it happens in stages. Ooo! The stages are....1. admitting you're wrong.
2. trying to find a new belief that fits with your old lifestyle. 3. Failing to find new beliefs that fit, so you change you lifestyle in pieces. 4. You find defenses for your beliefs. etc. Well, it's easy to state the stages, but actually go through with them is a whole other ball of wax.

I've said that just talking to someone will most likely not change a thing. People are stubborn. The only person we can truly convince by talking is ourselves. That's why it's so hard to write a conversion story. It makes perfect sense to us, why not them? Most people will convert because of an experience. For example: Pat doesn't wear his seat-belt, never has never will. One day he gets in an accident and barely survives. Ever afterwards, he wears a seat-belt. Corny example, but it works. It usually takes an dramatic event happen to the person or their loved ones. That's the proof for something. The lives and love of another will make someone change. Actions speak louder and more efficiently than words.To the top

Duo's Case: What would make him believe?
In his Episode Zero, Duo says "I don't think there is a God, how could he let there be war?...I believe in Shinigami (God of Death) because God makes miracles, I've never seen a miracle but I've seen lots and lots of dead people". (or something to that effect.) Duo's stance is a mix between being epicurial (believe it when I see it) and the classic Theodicy (God exists, God all powerful, Evil exists. How does that all work out?). He has seen many miracles in his day, but still it doesn't cut it. (eg: heero surviving every attempt of self destructing). Duo would be hard to convert. One, because he's young and headstrong still. Two, he's happy as he is. Three, his life sucks. There is no magic philisophical or theological statement to present that would magically change him. Keep in mind, all the GW boys tend to do a lot of Philosophizing on their own. (They keep talking about whats true peace don't they? :) )

Some ideas that Maaaaaay work. (Of course anything could work, I mean it's your story.) He may just turn back once he grows older. Someone genuine (not sappy) shows him the Love of God. Eg: Someone taking care of orphans. An orphan keeping faith against all odds, makes him feel jealous. Having a baby.

Also, another note, Duo was raised Catholic somewhat. It's not a stretch to think that he'd return to what was taught to him by his beloved Priest father-figure. It's also not a stretch to return him to another denomination of Christianity. Also, he most likely will not be a devout, go-to-mass-every-Sunday, know-every-line-of-the-Bible, believe-everything-the-Church-teaches, kind of Catholic/Christian. He may be more wishy-washy about it at first. Don't stray from his personality after you convert him! =DTo the top

What about Heero?
I think Heero is a toughy! But not as bad as some of the others. It seems to me from the movie Endless Waltz, Heero is seeking his humanity. In the Manga, it's the same thing. So, in his search for what it is to be human, he would most likely find that faith is needed. Or Humans believe in God for comfort. One of the two. I don't know what faith he would follow. Being that he is Japanese, he may fit into an oriental religion. Or he could just be a Transendentalist and believe in some sort of external being that controls things. (He may call it peace or love). Also, take into the fact of Relena having a strong influence on him. Heero following whatever Relena follows would be believable. (I would imagine Christianity might work here.) One of the other pilots may have an influence too. So, I leave him up to you. Just remember that his personality shouldn't change too much after conversion. Don't betray his character.

*Recently, I was told that Heero states he doesn't believe in God in one of the episodes of the series. So...oops.*To the top

Trowa: The Mystery Man.
Trowa knows little to nothing about his past. Little is mentioned about his beliefs on God or anything for that matter. Although, there is one point in his Episode Zero that I recall is Trowa receiving a cross from a girl. "If you wear this God will protect you" she says. He wears it. (You can also see him wearing this cross in Trowa's flashback in Endless Waltz.) That may be a hint that he at least believes in God. (Perhaps because it gives him comfort.) Also, take into account that Trowa is Hispanic. Hispanics tend to be very devout, religiously speaking. Although it doesn't show in the series, it may be safe to say Trowa has some religion. To the top

Master Quatre: Arab or not?
Quatre is actually a bit difficult for me. It would be up to the author to decide. Based on his ethnicity, Quatre would be Moslem (Muslim). However, he is obviously not devout in his religion nor does he believe his mission is a Jihad (Holy War). The basic Jihad belief is that it doesn't matter if you kill lots and lots of people, it's a holy war therefore you are pardoned and will go straight to heaven. Quatre feels guilty and tries to avoid killing people. (Except the time he goes insane with anger.) He tends more towards mercy, which is more of a Christian trait. (There are other faiths that emphasize mercy too, I'm just ignorant of what they are. :( )

Another interesting bit about Quatre is his belief in the "Soul of Outer Space". (mentioned in an early episode). Due to this "universal soul" belief, it would be easier to convert him into believing in a God. (It makes the conversion stages easier if what he believes is similar to another religion.) So the only hard part is for you the author to decide, if Quatre would be Moslem or Christian or something else. =DTo the top

Justice Supreme: Wufei
Wufei clearly already has his own religion. He follows the traditional oriental ancestor worship idea. (Nakatu was his wife's nickname). He is also very passionate about his beliefs, which demand him to be honorable and strong. He will not be easily converted to anything. He has already settled into his beliefs. I applaud anyone who writes a good conversion story with Wufei in it. I'm sure it was hard to think of. I would recommend finding out more about Chinese beliefs before writing. ;)To the top

Why write a conversion story?
When making a series or manga that the public will see, the creators try to avoid the subject of religion on purpose. They make vague allusions to the characters beliefs, but never anything too concrete. That's because they are thinking of their audiences...the general public. General public is full of every belief. But that doesn't mean that their characters have to have no religion just to please the public.

Conversion stories are written usually to please the individual writer's belief. They are unsatisfied that the original character is not aligned to their religion. The great thing about characters that others have created are that they are easily figured out. Meaning, you don't have to go through the trouble of making them up. You already know what they look like and how they act. You are just changing an aspect of a character.

Due to the nature of conversions, the whole character will change. When a person converts, they change a bit. When you think of Heero, you don't think of a nice, devout Jewish boy. No, he's that crazy, good-looking guy fighting for the colonies.

I recommend to fan writer's to avoid conversion stories, until they are comfortable with what happens in a conversion. What changes and what stays the same. How conversions happen, etc. It's best to write other pieces of fanwork where you can capture the characters perfectly as they are. Know how they behave. My best tip is, put yourself into the characters skin and move around a bit. Based on what you already know about the character, figure out how they would react. Then, think how would you react. Look at the difference. If someone told me God exists, I would accept it right away without question because I already believe that. But Duo is not me, he would not heartily agree on the spot...he may need more persuasion.To the top

That's all I have to say about this subject for now. If necessary, I will add or take out stuff. Thanks for reading this page. To the top

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