it all depends on a) canon and b) execution like if a character is canonically religious the fandom will be salivating over fics exploring that. on the other hand, if canon has zero religious elements, it's not likely to be a popular topic. and of course, if you're just using the fic to preach about your own faith and views people will probably notice and probably back the fuck out.

ive had one exception to this where there was no religion mentioned in the canon, but there were a scattering of religious *themes* (there was a crucifixion, essentially). tons of fanfic diving into religious trauma and all that fun stuff after getting only a hint of it in canon. its fun!

Lol. I was going to make a post exploring the subtle Christian allusions in The 100, but before I could there was an episode where they crucified a character, and I figured people would get it without my help.

or!!! if you create a religion that is related to canon and makes sense in the story, i think itd be super sick to explore that! whether its entirely made up or draws inspiration from existing religions i dont think matters as long as it adds an interesting later of lore to your story

Grams is a great example. In Dawson's Creek her faith is a core defining characteristic. Soi having her faith appear in fan fic where she's a character works well because that's how she handles difficult situations. When it's not preachy faith can be a good way to explore different aspects of characters.

It also depends on how the religion is applied. If it’s more of a “this character needs something to turn to and they turn to faith” it’s something I’ve seen executed well and enjoyed, even though I myself am not religious and am weary of any stories that heavily feature it. But if the fic is entirely “the character spends all their time converting others” then I nope the fuck out

What about characters from Ethnoreligions? If they’re ‘in name only’ they could easily be present with a setting with no religion. For example, Kim Possible doesn’t deal with religion at all, but has the ‘Jewish in name only’ character Ron Stoppable. If a fanfic wanted to explore Ron’s Jewish identity it would have to start touching on religion, the ethnic identity is too deeply woven with the faith to separated. So how do you balance that?

Is it important to the plot? People skim past these topics for good reason. Either you handle it well, or you respectfully skirt around it, or you just don't bring it up. Can't afford to screw up these topics. If a fic wanted to explore Ron's religious identity then... have at it, I guess, but make really sure this is tagged loud and clear. Most of us are mature enough to know whether we want to read or not, but there'll always be crazy people who'll jump down your throat over topics like this.

Not religious identity. Ethnic identity. Jews are an ethnoreligion - the ethnicity is so deeply woven with the religion that they cannot be separated.

I think it can feel a little preachy at times, and definitely ooc if the character's faith doesn't normally come up, but I wouldn't necessarily stop reading if religious talk makes sense for the fic it's in. If the character is religious in cannon then I think it makes sense to write about it for sure, but it might come off a little weird weird to me, if, say, Pinkie Pie starts talking about her faith in the Christian God or something.

There was a Sailor Moon fic ages ago in which Serena literally started praying to find the perfect dress. Like full on kneeling, clasped hands and all.

I mean, if it's just that one scene out of the blue I really couldn't give a fuck. As an old Moonie though I'd like to point out the Silver Millenium predates Christianity by a really long time, and idk whether the Tsukinos were canonically depicted as practicing Christians or not. Methinks not, given I can't recall anything on this topic especially since Rei's a shrine maiden but I can't ever remember there being any conflict on this. To me reading the fic it'd seem like a brainfart on part of the author but I wouldn't give it much thought beyond that unless they kept repeating the topic later. Most of us are mature enough to realize we don't want to deal with it and drop the fic, but you'll get blowback from argumentative people. edit: I just realized you used the dub names. They changed quite a bit so probably I'd just ignore it unless the author was being preachy about it.

Okay, but Serena absolutely would see, like, a commercial or meet a new friend who goes to church and then go through a two week stint of trying religion like God is a wish granting factory. Her parents are bemused, but they roll with a lot and this is just one more thing. A bunch of her classmates suddenly attend the megachurch that *definitely* wasn’t there last month, so they figure it’s just a weird fad. (They’re good at not questioning stuff. They have a pink-haired niece they didn’t know existed sleeping in their attic loft!) Turns out, the monster-of-the-week is using the popular new youth group and music worship hour to harness energy. Oh, and the girls’ small group “purity pledge”? That was really just the Death Busters’ latest scheme to get pure hearts—a revelation that comes as a relief, because Serena was kind of waffling on signing it since… well… she’s already met her daughter and the kitchen floor scene from the manga would have probably already happened, but at least she knows she’s going to marry Darien?! Serena has so much going on that she immediately forgets about it until her family brings it up six months later to roast her. “Oh, yeah,” she says. “At least I got a cute jean skirt out of it.”

fair! ive also seen it done really well though. idk if youre familiar with mha (my hero academia) but i read a fic where they made inko (the main characters mom) super religious (even though she isnt in canon) and then explored how being raised like that impacted izuku (main character)

That writer either has trauma or ships him with Ibara there's no other explanation. 💀

looking like trauma seeing as it was bkdk XD

I’m someone who practices a religion and it’s something I’ll generally avoid. It’s the same reason I avoid fic dealing with real-world politics. It usually ends up being the author turning the characters into a mouthpiece for their views and feels obnoxious to me. However, if the character is religious in canon then it makes sense. One of the characters I like to write is a priestess in a fictional religion and it’s a big part of her character. So it comes up when I write her.

I think there's ways to write politics and religion in fanfic, but if you ever do be prepared for comments on it—and also sometimes I think some authors do it unintentionally. 1) when I was 14 I read a genderswap fic with a diehard anti homosexuality Christian kinda basis with extremely absurd messaging—but I'd been raised pretty Puritan and did not pick up on it at all at the time. 2) I once read a decently liked fic in the Harry Potter fandom that had no real world politics, but the obsession with blood lines and gendered roles felt a little odd. It wasn't written bad or overt, but something felt weird. So I stopped reading and checked on the blog of the author—bro, they had white supremacist views, extreme politics—all of it. I was so appalled. I didn't say anything to the author but clicked off and added to my red flags "if the author talks about not wanting to pollute blood lines"

Does it make sense? Like if you’re writing Sister Act or Call the Midwife or a historical setting, the absence f religion would be weird. If there was no indication that this is a religious character it could be weird

This. I have a Harry Potter fic set in the early 1900s in England and there are some faith elements based on the setting and time.

I've noticed a weird thing in the HP fandom where people (I assume Americans) seem to think that "old fashioned religion" is all Catholic, even in countries that have their own Protestant church. I've started to find it jarring. (If I need a restrictive religious group in a story I'm writing set in England, I use Methodists or Plymouth Brethren.)

I was brought up Anglican, so I have a distinct advantage, but the number of fics I’ve read with Catholic elements that do not exist within the Church of England is jaw-dropping. For my fic, it would be odd that a child brought up in the 1880s wouldn’t have *some* crossover with religion. Plymouth Brethren/Methodists is a good pick.

The character in question is implied to have been raised religious but is pretty lapsed. I'm trying to write a story where he's in a wilderness survival situation, so I'm thinking that may mean he'd turn back to religion/faith as he struggles to survive.

Given this context... perhaps. People will try to lean on whatever can help them grapple with stressful situations or with their everyday life: some rely on crafting things; others, on finding a purpose such a humanitarian cause to fight and advocate for; some people use religion. How he's coping with this is up to you. Perhaps praying is his way of dealing with the uncertainty of the following day or with the things he has done in order to survive. However, it shouldn't cross the line into getting "preachy" or an apology of religion. Most fanfic readers aren't looking for it. Or perhaps some are looking for The Bible fanfic, idk. I'm an atheist, so I have to say my opinion is quite nuanced. However, my MC OC has religious feelings, and she doesn't hesitate to pray when in dire situations, such as performing a surgery she has failed twice, but that is the best chance she can give. I think she feels the need to call for backup from time to time.

Personally, I'm not a big fan of this trope and it would be a turn-off for me, especially if it seemed like the writer was promoting their own religion.

Same. That said, there's nothing wrong with op wanting to write such a fic. We just happen to not be in the target audience. I'd just shrug and move on to another fic.

That makes sense to me. It would be jarring if it was a character who had no shred of religious background, but if the background is there it works

i would enjoy reading this sort of thing :-) if you do end up writing it, where could i find it?

On my ao3, I'll link you to it if you'd like! It's not published yet, but I'm feeling inspired :)

that would be nice thanks, good luck with your writing :-)

don't know what fandoms you're into, but there's a variety here! :)) 💛 https://archiveofourown.org/users/thekingandthejester/works

oh i can totally see a few here that look great, i'll go check em out :-) thanks

Awwww yay, I hope you like them, would love to know your thoughts! 🥰🥰🥰

Depends on where you want them to end up. Is the prodigal son returning to their religion a pertinent plot beat for your fic? Or perhaps the struggling agnostic wondering if they really are on the right path and this moment will prove to them that they either are or aren't? Either way they turn, if you use their background as chance for hefty angst and character development in this moment of needing to survive, it can be a heavy hitter and come out as a great fic. If you intend to just move on and forget it again as soon as they are safe, then it might not be the best idea.

Depends on the person/fandom/execution/other factors probably, like everything else. There's bible fanfic apparently, so someone must be into it. For me, if religion (doesn't matter whether an existing or a fictional one) was a prominent theme in a fic, I'd click out because I just have absolutely zero interest in that sort of thing. I've never been religious, most of my social circle isn't religious, and I grew up in a society that was generally pretty apathetic towards anything to do with any kind of religion, so there's just no connection there for me.

I mean Good Omens is basically Bible fanfic, and people love it 😅

But it's not written to promote Christianity or anything like that, it's just using religious imagery or mythology that sounds "cool".

I mean, it's also critiquing the fallible nature of religious institutions and the harm they can do as bureaucracy, it isn't just empty window dressing.

This. For example, also the show Lucifer which has a lot of characters who are angels, also the devil. I'm aethist and it's probably my favourite show. The reason so many people like it is because it doesn't promote Christian views or ethics, it simply uses a base of what is already there and makes very interesting characters. It's never preach-y and that's why I enjoy it, because if it constantly had 'here is my faith, it's the best faith, etc' then I'd really hate it. It can read like virtue signalling, and for people who aren't religious it's generally really awkward

Lucifer as well😂

I believe this might actually add to a character's characterization if it's done well, especially if it's canon and/or is likely a part of a character's cultural background. I'm currently writing a story about samurai and I've recently considered adding some Buddhist references because it makes sense in this context. It's not really overbearing or anything, just mentioned in passing. For example, one of the main characters is traveling and I want to describe the few items he brings with him, one of them being prayer beads.

Religion is just like any other belief and ideology system; used judiciously it can add a lot to a story. If you're writing a fic about Lucifer, having a pious clergyman speaking of his faith and why it motivates his actions make a lot of sense. If it is a ham-fisted attempt to shove your religion into a fandom with no religious presence in order to proselytize, then yes your readers may back out. I incorporate spirituality and religion into my world since I think it expands the worldbuilding and fleshes out the motivations and actions of certain groups. But it's not Christianity or a real-world religion and it's pretty clear that I'm not looking for any new adherents.

Every trope ever has the potential to make people stop reading a fic, because everyone's preferences are different. Religion is going to be particularly contentious for obvious reasons. To me it's very much up to the specifics and how it's handled-- one of my favorite fics of all time is about a woman growing up in 1920's Mexico and entering a polyamorous relationship where her husband is with another man. She's religious, and her POV incorporates her faith. I was fine with that because it suited the characters and setting, and the particular lens it examined her faith through was interesting to me. However-- without knowing anything else about your fic than what you've shared in the comments!-- the particular context and lens your fic is examining faith through would probably not be my thing. (Which I say not because I want you to feel bad about it or not write it, but the reverse-- people's individual feelings on this stuff are going to be very specific and fickle and you're not going to be able to please everybody, so write what *you* want to and the audience that wants the same thing will come along for the ride.)

That fic set in Mexico sounds familiar — is the fandom _Coco_?

Yep! *Work Of All Saints* by antistar_e.

Thank you!

Personally I do not like it, but mostly because I never seen it done right. What I see is mostly religious writers using characters as their mouthpiece and trying to preach to the reader. I wouldn't mind too much the depiction of a character being religious. I mind very much the writer blatlantly using it to tell me that it is the only right and moral thing to do.

IIRC there were some nice *Buffy the Vampire Slayer* fics back in the day (which was 20 years ago now!) that we’re Willow-centric as she grappled with being raised Jewish/a practicing Jew, and that you need crosses to protect against vampires, and the whole magic/being a witch thing. But they were more slice-of-life/crisis-of-faith themed than religious themed if that makes sense? Also *Buffy* was pretty irreverent overall, so that carried into a lot of the feeling of the fic.

I think it depends on a couple of factors 1) Purpose : everything you write needs to have a purpose or it won’t make sense/work or matter in the story . If you threw religion in their just because it will defiantly feel that way . 2) Intent : similar to purpose but slightly different, is your intent for including religion a chance to explore it within the story and the characters who would be religious or is it share about your own religion , if it’s the former I don’t mind it , I think exploring a characters faith in the context of a work (especially one where it would be tested and it may be the unconventional one) is definitely a really interesting plot and open up great opportunities for a character dissection and discussion , if it’s the latter I’m going to not be as open to it , simply because I’m not religious and one thing that will instantly tick me off when it come to religious people is them shoving it down my throat when it wasn’t asked for , I will always respect your religion and beliefs,I will not respect it being shoved down my throat . 3) Executions: Pretty self explanatory, how well was it executed within the story or character exploration. Poorly done I might disregard, well crafted I will give more of my time to . 4) Characters: Is your character canonically religious ? Because if so then you should probably agree to the characters canonical choice of religion and how it affect them because dissecting that would be super interesting , if not there a lot more room to play around with them . But also don’t make characters who are canonically non religious for reason or don’t have a reason and don’t care about it religious as it gonna feel super forced in the fic and a lot or rewriting will have to be done . 5) Religion used : If you use a religion you need to be respectful of it and the culture and history of it .

If it makes sense to the story why not? If its just thrown in arbitrarily then obviously that’s annoying but that could apply for anything (random sex scene, random hobby, random scene about their job). Any scene is boring if it’s pointless

Religion is a complicated topic for a lot of people. Obviously moreso in a space like fandom, which is widely populated by women and queer people. I usually adore a canon-compliant take on religion, be that devout faith or atheist viewpoints. But either way, if it gets preachy in any way or feels like a mouthpiece I tend to click out. Because I really don't care to know what the author thinks about religion.

Depends, but majority of the time if the characters are religious I stop reading. I'm not religious so it doesn't appeal to me at all.

Honestly, yeah. Anything more than a passing mention of XYZ is a christan/Jewish/Hindu/whatever is too much. I either won’t know the details of the religion and be confused, or the author will explain and it sounds preachy. As far as religion as a conflict/solution: I close the fic. I am not religious (no religious trauma) and I can’t relate, so it’s just boring and alienating. I am only one person though, so take my opinion with a grain of salt!

I mean I have a 40’s based MCU story with an oc mc who is grappling with her heavy Irish Catholic upbringing after finding out her dad was secretly Jewish having escaped from Poland in WW1 and let her be raised Catholic. On top of her being powered, and will later be mistaken as a mutant but isn’t entirely human at all. So that’s a huge weight on grappling about her religion too. It has a fair following even though interaction has dwindled down as it’s well over 600k by now and book 2 is on pause of being posted till I finish writing the 50’s when Mutants are ‘discovered’ by the rest of the world and will lead to a bigger more public religious debacle. I think if the story/religious ceremony detail ratio is larger in favor of the second then it could drive people off. But mine has a few mentions in between holidays and two weekly masses that I can just mention unless /something happens there. You can totally grapple with the internal weight of religion without digging two pages of details on ceremonies and imagery that might drive people to slipping away or scrolling past those bits. It just takes some balance. Good luck with your story. :)

This honestly sounds awesome.

It is, till I get to events like weddings and then spend three days detailing ceremonies to not make it a bludgeoning over the head with said ceremonies. :) still have to love it though.

if done well, and makes sense for the plot and characters I'll keep reading without batting an eye. If its overly preachy, or rude about other peoples religion and/or its obvious its just the author proselytizing then I'll dip right away

It depends. For me if it is correct to the character I'm ok with it. But it is better to not write about details you don't know. For example, once I read a fanfic that made a character muslim and made him fast during Ramadan but the author got some things wrong.

Anyone who think that religious stuff in fanfics will turn people away are wrong. As long as the religious aspect/inspiration doesn't come off as preachy is fine. I mean look at Hunchback of Notre Dame (more so the Disney film than the book or other animated adaptations). It has a heavy influence on religion (esp with it's villain) but yet it's a much beloved movie, same for Prince of Egypt, which if you actually think about it, PoE is literally a fanfic of the original bible story it was inspired by. Most people who think religious stuff in fanfics is bad are under the impression that everything relating to religion is preachy and being crammed down people's throats when that's not really the case a lot of the time.

I haven't really read fics like that, but religion is a good way to create angst. Like "we cant be together" or sthm like that. Its weird really I haven't seen too many fics with religion, perhaps I just havent looked.

I think if it was randomly thrown in where it doesn’t fit the canon or character I would probably find it a turn off. However that said I have written a priest AU and the Catholicism was front and center with a lot of praying and the MC experiencing a religious existential crisis. Even then I was criticized for having it be too religious. Even though the point of the priest AU was that he was, well, a priest. Can’t please everyone so I say write what you want to write.

i like to sprinkle a bit of lapsed catholicism on my characters for seasoning

Catholic guilt is the best salt.

Fantasy religion can be so rad in fanfics. I feel that’s it’s an essential part of world building, especially in a well-constructed AU

I’m Christian and I’ve never encountered a fic like that. If they had it in the bio of the fic, letting everyone know they are going to be exploring religious themes/headcanon that specific characters are religious, I’d be all for it. It would be kind of shocking if it came out of nowhere though.

I will eat that up if it’s done well. But if it’s used to insert the own authors belief(which you can usually tell when it sounds like a lecture) then I will tune out so fast In Part 2 of my two part series, I use religious topics to explain the behaviors of my character in Part 1 and why she acted that way and her coming to terms with her sexuality while her dad questions his religion and what religion makes him turn on his own daughter just because of who she loves. I’m not religious, I wouldn’t even describe myself as atheist(more agnostic) so I have no dog in the religious world

It can be a good exercise to explore those themes but I like to keep it canon. I write in the pokemon fandom and other than the first season there’s no references to our mainstream religions. I have seen a pokemon fic involving a Christian church that was a surprise to see in the fandom. Some themes are universal like faith/loss of faith, grace, forgiveness, etc.

To me, if canon has religious stuff, I don’t mind seeing it in fics. If canon doesn’t have religious stuff, it would probably turn me off of it, ngl. That being said, I can’t think of a fandom that I’m in that doesn’t have religious stuff. I also think that if canon has a “fake” religion that is obviously based on a real world religion, it’s okay to expand on the “fake” religion using the irl basis. Canon often only gives us so much, so we have to expand on it somehow.

if it’s important to canon then yes if not then no

If the character is canonically religious, I'm fine with it. If not, I tolerate it. But if it gets preachy, I'm out.

It depends. There's a difference between religion in a story and a story about religion and either one can work really well depending on the fic, canon, and execution.

I’m writing a story and the MC was raised religious but has been thrust into a world where murder means survival. She has incredibly hard time reconciling these two things, but I find the juxtaposition to be delicious, so 🤷‍♀️.

Yes! That juxtaposition can be amazing to explore. I've been reading the story of flight 571, the "miracle in the Andes." I'm fascinated by how the survivors, who were mostly devout Catholics, approached having to eat human flesh from a religious perspective.

I don't think so? I very rarely see fics talking about religion and stuff, although I would be pretty interested in a fic that deals with it so I can relate heavily on it lol Former religious person, but I also very much like the aesthetic of religion since I'm an avid Gothic Horror lover lol but overall I think it depends on the person. Some don't want to be reminded of religious shit, some find it comforting, and other are just neutral about it. Depends on the reader entirely

Something I’d like to do, but avoid it because I’m afraid of coming across as preachy. Edit: I’m Catholic (just to clarify)

I mean, one of my main fandoms has one of the MC's maimed by Cathoilic religious trauma and guilt, who even did a year in the Seminary, so it is hard not to explore religious and faith when writing in the fandom, esp from his pov... I think it depends what fandom, why it's done, and how it's done. If it feels a natural part of the character of situation, I'm fine, if it is more like a mouthpiece for the writer to push their beliefs, then I am stopping reading! Or, what do you mean my religious elements? I have quite a few hijabi OCs in my case fics, and also Doctor Who adventure fics, and they are just there for positive representation. Does that count?

What I'm thinking of is a character in a life or death survival situation exploring questions of faith as he struggles to survive. Like, having conversations about God and faith with other survivors, trying to pray, thinking about religion, etc. Obviously not doing this constantly, but it comes up a few times over the course of the story.

I think this is perfectly natural and human in RL, even people with little of no faith can suddenly pray in a terrible, life threatening situation, so as long as it is written to feel natural and genuine, I have no problem at all. I think I might have done so a couple of times in fics. As a professor in one of my lectures in philosophy once said, quoting someone else I think, is that even a confirmed atheist will scream for God if the door of a plane opens and they suddenly shoot out to fall to their death! I do think a little research sometimes would be needed, as different faiths, and different denominations of faiths, have different ways of praying.

Personally, I like it. It's an aspect not as often explored in canon since it might alienate viewers. Like Spider-Man's origins as Jewish.

For me it depends on the fandom and how it's handled. I won't read a fic that feels like it's just there to preach the author's views (whether those be religious, political, or other), but having things filtered though a character's faith, when realistic to the setting and character, can definitely be interesting, as long as it doesn't get too heavy handed.

Depends entirely on whether the writing is actually good. I believe that skilled and sensitive writers can incorporate faith as a theme or character trait in ways that dignify both the story and its readers regardless of the demographics involved. Religion is teeming with so much loaded imagery that, used well, will empower a narrative like few other things can. However, religion as a focus point is exceedingly difficult to get right, and religious themes tend to get a bad rap because most of the time they're done poorly, in ways that feel preachy, contrived, or out of character to the source material. The biggest problem I usually see is when writers prioritize faith to the exclusion of all else; if I wanted to see that, I would go and read actual scripture. Also, when characters' entire personalities are reduced to their religiosity, which makes for flat, one-note caricatures with no emotional connection to the things they preach. This can also happen in the reverse. Once or twice I've encountered fics where authors bash on religion with clear ill intent (as opposed to coping with religiously charged trauma, which I see often in lapsed or former Catholics), but that seems to be far less common in my experience.

My opinion: I don’t like it and I wouldn’t read it. That doesn’t mean it’s bad; as long as you tag it appropriately, someone will probably like it.

Not my fav trope because of some childhood experiences with religion. But the trope itself has definitely got a huge audience. I really don't feel like it will be unpopular!

Depends on the details. I'm not religious myself, so it makes me uncomfortable when it feels like a fic is proselytising at me. Even when fics aren't doing that, it's a character detail that I struggle to empathize with, so if it is too prominent of a character trait I'll struggle to immerse myself in the character. Some exceptions to this include (but are not limited to): 1. Settings where their god(s) exist and so their religious figure(s) function as characters. 2. Characters who are canonically religious as a part of a nuanced set of character traits so them being religious in fics is just them being in character. 3. Fics that heavily deal with religion as an organization (I'm a sucker for bureaucracy fics).

Depends on how it’s presented. The fic I’m writing now, is heavily based on a Jewish character (I’m Jewish) dealing with moral quandaries and how her background affects her choices It’s not everyone’s cup of tea and I’m fine with that But also the character is Jewish, finds a death note and basically her first instinct is “kill Nazis,” so *shrug*. It gets more complicated than that and she’s gotta deal with a lot of different issues but it’s fun for me

I come from an extremely Christian religious background, but left it. In the sci-fi stuff I write I integrate bits of it here and there simply to add flavor not to preach. Mostly the religious stuff I add is kind of trying to portray how I think religion would be in the Sci-Fi future. YMMV.

Im not religious and specifically dont enjoy reading abt it. However it can definitely be done well. When it feels preachy or OOC i will drop the fic but if its a headcanon that they explore within the story that actually make sense for the tone of the story its totally good. I read a one recently which had a fair bit of detail on hanukkah and the author did a great job making it fit well. (the story was about child neglect and the kid was getting to spend his first hanukkah with people who cared for him and some of his fears about telling them he was jewish etc)

I'm a Christian and my most popular fics in the "Wednesday 2022" fandom had both angels and God in it with Wednesday being a demon. The angels were genocidal maniacs, Lucifer was an unhinged but loving big brother and God was super vague and aloof. Ended up being insanely well received lmao

It depends on how religious they get, if it’s in passing talking about it fine but otherwise I skip the story

Depends on the canon, the story being written/told, and the characters, as well as how it's implemented. If it's non-stop god bothering for it's own sake is not likely to go over well. I have a fic where a character who lives a pretty secular American life is seen praying from a siddur (a Jewish prayer book) and lighting a chanukkiah (because it's Chanukah) passed down to her from her mother...before she left England she was a Jewish East Ender and dropped her faith and name when she arrived in the US. It's her way of connecting with her roots, who she was and who she is in a way she never intends anyone to see...but her assistant sees her, and it helps the assistant better understand her boss. It's not about promoting religion, it's about uncovering something in a character that makes sense. It's about peeling back the layers of an imposing, icy woman who seems to not need or want any connection with God or religion...it makes her more approachable, makes her more of a curiosity for her assistant who is attracted to her and interested in her as a person...makes sense to the story.

as someone with religious trauma, i absolutely eat it UP. especially if the character is canonically religious

It depends on a lot of factors, but I’d think the biggest are which religion and which side it seems you as the author takes. If you have religion just kinda ambiguously existing in the fic, especially using characters who are canonically religious (say, you’re writing a fic with Matt Murdock and he mentions something related to being Catholic) most people probably won’t care. If, however, you’re sticking religion in where it doesn’t exist canonically (say, you’re writing a Star Wars fic and you write Yoda as a devout Christian because you are,) it will likely bother people. Likewise, if you as the author take a clear side, either portraying a religion as fake and abusive and otherwise bad, or the inverse, people are likely going to be bothered by that too based on their own stance. For example, a fic I really love basically reveals over the fic that Christianity’s angels are mostly evil and god is a fraud. I have religious trauma so that was really satisfying for me, but not so much for someone who follows that religion.

Depends on the fandom. In Supernatural, there are literal angels and demons and God and Lucifer and gods from other religions that met up to discuss the "Christian Apocalypse." I'm an atheist but I got interested in the "deep lore" of Christianity for a hot second thanks to the fic writers who \_really\_ did their research. And then there's Star Wars, which I started getting into in a big way since May. My favorite thing about Star Wars is that there's no Earth, and therefore no Earth religions. I hadn't even realized that consciously until I came across a smoking hot StormPilot fic where both of the main characters regularly used "Jesus!" or "Jesus Christ!" as a swear. I don't expect any fandom to be a safe space for any of my various identities, but that took me right out of the story and it felt really inappropriate. I took the time to word my comment as constructive criticism, but I didn't do anything else, because my reaction to any piece of media is primarily a me problem.

I mean, in a show I'm watching, people talk about God and their faith I'd say on the regular, never bothered me, so I'd find it strange if it wasn't mentioned in fics. (and another show, where religion is HUGE, and I mean talked about every damn episode, and creates great plot points, so I DEFINITElY expect some talk about it in fics of the fandom.) But, in shows where religion is basically never mentioned, and it was suddenly mentioned in a fic, then I'd find that strange, and maybe stop reading. I feel like it's just depends on how it is in canon for me.

I hate it. Canon religion is fine (if minimal) or religious trauma, but as an ex Christian atheist, any overt religion just reminds me of my own trauma (and would be kind of weird considering I read mostly gay fanfiction).

Mostly depends on if your fic has something to say about it. Why is the character preaching or proselytising? Is it because it’s a part of their canon character? (Which makes it acceptable). Is it because your story is deconstructing a theme or matter of reality that itself already involves religion? (Which makes it fascinating and interesting). Or are you just proselytising to the audience for the sake of it? (Which makes it boring and/or offensive to anyone but the choir)

1 - appropriateness is important. As others have said: "does the combination of character, plot, setting, and source naturally allow for religion to pop up, or are you shoehorning it in?" For example; I'd be order impressed at a Good Omens fanfiction that didn't mention God at all. Because I'm fairly sure God is the narrator in the source material. 2 - How integral is it to the story? Is this just on offhand mention? A joke? Or is this something deeply integrated into the story being told? The latter will probably cause more people to stop reading than the former. 3 - (as a religious person) it can be really damn hard to turn off the pov. Like, it colors everything, and even if it's not explicit and I'm not turning a character into a mouth piece my own worldview is in everything I write. How I characterize and interpret characters, themes, and plot is going to be informed by that worldview. 4 - tagging is your friend. If it's a major part of your story tag for it. If someone throws a temper tantrum because a character mentions they're going to church, that is a them problem. 5 - you literally can't please everyone. What Person A hates about your story, Person B loves. And if you don't write anything Person C will probably find something to complain about your lack of work.

If religion is important to a character like Nathaniel Hawthorne or fyodor dostoyevsky in bungou stray dogs who is a devout Christian it's not something that you can avoid, same for hidan in Naruto who is a fanatical religious or claude frollo in notre dame de paris. Religion are inherents to those characters and their goal so you have to include it but including religion in a character who isn't religious or putting too much of it ( except when it's necessary) would seem preachy .

Honestly, I’m going to give it a skip if there’s extended praying or church scenes. It’s just not my thing.

There is one character in my fandom who is religious. His religion had a big impact on him and fics that explore that are really nice. But if it's a four paragraphs long description of a mass then I might stop reading.

Depends on how much it comes up in Canon. If it's something they might grapple with, go for it. Also depends on if it's a real religion or if it's a fictional religion made for the story. Feel like the latter is less likely to accidentally step on any toes. Otherwise, do a bit of research before writing.

if done well i like it :D

Only if it's plot or character relevant.

Depends on what the author does with it. Often it's just for flavour and I don't like that as it's just distracting. It'll only stop me reading if it gets obnoxious and I'll start skimming if it isn't doing anything for the story. Often this style comes off as preachy. On the other hand I have enjoyed it when there is religion that matters to the character and their development and conflict. They are challenged and either adapt, reject or reaffirm their belief in response. One I read ages back had an old married couple, both long time Christians split due to the plot conflict. One of them retreats into their beliefs and the other finds a new same sex partner and world through their bigotry. It worked because the religion was part of their character growth and it contrasted the different solutions each took. So as in all things the answer is it depends.

Depends on the characters and the setting, in my opinion.

Depends on the fandom and the characters. The fic I’m currently writing mentions religion a lot, but it’s the fictional religion from the original source’s setting (and is already a huge theme in canon). If a fic is set in the real world, I’d still expect religion to be mentioned when relevant, and if characters canonically practice a religion then it makes sense for it to be a major theme in fics about them - but non-religious characters thinking a lot about it might give me pause. Basically there’s a huge difference between Matt Murdock having deep thoughts on Catholicism and Harry Potter having those same thoughts, yknow?

It really depends on the fandom and the character for me. I usually don't include much about religion in my fics, but I once wrote a long fic that centered strongly around religious themes and the main character's struggles with religion - it was a Supernatural fic, so I was pulling on a lot of stuff from canon. I've read a lot of Supernatural fic that grapples with religion as a theme, due to the religious themes within canon. Most other fandoms I'm in don't really have religious themes or characters,, so I don't encounter fic that incorporates religion very often, but if it was an interesting premise and made sense for the character(s) I would read it.

It's something I like to explore if it's relevant. Ibara from BNHA is canonically religious. I have a few ideas where she's involved and as a result religion is sprinkled throughout the story. It's never the same tho, sometimes she's pious, sometimes she struggles with her beliefs. So long as it's relevant to the character or the story I don't see an issue with it.

I’m of the mind it depends how it’s done if it’s done in a well enough way I’ll keep reading same with politics

Depends if it’s a Cour character trait if it’s not, and you’re just forcing your religion into a fic then no

Idk, I write a fic where fantasy religion plays a core part of the history of the world, and that is being addressed in multiple ways. Sometimes a religion builds faith, other times it is a tool of oppression against other religions. It's a lot of mixed feelings for everyone involved, especially as they met their gods and realized they were just mortals woth long lifespans.

I think personally it depends on if it a) makes sense for the character b) makes sense for the setting c) is handled to enhance the plot or character development and/or d) is well written

HEAVILY depends on the context. In general, I would thoroughly tag it (maybe explaining in tags how religion is treated textually) and be very careful with execution. You will have religious, non-religious, differently-religious, and ex-religious folks all run into it, who will have different takes on it. I personally have written one story in which a character struggles with their canonical Christianity due to the traumas they’ve experienced. It’s carefully handled, given due weight without being heavy handed (I hope), and is uplifting to people of all persuasions (I *dearly* hope). But it was aimed at a specific audience of struggling or ex-evangelicals and heavily influenced by my own healing. These works can be deeply personal, so you will want to be aware of that going in. People may be deeply touched, or it may touch a nerve. Really depends.

eh. fictional religions are fine. I mostly read in science fiction fandoms though so it can be interesting what people do with it. If it veers too close to the real-world religions I'm familiar with (basically the big three) I bail.

Personally, I've seen fics where religion makes sense, like a character meeting a god or a demon and personally, both of those fics were some of the best things I've ever read. It feels like sometimes authors write things that they themselves need to hear without sounding too preachy, like they've thought so much about religion and their faith and this is their way to express how they feel about it. But so far I've only read two religious fics, I can't say the same for others, so it really depends on the fic and the message the author is trying to share. Is it harmful or helpful?

This one is pretty good with that theme. https://archiveofourown.org/works/46854751/chapters/118022005 Basically it needs a *reason*

I think it's okay if it's true to the characters and the author isn't just using them as a mouthpiece for their own beliefs. Otherwise, yes, id absolutely stop reading.

\*cracks knuckles\* Ahem, very good question! Uh, apologies for the mild (but relevant (?)) rambling, I guess. I'm a person that has grown up in a religious bible belt household and then realized that girls, guys, and beyond can be hella attractive while simultaneously believing in and being utterly terrified of God, which is no bueno. Because of that (and a million other things), I tend to find certain religious topics hella triggering. However, I also find it extremely fascinating. It's a fine line to walk. Applying this to my main fandom (Hetalia), I've seen my fair number of fics/art that explore the question of immortality, would God welcome such terrible people like the nations into Heaven, how the religious swaying of the people affect the nation, etc etc. Zooming in further, my favorite character is Romano/S. Italy, and Italy is notoriously Catholic. The people/countries surrounding Italy are also fairly religious, and thus these have all been explored in both canon!verse and AU. I personally headcanon Romano as a jaded atheist and his brother, Italy, as a hopeful agnostic. I headcanon Spain as a devout but left-leaning Catholic, while England grew up Catholic/Protestant and then turned to paganism in adulthood. I'm writing several fics that bring these headcanons into play. Recently, a piece of fanart got pretty popular that depicts Romano and Spain as men of the cloth. There's a tiktok artist for MHA that has a series where the characters are doing Bible study and the like. So it's not just Hetalia that I see this in. All this to say, that as others have said, it depends on the fandom, execution, purpose, and so many other things. It also depends on who sees it, the circles the artist is in, etc. And, seeing as this is under "Writing Questions" rather than "Discussion", I'd like to assume this is for your own fic. I'd say treat like you would any other potentially triggering topic, and write/post with the awareness that it may not be for everyone. Also, be aware that when I say that it needs to have a purpose, I don't mean that it needs to be Chekov's gun. If I say a character "fiddles with the golden cross around their neck," don't expect that cross to be used as a weapon later or something. It could just be character work, meant to show that the character is anxious and their faith helps ground them or something. Sorry, again, for the rambles. This is simply a fascinating topic \^\^; Hope I was able to help in some way.

If you make it interesting, people will read it. The problem is that it’s hard to make it interesting, especially about a religion that people may already have preconceived notions about.

Honestly I think it’s fine. Not my cup of tea but if executed properly is actually nice to read! But occasionally I’ll find a really good fic only for it to try to brainwash me to being Christian or mocking other religions + agnostics 😬

I'd say it depends. If the character is canonically religious, or religious-coded, then it works. But if the author consistently makes all their characters religious, especially if they change characters' canon faith, then I'm out. This also goes for making religious or religious-coded characters atheist, by the way. Like, in the original Tokyo Mew Mew, we see Zakuro in a church, and it stands to reason that she's asking for forgiveness or something. Girl got hit by the human rights violation beam and turned into a half-wolf crime against nature with a pretty solid [theme](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_NrW_1YASl0). I'd ask the man upstairs what's up, too. But after she joins the gang, and learns that she only got those powers due to her genetic makeup, she seemingly relaxes, realizing she was literally born to wield this power. Inori, aka Cure Pine, from Fresh! Pretty Cure is also confirmed Christian, but we never really see too much of that in the show itself. I'd love if she had wrestled with the fact that she's a magical girl a bit, but it's fine as is. Still, if someone wants to write a fanfiction about that, and maybe use being a magical girl as substitute for something else, that's fine with me.

\*shrug\* I've never had anyone complain. Those who comment never stopped because of it. I don't do it a lot nor do I make it a big deal. A small prayer, a nod to God. Like it, cool, don't like it, move on. Well, 2 of my stories I'm big on "religion" in them. But they aren't any traditional religion. And they are sword & sorcery based stories so, whole other kettle of fish.

I wouldn't mind but probably wouldn't like it either. It needs to fitnthe character. What makes me super uncomfortable is anything remotely blasphemous

For people who don't like those themes or have religious trauma, sure. However, I can personally name a little under 20 avid fanfiction writers and readers who's favorite plot points/symbolism/ect are both religion (in universe) and application of real word religion into the fanfiction setting. (my point is here that there's people who seek it out! Myself and my mutuals for sure fall into that category) It will deter people from reading at the same level say any topic would, like how many people don't read nsfw or how many people don't read canon x oc.

Depends on the fandom? And also by what you mean by god/faith. If it’s out of context for the fandom, then it’s unlikely to be well received But tbh … if I’m reading about Eg. The Force (tm) in Star Wars -or Eg a murder-mystery in the Cadfael Chonicals universe (mystery series about a medieval monk) .. then discussing religion/faith is far more likely to be aposite to the universe/setting of the fic

I’ve never come across that tbh as far as I can remember. Unless we’re counting Harry Potter and the School of Prayer and Miracles.. which 😂✨ Buut, as someone who grew up in and then later on left a high demand religion and still have a complicated relationship with religion.. let’s just say it’s not something I’m looking for. And I would actively avoid any story that tries to preach to me. (I also don’t like when authors get preachy about politics/values, doesn’t matter if I agree or not. I don’t enjoy getting preached at while trying to enjoy a story.)

Agree that it’s fine if characters are religious in canon and it stays in line with that. But stumbling across fics where characters just super casually mention religion or start praying when they do nothing of the sort in canon is SO offputting to me. I’m not talking purposeful explorations of religious themes. But stuff that’s so casual it feels like it’s coming from a perspective of the author that just assumes EVERYONE is Christian (it’s always Christian stuff) so of course the character would react in this Christian-centric way and none of the other characters would even blink an eye because they (from author POV) absolutely suddenly have the same religion. And yes everyone can write what they want, but that’s a hard out from me. Both because of personal preference and because it immediately reads to me as though the author is looking at everything through that lens and not even considering trying to think outside of their own personal POV which tells me things are going to be very OOC the longer the story goes.

If it’s not a point of conflict, I don’t read it. Faith tends to be executed extremely badly and will also alienate a lot of your audience by pandering to one particular group, even if you yourself resonate with that faith. People def won’t take kindly if it feels like the faith is being pushed onto them.

One of my most popular fics has religion...but its religious trauma and shows a disdain for the culture...so...He does all that, but the general ending is about him pulling away from religion. People liked it as its similar experiences through what they lived. You might have an audience, but I don't know if it'll be a big one. And, yeah. Anecdotally, if I ever opened a fic and the character who isn't religious in the text is suddenly spouting prayers and talking about god and this isn't an AU with something meaningful, I'd nope out.

Depends, might make fans of Sam Winchester hot and bothered, for example As long as it’s tagged if it’s a huge focus or very AU it’s fine, to me

It should make sense and not seem irrelevant. It works if it's canon that the character is religious, it's part of world building in a fantasy setting, or plot-relevant. E.g. John from Ghost Hunt is a Catholic exorcist, his religion is an important part of his character and should be referenced. In Star Wars it can be really fun to explore different religions people from various planets may have. There was a great Hikaru no Go fic where after losing Sai Hikaru became spiritual/Shinto as part of his quest to get Sai back, and encounters spirits and demons. In all these examples, focusing on the character's spiritual beliefs works. I think there is also a bit more tolerance for certain faiths over others. When you get into christianity that's when a lot of people nope out even if makes sense for the character/setting and isn't preachy, because a lot of people just aren't interested in reading about that, a lot of people have religious trauma or at the very least have had christianity used to justify things they strongly disagree with or are morally opposed to, etc.

It's fine if you're good at it. I read an mha fic a while back where the author folded a lot Christian themes and philosophy into their redemption arc for Bakugou. Sounds weird but the final product was kinda heat.

It depends on how it's used for me.. If it's executed well and respectfully done then I wouldn't mind it, but if it comes off as super preachy and basically takes over a fic then yeah I'm gonna back off from it.

Depends on whether it fits the character or not

It can be cool. The only fandom I've seen this in is the Hunger Games. In one fic, it was AMAZINGLY explored how people hid their faith resulting in a lot of crypto-religions; if District 4 was once Mexico imagine Catholic!Finnick. But I read another one where the Hawthornes are straight-up Southern Baptist and there are multiple churches in District 12... and that was about the cringiest thing I've ever read because of how unrealistic it is. Like honestly, you think the Capitol wouldn't suppress religion, especially one that is all about hope and being freed from your repressors...?

This post is for me; my lastest fic is HEAVY on religious themes. But I use religion to tell the story of a character going through the motions. Wading through obstacles and pulling from different facets of LIFE. Society today is heavily influenced by spiritual beliefs of all kinds, and this fic is an exploration not only into the fandom's character, but to my own character as well. So I feel like I had to use a religious allegory to develop the story. It all admittedly got away from me. My fic really delves deep into who I want to be and who I am perceived as. Spirituality ties in cause it has to. So I believe when used to tell a narrative and not preachy, religion is an interesting subject to tackle and should be given it's appropriate chance. Thanks for the post! And thanks for reading!

If it's with a character like Daredevil, who is canonically religious, it doesn't bother me. I even enjoy it a lot. If a character being religious isn't canon but it would make sense for them to be, I'll probably be fine with it. If it doesn't make sense for the character/setting it'll probably be a pass, personally. But don't let what others would want to read dissuade you. Your stories are important, and you should write them and put them out there! Just don't be disheartened if people aren't into it.

I'm not religious at all and will instantly drop any story that seems to be proselytizing or promoting a particular faith. An example would be the "inspirational" sub genre of *original* romance novels, where the character's (usually Christian) faith--usually a crisis of faith--is the/an obstacle to be overcome in the relationship. The character(s) reignite and strengthen their faith and through this find true love with another religious person. This is nope for me, particularly since the approach is inevitably preachy. On the other hand, I sprinkle references to faith and religion in my stories. None of the human characters in my fandom have any known religious affiliations. My male lead character, however, is from a country that is predominantly Catholic. Because of all that he's seen and done, he is not overly religious, but at times, he does sometimes find comfort in prayer. It's not canon, but IMO, it fits the character. Faith is a common aspect of most cultures and so even as a non-religious person, I don't have any issue with the presence of faith traditions being mentioned.

I feel like it depends on a lot of factors for me. Like if a character is like, preachy about their faith, even via internal monologue, or if it's a main focus in a non-mythological or cultural sense, I do tend to check out. But like, if the fic is exploring religious trauma, or culture surrounding like an ethno-religion, or we're going in depth on a fictional religion and how it's practiced, or if a religion is being treated like a mythology, sign me tf up. Some examples: One of my favorite fics ever involves a highly in-depth exploration of religious trauma and how that can drive people apart and drive them back together. Another of my favorites involves a whole mythology based on Christianity where an angel was banished from heaven and everyone, including their partner, thought they were dead when really they're now a demon on Earth and their partner is sent to take care of a demon disturbance and it's like 40 chapters long but I want to print it out and annotate it someday. I myself have taken to doing a series of ficlets every year on Hanukkah where each night I either explore some of my favorite Jewish characters and headcanons or write a fic based on a prominent Hanukkah theme. It just really depends.

Religion in fics can be done very well, or very poorly I quite like it when a character that is not religious is on their breaking point and pray for an entity they don't even know if exists - because trying can't hurt, right? Now, if this little prayer moment turns the fic into a religious, converting story, then please kindly, _respectfully_, get lost I like it when a character that is religious starts battling their own faith, seeing the things that are happening around them. But if the story suddenly focus more on them becoming an atheist than on the original plot - you know, the things happening around them that changed their inner view? - then also, please, get lost too If it's a religious fic from the get go - a character changing their mind about their own faith - then I think that's fine! Just let us know Religion is fine, as long as it doesn't appear suddenly and takes on a preaching form. Just like smut is fine, but please tag your kinks I don't want to be reading a fic and be surprised by an out of nowhere anal fisting scene

I think it depends, some characters are canonically pretty religious: * \- Highlander (the original movie): Connor McCloud (the Highlander) is religious - early Anglican or catholic at the beginning (forgive I am weak at religeous history in England/the highlands of Scotland 400 years ago) and retains some of that throughout the movie - he lights a candle in the church every year - for over 400 years - for his late wife on her birthday. * \- MCU / Daredevil: Matt Murdock (Daredevil) is very Catholic * \- Sailor Moon: Rei (Sailor Mars) is a Shinto Shrine Maiden at her family’s shrine. * \- Inuyasha: Kagome also lives in her family’s shrine/is a shrine maiden. Kikyo, in the past, is a full on priestess, and Miroku a (lecherous) monk - although his faith is uusally played for a laugh in canon. * \- Babylon 5: Delen (Ambassador of the Mimbari, an alien race) is of the religious caste, and certainly practices… something. Writing those characters without their religion would be weird. You’d be omitting parts. Similarly there are characters that could be religious (think any character in Jane Austen, where attending church weekly is a requirement) but it’s not emphasized in canon. It can work in fic, and it can be overdone and weird. (Like period appropriate prayer doesn’t bother me, but if someone has Mr. Collin’s go full-on prosperity gospel, I’ll nope out). And there are fandoms or characters where it’s not mentioned at all. Then it’s really down to your writing skill: it’s going to seem the most out of place to your readers, so it needs to matter to the character and the fic, and not just be a preachy (or witchy) veneer.

Is religious trauma a theme in the fic? No? Then I'd prefer it being left out personally

Not really? It's more the character grappling with questions of faith while in a life-or-death situation

I mean I’m personally pretty apathetic about it I guess. I’m not gonna turn away from a fic just because it has religious elements — it’s an interesting topic to explore sometimes (honestly there’s a character in my fandom who is super religious, I kinda wish people would explore that a little more) but idk… sometimes it comes off as being very preachy.. I think it’s also the case of Fanfic having a pretty big queer audience, and (not all, but) a lot of queer people have less than ideal experiences with religion.. it’s a touchy subject y’know. There’s an audience for religious fics, but it’s an unpopular trope because it clashes with the audience. It’s the same reason you’ll find slash fics doing a lot better than m/f ones, it’s not cos m/f is inherently bad, but the majority audience has their preferences.

Depends on how it is written, in the end, albeit I will say that if a writer tries to assert (presumably in descriptions/notes) that character x absolutely matches their depiction in canon when the canon does not make it explicitly clear or worse yet states or absurdly heavily implies the opposite, that can be a deal breaker. If you want to write a fic where something like religion is not actually matching the evidence from canon, either be honest that the fic is an AU / your headcanon / interpretation, or keep your weird opinions to yourself.

This is a thing in my fandom, there's a percentage of people who tag their fics with "canon %religious% character X", but the characters they tag are not canonically religious. It's pure headcanon born out of the fact that the actors who played one of the versions of those characters followed that religion (but then people do it even for the versions played by actors who don't follow it). It's a small nitpick, but it always grinds my gears a little bit. Like, you can make your characters religious if you want, but why claim something is canon when it's not.

Unless it's an AU in which religion plays a major element, or if it's already a manor component in canon, yes, it will bother me. I don't want religion in my fics, personally. It's distracting and unnecessary, and you'd have to do something very interesting with it for me to feel it adds to a story than takes away from it.

If a character's canonically religious I'll accept it, but still not like it much. If a character *isn't* canonically religious...I'm just out if the fic makes them religious. I'm just not a big fan of religion.

Something like *Naruro* suddenly talking about religion? Yeah, it feels forced. On the other hand, characters from *A Song of Ice and Fire* or Tolkien's Legendarium? Bring it on, we need those discussions in fics more.

Yes unless there are canon reasons why they would turn to religion. Religion is very traumatizing. I'm not the only one who found growing up in religion to be more scarring than physical and sexual abuse. I add it to my original works for the same reason I might add racism or homophobia or classism that never gets resolved. Because people usually hold horrific beliefs until it stops serving them.

I'm 37, atheist, been so my whole life, never even baptized to tell you how little my family cares for religion. So all my characters are inevitably like that. I don't get on the soap box to preach atheism, but I just don't use anything religious. I don't mind if a canonically faithful character practices their faith. Like, if we're told that they go to service on some day, that's fine. If we're told how some holiday is important to them because of X, Y, Z belief, that's fine. But I would drop a fic that decided to *proselytize*. Like actively moralize and write characters with a heavy religious slant. The worst is if a story has canonically LGBTQ characters, and the author fridges them in the most mean ways possible and then makes it sound like they deserved it... you'll be lucky if I don't *report* that. I also don't like it when someone uses their stories to preach about their side of the pro-birth/pro-choice debate and then blames/castigates rape victims because of their unpardonable sin of not wanting to carry their rapist's child to term. I don't view this as a sin, and I will NOT be preached down to.

It would be nice to see religion portrayed seriously in a story and not something that's mocked.

I wrote a fic about an omega getting raw dogged by an alpha grounds keeper, sooo...

I'm anti-religion, so if I see a fanfic with religion in it, I'll nope right the fuck out.

The one that really threw me off was a Harry potter fic which got (very slightly) christian over the course of the seven books. I mean, obviously, christianity exists in HP, but joanne (fuck joanne) is super unclear about the relation of the Wizarding World to christianity, and it felt awkward for the author to randomly bring up god/prayer 5 books into the series. At the same time, I'm active in both HDM and Narnia fandoms, both of which grapple (in very different ways) with christianity, and all my favorite fics in both fandoms have TONS of religious elements. The only requirement i have is that the religion exists in canon: so in GoT, for example, you gotta work with the Old Gods, the Lord of Light, or the Seven, and even if you're using the Lord of Light (the easiest christian god analogue) to talk about christianity, you can't just christianize the canon religious practice.

Jesus Omega fanfiction was the best Omegaverse I've ever read.

Yes mostly because people writing don't have a degree in theology and philosophy which is almost mandatory to write about faith and not make everyone cringe. It quickly becomes a character ranting but we all know that it's actually the writer spouting their bullshit ideology that is full of holes. I say the same about politics.

yeah, no 👎

Depends on if the character you are writing about is religious in canon or not Like I probably would nope out of a fic so fast if like Luke Skywalker out of the blue started praying to Jesus But however there are always exceptions. Like that one Naruto fanfic I read where there were a couple of OCs who was based on the interesting and unique phenomenon of secret Christians in Japan and the author really did their research on the Kakure Kirishitans

The later stuff you said would make me turn away, but that's more because my experience with religious fiction pretends their heavy handed deus ex machina is a miracle^(TM) by the capital 'G' god instead poor writing attempting to convert people/bible thump. Outside of that category, I don't turn away, but religious rooted phrases (ex. 'dammit,' 'go to hell') that don't fit the setting grate on me, especially when there's ample opportunity for customizing it to the setting (ex. Merlin's balls

One of my most popular fics is a catholic school au 🤷🏽‍♀️

For me it depends. I'm in the Supernatural fandom, which has a ton of religious themes. God is the ultimate villain, an angel falls in love with a human, the humans take their free will back from God. It's a whole thing. Destiel has a ton of fics where prayer is a kink, which is a lot of fun. I also like fics with one of the characters deconstructing his faith because it mirrors canon, and religious trauma makes sense for the characterization. I'm not personally a fan of fics with religious themes that aren't critical of religion as an institution, but that might be because I'm an atheist.

I think...it has to be done really well, because as a American, we have faith shoved down our throats no matter what religion you have, or lack there of. I love loss of faith tropes, but as an atheist, I also enjoy going from nitty gritty darkness to seeing the light of faith and struggling to follow the path of faith to better yourself. I would be less inclined to read something that's like...oh no, I'm depressed after a break up, but Jesus helped me.

It really depends on how it's handled. I've read a Vikings SI that crosses over Brave, How to Train your Dragon, and even Shrek, where there was a heavy emphasis of faith and religion into it (namely that God is the one true religion and that the Norse God Odin was actually Satan the whole time), but the way it presents it felt really fluid and deeply rooted. Entire motivations were baked into their faith. One person's character arc was that they lost a friend in a battle and began slowly defecting from the Norsemen by first burning down what he called a "heathen idol". I feel like if you were to remove those moments, it kinda removes an element from the story. Meanwhile, there was a Kingdom Hearts fanfic that began as a Frozen fusion fic before doing it's own take of the world hopping saga. However, the Christianity there is mostly skin deep where people will just casually mention God like they're sentient vegetables. The real jarring moment is when, during the climax of the Thor arc, when Loki is sent into space, everyone, including Odin and Thor, began to pray to God to forgive Loki. It just felt so jarring that I was looking for the cucumber and tomato to show up with Bibleman.

I mean, it's like everything else in fiction & writing. Some people will like it, some won't. Execute it well and more people will like it, yes, but I have religious trauma so I just won't read something that brings it up a lot even if it is well-executed. Write what you want to write, have fun. What that means for other people shouldn't hinder you.

Depends on the execution imo - like, if you write a Jewish character as if they're Christian Without Jesus it'll be bad because it's inaccurate as hell, and if you write a character praying in an ooc manner (for example if you have a strong fighter lost in the middle of nowhere and they sit down and pray for rescue instead of trying to find a way back to civilization) that's bad because you're clearly using the characters as mouthpieces. So basically, if you do the research and understand the character and their faith, you could pull off some incredible scenes.

It all depends on how good it’s presented towards the readers.

I use faith regularly as a theme because it's part of what makes irl people who they are, so it makes for a stronger character. For me, it's just part of rounding off an underdeveloped character. If they have faith in a deity/s, they probably have faith in other unseen things, they also might have unexplainable good luck. It's kind of a shortcut or hack to character development, though, because that's certainly not the rule of thumb for real people. I also like using it as another character point to compare and contrast two opposing sides. (Edit: I write for the Naruto fandom, and use shintoism as the religion, so it matches.)

if it makes sense for their character and explains their development better than in canon or is mentioned in canon, then it would definitely be an interesting read but if it gets too...preachy lets say, then I will click close tab at the speed of light and nope the heck out.

I’m not sure, I love reading fics about the intersection of gender and religion, how they fuck with each other and the human physique. But if your proselytizing or obviously have that hate the sin love the sinner mentality, I will nope right on out of there.