Too Controversial?

My story is set in a world where proof of God was found and "The Church" took over. However, it's going to turn out that they lied about their proof for power, and they're pretty evil. It's unlikely this will be published, but I will be giving it to friends and family, some of which are religious. Will this tread on any toes, would you say? Is it a bad thing if it does?

If you have to ask your self, "Will this offend someone?" the answer is yes.

Your story will offend someone. My story will offend someone. Chances are, there is someone out there who would be offended by every story written this November.

It's said that the two topics to avoid in polite company are politics and religion. Your story covers both. This means it will offend a lot of people.

The questions you should be asking aren't, "Is this going to offend someone, and if so, is that a bad thing?"

You should be asking, "Do I care if my story offends people, and if so, why do I care?"

As a Christian who does believe there is scientific proof for a God, I would say that is a touchy subject. Most public schools now teach evolution as a fact, when it's really only a theory that requires as much faith to believe as creationism does. We already get bombarded by people telling us we are silly and can't see proof if it slapped us in the face when that "proof" is really just another scientist's theory or someone manipulating the evidence. Many, many scientists out there do believe in Creationism, and have evidence that points to it, but if they were to try to announce that and publish their findings in a scientific journal, then chances are high that they would be completely discredited and often would loose all funding to continue the research.

Just one example of how the mainstream media controls what is believed--global warming has been proven to be a hoax, but you don't hear about that because the media chooses not to talk about it. In fact, most people reading this probably don't believe me at all, because they've spent their whole lives being taught otherwise.

All that to say, the deck is already stacked against us. Why bother poking fun at us all the more? I would say your religious family would be at least a little peeved at once again being portrayed as the bad, stupid guys. But then, we are kind of used to it, so it's nothing new.

Of course it's completely up to you. You can write whatever you want and like the above person mentioned, anything and everything you write will offend someone out there. If, however, you decided you didn't want to step on those particular toes but still like your storyline, one possible option would be to make the religious group a cult--not mainstream Christians but some other made-up religion that is clearly different.

Yes, of course it will step on toes.

But, is whether or not it would be regarded by the public as "too" controversial very important to you at the Nanowrimo stage?

If it's any comfort, there are lots of fiction books that are critical of religion and/or posit a world in which religion is either gone or gone amok.

People who blithely accept stuff need to be challenged, whether it be religion (seems ot be doing quite well inspite of the allegedly 'stacked deck'), global warming (though it has not been 'proven' to be a hoax, and anyone suggesting it has need to apply some of the doubt to their own convictions they are applying to others), or whether the moon is made of blue cheese.

Though it is worth pointing out the only people almost as tiresome as the fervently religious are the equally fervent irreligious like Dawkins or Hitchens. Oh, and Apple fanatics. They're as tiresome as the religious and irreligious put together.

I'm with Unequaled here - there are probably going to be elements in most books that will offend someone. But that doesn't mean you shouldn't write it. People can choose to read or not to read something, if your book offends someone they can choose to stop reading it - you are not forcing someone to read it! If every writer had censored themselves because someone might have been offended by what they had written I am sure some great classics would never have been published!
Also, I think the word 'offend' is quite strong - there might be parts of the book that people may disagree with and not like but I don't take 'offense' if someone says something I disagree with/don't like. I hold different views on key topics to loads of my friends but we're still friends.
Without wanting to go on - 'The Church' you are portraying in your novel isn't necessarily the church your friends and family identify with, go to on a Sunday etc etc. It is a church but it doesn't have to be their church. Not sure if I am explaining this very well, haven't finished my morning coffee yet.
LL

I'm pretty sure there's a lot in most novels that someone somewhere would find offensive. However, when you get to religion people get even more touchy than usual. I, too, am dealing with a plot that could be viewed as sacreligious. That's not my intent, but I refuse to silence the story that came to me, so family will have a lot of questions and unsavory comments, I'm sure. No wonder it's taken 6 years to REALLY give this one a chance to be written.

It's your story, so if it's too controversial for other people, warn them ahead of time. Tell them that if it offends them, they should put it down before they get too into it. A published book has the blurb on the back, and a reader has a chance to read it and decide if they like it. Give your friends and family the same option.

It's also worth pointing out there's a difference between attacking / mocking an institution and a faith. There's a million miles between what Jesus actually said, and what most churches decree. Read what is attributed to him in the sermon on the mount (Matthew 5,6,7). It's an astonishingly wise piece of writing, even if you're not a Christian of any sort. And utterly removed from the vainglorious, self important, judgemental and officious institutions that set themselves up in his name over the subsequent 2000 years. Jesus - whether or not he was the son of God - rocked. Churches - almost universally - suck.

This Thread is going to be moved to here http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/religious-spiritual-new-age

Thank you guys

Moving to Religious

You shouldn't ask yourself if it's going to offend anyone. You should ask yourself if you care.

As far as I'm concerned, no subject is too controversial to confront or at least touch on. Don't censor yourself.

Have you played Final Fantasy X? In a way this reminds me of the church of Yu-Yevon.

Also you may find of some use the Advanced Bonewits Cult Danger Evaluation Frame.

If you write and you write well you will offend someone (most likely you will offend them quicker if you write poorly.)
My straight forward Christian novel will offend someone out there just as easily as your novel will, not because of what you wrote but because of what they believe. (Some might be offended by my story in the fact that the year is some where around 2400 and Jesus hasn't come back yet.)

Look at this thread.... it seems to have offender some already by the answers that were given, the topic itself and the beliefs of the posters.

Do not worry about it, just write and write well.
I also think that if you stick to the "god is real...church took over and made it evil..." then you have davinci code 2.

in Jesus,
psychoceramic

riddikulus-grin wrote:My story is set in a world where proof of God was found and "The Church" took over. However, it's going to turn out that they lied about their proof for power, and they're pretty evil. It's unlikely this will be published, but I will be giving it to friends and family, some of which are religious. Will this tread on any toes, would you say? Is it a bad thing if it does?

It probably depends on how conservative or open-minded your friends and family are. If you make it sound like all religion and everyone who follows any religion is automatically evil because of this one group that lied, some people will definitely be extremely offended. But if it's more about this one lying group who's in charge being a problem than every individual person or the religion as a whole, then friends and family--people who know and love you--would probably understand what you're going for and not throw a hissy fit about it. Since you're talking, here, about individual people whom you are personally aquainted with, rather than large scale publishing, maybe you could just show it to the ones you know can handle it? And if the others were upset that you didn't show them, you could just explain the situation, and they could decide if they still wanted to read it and risk being offended.
I'm a Christian, and it sounds like something I'd love to read, but I have lots of friends who would be shocked and horrified at the concept. I think it just all depends on what your friends and family are like, which you pobably know better than any of us here.
Good luck with it! Sounds like an awesome story.

I would have thought Christians would have been comfortable with the idea of a corrupt power seeking church perverting the truth they perceive in the Bible being exposed. They do that to themselves rather frequently - where do you think all these factions and different churches come from?

It isn't like you're disproving God, merely corruption among its nominal ahderents on Earth.

The question you seem to be asking isn't "will I offend someone" (to which the answer is, and should be, yes, now get on with it", but rather "will I offend my family and friends, who I trust and respect enough to show my book to". It's a different question entirely.

Make it clear when you write this book that *they*, and the Church(es) they belong to, are not the corrupt institution you are describing. Make it clear that this particular denomination of Chiristianity has faced opposition from within the Christian community as well as from outside of it, and that the whole of the religion is not to blame... unless your *point* is that Christians should speak up more against their own when they go overboard. How do you want these people to react? Do you want them to think? To change their behaviors? Or just to enjoy a good read...?

Quote:Make it clear when you write this book that *they*, and the Church(es) they belong to, are not the corrupt institution you are describing. Make it clear that this particular denomination of Chiristianity has faced opposition from within the Christian community as well as from outside of it, and that the whole of the religion is not to blame... unless your *point* is that Christians should speak up more against their own when they go overboard.

It would depend whether the opposition comes soley from athiests / agnostics, or from reformist Christians as well. If the former, it might come across as an anti-Christian tract. If the latter, it will probably read as critique of church corruption, not of faith itself.