I have a friend that likes horror. He would like to write horror stories but is questioning if he should or not because of his religious beliefs. Below is my response to him. Discuss.
Can you write something dark without it offending God? It would depend on to what ends you are doing it. Are you trying to corrupt people or are you interlacing a higher message? Do the characters actions have appropriate consequences? What are you glorifying in the work (it is possible to not glorify anything)?
Anne Rice could not justify her writing once she converted. Tolkien was spiritual and there are some really dark parts to Lord of the Rings. I don't know of any scriptural reference. God may want you to hone your skills or build up an audience for later religious works. I don't see that there would be an offence unless you blasphemed. Writing fiction, I don't think, would be a sin. If it was, any fiction, untrue story, would be just as offensive as any other. The sin of doing so would be no worse/better than other sins. Just because all sins are the same doesn't give you permission to commit the sins; you should never knowingly sin.
I think God wants you to use your talents. He will find the way to use them for his glory.
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I was going to write a post about this myself, but I shall refrain from just puking it all up here. I'll just cover the salient points.Take a look at Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Here we have all the elements of horror fiction that seem to really ruffle the feathers of the fundamentalist Christian: demons, witches, unwed fornication, homosexuality, and on and on and on. But anyone who has watched Buffy in its entirety knows that the show is nothing short of positive, moral, intelligent, and vastly life-afirming.* What's more, the writers were careful not to get too preachy from any particular religious standpoint, so that it could appeal to people from just about any religious background. Your example of Tolkien is spot on, Budd. Tolkien was a devout Catholic and even a moron can see the overt Catholic commentary set forth in The Lord of the Rings. The fact that demons and wizards exist does not negate the religious messages of the story; in fact, those things help enhance these messages.A story about demons or what-have-you is just that: a story. What it comes down to is your intention. If you believe God created everything in existence, how could writing about these things be inherently bad to write about or discuss? They can't. It's the intention behind the writing that may or may not be evil.If your friend hasn't seen Buffy, I would highly recommend he watch it. There are seven seasons, so there's a lot to see, but seasons three, six and seven are my favorites. It should give him a good idea of how intense horror can be done with a higher message in mind.Regarding Anne Rice: I think she's just a nut is all. I can't see why she couldn't justify Lestat after she was converted to Christianity. There's nothing in the Lestat novels that I can see being outright evil or misleading.*I don't want to debate with people who haven't watched it because they won't have a clue what they're debating about. If you haven't seen it, don't try to have an opinion about it; that's intellectually dishonest.
"If you believe God created everything in existence, how could writing about these things be inherently bad to write about or discuss?"Ugh. Obviously, I reformatted this sentence and forgot to remove some words. What I meant to say was: If you believe God created everything in existence, how could writing about these things be inherently bad?
Here's another example: CS Lewis's Screwtape Letters was written from a demon's viewpoint, but serves to illustrate his Christian beliefs. I could even go out on a limb and say some Bible stories (Job comes to mind) could be retold in the horror genre. Only your friend can decide how his artistic impulses fit into his spirituality, but I don't see anything about the horror genre that precludes the participation of a spiritual person.
J.K. Rowling catches a lot of flack for Harry Potter, which is totally secular. Sure it isn't Christian, but it isn't blasphemous either. Sure characeters do magic, but it isn't demon based and it is fiction. My point is that if there is debate raging about something as harmless as Harry Potter, what are people going to say about something much darker and how will they deal with the fact that the creater is one of their own.
Totally fair question Budd, but in turn one could ask that if the creator of the aforementioned darker fiction is secure in his faith, then any debate or criticism is irrelevant...I often wonder about those people who protest Harry Potter.
"...if the creator of the aforementioned darker fiction is secure in his faith, then any debate or criticism is irrelevant..."Yes! This exactly. Perfectly stated.
I think you about nailed it Budd.A Christian could easily write horror, again, as you said "Are you trying to corrupt people or are you interlacing a higher message?" that is really what it boils down to.
Right on, Budd! We live w/ horror, as we live w/ beauty. It's part of our 'Christian' existance. I agree, use that devine talent. Write on!
Thanks everyone. My friend has read the post and appreciates your responses.
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