Young Writers Society

In my current novel, I'm planning on including a character who is devoutly Catholic. His religion is very important to him, and he uses it as a sense of comfort. He's a strong believer in fate, and his religion is a personal thing for him.

However, I don't know much about how Catholicism operates. I'm secular, and religion is a bit of a mystery to me; I would like some information on how people feel about their religion, what religion means for you, etc.

I have a list of questions for anyone who is willing to answer them; some are about Catholicism, while some are about what religion means to you. You don't have to be Catholic to answer, but I would prefer if you were religious because I need answers that come from personal experience.

Questions under the spoiler.

HI. Being a devout Catholic, I'll bite.

1) How do you feel about drinking, swearing, and premarital sex? Can you still be devoutly Catholic while doing these things?

Drinking - In moderation, it's fine.

Swearing - I don't feel comfortable swearing.

Pre-marital sex - Nope. Not allowed. If you do, it's time to head to Confession.

2) Is it appropriate to get engaged while in your early twenties?

In the global Catholic church, you are allowed to get married in the church if you are 1) female and at least 14, or 2) male and at least 16. In America? They want you to be adult aged before you engage.

I became engaged with my husband when I was 24, after knowing him for six months. My brother-in-law, also Catholic, was married when he was 21. So, it really depends.

3) How often do you go to worship? Read Scripture? How often do you think you should?

Once a week, minimum, though we try to attend a daily mass. We try to read scripture every day, using the Roman Missal as a guide. We should probably read more.

4) Who is God? What is your relationship with him? How do you feel about him?

On God and our beliefs. We say this prayer at mass every mass. My relationship with Him is a personal relationship that I really don't want to expand on. He is awesome.

5) What are your views about death?

Death is a reality, but with Christ, death is not the end.

6) If your significant other were to die, how would you feel? Would you blame God? Would God give you comfort? What if a second significant other were to die?

If my husband were to die, I would feel sad. However, our relationship as husband and wife is to help each other get to heaven together -- we are merely pilgrims trying to go to heaven, after all, so hopefully I will feel comforted that he is in the place where we set off to go to in the first place.

7) How do you feel knowing that not everyone follows your religion? How do you feel knowing that not all of your friends follow your religion?

It's a bit isolating at times. One of the hardest things for me to confront was the whole contraception issue. When I got engaged and several people close to me found out that artificial contraception wasn't going to happen, there were so many people who started telling me about how my life was going to be ruined and that I was making a huge mistake and everything. I ignored them and decided to put my faith in God and my husband, and sure enough I'm due this month and we are ecstatic about it!

Does your religion comfort you? Scare you?

Comfort, for the most part, though there are definitely some scary elements in it.

9) Do you ever question your religion? Are there times when you think you may be wrong?

I think everybody does, but the Catholic faith is really big on explaining every single thing they do, so if you DON'T feel sure about something, you can research it and get a bunch of information and thus feel more comforted.

10) How does your religion impact your daily life?

Well... were it not for my religion, I would not be pregnant. So, yes. It does impact my life in very big ways.

11) How would you describe your religion and your religious experience?

Fulfilling?

12) What does religion mean to you?

It means a lot.


...some of the answers are a bit vague, because I wasn't sure what you were getting at. Expand, and perhaps I'll be able to help more?

Well, I am no Catholic, but seeing as you'd might want a broader horizon, I'll weigh in.

I am a practicing Buddhist and I've been that for quite a few years. Before that I didn't really view myself religious in any way. But the thing is, I still don't. As with a lot of people, I don't really view it as a religion, but rather a way of life. It's what attracted me about it.

So I may not be able to answer all the questions, but I'll try them all.

1) How do you feel about drinking, swearing, and premarital sex? Can you still be devoutly Catholic while doing these things?

Drinking: Yeah, in moderation I think it's fine.
Swearing: I guess this is just something I only do in my head.
Premarital sex: I have no problem with it. But never rush things.

2) Is it appropriate to get engaged while in your early twenties?

It would depend on a lot of things, but if I'd been with someone for a while and it makes sense; Go for it.

3) How often do you go to worship? Read Scripture? How often do you think you should?

Aside from special occasions, I've rarely attended religious events. I have looked into Buddhist temples, but they are not in my area. Some day I'll visit the greats.

4) Who is God? What is your relationship with him? How do you feel about him?

Well, I don't really believe in God. I guess I like the idea of him; he is a comfort.

5) What are your views about death?

I don't' think death is the end. I obviously like the idea of reincarnation until nirvana. I don't expect to enter a heaven some day, even though I like the thought. In fact, I remember reading Tolkien's writings and upon hearing his descriptions of death and feeling such wonder. But that, like many other things, are just reimagined versions of the holy heavens.

6) If your significant other were to die, how would you feel? Would you blame God? Would God give you comfort? What if a second significant other were to die?

I don't think I would blame God. But I would find comfort in thinking this is not the end.

7) How do you feel knowing that not everyone follows your religion? How do you feel knowing that not all of your friends follow your religion?

We all find out own way, I suppose. I don't mind that everyone doesn't follow the same ideals. I do think it's wrong how several religions have the same core foundations, yet are so different. Then it leads to fights and quarrels.

8) Does your religion comfort you? Scare you?

Well, as a Buddhist, I don't particulary have a religion. But I guess my beliefs then, aren't too comforting too me. There is nothing higher than me, watching over us. But it's more of way of improving ourselves, and I do find a lot of help in that. Many of my issues have solved after I found this.

As for religion being scary, I do think it can be sometimes. When you go too far with religion, thinking it's the only way and being overzealous. Like everything else, I'd try a relaxed approach.


9) Do you ever question your religion? Are there times when you think you may be wrong? Can't answer this.

10) How does your religion impact your daily life?
I guess my practice has affected my daily life in some way. But that's small things. Not letting stress get to me, not worrying about everything. Being more calm and avoiding anger.

I also try to do my weekly meditations, though I sometimes skip it. A lot of it comes down to how things have been going lately. If a lot has happened, if I'm stressed out or have seen a lot of negativity.

11) How would you describe your religion and your religious experience?

I'd say relaxed and helpful, maybe?

12) What does religion mean to you?

It's something that's always been there. I grew up with it, but was not forced into something before I was ready to make my own choices. It can do a lot of good. But also some bad.


Tried to answer this as best as I could. Hope you got something out of it.
I think it's really neat you do research like this on your characters though.

I'm not Catholic, but I am what people call a devoutly "religious" Christian.

1) How do you feel about drinking, swearing, and premarital sex? Can you still be devoutly Catholic while doing these things?

Drinking: Not a sin, but getting drunk is. I just stay away from alcohol period. I don't need it to have a good time, and I am better at serving God when I'm level-headed
Swearing: I don't do that either, and it makes me uncomfortable when others do it. It's just not necessary, and it would make God sad if I swore.

Premarital Sex: Nope. No excuses, ifs, ands, or buts. Someone can call themselves a Christian and do these things, but that doesn't make them a Christian. One of God's basic commands is have sex within marriage, and you can't blatantly break God's law and truly be a Christian. But that's also something between God and the individual.

2) Is it appropriate to get engaged while in your early twenties?
I don't see anything wrong with that, and I don't think God does either, as long as you pray and continue to take God's guidance. Getting married is a serious commitment, especially to God, and just jumping into a marriage can be bad. But it is appropriate based on the situation.

3) How often do you go to worship? Read Scripture? How often do you think you should?
Besides church worship I worship with my Christian fellowship in college. I try to read Scripture at least once a day, but I am inconsistent.

4) Who is God? What is your relationship with him? How do you feel about him?
God is my Heavenly Father, the only One that loves me more than anyone could ever love me, the One who accepts me despite my flaws, and He is my supporter in my times of weakness. I love Him so much.

5) What are your views about death?
Death is a pretty dreary topic, but as a Christian it doesn't fill me with dread. It's a part of life on Earth, a result of sin, and the last barrier between me and my Heavenly Father. After death, my real life begins.

6) If your significant other were to die, how would you feel? Would you blame God? Would God give you comfort? What if a second significant other were to die?
I would probably be "depressed" for a while, but at the same time I would know that he is in eternal paradise, and is in the loving care of our Father. And I would dream of the day that we may meet again. I may be angry at God in spurts, but I would know that God would not be at fault, even if I had a second deceased husband.

7) How do you feel knowing that not everyone follows your religion? How do you feel knowing that not all of your friends follow your religion?
It makes me quite sad sometimes, know that a lot of people don't see what I see, and many times I cannot do anything to change that. As far as my friends go, the people I call friends are all practicing Christians, so I don't have to worry about what they believe.

8.) Does your religion comfort you? Scare you?

I gain great comfort from God, especially when nothing else will comfort me. When I am anxious, tired, sick, angry, or scared, I pray and read relevant scriptures that have an instant calming effect. God doesn't scare me.

9) Do you ever question your religion? Are there times when you think you may be wrong?
I do question aspects of Christianity from time to time, but it's mostly concerning myself, rather than the world. I don't think God is wrong.

10) How does your religion impact your daily life?
My beliefs are a deep part of who I am, from my culture, to what I say, to the way I think and act. My friends are Christians, so we are comfortable around each other, and my family is close because God's love binds us together. I wouldn't be who I am today without Jesus.

11) How would you describe your religion and your religious experience?
To a listening ear? Transforming. Distinction-creating. Being a Christian makes all the difference in my character.

12) What does religion mean to you?
Religion means nothing to me. Follow a set of rules, do these rituals, and get a reward. I don't call what I have a religion. But my relationship with my God means everything to me.

I'm attend a Catholic Christian church almost weekly, however, I'm very loose on my faith. So I'm not sure how helpful I'll be. xD

1) How do you feel about drinking, swearing, and premarital sex? Can you still be devoutly Catholic while doing these things?
Drinking and swearing isn't really a big thing as far as church preaching goes (other than 'thou shall not use the lord's name in vain"). I drink very rarely, but it's mostly for health reasons. I don't swear often because I feel that it's unnecessary. Now, premarital sex is definitely a no-no for catholics. However, no one's gonna kick you out of church if you do. It's just frowned upon.

2) Is it appropriate to get engaged while in your early twenties?
It's frowned upon, since most people think you're too young for such a serious commitment. However, there's no scriptures against it. Though, most parents would prefer this over premarital sex.

3) How often do you go to worship? Read Scripture? How often do you think you should?
I'm terrible and only go, on average, once every other week. xD It's encouraged to go weekly, but again, no one's gonna smite you if you don't. And I definitely don't read the scripture as much as I should, but we cover passages of it in mass.

4) Who is God? What is your relationship with him? How do you feel about him?
This is where I differ some from the church. On Sunday mass, we say the 'proclamation of our faith', which kinda of answers this:

'We believe in one God, the father the almighty, maker of heaven and Earth, of all things visible and invisible.'

And then continues listing our faith (though I'm not sure if all churches do this). There's more specifics in the bible. However, I come from a science background, and try to be extremely open minded. So, I know there are somethings about the bible that can be proven wrong. But for me, the more I learn about science, the more the idea of a deity makes sense. There's just so much left unexplained, that nothing else makes sense to me.

As far as my relationship, every one kind of develops their own. For me, I know I'm selfish and ask for things I shouldn't or get mad at things that were my own fault and am too stubborn to take the blame when I'm mad. For me, I kind of imagine him as a Karma balancer: if something if going great, even something extremely insignificant, I try to thank him, and if something is crappy, I try to understand the lesson behind it or admiring I'm getting just deserves so I can stay positive.

And I think he's cool dude, but I hope never to meet him because I do not need to relive all the stupid crap I've done. x'D

5) What are your views about death?
So, the basic is if you're 'good', you go to heaven, and if you're 'bad', you go to hell. However, this is where I get confused/differ from the basic religion. The way the religion works, as far as I understand, is we all sin, but by repenting/confessing we can cleanse ourselves. No matter what the sin. This is why we don't agree with capital punishment, because you're taking away that person's chance to repent for what they did. This is what I like about the religion, because you lying is as bad as you murdering someone else. They're both wrong and should be addressed. However, it seems a lot more difficult to determine who's bad and who's good. Are we all bad, or are we all good?

Anyways, as far as death solely. It's actually my biggest fear. I hate the idea of going unexpectedly, the way I'm gonna go, and the fact that it's inescapable.

6) If your significant other were to die, how would you feel? Would you blame God? Would God give you comfort? What if a second significant other were to die?

I don't have a significant other. xD I'm sure, as I human, in my deepest depression, I'm likely to blame him. But once I've had time to more and think logically again, I'd be able to see reason for it in my life. Plus, mourning is all about the living. Once you're dead, you're at peace. I'm sure the way my significant other left would really be more of the determinant of how I'd respond.

7) How do you feel knowing that not everyone follows your religion? How do you feel knowing that not all of your friends follow your religion?

Most of my friends are atheist, so I personally hate when they go on rants in front of me about how Christianity is terrible. I have no problem with someone having a different belief set. I don't know what the right religion is (and atheism is a religion ;D) so I'm just as likely to be wrong as anyone else. My only problem is when people try to bash not only someone else's religion, but to call someone 'dumb' (or the like) for believing it. It's kind of like the different versions of string theory. No one knows exactly which one is law, but everyone has good points to support their theories. Everyone who's contributed to the theory have a doctorate degree (give or take), so calling them 'stupid' is an egregious lie. ;P

Does your religion comfort you? Scare you?

Comfort. It's generally the thing I fall back on when everything else in my life is a mess.


9) Do you ever question your religion? Are there times when you think you may be wrong?

I think I've tossed a few examples above. xD Haha.

10) How does your religion impact your daily life?

Pretty much, yeah. I'm constantly making sure my actions are not going to harm anyone (usually emotionally) and keeping my anger/depression/pride in check.

11) How would you describe your religion and your religious experience?

Um, I'm gonna have to point above again. xD I guess a mix between a karma watcher but also a way to keep myself thinking positively. Also, it definitely expands my ability to empathize with others which helps me with my character developments in my stories. So, It's kind of the root of my life, I suppose.

12) What does religion mean to you?

I guess quite a lot. I don't like to preach my religion, because it tends to stir up unnecessary fights, and I'm a pacifist. xD But I'll wear it proudly if opportunity rises.

Hope this helps. ^_^

Thank you all for your replies ^^ The information helped a lot! There were some things I didn't know (like the fact that premarital sex was an absolute no go), and the answers gave me a great insight into people's relationships with their religion.

If any of you were curious, I'm using this information to help me write my novel, Azazel. I'm not quite sure how to describe it, though; it's about murder, but not in the mystery or horror sense. It's centered around Ian (the Catholic one), Elizabeth (his fiancee), and Alain (his narcissistic, unstable best friend).

If you'd like to check it out, here's the prologue-
Azazel: Prologue

I don't know if you still need this, but I like discussions on theology, so here I am. I don't consider myself a devout Catholic (my church attendance has dropped to almost zero since they changed the words in the liturgy because it just really annoyed me), but I went to Catholic school for all but a year-and-a-half before high school and grew up going to church every Sunday with my family. And I consider myself Catholic even though I mostly just go to Mass when I go on my yearly silence retreat.

1) How do you feel about drinking, swearing, and premarital sex? Can you still be devoutly Catholic while doing these things?
Catholics are totally cool with drinking and don't have much of a problem with swearing (although you'd better not take the Lord's name in vain around hardcore Catholics), but premarital sex is a no-go. Catholic schools stress abstinence--although mine was good in that, while it promoted abstinence, it did also educate us about contraceptives. But people definitely do it, even devout people. I mean, there are some people who don't, but people are people and people have sex. So you've got certain groups of nuns and suchlike who encourage safe sex and pass out contraceptives, since they know people are going to have it anyway.

2) Is it appropriate to get engaged while in your early twenties?
Absolutely. If you've got a devout family, they'd probably think something was wrong with you if you weren't engaged by the time you were thirty. Sort of an old-fashioned idea, you know--get married young and start a family (which will be huge because no contraceptives except for natural family planning). You do have to go through marriage classes, though, through the church where you're getting married (my parents used to teach them for our church).

3) How often do you go to worship? Read Scripture? How often do you think you should?
Last question first: more often than I do.

Mostly I go to Mass at the silence retreat, and that's it. That's also when I read the Bible--bits of it, obviously--good luck reading the whole Bible in one weekend!

Devout Catholics might be better about the Bible, but the average Catholic is not overly familiar. This is actually an old thing--part of the reason Martin Luther got in so much trouble with the Catholic church is that he was translating the Bible from Latin to German so the average citizen could read it. Prior to that, Bibles were in Latin so that the clergy could interpret it for the masses (so the church had more control).

Quick ranty tangent: the liturgy change that has annoyed me out of going to church. It's dumb, I know. But like this. We used to say in one part "Lord, I am not worthy to receive you, but only say the word and I shall be healed." Now we say "Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, but only say the word and my soul shall be healed." Apart from the fact that it feels like they had to dumb it down because they thought we don't know what "receive" means, it lost this lovely double meaning--before it meant both "receive as a guest" and "receive Your body as Communion," but now it only means the former. I'm still mad about that. Dumb, I know, but I just can't help it.

4) Who is God? What is your relationship with him? How do you feel about him?

I think of God on a very personal level, and the God I believe in is a very loving, forgiving God who to be honest is probably more sad than anything at the way humanity treats each other. More a New Testament God than an Old Testament God, if you will. I feel closest to God when I'm out in nature.

I'm also into science, especially biology, and it astonishes me that most people think science and religion are at war with each other. Personally, the more I learn about science, the more it deepens my faith. Because everything is so beautiful and because everything is interconnected, and there are all these patterns and structures that appear over and over again in different areas of study--it's extraordinary.

On that note, Catholics are "allowed" to believe in Evolution because the Vatican has determined, in the past, that the theory of Evolution does not contradict the creation story (true, because evolution assumes that some form of life already exists). Some Catholics are still creationists (Rick Santorum comes to mind--oh, the shame), but for the most part we have no animosity toward evolution. (And those that are like me like it.)

5) What are your views about death?
I believe in heaven in sort of a casual way--going there isn't why I do good things, but it comforts me to think that the good people I've known are going on to something better. Not that I don't get sad if someone dies, but if they were in pain at the end and they were ready to go, then, I mean, that's what they wanted and they're at peace now.

For myself I'm more scared of pain than death--like if I knew for a fact that I was going to go peacefully in my sleep someday, I wouldn't be scared of death at all. I'm more scared of people I love dying before their time, because I don't want to be alone. Selfish, I know, but I can't help it sometimes.

6) If your significant other were to die, how would you feel? Would you blame God? Would God give you comfort? What if a second significant other were to die?
I have a good idea of how I'd feel in a general sense, but specific to my attitude toward God and religion, I don't know. I think I'd find comfort in it, but my fiance already survived a car crash that everyone said should've killed him, so if he did die before we both got really old I don't think I'd blame God. I think I'd find comfort in the idea of heaven, and I'd ask God to take care of him and please make sure he meets up with my grandpa up there and hang out a bit.

But I don't really know, and hopefully I won't have to find out any time soon.

7) How do you feel knowing that not everyone follows your religion? How do you feel knowing that not all of your friends follow your religion?
Well, obviously I'm okay with the fact that not all my friends follow my religion, because if I wasn't then I probably wouldn't be friends with them. Personally, I don't care what religion anyone practices as long as they don't abuse it and use it to justify doing terrible things (although I'd prefer that Catholics who do so would dissociate themselves from the church so I wouldn't have to be so ashamed when I see them doing terrible things). My main problem is just when someone whose beliefs differ from mine bash on my beliefs, because I don't do that to people--like I don't care what you believe, whether you're an atheist or a Muslim or a Buddhist or, whatever, I don't care. More power to you. Home of the free and all that jazz. (I'm even interested in learning about your religion, if it differs from mine.) But please let me believe what I want to believe, too.

Does your religion comfort you? Scare you?
My beliefs comfort me.

9) Do you ever question your religion? Are there times when you think you may be wrong?
I question certain aspects. Not the main story, but the little sideline political things--no contraception, no gay marriage, all that stuff. I just ignore it, basically, and fight for the things I think is right. I think people who say they have all the answers because of their religion, or who claim to know what God wants or thinks--you can't know that, and it's arrogance to assume you do. So I think the best you can do is to be the best person you can be, and be kind to people, and hope that's good enough for God. And if it's not, and it turns out God wants us to judge and hate each other, then that's not the god I believe in, so I don't care if I've disappointed him in that case.

10) How does your religion impact your daily life?
The answer that comes to mind is "very little," but it probably affects me in ways I don't even realize. Decision-making and behavior and things like that, but I couldn't even tell you. Because it's also just the specific way my parents raised me within my religion, and differences between that and how other Catholics' parents raised them.

11) How would you describe your religion and your religious experience?
My religious experience is very casual--I like the structure of Mass, it's nice for guidance and focus when you want to pray, and I love love loooooove church hymns--but it's not like with certain evangelical denominations where they sing and sway and speak in tongues or anything like that.

(I went to a nondenominational church once, which I like in theory--but it made me really uncomfortable when the pastor's sermon was all about "what should you do if you feel inspired by the Holy Spirit to speak in tongues?" Like, what? No. No, no. No, thank you.)

For me it's extremely casual, like if I'm praying, unless I'm in Mass, I usually just talk to God like he's a person rather than saying an official "prayer." Plus I was taught that singing is praying twice (admittedly it was my church choir director who taught us that), so sometimes I'll just go out for a walk and sing church hymns at the top of my lungs and that is my church. But then I still know that I have the Bible to go read if I want something more focused and canonical prayers to say if I want to pray more formally, so there's like a nice mix of freedom/individualism and structure/guidance/focus.

12) What does religion mean to you?
I think too much focus is put on religion. I mean, if you think about all the different monastic orders in Catholicism--Jesuit, Benedictine, Augustinian, Carmelite, Franciscan--all following different saints or different ways of practicing devotion or ministering to the common folk, right? Religion gives you a community, a group of people with a common core belief who support and comfort each other (or at least are supposed to), but your beliefs are also extremely personal, so--religion has some heft, but I think in a way your individual beliefs are more important, because they'll differ at least a little bit from the next person in the pew and they'll affect what you do more than the overarching "religion."

I also like this quote from "Kingdom of Heaven" on the subject:

I set no stock in religion. By the word "religion" I have seen the lunacies of fanatics heralded as the will of God. Goodness is in right action. What God desires is here [pointing to the head] and here [pointing to the heart]. By what you do every day, you will be a good man. Or not.

On that note, that is a fantastically done movie with some amazing lines about religion and its role (and because of the time period, all the Christians are Catholic, although not modern Catholics), so I suggest checking it out. But I should warn you, I think it's rated R for violence (it takes place during the Crusades, so there's lots of battling).

P.S. We don't worship the saints!!!!!!!! I mention this because it's the most common misconception that I come across--like if someone's trying to evangelize me and I say "Thank you, I'm a practicing Catholic," they WON'T STOP because even though we both believe in Jesus, they think Catholics worship the saints, which they see as a form of idol-worship or something, so they still feel a need to evangelize me and it drives me bonkers.

So, to clear up a quick point about the saints in case anyone prays to a saint in your book or something: the saints are Catholic martyrs who lived pious, devout lives and did good works or practiced good Catholicism or what have you, so we venerate them and look to them as role models. (Some of them are actually really cool and have exciting stories.)

Also, as far as us praying to them, this is how I like to explain it. God is a busy dude. There are 7billion+ people in the world. So the saints are God's secretaries. He's busy with someone or something else, so they take your call and provide you with assistance as needed.

Okay, saint rant over. That is all.

I'm a Jew... So maybe I can help...

1) How do you feel about drinking, swearing, and premarital sex?

Drinking, heavily, is not something that's concidered a good thing. However, that's between you and the creater. Swearing is also not something I like- nor is it something I think should be done so flippently. Though, again, is up to you.
Premarital sex is a no, no. A really BIG no no. However, if you do make that mistake, the guy's suppose to merry the lady, and you're OKish.

2) Is it apropriate to get engaged in your early twenties?

Typically, yes. In fact, I think religious people are sometimes the most open to younger merrages. There's people that still think it's a good idea to hook their daughters up with guys- when they're fifteen or younger. I don't agree with that sort of thinking.

3) How often do you do worship? Read bible? How often do you think you should?

Us jews have a lot of holydays. A ton of fun family times, and some serious ones too. We have our Shabbat, which is once a week. Then we have a New Moon day, which is once a month, it's basically how we tell when other feast days occur.
I have gotten into the habbit of reading the bible/Tanach every night. But it's up to the person, really. I don't think that there's a right or wrong way of doing it.

4) Who is the creater? What's your relationship with him? How do you feel about him?

Who is he? Well, I'm not sure. He's a really cool guy, from what I know. I think he has a sense of humour- call me crazy -he's very nice. But brother, don't tick him off!
You can have very good relationship with the creater if you really want. It's the best feeling ever, but it can easily slip from your grasp.
I don't know how I feel about him entirely, though, greatful comes to mind.

5) What are your views about death?

Darling, I have no idea. I don't really believe in heaven, but I believe in something. I'm kind of glad that it's a suprise. Something to look forward to. I also don't believe in hell. I'm not dure what happens to the murderers and such, but... It's unclear.

I'm going to come back to this, but right now I need to go to bed!

Although the character here is loosely Catholic/Orthodox, I wrote a short story from the perspective of a devoutly religious teenager named Ewen: Immanuel's Veins

Maybe this will help give you some ideas while developing your character.

An interesting twist for you would to write a sinister catholic character, as in the conflicted, self righteous, pseudo-psychopath plagued with hypocricy and self-motivated through greed and lust for power. A great majority of bishops were like this in the Middle Ages. Corruption ran rampant and indulgences were sold by them as a scam to get more money and influence.

Waleran Bigod from the Pillars of the Earth and Claude Frolo from the Hunchback of Notre Dame are two such examples.

Ian was actually a character I had already developed fairly well when I decided to make him Catholic. It just seemed like it would fit well with his character.

I'm trying to make Ian a religious character (because I typically lack those) without making the book itself about religion. It's supposed to focus on Alain, mostly, and his delusions. That could easily be interpreted in a religious way, though, and I'm trying to steer away from that because I don't really want it to have any religious connotations.

An interesting twist for you would to write a sinister catholic character, as in the conflicted, self righteous, pseudo-psychopath plagued with hypocricy and self-motivated through greed and lust for power. A great majority of bishops were like this in the Middle Ages. Corruption ran rampant and indulgences were sold by them as a scam to get more money and influence.

"Twist" and "a great majority" along with one of the most iconic villains in Disney do not go well together. Honestly I find the corrupt church trope one of the single most overused (chances are if you find a church it will be corrupt somehow), so I am very glad that Alain is not religious.

We need more nice Catholics, to reflect how many nice Catholics are in the real world!

I'm going to skip the Catholic ones, but for the most part...

Religion: pagan

1) How do you feel about drinking, swearing, and premarital sex?
Whatever you want, fine by me! Although I use church swearing way too much (oops) and I try to ask religious individuals if they mind? And paganism has a reputation of being really sexual but I don't take it that way at all.

2) Is it appropriate to get engaged while in your early twenties?
Sure? I find that a little young but if you think you found the one then more power to you.

3) How often do you go to worship? Read Scripture? How often do you think you should?
Pretty much never, or always (depending on how you define "worship") but I'm kind of in a faith that doesn't need a lot of super religious stuff. Paganism is pretty much defined by everything being personal to you. There isn't much if any scripture to read in the first place, so N/A to that part of the question.

4) Who is God? What is your relationship with him? How do you feel about him?
I'm not too fond of "Him" as a pronoun for God, but that's my own thing. I feel God as more... both an external thing and an internal thing. It's more a place in your heart for me, that's connected to others/an omniscient Being somewhere out there.

5) What are your views about death?
The soul goes from the physical to the spiritual. That "other" I mentioned before. I like to think they make it to paradise eventually.

6) If your significant other were to die, how would you feel? Would you blame God? Would God give you comfort? What if a second significant other were to die?
Ughhh this would tear me up because I tend to be extremely invested in relationships. God, however, would probably provide comfort because I'm not the type to blame a supernatural force.

However, a second one dying... that would probably be a little bit of "why are you doing this to me?" for awhile. Until the grief wore off.

7) How do you feel knowing that not everyone follows your religion? How do you feel knowing that not all of your friends follow your religion?
To each their own, really! I am, however, very cautious around people I don't know when it comes to disclosing information about what religion I am and my general belief structure. In part because it plain old doesn't come up much, but also in part because I've been majorly bullied for following a "weird" religion before.

8.) Does your religion comfort you? Scare you?
Comfort, mostly! Considering there is no straight up doctrine, I basically believe what feels right so I've wiped a lot of the damnation and "everybody is a sinner" stuff out of my personal structure. I'm probably more scared of how people view pagans.

9) Do you ever question your religion? Are there times when you think you may be wrong?
Fairly often. My belief structure is really a giant back and forth of questioning and asking and discussing, so I rarely stay with one static structure.

10) How does your religion impact your daily life?
I hide it a lot? My mom and I are kind of... opposing in religious ideals, my dad's not religious, and the aforementioned bullying has led to some situations where I basically go "and now is the time to shut up."

Then there is the general euphoria of feeling connected to something bigger.

11) How would you describe your religion and your religious experience?
Power. Not in an egotistical "now I own everything!" sense, but in the "I can face anything with this" sense. It gives me a surprising amount of strength, something I don't always realize.

12) What does religion mean to you?
Strength. A certain measure of control. A certain measure of reassurance. A certain measure of fear, because it's not like pagans are treated kindly.

o: I don't currently practice any religion, but I've been looking into paganism a lot! I really like how fluid and personal it seems to be, and I think it coincides with my beliefs fairly well. I just don't know where to start with it, though.

I was raised Roman Catholic.
This is probably the largest group of Catholicism, but I've heard there are other denominations (Maronite Catholic, Greek Catholic, Russian Catholic).

1) How do you feel about drinking, swearing, and premarital sex? Can you still be devoutly Catholic while doing these things?
We drink real wine during mass. (Other Christian denominations often drink grape juice during their services.)
As Snoink said, drinking alcohol in moderation is acceptable.

I think it depends on the swear used. The Ten Commandments (ten most important religious rules to follow) tell us not to take God's name in vain. Taken literally, this means you shouldn't say, er, g*dd*mn. Many people also interpret it to mean not saying "Oh, my God" or "Thank god" in a sarcastic or insincere way. Many also take it to mean no swearing at all.

Pre-marital sex also goes against the Ten Commandments. If you engage in it, you are not only encouraged to confess to a priest, you are also strongly encouraged to marry your partner.

2) Is it appropriate to get engaged while in your early twenties?
Yes.

3) How often do you go to worship? Read Scripture? How often do you think you should?
Mass is usually held daily, but I don't attend them. I attend Mass on Sunday, because it is the Sabbath and the Ten Commandments say to keep Holy the Sabbath. When I can't get to church on Sunday, I keep it holy in other ways (reading the Bible, praying). An important part of the Sabbath is abstaining from work.

It's also important to attend mass on Holy Days. The two main ones people think of are Easter and Christmas, but there are a lot of lesser known ones. Leading up to Easter, for example, we begin Lent with Ash Wednesday (the day after Fat Tuesday or Mardi Gras). Catholics attend Mass on Ash Wednesday to receive ashes in the sign of the cross on their forehead. Then, Palm Sunday is the week before Easter.

There's also several Holy Days leading up to and after Christmas, such as the celebration of the Immaculate Conception. Catholics are supposed to attend Mass on these days.

In addition to reading the Bible and attending Mass, devout Catholics usually say grace over their meals and then pray before bed. A common grace over meals is "Bless us oh Lord, for these thy gifts, which we are about to receive, from thy power, through Christ, our Lord."

4) Who is God? What is your relationship with him? How do you feel about him?
God is considered the Creator, the Father of everything.
As the Father, our relationship is like that of Father and children, in a way. That is, we show Him respect and we do what He tells us to do. (What He tells us to do may come from the Bible or from the Priest, not directly from Him.)

5) What are your views about death?
Catholics believe that they enter a purgatory after death. In the purgatory (possibly multiple purgatories), we wait until it is decided whether we go to Heaven or Hell. Either way, you have Eternal Life.

6) If your significant other were to die, how would you feel? Would you blame God? Would God give you comfort? What if a second significant other were to die?
I might blame God out of my own anger, but it would not be an appropriate response. Finding comfort in God is more appropriate.
Most Catholics don't remarry after their spouse dies, probably because that would complicate things in Heaven. In theory, we'll be reunited up there.

7) How do you feel knowing that not everyone follows your religion? How do you feel knowing that not all of your friends follow your religion?

I have few problems with this. Sometimes it can be annoying to have to explain your religion to someone, especially since there are many misconceptions about us. Even other Christians don't always understand. In fact, I tried to attend a Protestant school (basically any Christian religion except Catholic) and was ostracized because I was Catholic, not Protestant.

8.) Does your religion comfort you? Scare you?
The Father should be a comfort, not an evil disciplinarian to be feared.

9) Do you ever question your religion? Are there times when you think you may be wrong?
Yes, absolutely.
I acknowledge that we don't have all the answers. We don't know whose religion, if any, is true. Religion is about beliefs, not facts. A lot of these beliefs may have developed as protective measurements. For example, avoiding pre-marital sex avoids pregnancy and STDs.

10) How does your religion impact your daily life?
I would say that it doesn't have a large impact on daily life. I go to work and school just like everyone else. At the end of the day, I say grace over dinner, eat it, get ready for bed, pray, and hop into bed.

Some of my friends' religions seem to have a larger impact on their daily life (i.e. controlling what time they wake up in the morning to pray and other specifics related to prayer). I'd guess, though, that you become used to it and it doesn't seem like a big impact.

11) How would you describe your religion and your religious experience?
It's a system of beliefs that unites you to others with the same beliefs. It's often a communal experience, because we come together with others to pray and study the Bible.

12) What does religion mean to you?
Beliefs.

I'm Presbyterian.


1) How do you feel about drinking, swearing, and premarital sex? Can you still be devoutly Catholic while doing these things?
Personally, drinking swearing and premarital sex are not a big deal to me. I think that if your faith and the way you are judged in your religion is based upon whether or not you've had sex is a stupid concept. drinking should be done in moderation because it's healthy for you. I swear a lot and say thing I probably shouldn't (like using the lord's name in vain) but I don't think that changes the way he feels about me or makes me a bad person.

2) Is it appropriate to get engaged while in your early twenties?
Um I don't think anyone cares. I certainly don't. I think you should be old enough to accept the consequences of the real world, tho.

3) How often do you go to worship? Read Scripture? How often do you think you should?
Ugh almost never. I think the last time I was a church was during christmas. (which is my favorite time to go to church). I don't read the bible, though I've tried several times. I should go to church more, but there's not a church here I like, really. When I feel God's presence, it's never in my church. I feel him standing on a mountain top or watching it rain. And that's the important thing to me.

4) Who is God? What is your relationship with him? How do you feel about him?
God is my friend. I have a very very personal relationship with him. I don't really 'pray'. I'm more of a chatter. I'll start out with 'okay, this is what's up'. I'm not looking for help, I'm not looking for someone to give me answers, I'm looking for someone to talk too. I am very open with him. I have cried, screamed and laughed while talking to him. I love him and respect him. I feel that he is always listening, but expects me to take care of myself.

5) What are your views about death?
I've had very little contact with it. My dog died last July, and my great-grandmother died when I was 12, but other than that I have had verryyy little contact with it. It breaks my heart to see good people leave the earth, and oddly, I don't find comfort in them going to a better place.

6) If your significant other were to die, how would you feel? Would you blame God? Would God give you comfort? What if a second significant other were to die?
Because I'm so invested in my relationships, it would be really really hard for me. Yes, I would blame God. I would ask him why he didn't make the man I loved stay. At the same time, though, he would give me comfort and help me move on. If a second one were to die... Well that's just bad luck.

7) How do you feel knowing that not everyone follows your religion? How do you feel knowing that not all of your friends follow your religion?
Who cares? Like do what you do and I'll do what I do.

Does your religion comfort you? Scare you?
I think that if you are scared of God, there's a problem. He should comfort you and bring you inner peace. Not make you scared.

9) Do you ever question your religion? Are there times when you think you may be wrong?
All the time.

10) How does your religion impact your daily life?
It doesn't really? I know that there is God, and I respect him, the holy ghost and his son. It only really impacts me when I have a moment where I feel him moving inside me.

11) How would you describe your religion and your religious experience?
I'm very relaxed in my religion. And it's lovely. I don't think you have to be strict and devout to have a good experience with God.

12) What does religion mean to you?
It's the light switch in the darkest of times, you just have to remember to turn on the light.