Religion in fiction

Just some thoughts

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Anyway! In my quest to bring back to life stuff I wrote about long ago, I thought it’d be cool to bring back an essay I wrote in 2018 about using religion in your fiction. If you’ve read my work, you know there are many religions in my novels and I love writing about them. The original cover of Coyote Songs features La Virgen de Guadalupe. Zero Saints has Santa Muerto on the cover in the United States and Spain…and, you know, has saints in the title. The Devil Takes You Home, well, it’s also right there. Point is, I write a LOT about different religions and encourage everyone to do the same if it fits their narrative. Here’s why.

"Three-quarters of U.S. adults say religion is at least 'somewhat' important in their lives, with more than half (53%) saying it is 'very' important. Approximately one-in-five say religion is “not too” (11%) or “not at all” important in their lives (11%)."

I got those percentages years ago from the Pew Research Center and they might have changed, but not much. In any case, I want you to forget the US for a minute and look at the bigger picture. There are roughly 2.1 billion Christians, 1.6 billion Muslims, 1 billion Hindus, and 487 million Buddhists in the world. And those are only the largest groups. Rough estimates say there are around 4,200 religions across the globe. Don't worry, folks, I'm sure yours is the right one! In any case, the point is that religion is a huge deal for many people, and neglecting it in your fiction is kinda like forgetting that people need oxygen to stay alive or that we need to drink water or we die.

Religions, belief systems, spirituality; it's all diverse and growing regardless of what you call it. People like to believe in things. They like having a set of ethics they can easily understand (and one they can change around to their liking when they disagree with something and want to insult or punish people). The result is a world in which many people turn to some kind of deity or force when they’re in trouble. The implications of this are as huge as they are varied. From God to Dagon to Obatalá to Tezcatlipoca to Amaterasu to Vishnu to Belenus, all sorts of supreme beings have watched over or created or thought to affect humanity since the beginning of time. Writing without paying attention to this is fine because not every story has the space or the need for it, but it’s also a little weird when you read a novel with a bunch of different characters and none of them believe in anything.

When in pain, scared, worried, or in trouble, a lot of folks pray. They ask some invisible thing to come to their rescue, to lend a hand, to save them, to let them score that touchdown, that goal, that job, that contract. They ask their deity of choice for a phone number or for the cops to keep driving or for more money or to make the New York Times bestseller list. This is normal. Gods are how we explained things we didn't understand in the past and how we cope with things today. When I created barrio noir, I knew that the syncretism I grew up loving and diverse types of devotion would be part of it. I grew up in the Caribbean, where people pray to gods and saints that hide older deities, and where Christianity, Catholicism, and Santería are regularly practiced along with Voodoo, Palo, Mesa Blanca, and many other religions. This syncretism is in my DNA, and I think it helps me accept and understand others and their beliefs.

When I wrote Zero Saints, I place Santa Muerte at the center of it. It made sense. It felt right. In fact, I'd argue Santa Muerte, which has around ten million devotees, demanded it. The main character's devotion was his anchor. He was sure Santa Muerte would protect him. Prayers abound in that book. In Coyote Songs, La Guadalupana occupies a special place, just like she does in the hearts of many Mexicans and Texans, but Oggún is also in the mix and plays an important role. The Devil Takes You Home is also full of prayers and dark rituals, some true, some from my brain. In House of Bone and Rain, old gods, a dark god I invented, Michael the Archangel, the Orishas, and old Taíno gods coexist in perfect chaos. These religious figures aren't props; they are there because they help me build believable characters and talk about their lives and feelings and ethics. They are there because they allow me show emotion while adding spiritual depth to the narrative. This is why you shouldn't ignore religion: it moves a lot of people, to good things and bad.

I don't want you to think I'm saying religion belongs in a tale about aliens or a love story about redemption and grief or a tale where faes are always banging dragons. That's not my point. I'm also not saying a narrative devoid of religion is incomplete. What I'm saying is this: pay attention to your character’s religion–or lack there of!–once in a while. And please, when you write about religions that aren’t yours, put in the fucking work. Do your research. Ask questions. Read more than just the top result on Google or a Wikipedia entry. Aim to be extremely informed, accurate, and respectful.

Religion can help you shape a character and explore/explain a culture. Religion can help you add layers to an emotional situation. It can give you an excuse for blood, gore, and extreme violence. Religion can be tied to murder very easily. It can be tied to terrorism in a heartbeat, just like it can be tied to fanaticism, war, arguments, misdirected anger, prejudice, and everything that makes humanity ugly. In other words, religion, when used well, can enrich your narrative tremendously. Pay attention to it. Spend time talking to people about their deities and read as much as you can about other religions. Besides helping you understand the world a little better (and sometimes making you very angry), religion can be an amazing tool in your storytelling arsenal. Get familiar with it. You won't regret it.