#religious author

[tmarshconnors]

"It will be a sad day for the church and the world when there is no distinction between the children of God and those of this world."

Charles Haddon Spurgeon was an English Particular Baptist preacher. Spurgeon remains highly influential among Christians of various denominations, to some of whom he is known as the "Prince of Preachers."

Born: 19 June 1834, Kelvedon Died: 31 January 1892 (age 57 years), Menton, France

Prolific Preacher: Charles Spurgeon was one of the most prolific preachers of the 19th century, delivering thousands of sermons. His powerful and eloquent preaching earned him the title "Prince of Preachers."

Metropolitan Tabernacle: Spurgeon became the pastor of the Metropolitan Tabernacle in London in 1861, where he preached to large congregations. The Tabernacle became one of the most famous churches in England under his leadership.

Published Works: He authored numerous books, including "The Treasury of David," a commentary on the Psalms, and "Morning and Evening," a popular daily devotional. His sermons were widely published and remain influential to this day.

Philanthropy: Spurgeon was also known for his philanthropic efforts. He founded several charitable organizations, including an orphanage and the Pastor's College (now Spurgeon’s College) to train future ministers.

Calvinist Theology: Spurgeon was a staunch Calvinist and held firmly to Reformed theology. His preaching and writings emphasized doctrines such as the sovereignty of God, salvation by grace, and the perseverance of the saints.

[thepastisalreadywritten]

“People settle for a level of despair they can tolerate and call it happiness.”

— Søren Kierkegaard (5 May 1813 – 11 November 1855)

[hadesoftheladies]

i view religion as a colonial force for the patriarchy. women will have the most vibrant lives until male religions come in and all of a sudden women are wearing ugly-ass uniforms, their art is thrown out, and their way of life is completely altered.

[francy-sketches]

Whenever people talk about lack of media literacy they always bring up people who think a character doing bad things=the author endorsing said bad things which are very annoying but I feel like we're ignoring the opposite, equally annoying side of the discourse who think if you criticize the inclusion/depiction of dark/sensitive topics in any way it’s bc you’re a dumb baby who can’t separate fiction from reality. and it's like no I know I’m not supposed to clap and cheer at violence against women I’m criticizing how much of it there is. Idiot

[crispyjenkins]

i don't know who needs to hear this today but the jedi would not be body-shy

especially during the war. some would be uncomfortable, sure, or even heavily dislike being nude and/or bathing around others, but the point of that is that would be respected as a choice. there is a very large difference between preferring not to be nude around others, for cultural religious or personal reasons, versus being ashamed. nothing you can do can convince me jedi would be ashamed or embarrassed of their or others' bodies.

why. why would the jedi think nudity undignified. why would they turn their noses up at it as unseemly, rather than a choice and preference

[finalgirlsamwinchester]

guy who so desperately tries to find god. who wants to have faith in a higher authority to guide him out of the hole he's in. from the weight of guilt from simply existing, as the person he is. but every time he thinks he's answered his higher calling it turns out he's made the Morally Incorrect choice and his path to goodness and holiness was the road to the devil all along

[khaire-traveler]

Let me make this very clear:

When it comes to Hellenic Polytheism, there is no human religious authority, especially not one that stands before or speaks for the gods.

It does not matter what someone tells you. It does not matter if they claim to be a priestess/priest of X deity or a messenger for Y deity. It does not matter what their supposed past life was like. It does not matter if they claim to be the literal fucking Oracle of Apollo.

No one has the right to tell you how to worship the gods. No one has the right to assert their authority over your religion.

And most of all, remember that people can and do lie.

[clockwards]

truly genuinely fascinating watching s3ep20 House Training with the Wilson stuff. He really is just like that. Hes genuine. He takes women to lunch and plays and museums and does it with a smile on his face and not an ounce of bad intent. And he does it again. And they fall in love because he's so affably kind and senselessly caring and he blinks those big brown eyes at them and lets it happen. He lets it happen. He does know what he's doing. Because he is all about other people's love, other people's pleasure, and just like House he finds some eternal, niggling curiosity about /why/. So he figures it out, he follows this new woman's footsteps and lays out the red carpet until theres nothing left but a thread.

There is one red thread Wilson pulls to make everything and it is connected straight to House. Tug of war, babey.

[silly-boi-broski]

"I wrote this book for a few reasons: Because I wanted more stories about boys like me. Because I was angry. Because I still am. But mainly, I wanted to show queer kids that they can walk through hell and come out alive. Maybe not in one piece, maybe forever changed, but alive and worthy of love all the same. "That's what you'll find here. Terrible things, survival, love, and a future worth fighting for. "Sharpen your teeth, take up your fire, and let's do this."

"For the kids who sharpen their teeth and bite."

I will never be over this book, bro. Just looking back at the author note makes me want to reread it again and I've read it 5 times now. It's a book that makes me want to scream and cry and throw it across the room and vomit up my insides and finally yell at the people who hurt me in the past. It makes me want to reach out to the people I used to know because it reminds me of them. Because Theo reminds me of one of my old best friends because Benji reminds me of myself and so many other beautiful and hurt and angry people because Nick reminds me that I'm not the only one going through this shit right now, that just because I'm neurodivergent doesn't mean I'm automatically weak or broken or less than even though that's what so many people that I grew up around want me to belive. This book makes me feel so many fucking things at once, and I don't understand half of them, but I have never felt so seen. I have never felt so real and understood. I have exhausted my friends of sharing about it and gushing it, but I don't care because it's a book about boys like me and I can't get enough of it. For fucks sake, I could already recite half of the god damned bible verses in the book and it made me cringe everytime but it made me feel so fucking seen because I know that I'm not alone in thinking like that. I know other people know that pain of not being able to get away from those verses and quotes, no matter how hard I try.

Andrew Joseph White has tickled my brain and touched my heart in so many fucking ways with his writing, and I don't know how to feel about it, but I know for one thing now, no matter how much shit is thrown at me. I am not alone, because I am one of the kids who needs to sharpen their teeth, and bite.

[marsadler]

Hello! I wrote a book and I think y'all will like it. It's for fans of Good Omens, Hannibal, Angels Before Man, and all the queer people who deserve financial compensation from the catholic church.

I present to you:

FIRST CREATION, a high heat queer horror novella with a trans angel MC and a queer demon LI!

FIRST CREATION is a love letter to fallen angels, to finding your place in the world, to connecting to religion in a way that works for you. To touch and peaches, and surviving horrible things, to finding a place to be holy if God won't give it to you. (it's also nasty, and about cannibalism and shame and guilt, too)

It's a 22k word (98 page) novella that you can read in one (or two, or three) sittings.

You can find it on Amazon and itch.io here to read an actual synopsis and look at reviews. You can also find content warnings at the bottom of my website: (I definitely encourage you to read them before you buy!)

Here's also some unhinged ao3 tags for fun

[originalzin]

After a two year or so hiatus, I'm going to be working to finish Devil's Claw, a story about gender, religious trauma, demons and crane games. You can find the story, along with a new chapter, here.

[jollmaster]

meaning: wisdom, authority, established order, search for spiritual truth/meaning in life, religious rituals, theological doctrine, place of worship

reversed: orthodoxy/denial of traditions, putting on a mask, misleading information, original methods to solve the problems, inquisition, propaganda

[aria-greenhoodie]

Cain and Abel...

Click for quality! + closeups ↓

[intothedysphoria]

It was a joke. It had to be.

Billy had asked him, with a bouquet of flowers in one hand, on a date. Considering the last prolonged interaction they’d had, Steve had punched him in the face, laughing hysterically then slamming the door felt justified.

As happened every time Steve did something stupid, Sofia Harrington knocked gently on his door. She sat on the side of his bed, humming a nursery rhyme he hadn’t heard since they lived in Romania and asked him why he’d been so rude to that nice boy.

Steve suspected not many people had referred to Billy Hargrove as a “nice boy.” Loud, yes. Intimidating, also yes. Unbelievably attractive, absolutely. But nice? Those were the words of a woman who’d taken one look at “King Steve” and asked why her little boy was being deliberately cruel to fit in.

There were many reasons Steve had chosen to think that was some kind of a sick prank. He knew it wasn’t homophobia because he’d seen the bars Billy frequented but goyim were generally not actively seeking out a Jewish partner.

Sofia listened to this reasoning then held his hand and told him that things would work out how they were intended to. Feeling overly emotional and slightly embarrassed, Steve followed her down to observe Shabbat.

Steve idly wondered how Billy would take to Jewish culture, if he had accepted. There was nobody who didn’t know Billy’s faith, considering he would cross himself every time he stepped onto the basketball court and Steve’s only exposure to Catholicism was his great aunt in Texas.

The next time they talked, it wasn’t even a return to normally scheduled programming. It was worse.

Billy stared at him blankly, only making polite small talk for Max’s sake and with an obviously strained smile curling at his lips.

He looked upset, monumentally so and Steve started to realise that he’d slammed the door on someone he certainly wouldn’t mind dating because he’d unfairly branded him as an antisemite.

Spending the majority of Rosh Hashanah bemoaning the fact that he was a fucking idiot had his Bubbe telling him to take a walk and apologise. It was the beginning of a new year, the perfect time to make amends.

Steve didn’t exactly apologise in the traditional sense. Instead he sent an even more elaborate bouquet of flowers with an apology note attached to the ribbon. Roses because everyone loved roses.

Billy did not love roses. At least he didn’t love them in place of an actual apology. They were dumped on the foot of his door as an extra fuck you.

The second apology attempt didn’t go much better than the first. There was nothing left on Steve’s porch but Steve’s attempt to be “cool” about it was not gaining him any favours.

Instead, Billy stared at him like he had a fish on his head and slammed the door in his face.

Karma really was a bitch then.

He had to beg Max to arrange a time where Steve could apologise properly, which she accepted after Steve offered to pay for two separate shopping trips with El and Dustin.

They met on a bench near the woods outside of Hawkins. Billy grunted, clearly impatient to get it over with so Steve talked.

As Steve explained his experiences as one of only two Jewish students through his four years of high school, Steve felt Billy’s hand creeping over to his. The look he got was no longer angry or hurt, but understanding. Steve apologised for the fight in November too and they decided to do over.

Most of the date was talking in Steve’s room. Talking about the horrendously embarrassing things Steve did in middle school, talking about Billy’s family back in Ireland, talking about where they were going to college. Normal teenager stuff.

Steve felt his eyes start to well up when he heard about Neil and how nonchalant Billy was describing the abuse he’d endured. That would never happen to him again. Not on Steve’s watch.

They may have ended the night reaching second base on Steve’s plaid covered bed until his mom decided to knock on his door, demanding to meet the first boy Steve had brought over since Jonathan.

Even after that, Billy still wanted to go on a second date. That was a miracle in itself and proof enough to Steve that Billy was the best date he’d ever had.

*quick note that I am Jewish and Jewish people being wary around goyim is completely understandable, this is just a little ficlet for Rosh Hashana

[maeswrites]

may god be more merciful than the man he created.

mae s // i don't pray often, but when i do, my prayer is this.

[aelenist--writng--process]

Religious Questions in your fantasy story

Let’s return to the questionnaire format. Here are some thoughts I consider when creating a religion.

1. What are the fundamental tenets of your religion?

These are essential. I’ve read many fantasy religions with detailed descriptions of temples, holy days, and rituals, but they often lack depth. What does this religion stand for? If a typical follower were asked to summarize their faith, would it be about sacred days and ornaments? Probably not, unless the faith is more respected during times of crisis than in daily life.

Often, fantasy religions default to models based on Christianity or Wicca—either focusing on forgiveness and love or on nature and agriculture. This doesn’t always make sense. For instance, a desert-dwelling people likely wouldn’t revere nature in the same way as a rural community would. Think about logical principles for your world. How do the inhabitants survive? Which gods do they believe are responsible for their well-being? What practical tasks could become religious rituals?

2. What are the relationships between the gods?

Many fantasy gods feel flat because they are created in isolation with stereotypical personalities. A goddess of fertility, for example, is often portrayed as calm and nurturing. What relationships do these gods have? Study mythologies to see how gods interacted. For instance, why was Apollo associated with poetry, medicine, and prophecy? These connections are complex and can enrich your narrative.

Even in a monotheistic setting, people will create stories about their gods. Explore how divine legends accumulate around a central figure.

3. How do gods interact with mortals?

In too many fantasy novels, gods interact in ways that bore the reader. The classic notion is that gods are so powerful they can solve everything with a wave of their hand, which leads authors to keep them distant. This is based on flawed assumptions about their power and influence.

Gods can be portrayed in various ways—distant, intrusive, or even indifferent. The key is consistency. If gods are distant, rituals and prayers should not yield visible results.

4. How does your religion handle apostasy, heresy, and non-believers?

Unless a religion is truly global, there will be issues with heresy. Historical conflicts show that religious wars can be brutal. Often, fantasy authors depict one religion as "good" and another as "evil," leading to cardboard characters and simplistic narratives. And where are the atheists and agnostics? Characters who don’t believe are rare in fantasy, yet many worlds should have them, raising questions about their silence or indifference.

Religion can be a deep source of conflict in fantasy if handled thoughtfully. Unfortunately, many authors simplify these complexities.