I was getting ready to type up my general response, when I found this most excellent springboard:
tenebroust Wrote:If God is your thing that's cool, but fiction is about suspension of disbelief. Fiction is designed to create an alternate reality where the story as presented has context and meaning.
Short answer: Please explain that to the Brits who
report their professed faith as "Jedi Knight."
But seriously...
One of the things I found enjoyable in FPW's writing was his human portraits. We all have our shortcomings, some more than others. Even nuns. Every one of the characters I encountered reminded me of someone I've met in my life. The spectrum of people in RJ is something I can't hope to duplicate in my amateur short stories.
However, when the topic ventures into the supernatural (not just in RJ), I have learned to be on my guard. I have listened to ordained ministers, supposedly the full-time professional spiritual warriors, questioning the existence of all the invisible creation. It usually started with their attempts to rationalize the Christian world-view into anything from "outdated myth" to "totally backwards." Such reasoning always led to a world-view that was devoid of every belief I hold dear about God's philanthropy.
Please do not think I am advocating censorship. I am a long-time supporter of the "marketplace of ideas" concept; FPW's freedom to publish RJ books is the same as my freedom to comment on them.
I do want to address a specific point:
Biggles Wrote:In our Orthodox liturgy, we are told to set aside "all Earthly cares"; yet that does not make us part of the "Otherness" to which Jack refers.
Perhaps not RJ's "Truly Awful" realm, but the whole point of the Orthodox Divine Liturgy is to transcend "all Earthly cares" that interfere with our healing and restoration to the Divine community.
Thanks to FPW for graciously allowing me to comment further on his board.