I've been thinking this over for some time, my husband has been writing a werewolf story for a while now, oriented it towards a graphic novel, the plot is AWESOME (imo- being his wife aside-and I'm pretty picky on plots).
Now, though the idea of vampires/werewolves are a sticky subject due to their references to curses, demons, etc can a good story that involves such themes that are popular to the modern culture (maybe not just the modern but you get the idea- though no sparkly vamps in this...it's just wrong!) can be created in a way to show Christian tones much in the way of Lord of the Rings, or The Hobbit does? Or is this considered "compromising" ? Which is one of the many things I do NOT want to do with the talent God has graced me with.
A woman once told me "oh good, christian comics shouldn't have violence in them", see, I like some blood and gore here and there (there is a point of excessive use, however) and some explosions, fights, good ol get down drag outs knuckle busters, but yet whenever it comes to "christian" comics, it seems we're "not supposed to do that".
Well, sometimes that's everyday life in the world, fights, disagreements, etc, depending on your plot and genre of course, but it seems even us as Christians think that comics are supposed to be all smiles, sunshine, roses and lollipops!...and that's where we get corny stories that bore people to tears (imo).
My pastor always says if you can't find it in the Bible to back it up, don't do it. Since the Bible is Gods Word and all manner of instruction (as we know) is in there, besides prayer over the subject.
I honestly feel like I'm in the box with my creativity due to this, if I know I can create something awesome and not just mediocre and still give God praise through it, I'll hit the roof with joy!
Your thoughts?
Replies
Matt Yocum said:
For more information go to: christiancomicarts.com/forum/topics/dementia-praecox scroll down to the vampires & werewolf video and keep in mind these verses-
Matthew 12:25-27
25 And Jesus knew their thoughts, and said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand:
26 And if Satan cast out Satan, he is divided against himself; how shall then his kingdom stand?
27 And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your children cast them out? therefore they shall be your judges.
Mark 3:23-26
23 And he called them unto him, and said unto them in parables, How can Satan cast out Satan?
24 And if a kingdom be divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.
25 And if a house be divided against itself, that house cannot stand.
26 And if Satan rise up against himself, and be divided, he cannot stand, but hath an end.
Luke 11:17-20
17 But he, knowing their thoughts, said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and a house divided against a house falleth.
18 If Satan also be divided against himself, how shall his kingdom stand? because ye say that I cast out devils through Beelzebub.
19 And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your sons cast them out? therefore shall they be your judges.
20 But if I with the finger of God cast out devils, no doubt the kingdom of God is come upon you.
Christina, I think the Bible records a great deal that God doesn't condone. Jesus himself told a story that was pretty violent with highly disagreeable characters (the story of the good Samaritan who was beaten pretty badly). If you are using your characters and situations as part of the story, not endorsing these characters and situations through the story, then I say go for it.
We have to be true and honest with our writing, and that means the world is a fallen place with fallen people. And they are going to act fallen. And in our fiction, those themes will certainly come out in sometimes fantastical ways.
Incidentally I have my own Christian-themed vampire story brewing in my head, titled "Communion" that opens the curtain on real-world demonic vampire cults.
Wish you all the best with this, and will keep it in prayer.
I am constantly amazed at the extent and wild diversity within Christian Fiction. There are certainly regular traveled (and relatively profitable) genres that enjoy a continual demand, Christian romance for example. Within that genre there's small amounts of innovation(time travel or some unexplored historical event) but, boiled down, its still romance... or cop-thriller...or apocalyptic horror; and in the hands of a talented storyteller, they can be entertaining and encouraging products.
However, several of CS Lewis's works changed the way I saw life and my Lord Jesus. The actions and viewpoints he expressed as the opinions of God, or the Christ-figure Aslan, never clashed with my view of scripture but went way, way past it. Because Lewis wrote it as fiction and not religion, readers felt the freedom to pick up and consider thoughts and wild possibilities in the comfort of their own reading chair without the threat of tarnishing their faith. Wow.
"Fantasy" and "Fantastic" share a common root. I'm going to leave parody-fantasies to those who are more clever and witty ( and there are many) and pray that God uses me to express at least one 'Fantastical, splendiferous' story.
I wouldn't do stories with werewolves or vampires simply because the market is saturated with them, but I wouldn't discourage anyone from using them to tell a Christian allegory. Humans tend to think of them as monsters, but you don't have to watch the news to see that human nature aka sin is rampantly worse. We were all born with the capability for evil. They can be used as villains or simply for drawing a parallel for redemption. There are many ways one can go.
Often I've heard the term compromise thrown around too much, especially when it pertains to the creative field, and it's really just a way for someone to look down on your walk. The things that God gives you creatively to reach the world are between you and him. When I was in Children's ministry, I was fortunate enough to work for a church that gave me free reign and I was able to use Spiderman and other superheroes as bible lessons. I think Amber hit the nail on the head. Let God be the guide.
"The Guardians of Avalon" instead.
Christina Cheek said:
Matt: Exactly my point! Also, I was talking with my husband on his comic, he said it's not really christian oriented or was he trying to get anything across ( my assumption) but that it's good vs bad werewolves, which led me to rewriting a story I've been working on in my spare time as a hobby for a few months. I'll be posting a few concept art character pages here soon. Hint: Lion Vs Wolf....
Matt Tirre said:
Buzz, very true, my pastor was just meaning that if you can't find a verse to back it up then it's probably not a good idea.
Buzz Dixon said:
I think its fine.
I think an important issue to address (for any previously mortal, now immortal creature) like vampires would be that they can't die of natural causes, and after the Fall in the garden of Eden our bodies were designed to NOT live forever. So it would just be harder to explain a good guy vampire.
As for violence - here's my stance on that. I have a lot of violence in my Rust Angel series - people get shot, hacked apart, and beaten up pretty good. The fact is that A) the bible is full of violent situations, and B) violence is often a good metaphor for internal struggle as well. Jesus said if an arm causes you to sin, cut it off. Now I'm not advocating that, but it paints a pretty vivid picture. Sin is a violent separation between us and God. The clashing of completely different viewpoints can often only result in violence.
And above all, I think it'd be cool. And whats the point of a comic if its not cool?
Oh great idea, thanks yes that has helped!
R.M.C. Haynes said:
Amber, Thanks so much, you really put a new perspective on it. I have asked God about it, but I think my main problem is that I want to do a few other types of comics whereas God is orienting me towards this one in particular to which I think the "simpler" style is what I'm fighting against in the flesh, so thanks for that, I know we all wrestle from time to time, but what I think would be just the "greatest thing" to do for comics seems to be what God is saying.. "not right now." and in which much of the way a child would do, I feel pouty about it.
Amber Parker said:
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