Humanist fantasy and atheist fandom

[sqbr]

Within about twenty minutes of finding out about atheist_fandom I posted some thoughts about humanist fantasy that have been noodling around in my brain with all the discussion of religion in fandom. It's written for an atheist audience so I didn't bother justifying why I need the occasional antidote to religious fantasy, I'm a little worried it comes across as actively anti-religious which was not my intention.

It is raining! It hasn't rained here in a very long time, even by Western Australian standards. (EDIT: Wow. That was quite a storm! I lost power for a full day! Other people had flooding, golf ball size hailstones, the works!)

Comments

[furikku]

It doesn't really sound anti-religious to me.

I feel kinda weird in these sorts of things because I'm a Faithful Xtian, so to me the kinda "anti-God/god" fiction is like someone saying bad and untrue things about my family. XD But then, I also prefer stuff that has NO real evidence of a deity one way or the other, beyond "This is what these people worship." The minute an actual deity gets manifested and all, I just stop caring. :/

(Which is why Reliquary has lots of supernatural goodies but will never have any direct divine intervention. It's more fun if things are left ambiguous!)

[sqbr]

Despite being an atheist I still have residual affection for Christianity and religion so so feel a bit offended on religious people's/Christians behalf when I encounter really strongly anti God stuff, especially when it's obviously attacking a specific real religion (Christianity is a common target, but even as a Christian I didn't like the Allah=the Devil subtext to the Narnia books). I prefer "They're not all bad, but aren't All Good either".

Ambiguity can be good too! It certainly makes it easier to avoid inadvertently creating propaganda promoting whatever one's own religious bias is.

[furikku]

Yeah, I am AOK* with atheism; it's a valid reaction to the world and all. But I want people to be able to choose religion if that's their bag, and I've encountered a lot of atheists that are about as evangelical as some of the worst Xtian elements. :(

Part of the reason that Deus Really Ex Machina bugs me, I think, is that it's the opposite of how I was taught God works- there are miracles and all, but for the most part one can best see God's work in subtle things. (Well, that and I'm all about subtlety in storytelling, so yeah.)

* If puzzled and sad/disappointed, but that doesn't matter much!

[sqbr]

Oh, yes, my grandparents were evangelical atheists and gave my mum all sorts of crap about converting to Christianity, so I try really hard not to be like that myself.

I agree that Deus Ex Machina is generally a bad device. I guess when I say I like gods in fiction I like beings who are worshipped as gods, since that brings up all sorts of interesting theological issues, but not actual omnipotent Gods since they do warp the story. (Thus I enjoyed bits of Stargate, for all it's crapness)

[aquaeri]

If it can't come across as anti-religious in atheist_fandom, where? :-).

Heading off to read (and maybe subscribe).

[sqbr]

Well, sure, if you want to be, but that wasn't my intention :)