#PretendPanel
Fiction: I don’t look for religion as a major theme. If it’s touched upon, fine, but I don’t want to feel I’m being preached to.
Non-fiction: again it wouldn’t be my go-to theme. I’m more interested in it as political, cultural or historical context than in religion itself.

I taught World Religions in high school for many years, so religion is something I like to read about, from the meditative works of Thomas Merton, to more historical stuff like Mary Boyce.

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Morning #pretendpanel, I'm answering for the 11th early

So far I've only touched on religion/spirituality in the WIP, but I do need my St Anthony of Padua statue blessed to join Lord Humungus as my writing buddy

One story idea is religiously themed though

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I do sometimes read books about religion. I grew up in a "non-denominational charismatic Christian" family--so many stories I could tell--and I'm untangling what that means for me now (having gone another way). I like reading books that give historical perspective and context.

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#PretendPanel Reigion has a small place. I actively read the bible (and religious books) but not always. I just started the book of Luke three days ago.

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#PretendPanel went through a few drafts on this one. It's a very loaded topic, and I don't think anyone wants to hear my thoughts on it. Suffice to say, I prefer when stories don't involved religion at all, at this point.

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As a pagan I actively read a lot of books about my craft. Mostly reading about the deities I work with and about spell crafting.

Oh goodness

I'M OBSESSED!

I read & watch as much about comparative religion as much as I can

I view religion as a record of the collective unconscious

Everything good and bad about our speicies

I try and capture the whole spectrum of belief and ritual best I can for authenticity

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Fictional religions, I'll read about them, it can be really interesting. However, I don't read a lot of pro-Christian stuff, particularly if it's too much like the version I grew up with. I have too much religious trauma for that shit.

I almost DNF'd Stephen King's Desperation. 1/2

In non-fic, I'm fascinated by religion. As a pagan raised by atheists, I have no horse in the organised religion race. I just love learning about belief systems, spiritual mythology etc.

In fiction, I LOVE corrupt religious activity and symbolism, the more fucked up the better.

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It's hard to find work that looks hard at religious abuse and for-profit religion that does not simultanously make fun of everyday people for having faith, but it's usually a good read when done well. #pretendpanel

Happy FriYAY, #PretendPanel!

Give me ALL THE RELIGION! Reading about religions from all over the world has been a BIG part of deprogramming. And, has helped me shape my path. I will say... I read them all with the understanding that they're merely myths. Stories to help us understand each other.

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A good 2/3rds of Shadows & Sorcery is me taking a religious concept and running off with them in another direction, I have 20+ open tabs of esoteric theology open at all times on my phone, and my laptop has a folder to contain even more, so I'd say it has a pretty central role😂
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-pray for me.
This is a Hail Mary moment here. I know I shouldn't be posting about religion and faith at all, I apologize. But as Easter has passed, and Tax Day (April 15) is almost here, it's a matter of days before I lose healthcare.
I'm scared I won't see 40.

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I told my boyfriend about this, I told his mom, and you are next to find out. I still haven't posted this on my private Facebook account.
I can't live without my meds, and if I stop them, I will be ordered to be hospitalized.
Do me a favor, if you're Christian...

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-Social Security benefits coming, I get a check every month, and I'm too young to get Medicare, regardless of my mental illnesses and my disability, so basically, with the "One Big Beautiful" (really UGLY) law that Trump signed- Trump signed my death order.

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I'm basically a happy Christian who is afraid for her safety in a world where nowhere is safe, and I try to educate myself on anything before things get scarier and crazier.
To be honest, I may be losing my Medicaid health benefits soon because I now have-

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-no matter what pronouns you use, you are deserving of love and should be loved regardless of anything. God said to love your neighbor, even your immigrant neighbors- foreigners- and what ICE does is absolutely criminal. And now, we're at war? Makes no sense.

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It's important to note that I'm one of those Christians who think that the fat rich politicians are shameful, for they're like the Pharisees that Jesus condemned in the Temple. And I still believe that no matter who you are, no matter where you came from-

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-compassion for the poor and the meek. I do know my Bible, from the book of Matthew, that says, "Blessed are the poor in spirit- Blessed are those who mourn- Blessed are the meek- Blessed are those pure in heart, they shall see God..."
Shouldn't that be true for all?

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-and everyone deserves love, for that's what God wants, doesn't it?
Last I checked, God wanted everyone to love each other, no conditions. What the politics are doing in the U.S. now is absolutely sinful, for they have only respect for the rich people and no love or-

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-other sides, being a former journalist and wanting to be objective of subjects. I tend to read all over the place to be better as a writer. I always come back to God, and I still have very progressive beliefs that God will forgive all.
I still believe love is love-

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-beautiful 'Action Bible', which is a very good graphic novel version of Old Testament and New Testament, so everyone can get to learn about this.
As for my reading of other genres, I tend to sometimes keep it secular to learn what other people read to understand-

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I still don't impose my faith on people, and that's why I hesitate to write about it in posts or in my writings. There's a bigger reason why I chose to turn back to God, and it goes back to 2020 while my dad was dying.
I still pray at night, I still read a-

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-where Lennox puts things, religion and faith in perspective: That God was put on a Cross for a reason, that He suffers with us, even as we go through dark times. And in his math findings, you can't just create life from nothing.
This is what made me a Christian but-

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-Dr. John Lennox and Dr. James Tour, a mathematician and a biochemist, respectively, who believe in the resurrection and life of Jesus and the fact that God is still speaking. There's an awesome book Lennox wrote about COVID19: Where is God in a Coronavirus World-

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This might be a lengthy post, I don't know, but we'll see...
Faith is very big to me, but I understand and don't want to impose my religion on anyone else, I don't want to look pushy, unlike my evil grandmother.
However, I tend to listen to and read-

#PretendPanel Apr 10: I find religions fascinating and love reading about both real-world and invented faiths -- when they're well-integrated into the world and story. Some books can be quite lazy about them, giving us pastiches of what they *think* classical paganism or medieval Christianity were.

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I've read the Bible, the Quran and much of the Upanishads. The Routledge Companion to Natural Theology and four books by prominent "intelligent design" proponents. Also, CS Lewis's The Problem of Pain and The Screwtape Letters. A smattering of Aquinas and that ilk. I think I'm done.

#PretendPanel I find all religion fascinating, though I'm a practicing pagan, myself. I gravitate towards stories about losing religion or being conflicted between your moral compass and who you are as a person, especially in vampires and monster stories.

When I was in college, I took a -

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