Making a story with a gay angel character. How religous and atheist people would react to this?

Would this offend and alienate religious people, and would it alienate atheists and agnostics?

The angels in this story belong to a fictional religion that admittedly is inspired by some real religions, particularly Christianity, but it's not intended to represent Christianity or any religion, and is ultimately portrayed in a ambiguous manner. Sometimes the religion has positive and good effects, sometimes it causes problems for the characters. The goddess of the religion is benevolent but flawed.

I am concerned that religious people would find my story, and see it as attack on religion, or that it would otherwise be controversial with them because of the homosexuality. I chose to make some of the characters angels only because I like wings aesthetically, and I chose to make one of them gay because I like that. It was never intended to deliver any sort of aesop or commentary on real issues, but it does comes across this way. It's more of just a odd mix of elements I find appealing.

I also am concerned that atheists would see angel characters, and assume it's something super religious and not for them before giving it a chance, especially if I portray [[ Audience-Alienating Premise religion]] too positively or even ambiguously.

How do I handle this in a way that doesn't attract controversy because of coming off as offensive, or result in a Audience-Alienating Premise situation? Or am I just over thinking things?

I don't think you'll have to worry about Atheist audience members being offended. Christian mythology is sort of just a part of the general fabric of fiction nowadays. I'm an Atheist, and it doesn't stop me from enjoying Lucifer or Constantine.

I'm religious and couldn't give any more of a damn about my angel characters being gay or not. Keep in mind that you're dealing with the Theme Park Version of angels, with them being humans with wings instead of geometrical Eldritch Abominations, so you're not really stepping on the toes on any religious people here.

I'd say you're overthinking this. For one, you're going with Crystal Dragon Jesus, so you're free to introduce whatever changes you desire. For other, the Christians who get offended at the fictional portrayal of angels are very much a minority - kindly keep that in mind. Third, unless your story focuses on the gayness of the angel and you call attention to the fact that the angel is gay, you're not really delivering any sort of social commentary. Fourth, by now angels are pretty much a trope, and they've been present in dozens of works, not all of them by Christian authors. As a trope, an angel is a fantasy creature like a dragon or a troll, so I highly doubt atheists would have problem with that. And finally, you're creating a fictional religion. You do not have to worry about offending real life faiths.

Oh trust me, you'll definitely offend someone. There's no escaping it really. Are there Christians who'll be offended by a gay angel, or a gay angel expy? Most assuredly, and probably Jews and Muslims who'll be offended by it too. There are those among the faiths that ascribe to a belief in angels who'd be offended by attributing any kind of sexuality to an angel. But for pete's sake, don't worry about it. It's inconsequential.

A good rule of thumb in writing and creative freedom in general is knowing that 1) not everyone will like what you create, and 2) someone will get offended. Know that it's inevitable shouldn't discourage you, but rather encourage you. If it will happen any which way, does it really matter? Why stifle your ideas if you'll piss off the same crowd no matter what? Go big or go home.

edited 27th Mar '17 11:17:06 PM by SkullySnot

I definitely support your idea about the angels and homosexuality. I believe there would be at least one or two people who find it interesting...

There is a population of LGBT Christians, right?

Howdy! I'm a bi/pan/"unsettling gender reveal is not a thing for me, call it what you wish"sexual, conservative member of the CEC. (Charismatic-Episcopal Church, or "Three-Streams Church.") My parents know about it, and they have yet to get upset over it.

As for the actual thread, from my perspective, if you are trying to tell a story in which celestial powers exist an interact, the head figure is a female entity who is good, but not perfect, and her servants are winged people-like biological organisms with fears, desires, temptations, and sexuality, then the Christian group is going to have complainers. The two big ones would be...

1. "It's focusing on a lifestyle that I find sinful," says one guy who, similarly, wouldn't read a story about any other person who has casual sex, but would likely enjoy Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter.

2. "It's twisting the namesake of my good religion! How dare they slander our faith?" says a person who didn't bother to do the research, as I know some will do.

I'm mostly curious as to what kind of role these two elements are going to play in your story. Is this some sort of "Clergy member winds up on the other team," story, where these elements are front-and-center? I don't really care for those because I don't care for internal drama quite as much, and advertising it might turn off some people. Is it an action story? Are these elements meant to go "with" the story, as opposed to the focus, as the title somewhat suggests? That might go over better.

Regardless, I don't think you should worry too much about turning off people if this is the type of story you want to tell. If you're trying to appease everyone else, you'll never appease them all, and you'll be unhappy yourself.

You have my blessing. Got get 'em, pal!

Not Christian but I was raised Catholic, and I really don't think you should worry when shows like Supernatural freely mingle Christianity with other religions as a matter of course.

And I also have a story idea involving an angel helping out a suicidal teenager, who starts out as male but gender-neutral, functions as gay-appearing because he doesn't get the implications in America of two young men being physically affectionate with each other, and then he just doesn't really care about them after he learns. He ends up gay when he spends too much time on earth and romantically (and magically) falls for said teenager.

When I had the first chapter read by some classmates a few years back, they liked my writing style and the only thing they cared about was "remember to capitalize "He/His/Him" for God's pronouns." Granted, it was WAY before anything about the LGBT parts came in, but nobody really minded that I used angels for a story idea.

edited 15th Jun '17 11:35:54 AM by Sharysa

I have to agree, very strongly, with the second point that NoSpoilerz made. It's a bit hilarious and at the same time a bit sad that it happened, but people did indeed decide that instead of looking at the angels as they were supposed to be they are instead human-like beings with wings who radiate glory and goodness, when they are actually closer to the creatures that H.P.Lovecraft puts in his stories than they are to anything human-like.

So yeah, they will get offended, but in the end it's their own ignorance and/or narcissism that makes them feel that way, so they don't really have any ground to stand on.

"How religous and atheist people would react to this?"

Not important. Such religious people that would be inclined to object are likely not the kind of people whose opinions are worth considering anyway. Ditto such Atheists that would be alienated by a religious setting.

Well, what a lot (if not most) people believe is more based on folk traditions more-or-less inspired by the theology of the faith they claim to adhere to. Even if it's inaccurate or inconsistent with what their proclaimed faith actually teaches, it's still what they themselves believe. That's it doesn't jibe with what the Bible says isn't really an argument for or against it (saying "I believe this because it's in the Bible" isn't really any better than saying "I believe this because it's what my family and community have taught me").

My point is, you're not going to be able to win an argument with people who decide to dislike your work because they feel it offends what they believe. You may feel you've won the argument, you may have won the argument based on all the rules of debate, but you're not likely to convince your opponent that you're right. So don't worry about it.