Tuesday, 04 August 2009
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Is it Okay for a Christian Author to Write a Murder Mystery?
So I have a quandary, I can't really decide what to do about it. I write, quite a bit, and the other day I got this absolutely brilliant idea for a book.
I even started to write it out for a rough draft, but then I started wondering. See the idea was about a murder mystery. I believe strongly in God and that murder isn't something that is right or needed, but is it any different when you are writing about a murder of a fictional character?
I don't want to be responsible for causing someone to stumble in their faith, but I also feel that it's not that different from watching CSI or something along those lines, but I really am not quite sure of what to do about this. Not trying to brag or anything, but this idea is really amazing.
Maybe I should use a pen name but that seems like I'm ashamed of what I'm writing, and I'm not...I want to...but I'm curious of what the general opinion is. I know that some of you might be against it, and that's totally cool. I just wonder if you were having this great idea, would you use it? Would you be offended if you read a mystery and then later found out that the author was a Christian? Would you be confused?
So what do you think? Can someone still follow God, claim to know Him, and state that the Bible is true and murder is wrong, while still writing a murder mystery?
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About the Author
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- From: chinasparrow@xanga
- Name: Stephanie
- About Me: I am an unashamed bookworm, who re-reads over and over again. I am a lover of rain and writing. I am a chocolaholic with no hope of recovery. I am obssessed with God and with finding Truth in everything, even when it's not popular. I am heading home to a place I have never been, but has been haunting my dreams since I was a kid. I am a vagabond, a bohemian gypsy who just happens to be a princess in disguise.
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Comments (34)
Jesus told stories, and in some of them, people sinned.
Programs like CSI have a lot of moral value to them. They show how a group of men and women work together to catch the bad guy and bring him to justice. The apprehension of the perp is done with intelligence, style and heart.
Programs like NCIS with Mark Harmon and company are such a blast because of all the quirky main characters.
If your story is like those I can't wait to read it!!
God gave us creative minds for some reason. He likes to create doesn't he?? As long as you don't sin in writing the book, why not?? But keep a check on your pride if it's successful or you may already have success in Christian writing. If that's the case, keep a check on your pride in it, too.
That's a tough one. Murder IS sin..... Hmmmmm
Christian authors Ted Dekker and Frank Peretti write most of their books about mysteries involving serial killers and homicidal maniacs. Yet, they are two of the most read Christian authors. There's nothing wrong with writing about murder if you aren't glorifying it and asking people to murder as well. Crime happens. Christians have a perspective on it, too. So, more power to you.
@stuartandabby@xanga - That's right. Many of Jesus' stories involved violence and murder, such as the one about the vineyard tenents who kill the owner's son.
I think as long as the murderer is brought to justice then there isn't anything wrong with it.
Nothing wrong with a story that shows the good people winning and the bad people losing while enforcing that murder is wrong.
@stuartandabby@xanga - Ditto.
@kaybaby666@xanga - But that doesn't always happen in real life..why should it have to happen in stories we tell?
Stories are stories. I don't know if it would be a good idea to glorify sin (whether it's murder, theft, crime, etc.), but simply telling a story about something doesn't mean that the author condones every action in the story.
You aren't commiting the murder, and you aren't condoning murder. Is it wrong for a Christian news anchor to report a murder? No. So there isn't a reason that writing such a story would be wrong. Plus, murder mystery means there is someone trying to solve the crime and possible the suspect gets aprehended which can bring a moral to the story.
@subSacred@xanga - thats what makes being creative so much fun. you can make whatever you want happen. stories can show what the author wants to happen or what the author doesn't want to happen (which can serve as a warning to others depending on the story).
in reality bad people get away with bad things but even if those people aren't punished in this world they will be in the next. in the end there are always people out there trying to stop people from committing a sin, such as murder, and many times they are successful.
@Theophilus166@xanga - Agreed!
...does it really matter?
Just read Flannery O'Connor. She was what I considered to be the "mother of theology" and she had plenty of murder and sin in her stories. Excellent writer and able to find the profound in all that she wrote about.
It's just fine, but be sensitive and try to avoid any glorifying of crime. And if this book is going to be as good as you say, then I would have to read it.
I don't even see why it should be an issue. I don't claim to be a Christian, but if I read a good murder mystery, I honestly wouldn't care what religion the author was. It wouldn't turn me off of Christianity.
From a literary standpoint, stories often revolve around some form of conflict, usually either with nature, with another person, or with oneself. If everyone was perfect in stories, the last two would definitely be out. And usually in murder mysteries, there's a detective trying to catch the killer and bring him/her to justice, so it's definitely not condoning murder. If you wrote a book about why we should all kill at least one person in our lives and the best ways to do it, that would creep me out (unless it was obviously satire). But writing a story where someone is murdered and someone else is trying to figure out how it happened...how is that a problem?
@stuartandabby@xanga - Ghort and to the point..good. Too bad not everyone leaves comments like this....
Is this really an issue?? I'm a Christian that reads all kinds of books--fiction, non-fiction, romance, horror, mystery, and even erotica...
Seriously, now...
I don't think you should even worry about it. Write what you want =]
Do yourself a favor: Read the Father Brown stories by G. K. Chesterton, and then you'll know the answer, and how.
(Alternatively, the Lord Peter Wimsey mysteries by Dorothy Sayers. I like Father Brown myself, but Lord Peter is not without his admirers.)
I just read a christian mystery/drama where people got killed. Murder is most certainly wrong, but I'm sure you could put a christian twist to it. I'm proud of you for having a soft heart about this, though.
i would just like to point out that i've never, ever, EVER read a murder mystery in which murder is condoned. just thought i'd throw that out there. so. ya know. for me it's an easy answer, and this is it: big deal.
I can totally feel for you on that because I to am a Christian(catholic) and I'm trying to write my own werewolf novel. So go ahead write it heck if the ask you that why you a christian are writing a murder novel just answer them I love watching csi and ncis and became inspired to write it.
i guess if you wrote something along the line of "Saw", it might cause some raised eyebrows. but like CSI, i think you're fine.
do people get murdered? yes. is there mystery invovled sometimes? yes.
i think youre cool dude.
So... nobody is gonna mention the whole "you sin in your mind, you sin in real life" stuff?
I wonder how many people read the masturbation post? I mean, I wank to hentai (Japanese animated porn), none of the characters are real, so it should be ok... at least, if killing fake people is ok, I don't see how screwing fake people would be wrong.
Then again, perhaps most people think masturbation is wrong because they assume you masturbate with the image of a real person in mind...
So... feel free to write the murder mystery, as long as you don't use any real life people as the characters in it.
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Note: I'm an atheist and in my honest opinion, even if it WAS wrong by a religious standard to write a murder mystery, I wouldn't care. By all means, break out the pen and paper and enjoy yourself!