: Re: How to write a sincerely religious protagonist without preaching or affirming or judging their worldview? I am writing a book in which one of my main characters is a devout Catholic. His struggles

@Margaret427

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What should I include or avoid in my story to ensure that the reader can empathize with this protagonist but not feel that I am either evangelizing or sending anti-religious messages?

Treat the character fairly, and present the character's views as-is.

If religion is not he point of the story, then simply write a character that is motivated by the precepts of his faith. I can't see clearly from your OP if the character himself is judgemental or preachy. If the character is not intended to be preachy, then this isn't really an issue at all. Simply present the character as a devout Catholic at the time would be.

To some modern readers the tenets of the church would be unappealing. But, keep in mind that the base of your readers might be broader than you seem to think. There are many people in the world who are Catholic (like, a billion of them) and would view a faithful Catholic positively.

Alas, I was not born in Victorian England, so I can't tell you what the church emphasized at that point. But the generic, timeless homily subjects include

regular attendance at mass and confession
faithfully giving to the poor and to charity,
prayers for the pope and for national leaders and other local concerns, and
encouragement to witness Christ in your daily life.

In the late 1800s, the Catholic church was not very strong in England. Catholics had only relatively recently been allowed to own land and participate in politics, and as such were something of a persecuted minority; although by 1850 and later liberalism had dispersed much of the previous prejudice. Catholicism would have been more strongly associated with the Irish; an unpleasant association at the time, to be sure.

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