Post by DarkPhoenix on Jun 7, 2009 20:18:18 GMT -6
Religion in the Context of WCC
As some readers may have noticed, religion does not appear very often in the story, so when it does appear in one form or another, it’s generally significant and noteworthy. Within the series, there are three characters who embody three different views of religion. I thought that it might be interesting to discuss them here.
I. “I’m Not Religious, But I’m Spiritual”
Valo, with regard to religion, makes for an interesting situation. Her religion is only mentioned once (Wiccan), yet we never see her doing anything specifically related to her religion. We are, however, informed that she was raised Catholic. When she is faced with great difficulty, she is shown praying, whether it’s a traditional Catholic prayer or just voicing her thoughts and concerns. She seems to derive comfort from this act; however, it is not the main focus of her actions in day to day life. In other words, she views prayer and such related activities as a way of coping with adversity, rather than a lifestyle.
II. Hypocrite
Elizabeth… the infamous frenemy of Gabby. She alone deserves pages devoted to her and her actions, but we’ll save that for another time. For now, we’ll just examine her actions as it relates to religion within the context of the story. Elizabeth is shown to frequently deride the society in which she was raised, which had a strong religious focus. She points out various flaws within the system, yet does nothing to alter things for the better. She seems to suggest a lack of belief, or perhaps a loss of belief. However, her actions speak otherwise, suggesting more of a combination of the religion into which she was indoctrinated and nihilism. She attempts to discourage Gabby from trying to help change things; Elizabeth believes that the world is doomed either way, not to mention that she seems to feel that the people of this world deserve such a fate. Given that the religion she was raised in had a strong focus on death, we can infer that the teachings still remain within her, whether she is aware of this or not. Indeed, we could interpret her attempt to kill Gabby as perhaps doing something beneficial within the eyes of her society. In short, Elizabeth very much embodies the beliefs of her society, despite her insulting words about the life she was raised in. The very last time she is seen, she is implied to be running for some kind of official position (perhaps trying to take over since the Diggory dynasty has been ended?).
III. Pure Religion, or Christ Figure?
And, of course, we can’t forget about Gabrielle “Gabby”/Grace Agnes Gibson. In many ways, she can be interpreted as being a Christ-like figure. Both her birth name (Grace Agnes) and the name she took on later (Gabrielle) have Judeo-Christian connotations. In addition, her behavior is very much a self-sacrifice; she gives her own life in order to ensure a better world for everyone else. Her words to Elizabeth make this quite clear: “You said we were like gods. Well, consider this a deus ex machina of sorts. Your idea of a god is firmly planted in what you were taught-- that to be a god means letting people die. But I understand the truth, that being a god means sacrifice, and, sometimes, that means self-sacrifice. To save the innocents, sometimes you must be willing to give up your own life. It’s not about power, it’s about compassion.” Of course, Gabby is in no way Christ; she’s flawed and completely human. However, her compassion allows her to see that as imperfect as people are, they deserve the chance to live a good life. She saw redeeming qualities in the CNC team that made them worth the sacrifice.
As some readers may have noticed, religion does not appear very often in the story, so when it does appear in one form or another, it’s generally significant and noteworthy. Within the series, there are three characters who embody three different views of religion. I thought that it might be interesting to discuss them here.
I. “I’m Not Religious, But I’m Spiritual”
Valo, with regard to religion, makes for an interesting situation. Her religion is only mentioned once (Wiccan), yet we never see her doing anything specifically related to her religion. We are, however, informed that she was raised Catholic. When she is faced with great difficulty, she is shown praying, whether it’s a traditional Catholic prayer or just voicing her thoughts and concerns. She seems to derive comfort from this act; however, it is not the main focus of her actions in day to day life. In other words, she views prayer and such related activities as a way of coping with adversity, rather than a lifestyle.
II. Hypocrite
Elizabeth… the infamous frenemy of Gabby. She alone deserves pages devoted to her and her actions, but we’ll save that for another time. For now, we’ll just examine her actions as it relates to religion within the context of the story. Elizabeth is shown to frequently deride the society in which she was raised, which had a strong religious focus. She points out various flaws within the system, yet does nothing to alter things for the better. She seems to suggest a lack of belief, or perhaps a loss of belief. However, her actions speak otherwise, suggesting more of a combination of the religion into which she was indoctrinated and nihilism. She attempts to discourage Gabby from trying to help change things; Elizabeth believes that the world is doomed either way, not to mention that she seems to feel that the people of this world deserve such a fate. Given that the religion she was raised in had a strong focus on death, we can infer that the teachings still remain within her, whether she is aware of this or not. Indeed, we could interpret her attempt to kill Gabby as perhaps doing something beneficial within the eyes of her society. In short, Elizabeth very much embodies the beliefs of her society, despite her insulting words about the life she was raised in. The very last time she is seen, she is implied to be running for some kind of official position (perhaps trying to take over since the Diggory dynasty has been ended?).
III. Pure Religion, or Christ Figure?
And, of course, we can’t forget about Gabrielle “Gabby”/Grace Agnes Gibson. In many ways, she can be interpreted as being a Christ-like figure. Both her birth name (Grace Agnes) and the name she took on later (Gabrielle) have Judeo-Christian connotations. In addition, her behavior is very much a self-sacrifice; she gives her own life in order to ensure a better world for everyone else. Her words to Elizabeth make this quite clear: “You said we were like gods. Well, consider this a deus ex machina of sorts. Your idea of a god is firmly planted in what you were taught-- that to be a god means letting people die. But I understand the truth, that being a god means sacrifice, and, sometimes, that means self-sacrifice. To save the innocents, sometimes you must be willing to give up your own life. It’s not about power, it’s about compassion.” Of course, Gabby is in no way Christ; she’s flawed and completely human. However, her compassion allows her to see that as imperfect as people are, they deserve the chance to live a good life. She saw redeeming qualities in the CNC team that made them worth the sacrifice.