[LuthienTinuviel]

Thank you for your support and encouragement! ^_^

I have some written so far...but mayhaps it will take me time to actually post it. I just finished my English final paper today... 1 down, 4 to go

^_^ *wubs the people here is OS*

[SecretKeeper]

Just do what you think is right then post a disclaimer at the top of the chapter before allowing people to make up their minds on the matter. Besides, it's called individualism and you can always say you warned them. I'm not being helpful am I?

[JaneDoe]

I think incorporating religion into a fic can be a wonderful way to breathe life into it. However, one must exercise care not to turn people into caricatures. No matter what you put in your author's notes, it's still something you should be aware of. Treat other people's beliefs with the same sensitivity that you would your own. Most Muslims are not terrorists. Most evangelical Christians are not homophobes or chauvinists. Most pagans do not use their beliefs as an excuse to have indiscriminate sex. And so on and so forth.

For instance, if your story featured a major character who is an ethnic minority, and you fell back on the stereotypes people associated with that group, people would rightly be upset. Regardless of how well-meaning you are, perpetuating stereotypes doesn't do anybody any good. As someone who is often on the receiving end of such stereotypes, seeing the same old crap get recycled does not fill me up with warm fuzzy feelings, and seeing someone use their ignorance as an excuse really exacerbates the problem.

This may seem like I'm trying to dissuade you from writing, but that's not the case at all. I am saying that dealing with this requires more care than simply posting author's notes saying how much you don't know. It requires you to deal with the topic with as much sensitivity as it deserves. If this means talking with people who share the beliefs you're putting into your fic, reading some academic treatments of the subject, or going to the source material (Bible, Quran, Tibetan Book of the Dead, whatever), I'd encourage you to do so. Chances are it will enrich your story in a way that is different from most fanfic.

[Ania]

Hey Vana,

I'll be honest with you, I'm a Christian, and I think that you should go for it as long as you put a disclaimer upon the top of the chapter, then people have no right to complain as long as it's there, they can simply bypass the chapter, they have no right to complain.