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{{trope}} |
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{{quote|''"He did not often feel the need for a physical expression of his religious feeling. Like Brion [his deceased brother and the last king], he preferred to witness for his faith through the example of an upright life, rather than spend overmuch time on his knees, in a building that took the place of belief for many folk."''|''[[Deryni|The King's Justice]]'' by [[Katherine Kurtz]]}} |
{{quote|''"He did not often feel the need for a physical expression of his religious feeling. Like Brion [his deceased brother and the last king], he preferred to witness for his faith through the example of an upright life, rather than spend overmuch time on his knees, in a building that took the place of belief for many folk."''|''[[Deryni|The King's Justice]]'' by [[Katherine Kurtz]]}} |
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Picture an author at work, creating a hero. The notes and the drafts cover many traits: height and weight, the colour of his hair and eyes, what clothes he wears, where he lives, where he went to school, what family he has, even his favourite food and the playlist on his mp3 player. References to all these things and more are worked into the story, but one topic doesn't come up much: his religion. Not that he necessarily doesn't have one (he might or he might not); he just doesn't talk about it, and the world in which he moves, while it has one or more thriving religions, doesn't make a big deal of it either. Why is that? |
Picture an author at work, creating a hero. The notes and the drafts cover many traits: height and weight, the colour of his hair and eyes, what clothes he wears, where he lives, where he went to school, what family he has, even his favourite food and the playlist on his mp3 player. References to all these things and more are worked into the story, but one topic doesn't come up much: his religion. Not that he necessarily doesn't have one (he might or he might not); he just doesn't talk about it, and the world in which he moves, while it has one or more thriving religions, doesn't make a big deal of it either. Why is that? |
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{{examples}} |
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== [[Anime]] and [[Manga]] == |
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* Much of the SSS in ''[[Angel Beats!]]'', but especially Yuri Nakamura. |
* Much of the SSS in ''[[Angel Beats!]]'', but especially Yuri Nakamura. |
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== [[Literature]] == |
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⚫ | * With the notable exception of Brutha from ''[[Discworld/Small Gods|Small Gods]]'', none of the [[Point of View]] characters in the ''[[Discworld]]'' pay much attention to any of the Disc's many gods (''[[Discworld/The Last Hero|The Last Hero]]'' notwithstanding). And Brutha is more spiritual than religious, despite caring for an avatar of his god. |
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* Despite the medieval setting and the presence of many clerical characters, some characters in the [[Deryni]] works are less than devout. |
* Despite the medieval setting and the presence of many clerical characters, some characters in the [[Deryni]] works are less than devout. |
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** Nigel Haldane: The opening quotation describes him preparing to have his nephew King Kelson trigger some of the family's arcane powers in him. Given that he's facing an unfamiliar arcane ritual that also makes him confront the unwelcome possibility that he may become king himself, he feels the need to pray: "A little awkwardly, then, he bowed his head and framed his thoughts in a far more formal petition than was usually his wont..." |
** Nigel Haldane: The opening quotation describes him preparing to have his nephew King Kelson trigger some of the family's arcane powers in him. Given that he's facing an unfamiliar arcane ritual that also makes him confront the unwelcome possibility that he may become king himself, he feels the need to pray: "A little awkwardly, then, he bowed his head and framed his thoughts in a far more formal petition than was usually his wont..." |
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** Alaric Morgan fits as well, partly in contrast to his more devout cousin Duncan McLain. Morgan once used his magic to contact his aide-de-camp during a religious service, and used fasting as a cover/excuse when he fainted from the effort. The morning after the knightly accolades of Kelson, Conall, and Dhugal, Morgan arrives late to an Ash Wednesday Mass, having stayed up to celebrate with Nigel and an excellent port the night before. He is elsewhere described as being uncomfortable with the idea of receiving the attention of Heaven. He does ask his cousin to give him a blessing (after said cousin became a bishop), and Duncan expresses some surprise at this request; it happens on the day Duncan (who is like a brother to Morgan) was leaving on a military campaign, with the unspoken possibility they night not see each other again. |
** Alaric Morgan fits as well, partly in contrast to his more devout cousin Duncan McLain. Morgan once used his magic to contact his aide-de-camp during a religious service, and used fasting as a cover/excuse when he fainted from the effort. The morning after the knightly accolades of Kelson, Conall, and Dhugal, Morgan arrives late to an Ash Wednesday Mass, having stayed up to celebrate with Nigel and an excellent port the night before. He is elsewhere described as being uncomfortable with the idea of receiving the attention of Heaven. He does ask his cousin to give him a blessing (after said cousin became a bishop), and Duncan expresses some surprise at this request; it happens on the day Duncan (who is like a brother to Morgan) was leaving on a military campaign, with the unspoken possibility they night not see each other again. |
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* [[Defective Detective|Detective]] [[Knight in Sour Armor|Meyer Landsman]] of ''[[The Yiddish Policemen's |
* [[Defective Detective|Detective]] [[Knight in Sour Armor|Meyer Landsman]] of ''[[The Yiddish Policemen's Union]]'' is obviously culturally and ethnically Jewish, religiously agnostic. Landsman's personal issues, including his (lack of) religious identity, are a major subplot. |
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⚫ | * Jeff, the main character of [[Community]] is agnostic and opts for not talking about religion to keep the peace in the study group, whereas all other characters have relatively strong religious or atheistic beliefs: "To me, religion is like Paul Rudd. I see the appeal and I would never take it away from anyone, but I would also never stand in line for it." |
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⚫ | * ''[[Dresden Files]]'': Harry Dresden is not religious, despite working for archangels, being friends with holy knights on payroll from God Himself, and seeing how incredibly powerful faith can be. He is a direct inversion of the most common application of this trope - instead of being too heroic for silly little churches to bear his awesomeness and insight, he adores religion, but [[Self-Deprecation|thinks he's not a good enough person]] to be associated with it. |
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⚫ | * ''[[Firefly]]'' |
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== [[Live-Action TV]] == |
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⚫ | * Jeff, the main character of ''[[Community]]'', is agnostic and opts for not talking about religion to keep the peace in the study group, whereas all other characters have relatively strong religious or atheistic beliefs: "To me, religion is like Paul Rudd. I see the appeal and I would never take it away from anyone, but I would also never stand in line for it." |
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⚫ | * ''[[Firefly]]'': Shepherd Book is a Christian preacher, and Inara is apparently Buddhist. The other characters don't have a problem with an open display of religion, but [[Big Damn Hero|Mal]] most definitely does. "You're welcome on my ship...God ain't." He's not an atheist<ref>at least according to Nathan Fillion</ref> or at least he didn't used to be (in a blink and you'll miss it moment during the Battle of Serenity Valley in the pilot, he's shown kissing a cross he's wearing around his neck); since the War of Independence he's just become either agnostic or angry at God (or both). |
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== [[Web Comics]] == |
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{{quote|'''[[Celestial Bureaucracy|Bureaucratic Deva]]''': Let me ask you something why did you never consider becoming a cleric yourself? You have halfway decent Wisdom and Charisma scores, you could have pulled it off. |
{{quote|'''[[Celestial Bureaucracy|Bureaucratic Deva]]''': Let me ask you something why did you never consider becoming a cleric yourself? You have halfway decent Wisdom and Charisma scores, you could have pulled it off. |
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'''Roy''' Well is awkward to say, given [[Fluffy Cloud Heaven|where I am]], but i've never been that religious. |
'''Roy''' Well is awkward to say, given [[Fluffy Cloud Heaven|where I am]], but i've never been that religious. |
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'''Roy''': I mean. I guess my mom raised me to worship the [[Norse Mythology|Northern]] [[Fantasy Counterpart Culture|Gods]], but I always figured as long as I don't actively offend any of them, they'd leave me alone. }} |
'''Roy''': I mean. I guess my mom raised me to worship the [[Norse Mythology|Northern]] [[Fantasy Counterpart Culture|Gods]], but I always figured as long as I don't actively offend any of them, they'd leave me alone. }} |
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* Similarly Brutha of ''[[Discworld/Small Gods|Small Gods]]'' is more spiritual than religious despite caring for an avatar of his God. |
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⚫ | * Sonozaki Shion of ''[[Higurashi no Naku Koro ni]]'' is |
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⚫ | * [[Dresden Files |
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[[Category:Hero Tropes]] |
[[Category:Hero Tropes]] |
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[[Category:Religion Tropes]] |
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[[Category:Examples Need Sorting]] |