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Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/q/46863
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

I am writing a book in which one of my main characters is a devout Catholic. His struggles with reconciling his religion and his experiences in life are crucial to his character and I'd like to portray them as unfiltered as I reasonably can through close 3rd-person limited narration. (He'll be my POV character perhaps 40% of the time.) His dogmatic beliefs shape many of his decisions, including insisting that another POV protagonist convert to Catholicism before they can marry (and I will therefore have to reckon with her thoughts on conversion and religion as well; she's committing to the marriage for her family's financial security).

But his religion is emphatically not the point, the moral, or the widely held worldview of my story, which also explores the impacts of the industrial revolution, scientific progress, multiculturalism (with characters from around the British Empire who do not necessarily have an English or Christian worldview), and (surprise!) supernatural elements. I don't want to pass judgement on it, either affirming or rejecting it, even as I allow for the existence of magic and he becomes aware of it.

Many books dealing with magic often avoid any mention of religion, even in historical settings when _everyone_ was religious. Maybe it's because they run into this difficulty? In any case, I haven't found many examples of books with actively or profoundly Christian characters that aren't "inspirational", preachy, or otherwise judgmental.

**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?**

What I've got so far:

- My narrative voice, when it isn't in the directly in the POV character's head, will be rather passively agnostic.

- I currently intend to at least represent in passing a variety of worldviews to avoid establishing a direct dichotomous religious conflict as a theme in the book.

- I also currently intend not to give him any unequivocally religious or disillusioning experiences. (If he interprets something as a sign or a punishment, it will be ambiguous. If something magical happens, well, Catholics acknowledge the existence of witchcraft, demons, and miracles.)

Edit: (Side note, since it's a topic of interest below: Yes, this is set in early-mid 19th c. England-- probably 1840/1, but I'm considering moving it to 1828/9 to capture the Catholic Relief Act that might newly allow my character to run for Parliament, if I can reconcile it with the new industrial technologies I'm including. (E.g., do I really need railroads?) I've been doing my homework on the evolving relations between Catholics, Anglicans, and other Protestant denominations in Great Britain and the Empire.)

Original score: 32