Crisis of Faith

[T.K._Paradox]

I find it weird that people in Isekai can be so detached from religion or the absence of it and not break down after realizing that they have been reincarnated or be traveled to a completely different plane of existence.

Has anyone else wondered why nobody has really used that as a plot point?

 

[SailusGebel]

Japanese\Koreans\Chinese have a different view on faith. As for others, it's probably because authors focus on other aspects of life.

 

[Deeprotsorcerer]

I find it weird that people in Isekai can be so detached from religion or the absence of it and not break down after realizing that they have been reincarnated or be traveled to a completely different plane of existence.

Has anyone else wondered why nobody has really used that as a plot point?

Because it's messy.

It's the same reason authors gloss over or entirely skip "civilized" men and women having to kill another person, let alone a monster (see Grimgar of Fantasy and Ash for a series that does explore this angle to heartbreaking effect), it requires a certain level of emotional awareness to pull off well and some authors may think it stands in the way of the fun portal fantasy romp they want to tell, which admittedly, it might.

A possible solution would have the characters either embrace a religion they can see after a paladin invokes the name of a goddess, or after said goddess embraces the character, but that would only work cleanly for people who are already not religious, at least not seriously religious. Another solution lies in a character clinging to their religion as a safety blanket, something to comfort them in the face of the trials to come, perhaps going on to proselytize their religion and in some narratives, constructing their god in their new world through the force of their faith alone 40K style.

 

[Deleted member 57675]

I find it weird that people in Isekai can be so detached from religion or the absence of it and not break down after realizing that they have been reincarnated or be traveled to a completely different plane of existence.

Has anyone else wondered why nobody has really used that as a plot point?

I think you should ask the authors if they are religious themselves. Aren't these mostly self inserts? Do they view religion as an intregal part of their livelihood? Or is their desires/wishes with what they could have in their real life (hence their grind to get more riches/booty in their new world) more important than a religious order?

 

[Paul_Tromba]

I've always wondered this myself. Why were there never really any isekai stories that explored the sudden and traumatic realization that by being reincarnated or summoned there is a pretty good or very certain chance that everything they've believed in up until this point is wrong? There is the exception of them getting stuck in self-denial and trying to spread their beliefs to this new world but that's fairly unlikely unless they were a devoted practitioner of their faith and gave up on a lot of their desires to serve their beliefs. Buddhist and Hindu beliefs probably wouldn't be affected by this that much but those that believe in a single creator or no creator would have their entire worldview turned on its head. Some may even sink into a depressive state from the realization that they and many others like them have been wasting their lives.

I can probably guess that most popular isekai writers aren't that religious and are just self inserting into a fantasy world without thinking about such things. If they did think about things like that then it would probably make the story a lot more impactful as they try and start fresh and figure out what they're supposed to do with their life now that they've had the truth beaten into them.

 

[Redemit]

Or how the MC often literally meets God or a godlike being and is just like "hmmm that's cool" or "she has big boobies " never even realizing the implications of the supernatural and spiritual existing and how religious people were actually right all along

 

[SilvCrimBlac]

as they try and start fresh and figure out what they're supposed to do with their life now that they've had the truth beaten into them.

Idk. There have been hundreds of different belief systems throughout our history, and who knows how many more during the prehistory era before writing was invented. There have been numerous civilizations that built towns and cities, and still had no concept of the written word. And then you have to remember that many religions considered it taboo to write down their knowledge. The Ancient Druids of Celtic Britain and Ireland thought this way before Rome came and altered their ways of life.

Anyway, anyone trying to enforce their beliefs as "the one true faith" deserves every bit of that ass-kicking they receive as far as I'm concerned.

 

[Paul_Tromba]

Idk. There have been hundreds of different belief systems throughout our history, and who knows how many more during the prehistory era before writing was invented. There have been numerous civilizations that built towns and cities, and still had no concept of the written word. And then you have to remember that many religions considered it taboo to write down their knowledge. The Ancient Druids of Celtic Britain and Ireland thought this way before Rome came and altered their ways of life.

Anyway, anyone trying to enforce their beliefs as "the one true faith" deserves every bit of that ass-kicking they receive as far as I'm concerned.

That's fair.

 

[Daitengu]

Japan is like 88% atheist. Though, the figure is screwy as most JP bros do visit shrines. They just don't have a core scriptured religion. It's the land of a million gods.

Shit, phone is dying.

 

[T.K._Paradox]

Japan is like 88% atheist. Though, the figure is screwy as most JP bros do visit shrines. They just don't have a core scriptured religion. It's the land of a million gods.

Shit, phone is dying.

I also mentioned the absence of faith I think would be really world-shattering for an atheist to meet an actual godlike being. That straight grabbed their soul and brought it to a different plane of reality.

 

[Daitengu]

I also mentioned the absence of faith I think would be really world-shattering for an atheist to meet an actual godlike being. That straight grabbed their soul and brought it to a different plane of reality.

Depends entirely on the character's beliefs. A lot of stories go with a JP or Chinese character, and reincarnation is not a foreign belief. Nor is encountering an unknown deity. Though CN novels skip the god encounter part cause they'd get "re-educated".

What's the real question is, why's most Isekai even written by western authors got a JP bro? Easy, anime culture.

Marvel and DC fanfics still have to deal with the fact that GOD is a thing if they powerscale high enough. They just PC him as "the one above all".

 

[DarkeReises]

Sometimes(all the time till now, and soon a few minutes after this) I forget that for some people religion is actually important...
Interesting.

 

[binarysoap]

If you actually did make it a plot point, you'd basically be saying that Christianity (or whatever the MC's religion was) is flat out wrong, and putting emphasis on it. That seems like a great way to alienate your reader base for little reason.

 

[AryaX]

I also mentioned the absence of faith I think would be really world-shattering for an atheist to meet an actual godlike being. That straight grabbed their soul and brought it to a different plane of reality.

Why would this be "world-shattering" ?

I think I am pretty much an atheist, and meeting a "god" is certainly not something I would expect to ever happen, but I don't find the notion that I die, and then find my self "face to face" with something calling it self a god in anyway "world-shattering".

It might be that they're lying...
It might be that they're not explicitly "lying", and yet what think I hear, might not be what they actually mean by what they say...
It might be any number of other things...

 

[rain-090]

If you actually did make it a plot point, you'd basically be saying that Christianity (or whatever the MC's religion was) is flat out wrong, and putting emphasis on it. That seems like a great way to alienate your reader base for little reason.

Or everyone else is a false God and you must cleanse the land crusader style...

 

[TotallyHuman]

What surprises me more is how people in these stories don't go: "There's fucking MAGIC! There's fucking magic! Bro... There's fucking magic! No, you gont get it! There's. Fucking. Magic!......... There's fucking magic!"

 

[longer]

I think something that should be mentioned is how reincarnation can potentially imply the lack of punishment in the afterlife. If someone dies and is plopped into an isekai world, without any process of divine judgement, then the person may believe that there is no judgement for what they've done in their past life.

With this in mind, the isekaid person may be more likely to pursue immoral actions due to the knowledge that they will not be pegged by Lucifer for stealing a child's lollipop. Or perhaps the individual will have a sort of nihilist dilemma. If what I does technically doesn't matter, should I enact whatever evil I feel like, do whatever I want with a more neutral stance, or persist in trying to do good despite the knowledge I gained?

 

[Paul_Tromba]

I think something that should be mentioned is how reincarnation can potentially imply the lack of punishment in the afterlife. If someone dies and is plopped into an isekai world, without any process of divine judgement, then the person may believe that there is no judgement for what they've done in their past life.

With this in mind, the isekaid person may be more likely to pursue immoral actions due to the knowledge that they will not be pegged by Lucifer for stealing a child's lollipop. Or perhaps the individual will have a sort of nihilist dilemma. If what I does technically doesn't matter, should I enact whatever evil I feel like, do whatever I want with a more neutral stance, or persist in trying to do good despite the knowledge I gained?

This actually brings up a more philosophical and neurological question of knowing that there is no eternal moral judgment. How would the majority of people act with that knowledge? Would they go about things as they already have because they're too stupid to realize this or would they go with every decision that they felt like because they just don't care anymore? How would they truly act knowing they wouldn't be punished?

 

[TotallyHuman]

I think something that should be mentioned is how reincarnation can potentially imply the lack of punishment in the afterlife. If someone dies and is plopped into an isekai world, without any process of divine judgement, then the person may believe that there is no judgement for what they've done in their past life.

With this in mind, the isekaid person may be more likely to pursue immoral actions due to the knowledge that they will not be pegged by Lucifer for stealing a child's lollipop. Or perhaps the individual will have a sort of nihilist dilemma. If what I does technically doesn't matter, should I enact whatever evil I feel like, do whatever I want with a more neutral stance, or persist in trying to do good despite the knowledge I gained?

This actually brings up a more philosophical and neurological question of knowing that there is no eternal moral judgment. How would the majority of people act with that knowledge? Would they go about things as they already have because they're too stupid to realize this or would they go with every decision that they felt like because they just don't care anymore? How would they truly act knowing they wouldn't be punished?

I am an atheist nihilist, and you don't see me going around killing and stealing... You better not

 

[longer]

I am an atheist nihilist, and you don't see me going around killing and stealing... You better not

Fun fact, not everyone is a atheist nihilist and may react differently. This is particularly applicable in East Asia, where many isekaid protagonist are from, because of the weird way religion works there. Generally speaking, quite a lot of people believe in karma. So if something like that were denied, then it may shake up their psyche.

But I assume that most atheist nihilist will probably act along the lines of "good to know" and just proceed with minimal change to their behavior. At least that's what I'd do.