Religion can be quite polarizing. Like the old adage - don't talk about politics or religion. You'll usually get into a big fight or discussion.

How about this from Karl Marx: the full quote from Karl Marx translates as: "Religion is the sigh of the oppressed creature, the heart of a heartless world, and the soul of soulless conditions. It is the opium of the people".

And we know how well his ideas worked. Religion in a novel could be a big part of a story. It could define a person's life. The lack of religion is one way to go. The character has not been raised to know God or the Bible. Then their is the person who is sheltered by his religion, that is to say, they know only the Bible and its ways. They will only do what is mentioned in the Bible. I think of the Amish who embrace the Bible and live according to its rules.

So you could have a character who discovers a better life with religion, the rules may help. Or a character who wants to escape what they feel are restrictive rules and want to explore a life outside the church's control.



Queen Norma Jean