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Writing About Religion
Writing about religion is my primary source of income these days. It can be a great way to break into publishing or to supplement your other writing; it can also be your primary writing field. However, it is a field that is easy to get wrong, so it is important to learn how to write about religion well.
Identify your audience
The first step is to choose your audience. Are you writing for people who already believe in your religion or are you writing to help those not of your faith to understand your religion better? Are you writing to convert or just to inform? Are you addressing controversial issues? Some religion writers also write for the purpose of mocking or attacking other religions, but I won't help you do that here. That is, in my opinion, the lowest form of religion writing and a cheap game. I have always believed writing should uplift.
It is best to write only about your own faith. I have read many articles about my religion that get it wrong--even when the author's intentions were good--simply because he didn't really understand the faith. An outsider doesn't know what the core doctrines are or what fuels the beliefs of the religion. They often get the technicalities wrong. I have even seen insider-jokes presented as doctrine because the author didn't understand the information he read was a joke. Most religions have deep subtleties that must be understood in order to avoid misrepresenting another faith. This can only come from being a current member of the religion who has a deep faith. Being a former member does not mean you really understand the religion--if you did, you might well still be there. You can't see it as a believer sees it. If you do find yourself having to write about another faith, interview an observant (practicing) member and treat the interview the way you would want someone to treat your religion or you yourself.
Writing for Non-believers
When writing for non-believers, be careful not to presume anything. A common mistake is for a writer to use vocabulary not familiar to outsiders. I was once asked to create a brief dictionary of terms specfic to my faith. It was very challenging to figure out what the terms were called in other religions and how to explain them in a way someone with no religious background could understand. For instance, what is the name of the person who is over your congregation? Is it a minister, a pastor, a bishop, a rabbi? Explain the term and how it compares to religious leaders of other faiths. (Is your leader a full-time leader or is he part-time? Is he a lay leader or a professional? What are his duties?) What do you call your main worship service? What do you call the passing of bread and wine or a similar event? What is your youth program called? If you use these names, you need to explain their meanings.
Often, doctrinal difference between one religion and another are merely word-games. When broken down, people often discover the beliefs aren't that different--they are only called by different names. Presume your reader knows nothing of the doctrine and explain it very simply and with enough background to make the meaning clear. For instance, if your religion believes in being "saved," what does that term mean to you? While it might seem very obvious to you what it means, it may have a very different meaning to an outsider.
When possible, start with common ground. If you know who your audience will probably be, begin your discussion with an aspect of the teaching you think they will agree with. Then work outward to the differences. This helps the faith seem less odd and also creates an understandable foundation for explaining the differences.
When providing contrast to the beliefs of others, you needn't apologize for your beliefs or dismiss them as unimportant. It is, however, important to treat the differences in a respectful way. Don't mock the belief that is different from your own. Treat the sacred things of others as you want your own sacred things to be treated. You can explain that you feel your belief is more accurate, and even explain why, without making fun of opposing doctrines. You can testify of your beliefs without diminishing the faith of another person.
Writing for Believers
Surprisingly, I often find writing for people who are supposed to believe the things I'm teaching to be harder than writing for non-believers. Some members of religions get upset when their religion doesn't match exactly to something else they believe, such as their political parties. They can often respond more forcefully than someone who didn't expect to agree with you. Prepare to address their concerns.
When writing for believers, you can slip in insider-terms. However, if the article will appear online, you may want a quick explanation slipped in somewhat naturally, anyway. You can also presume a certain amount of background information and you can go further in-depth or address only a more complex aspect of the topic. I often like to link to a more basic resource when I write online so those who wander in without the background can get up to speed.
The biggest challenge in an article for believers is to motivate and uplift without sounding preachy or arrogant. Holier-than-thou attitudes will quickly chase away a reader. In fact, the best writers often begin by explaining how they too initially struggled with a certain doctrine or commandment but learned to overcome. They assure the reader the struggle was hard, but worth it and they avoid suggesting anyone who can't do what they did is a loser. Good religion writers are comforting, reassuring, and loving in their approach to a topic.
A Word of Gentle Warning:
Writing about religion invariably leads to controversy, even if your target audience is believers. If you post your writing online, as I do for some clients and on some of my own sites, people who hate your religion (and possibly you as a member of that faith) will find you and attack. If you want to be a religion writer online, you need to be up to controversy. If you are in a position of having to respond to attackers, you will want to practice peaceful and gentle responses that represent your faith respectably. When writing about your own faith, you are a representative of that faith and have a responsibility to it.
Homework:
Choose a religious issue you care about. Write two articles on the subject, one for believers and one for non-believers. Notice the differences in the two articles. Identify possible objections to your articles from readers. If you want to test your skill, give the article for non-believers to a non-believer you know and ask her to mark any part that confuses her or any vocabulary she didn't understand.
Shouts and Whispers: Twenty-One Writers Speak about Their Writing and Their Faith
by Jennifer L. Holberg
This is at the top of my wish list. It appears to contain articles by writers of a variety of faiths who approach faith in their writings in many different ways.