People ask me all the time: "What was the first book you've ever read that started your passion for writing?" I always say "Greek Myths and Legends" as being the first group of stories I've ever read but officially that's not true. It's more accurate to say that the book of Greek Myths and Legends was the very first book I took out to read for myself. The official or I guess unofficial first book I've read was the Bible. Everyone else was reading Judy Blum or Captain Underpants (which I've read too but not after a while) entertained by their simplicity but they didn't have the bloodthirsty, magical or dramatic hook that interested me.
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| The Greek Gods were REALLY into incest... |
I always tell people Greek Myths were the first stories I've read but really that was a step 2 from the Bible. The reason I don't tell people about the Bible being my first step is because of all the flack I get (mostly from Christians; other Catholics are very understanding) because there are many people who say: "But those gods and goddesses aren't real!" I usually respond: "But we used to believe that they were." I mean how much different is it that a man named Jonah can live in a fish for three days without being digested from a man riding a flying horse and slaying a lion, serpent, goat beast? We believe the fish tale. We also used to believe the world was flat and that cutting out someone's heart would make the sun come up every morning. Tomorrow the belief in God could become a myth and legend that people dismiss. But I'm getting off track here...
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| Where's "Captain Underpants"? |
Back on the road, as a kid my parents (like most parents) preferred to explain the Bible to me through children's books. So you can imagine how white washed and clean these stories were. Some stories were from the old testament like Joseph and his very colorful coat and Daniel and the lions and then there was Kind David. And then there were the somewhat thicker books about Jesus; you know how big a deal he was to Christians. I asked my mother once, "Why is the Bible so big but we only know certain stories?" She said, "We don't have to learn some of it." Wait... you can pick and choose what to read or believe in the Bible? That explains A LOT! But that didn't sit right with me. Given that I was weird, kids my age either felt sorry for me or just ignored me. I was quiet and shy. Needless to say Catholic school was a very hard time for me. But once I got to high school I began to delve more into stories of the Bible and was blown away from all the blood, incest, rape, and murder there was in the Old Testament! Then we learned sex ed and the virgin birth sort of opened a whole new line of questioning no adult was willing to answer.
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| I think we need more wood... |
What people don't initially grab from stories in the Bible is the drama of it all. Many are stuck on that it's "fact" to them not "fiction" but I never had that distinction. Stories from the Bible are meant to teach the audience something like all stories do. It's not just entertaining there's also almost always a moral to the tale. You could ask me what sort of morals could you learn but I can only answer not all of the stories have a specific moral if only the hero is inspiring such as the hero being very clever; outsmarting their enemies with only their wits. That being said, the Bible gave way to pagan mythology while Disney gave way to Grimm Folktales (the original bloody ones that read more like files from an evidence room in a police station). But lets move on from the Bible...
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| "GIVE UP YOUR IDOLS!" "Umm No." |
When Henry VIII wanted to divorce his old fat wife for a younger model, this caused a rift in the Church causing the Evangelicals to split from the Catholics thus creating the distinction. What makes Christians and Catholics different is that Christians view the worship of saints, angels, and even the Virgin Mary as idolatry. A poll was taken in Italy asking the Italians who they pray to for help. You know who's #6 on the list? Jesus Christ. Christians hold Jesus Christ in high regard and so he should be number 1 on your list. By this logic Catholics can be viewed as pagans but they kind of are. The early Christians (instead of burning and killing "infidels") wanted to convert pagans so the Christians adopted some Pagan feast days, traditions, and even turned a few gods and goddesses into saints! We drink the blood of Christ and eat parts of his body. We sound like cannibals... or even vampires (which is where my fang fetish kind of came from).
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| This is a grand stage... |
But I got to tell you, when you walk into a Christian Church, most of them are very plain. It's like walking into a neighbor's house just with good acoustics. It's not that impressive where as you walk into a Catholic Church your senses are bombarded with holy images of beautiful, gladiator angels holding swords or olive branches and saints prostrating themselves to God and then your nose is overwhelmed by the smell of incense, the colorful lights streaming in from the stain glass windows, and the candles and flowers set at the foot of some statues of the Virgin Mary or St. Jerome, etc. It's like walking on a stage or even a temple and the altar is the center where all eyes are entranced as the priest "turns" the wine and bread into Christ. All dramatic. I'd give into Catholic guilt over Christian guilt every time. With Christians all you have is your parents, your pastor, and God watching you but Catholics have an entire army ready to smite them down. It's very hard to lie to a priest when you're in a Catholic Church.
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| Weren't you in here yesterday? What the hell did you do? |
The aspects of the Church are themselves tools one may use in a dramatic bloody tale like the Godfather. The confessionals for one. You go in that box, you and your priest are separated by a single wall. There's a screen to talk through and whatever you tell the priest he can never tell anyone. It's like going to a doctor or your lawyer or even your therapist. Even if you told your priest you murdered someone whether by accident or by intent the priest can't tell anyone. All the priest can do is urge you to come forward and take responsibility.
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| Forgive me, Father, for I have sinned... |
Catholics are taught the seven deadly sins, forced to deal with our human natures no matter how ugly. Among Catholics there's a certain understanding of temptation. Keep it to yourself if you want but there's a support system if you need one. And if you can't talk to a person then there's a few statues who are ready to lend a sympathetic ear. I have to admit, whenever I felt on edge or conflicted, looking at the Virgin Mary and having a mental conversation with her image (painting or statue) is perhaps more comforting than looking at a piece of wood (a plain Christian Cross). Of course I can talk to God but one could feel silly for just sitting there and staring off into space. I find it much more entertaining and meaningful to set a character before a saintly image as they sort out their inner conflicts.
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| Just look at those rippling muscles... |
Now we come to romance. Yes in Catholicism there is plenty of romance to go around. No not the vile pedophile scandals that plague the religion and cripple it beyond repair. Catholicism has always held a sexual subtext with all of its imagery and idolatry. Priests would sometimes give into sexual temptation with mature age appropriate women (yes that happens it's not always sickos). The Catholic Church is aware of their priests' mistresses but as long as they keep quiet then the Church turns a blind eye. I highly recommend you read further on this interesting subject from the book Mistress: A History of the Other Woman. Trailing off from the physical temptations, Catholics have given romance writers their spiciest bread and butter: Forbidden Fruit. Priests and nuns, married couples and their lovers, preserving chastity: all of it thanks to the original sinners Adam & Eve who continue to be used within the Catholic Church's vocabulary and still makes many's loins quiver at the idea of doing something naughty just because it's wrong. Eve took that first bite then gave the next bite to Adam and suddenly they let loose their physical passions and gave into their sensuality. But it's more than that...
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| Okay, I would go to THIS church... Don't judge me... |
Have you ever heard of The Ecstasy of St. Theresa? It's a sculpture that depicts St. Theresa who leans back in... well ecstasy, her mouth slack as if moaning in pleasure, eyes closed as if sleepy while an angel holding an arrow is standing over her, a bit of her clothes in his one hand and the arrow is poised in his other hand to plunge into her. St. Theresa described her visits from an angel as him "plunging his flaming arrow into me again and again..." If that doesn't carry any sexual connotation or subtext or innuendos for you then you are obviously blind and deaf. It's not the artist's fault or the saint's really. In Italy if you ever go (and I highly recommend that you do I loved it) then you'll see the many Renaissance artworks: sculptures and paintings depicting not only handsome angels in flowing garbs but you may see some gladiator angels, their swords held in ready to smite the devil. These angels are all men, very attractive and powerful. That could make any girl blush or have a naughty dream or two about.
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| Dude! Cross your legs please or close your robe! I can see EVERYTHING! |
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| This could be St. Mark but many male idols look the same to me. |
It's more than just sex or worshipping idols. Playing choral music in a Catholic Church just seems to fit the setting and enhance the drama for me. If I were filming a character running to get away from people pursuing them after they discovered their crime or if a character finds themselves in a church and collapses from the emotional weight then of course I'm going to have the editors play some dramatic classical piece like Requiem, K. 626: Lacrimosa dies illa to seal the mood of the scene. Catholicism got me into Classical pieces that gave into the stories of Ballet such as The Firebird and Swan Lake. Both are quite fascinating and sad but also beautiful and spiritually uplifting. Not unlike being in a church during a service. Music to me speaks so much that it allows people to express their emotions without words. I put on some Mozart or Jordi Savall and I'm not only taken to a different world but the words never cease to flow.
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| My rosary is red like blood... Yeah I'm weird |
To tie it all together, how being Catholic has made me want to pursue story telling is the overall humanity I see in it. Catholics don't realize it but through art, music, and their own desire to preserve the stories of the past we have held onto what makes us human. We are flawed (perhaps extremely so) fragile, often violent cruel creatures that destroy beauty but we also uphold that beauty. We realize our mistakes and rebuild. The images I see on Church walls keep many stories alive and I can actually see the mood of the characters and how they felt in the story that gives little detail on those protagonists: Jesus's face pang with agony and despair as he carries that cross; Mary's anxiety at becoming a mother; Moses's outrage and awe. For me through those Bible stories and enforced with the many images and rituals of the Church I've learned drama (mostly family drama), about faith (losing it and regaining it), honor, and the human conscience that causes many to wring their hands in confusion. The Catholic Church holds a particular fascination with the supernatural that keeps me curious and while not a believer in the Church's doctrine still a believer in a powerful invisible force. Call it Fate, God, Energy whatever you want. All I know is that because of the stories I've read in the Bible have opened me to other cultures both ancient and new (Judaism, Islam, Buddhist, etc.). This openness and deep look into human nature inspires me to write stories about them and hopefully gain others to see the world through with as much unlimited sight as I do.
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| Wash away your sins... |
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