Here’s another thought from my reading the Stephen King novel The Stand: Every description that he writes in the book comes directly from the main character’s words and point of view. He doesn’t write “…and she thought to herself…” followed by the description. He just writes it and you naturally, subtly get to know the character by the way the description is given.

For instance, the character Lloyd Henreid is featured in numerous scenes that I’ve read so far, and when you read the descriptions of the places that he is in, it is full of simple thoughts and mindless opinions (And peppered with foul language. This is not a book for young or sensitive readers.). On the other hand, when I read the scenes with Mother Abigail, the descriptions used are largely composed of colloquialisms, old adages and religious terms. When you read her sections of the book, you would have thought that Stephen King was a Christian author! He is that good at giving the character a voice.

My lesson learned: Every good book has characters with unique, original personalities. The setting and plot descriptions around them should be written from their perspective, not just their dialogue. The characters in the book do not always reflect the personality or values of the author, and they shouldn’t. The villain in a book is no more a reflection of the author than Hitler is a reflection of God, the One who created the madman.

So, dear reader, this is my dilemma. How evil is too evil? Where is the line that I must draw as a Christian author? Should I allow my characters free reign and let them say the vile things that I know they would say, even if it’s filthy? Should I describe the world as I know they see it within their scenes, including blasphemous worldviews? Should I write their lustful thoughts and intents so matter-of-factly that it seems that I concur? Should I permit all of their evil actions to show up on paper, even the most grotesque ones? It would be tacky for me, the author, to censor every villain or character who doesn’t hold my worldview, yet I don’t want to offend my readers.

Tell me what you think, please. I would consider it a big help in writing this novel that I’m developing. Thank you!

Recently, some friends of mine received a call that a relative had died. It was sudden, unexpected, and even worse, it was a suicide. It’s hard enough to grieve through the passing of a loved one, but this is devastating. All deaths lead us to unanswered questions, yet when a suicide is involved, it seems the questions grow darker.

The Church adopted its initial stance on suicide when St. Augustine wrote his classic work The City of God. In this work, Augustine condemns suicide is another form of murder based on the commandment “thou shalt not murder.” Thomas Aquinas took it a step further by stating that suicide was a sin for which there was no repentance. Soon, the Church then began to refuse burial to suicide victims, as it was clear that the person would not be seen in the world to come for their sin.

Thankfully, modern Christianity has softened a bit on this stance. It is a complicated issue that deserves a better response than an overreaching policy of coldheartedness. Let’s go deeper than the obvious fact that suicide is wrong. If suicide is sin, then doesn’t Christ’s atonement cover this sin too?  If you will recall, the Unpardonable Sin does not mention suicide. There are only seven instances of suicide in the Scriptures and none of them mention the eternal results.

Bottom line: We just don’t know where suicides go. We are not the decision makers, and the Decision Maker has reserved the right to come to His own conclusions without our knowledge or input. All death hurts. Every separation is an ugly reminder of the sinful state of the earth after the sinful fall of man. We need not add to it by casting blame on the departed or the ones left behind. What can we change now anyway? Only the hearts of those still alive, and that will not happen by attaching an impossible weight of guilt and terror onto their necks.

God be with you my friends as you grieve.

Have you ever lost someone you love? How did you walk through the grief?