I considered entering this piece in the writing prompt contest, “Faith”, currently open. For reasons that will become obvious, I had a change of heart, and have made it a general post.

Most people who have read my postings here know my position regarding faith. I believe in the natural laws of cause and effect, in the power of reason, and in the self-evident truth that the most rational explanation for anything is the one that doesn’t require magic. This is my faith. And it is as important to me as your faith, whatever it may be, is to you.

Those who know me know that I do not deny anyone the absolute right to believe as they see fit, providing it harms no one else. Those same people will also be aware that when I review work, I judge on the quality of writing, and not on allegiance to my particular train of thought. Ask the many authors of works with a religious theme that I’ve given six-star reviews to, based solely on the merit of their use of language and expression of ideas. This, after all, is what writing is meant to be about.

This brings me to a pet peeve, one which causes me no end of annoyance.

For some people, the only acceptable definition of faith is religious faith. No other kind is tolerable. FanStory provides an example of one site run along these lines.

Why is it that FanStory has site-sponsored contests for poems and stories such as “Faith”, “My Faith” and “Dear God”, in addition to a current writing prompt, simply titled “Faith”, but has never had a contest with the subject of “Reason”, “Moral Philosophy”, “My Ethics”, or some such thing? Why is the only life view specifically catered for one with religious beliefs? And why is it that many people who claim to be writers on this site will freely hand out six-star reviews to the most appalling “devotional” content, full of spelling and grammatical errors and devoid of creativity, while never acknowledging the merits of work not carrying a religious theme with an “exceptional” rating? (Heartfelt appreciation for those who do!)

In my time on FanStory, I’ve won or placed in my fair share of contests, but only ever when I’ve submitted something that could be classified as “butterflies and rainbows” stuff. Not one single time has a piece of mine that is critical or questioning of religious fervour ever even placed in a contest on this site. Why would that be, when I consider some of these to be my very best work? What’s the go, contest committee?

Is this sour grapes? You might think so, but I’m not complaining about the contest accolades – I’ve received enough. It’s the fact that one particular subject – the questioning of religious dogma – appears to be taboo, and simply will not be acknowledged on its merits. I'd like to see a change. I'd like to see the site mature to a point where it can tolerate and appreciate minority viewpoints.

Tribalism is well and truly alive in the 21st century, and you don’t have to look far afield to find it.

Will this post change anything? Not a snowball’s chance in hell. Will it cause anyone to reconsider how they judge the merits of the writings of others? Highly unlikely. But at least it might answer for a few of my valued friends, both those of religious persuasion and those who are not, why I frequently become disenchanted with writing and reviewing here.

Religious discrimination is specifically anathematised in the Constitution of the country to which many Fanstorians belong. It’s also unlawful in many other parts of the world. It’s unfortunate that for a great many people, discrimination only applies when it is their particular worldview that is being questioned, silenced, or otherwise penalised.

I will be entirely unsurprised if this post is taken down as soon as it is discovered by those who wield power on this site. Of course, any money spent promoting it will also be forfeited. That would just be par for the course. Free speech doesn’t include the right to be in any way critical of the site, if previous experience is anything to go by. If that happens, I’ll just post a reworked version of it elsewhere, where it will find another audience.

I’ll leave you with a thought, an anonymous quote I stumbled upon:

“You cannot call yourself a sincere seeker of truth if you wilfully ignore the other side of the question.”

If one person takes those words to heart, this post will have been worth the time taken to compose it.