Religion in Roleplay

[Tungsten]

In the past, i've found that roleplaying some kind of religious background gives my characters depth, because it gives a sort of moral center to the character and governs how they might think. Ordinarily, i've found that free-form thought gives rise to our own thoughts as a player influencing what the character should do - however, when a character has very strong religious convictions (perhaps even different from our own in real life), it forces us to think from a different lens and consider what a deeply religious character might do.

 

Consider the following situations made more complex by the element of the character's religious background:

 

Tyrese is a member of the local street gang, but he was also raised in the faith. He is called by the gang to commit a murder, and struggles deeply with that choice because he doesn't want to go to Hell. However, his desire for acceptance into the gang overcomes his desire for admittance into Heaven and he decides to commit the murder. After the murder, he finds that he is extremely guilty for his decision and his life isn't going as he had planned. He seeks the advice of a priest, who tells him he must atone for his sin by turning himself in. He confesses to the murder and serves his time, reforming himself in the process, and becomes a productive member of society upon his release.

 

Abram is a businessman and also a member of the Nation of Islam. He regularly invests in local businesses, however due to his beliefs, refuses to invest in any business owned by a Jewish person. He holds hateful, antisemitic beliefs and such beliefs influence his business decisions. However, this practice ends up losing him the most lucrative deal of his life and he is forced to confront his beliefs and examine whether they are true to his values.

 

Paul is a police officer on the south side of Los Santos, and says a prayer every day in the patrol room. He regularly prays to Saint Michael, the patron saint of police officers, and even discusses the Bible with his fellow officers and some deputies. His faith is challenged, however, when on patrol he discovers what he perceives as pure evil - a child trafficking operation. This causes him to question his faith and wonder whether God truly protects the innocent. He becomes depressed, which affects his focus on the job and makes him wonder if being an Officer is the right career path for him.

 

Tony is an Italian-American who was raised Catholic in a heavily Italian neighborhood. As he grows up, he gets closer to the members of a local LCN organization and becomes an Associate. Eventually, he is offered the chance to become a member of the organization. However, he must burn a picture of his patron-saint to do so and therein signify his total commitment to the family. He struggles with whether or not he can do this, since he doesn't want to go to Hell. But, in the process of considering this, he resolves that soldiers don't go to hell so he wouldn't either. He willingly enters into the arrangement and burns the picture of his patron-saint, becoming a "made man".

 

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In the past, there have been characters who explicitly add this element to the server. Notably, Jebediah Clarkson (whyapac) played as a priest for a while and hosted weddings, funerals, etc. which I believe added a lot of depth to many characters. When I used to attend these kind of events, it was not uncommon to see even the hardest gangsters there.

 

Has anyone else roleplayed their characters with some element of religion incorporated?

How can religion be an important part of character development?

Edited August 4, 2023 by Tungsten

[imu_pertrauka]

My character was a firm believer while in prison.