The bond between religion and literature is as undeniable as it is controversial. Ever since humanity started producing literary works, religion has been a protagonist in the process if not even a catalyst. The earliest surviving literary work The Epic of Gilgamesh from ancient Mesopotamia has its protagonists as goddesses and demi-gods. Whether it be that literature was born out of the desire to put faith into written words or religion seeping its way into a new creative field, this connection was strong enough to persevere for millennia.
Religion and literature would not be so deeply intertwined if they were not such a good fit. Both sides have benefitted from this relationship.
When Dante Alighieri describes his visit to the first circle of hell, Limbo, he collocates himself amongst the greatest poets of history. He follows the lineup composed of Homer, Horatio, Ovid, Lucanian, and Virgil. He does this because he is already aware, even before the publication of his work, of what he is about to achieve for the literary world. Dante’s Divine Comedy is widely acknowledged to be the great Italian masterpiece. This work revolutionized the Italian language in itself and was used as an example for future authors, notably Paradise Lost by Milton. The one and only inspiration for Dante? The Bible. Religion has given literature the tools to push creative boundaries, resulting in the production of timeless classics.
When it comes to religion, the value of theoretical doctrine is often lost because it appears to be far too distant from human comprehension. The way literary works encapsulate faith, however, breaks down this boundary. The connection that is established between the religion and the believer is real, raw, palatable. In The Conference of the Bird by Farid al-Din Attar, the author tells the story of a flock of birds travelling towards their king. By doing this he perfectly describes the voyage of the soul towards God with an intimate beauty that resonates with readers. This is the contribution that literature offers to religion. Religion no longer seems dogmatic or cold, it is felt as an experience that is close to art.
The bond between religion and literature does face significant criticism. For one, religious themes dominated literature so completely for centuries that any work which lacked a focus on faith was harshly criticized as shallow. That is the case for The Canterbury Tales by Chaucer and Il Decameron by Boccaccio, which focus primarily on human vices and virtues.
There are also extreme cases in which religion featured in literature was cause for violence. The epitome of this is the Rushdie Affair. The publication of The Satanic Verses by Salman Rushdie resulted in a fatwa (religious edict) which called for his assassination by Iran’s supreme leader. This was because his fictionalized retelling of early Islamic history was considered blasphemous. One would argue that if religion and literature had stayed two separate entities, cases like this would have never occurred.
There is always a potential for danger. Especially when it comes to faith that is so deeply inculcated in the way of life of individuals. However, if we allow for what is delicate to be treated as a literary subject, there is a possibility of offence, but there is an even higher chance of greatness. The perfect balance of religion and literature is as close as art can get to what it means to possess faith. We need to learn to be forgiving of change. Words that mirror the soul are the height of human creation, we must allow for them to happen.
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