Fictionology

A religion for those who prefer not to give up the right to think, question, explore and adapt.

This site is likely to be an ongoing work, as is the full articulation of the root idea behind it. Inspired by an article in the online parody news source, The Onion, the idea of finding one's personal inspiration in more places than just a "divinely inspired" writ seemed at least as logical as any of the mainstream religions, if not considerably more so. Although the owner and author of this site does not have an exhaustive knowledge of existing religions, his experience with the ones practiced in the United States has been that they all leave much to be desired in many areas.

Fictionology, as a result, is being presented as a path to enlightenment via the use of inspiring fiction; inspiration is no longer restricted to certain approved texts, but is possible to seek in a myriad of places. At the same time, in accepting that inspiration is where you find it, one is tasked to identify and be inspired by only those things that lead them to greater good; inspiration is acknowledged as having the capacity to promote evil as well as good, to mislead as easily as to beneficially guide the person inspired. One becomes responsible for one's own choice of source of inspiration in the process; in acknowledged fiction there is no extant spirit master whose direction can be blamed for shaping the individual's poor decisions. Claiming that you took bad advice from your Rice Krispies™ (or wherever) no longer legitimizes your acts; they are yours alone.

Interestingly, in the broader sense, an atheist might consider all Western religions to be branches of Fictionology in fact. In many atheists' view, all of the Holy Books of those religions are either wholly or partially fictional. Certainly the ways in which mainstream deistic religions (both in the US and elsewhere) have been perverted to condone and promote acts of hatred and violence, through distortion and revision of respectable interpretations, shows that there are people who are adherents to fictionalized versions of their own religions now. Of course, they would probably hotly deny this since admitting it would force them to face the fact that they've chosen a path of evil entirely contrary to the more accepted tenets of their faith.

Fictionology, then, is about gaining freedom and accepting responsibility. You are free to choose what you believe, able to seek guidance from any source you decide to trust, and responsible for the consequences of your choices and actions. As your knowledge of the world and the universe grows, you can change your beliefs to reflect your experiences; your religion does not require you to be locked into anyone else's prejudices, restrictions, or requirements.