The Connection Between Religion and Suspension of Disbelief

Religion requires faith. As Owen Meany says, “BELIEF IS NOT AN INTELLECTUAL MATTER…IF HE’S (Rev. Merrill) GOT SO MUCH DOUBT, HE’S IN THE WRONG BUSINESS.” I find this particular quote incredibly compelling when thought about in the context of the newer denominations of Christianity. Often times on religious camps, getaways, or services, intellectual ideas are now being spread to the younger members of the church. Not necessarily with the idea of faith or God at the forefront, this new brand of religion is the approach of Rev. Merrill. Shaky, stuttering, and never too sure of himself, it seems John Irving is giving the readers a hint as to how he feels about this pseudo-scientific brand of religion.

When reading or even viewing most works of fiction, faith plays a major role too. The creator will often include events that seem far fetched, too “breaking of the rules” to be true. Often times the creator begs the audience, and the audience complies without even hearing the question, to suspend their disbelief during these scenes. A connection is formed between the viewer and the creator during these times. Sure, it’s unlikely that all six of shots miss John Travolta and Samuel L. Jackson, but we the audience don’t want to watch a movie without these two, so we’ll let it slide. This allows us readers to receive a better product at the end, usually. The only flipside to this is bad movies featuring The Rock. Those can go away.

The interesting connection between religion and suspension of disbelief in A Prayer for Owen Meany is how well John Irving disguises and blends them together. When a book or movie has these moments, consciously or sometimes subconsciously, the audience has to react and consent to what the creator is showing them. What A Prayer for Owen Meany does instead, and very subtly, is use religion and faith as the scapegoat for this annoying process.

Whenever Owen decides to do something borderline supernatural, the sentence that comes to mind is “It’s because of Owen that I have any faith at all.” It’s like Irving knows what he’s writing is obviously fiction, but appeals to the readers logical side. ‘I know what I’m telling you about Owen seems crazy, but remember, I think it’s crazy too, but I saw it first-hand.’ This is what makes the transition from reacting to consenting so instant in the novel. The fact that it’s almost presented as if the audience won’t believe is what gives us faith.