The Holy Nutters – A Review

[JesusA (imported)]

I have long been a sucker for well-written alternative histories and of fictions that project contemporary trends into a “plausible” future. Our Sander has currently embarked on the creation of just such a plausible future with his serial “The Holy Nutters.”

Examinations of the past are generally divided into long periods, such as “Classical Antiquity,” “The Middle Ages,” or “The Renaissance.” These are, of course, not discrete periods with clearly defined beginning and ending years, but rather large lumps of historical time that seem to share some common traits. They fade into one another and the central “focus” of each is not discernable until the period is well-developed – a hundred years or more into what, in retrospect, becomes the named historical unit.

The Renaissance is the large historical chunk in our most recent past. Some historians see World War I as a dividing line that may well be used in the future to separate our current period from the Renaissance. We are leaving a period of intense optimism in human perfectibility and a firm belief that human intellectual endeavors will lead to a full and complete understanding of the universe in which we live. If the central tenets of the Renaissance were true, this analysis avers, the horrors of WWI (and certainly of WWII) would have been impossible.

We are still to soon into the current large period to be able to clearly see its focus. Technology continues to advance, but scientists increasingly discuss the limits of scientific knowledge and the limits that may soon be imposed on technology. Pessimism over human capabilities is increasing. World wide, we are seeing an increase in faith and religious belief. It is not just the rise of Christian Evangelicals in America and Africa and the rise of fundamentalist Islam in the entire Moslem world, but there has been an increase in fundamentalist Hinduism, and even of fundamentalist Buddhism.

While individuals are becoming more “religious” and much more devout in their chosen faith, there is clear evidence that they have relatively little knowledge of what that professed faith actually entails. The Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life (http://pewforum.org/) has conducted a large-scale survey of religious knowledge in the United States which revealed that the “faithful,” on average, know less about religion than do the non-faithful. I have had long discussions/arguments with an Evangelical Christian minister where I can quote the Bible from memory and he expresses doubt that it really says what it does until he checks it. He firmly believes that the Christian Bible (actually the King James translation of it) is the inspired word of God. It is absolutely and literally true. He just doesn’t understand it and he teaches his misunderstanding and lack of knowledge to his congregation, who then believe his word as absolute truth! The word of God.

Sander has taken these trends and is creating one possible future world for an increasingly “Christian” United States. A place where “faith” takes hold above reason. His world is a plausible-enough extension of some current trends to make a fine alternative history of the future.

The saga begins with a prequel, Masturbation is a Sin (http://www.eunuch.org/Alpha/M/ea_155506masturba.htm), which is set in our immediate future (or maybe even our present). Somewhere in a rural area, in one of the strongly “Christian” Southern States, a minister exhorts his flock with literalism, based on his own misreading (intentional or not) of the Old Testament. This results in drastic actions taken by his congregation.

Fifteen years later, when The Holy Nutters is set, the beliefs of this single congregation have spread widely. While the beliefs may seem fantastical and unrealistic, they are certainly not out of line with some earlier Christian groups: the Valensians and the Skoptsy are the best examples. The story fits with the beliefs and actions of some of the earliest individual Christians of whom we have record and of occasional individual Christians today. The created world is just barely plausible enough to make a great read.

Like many authors of serial novels, the characters, whom Sander originally created, seem to have leapt off the page and taken charge of the story. Sander is no longer in charge of its direction as Logan and Joshua tell him what is happening in their world. There have been a few glitches and inconsistencies as the story develops, but it is turning into one of the finest yet on the Archive.

The Holy Nutters

Chapter 1 (http://www.eunuch.org/Alpha/H/ea_155846the_holy.htm)

Chapter 2 (http://www.eunuch.org/Alpha/H/ea_215853the_holy.htm)

Chapter 3 (http://www.eunuch.org/Alpha/H/ea_05539the_holy.htm)

Chapter 4 (http://www.eunuch.org/Alpha/H/ea_01825the_holy.htm)

Chapter 5 (http://www.eunuch.org/Alpha/H/ea_233816the_holy.htm)

Chapter 6 (http://www.eunuch.org/Alpha/H/ea_03618the_holy.htm)

Chapter 7 (http://www.eunuch.org/Alpha/H/ea_02145the_holy.htm)

Chapter 8: California (http://www.eunuch.org/Alpha/H/ea_225051the_holy.htm)

Chapter 9: Jezebel (http://www.eunuch.org/Alpha/H/ea_184112the_holy.htm)

Chapter 10: Accused (http://www.eunuch.org/Alpha/H/ea_164611the_holy.htm)

Chapter 11: Rescued (http://www.eunuch.org/Alpha/H/ea_152239the_holy.htm)

I will edit this post to include new chapters as they are written and added to the Fiction Archive.

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[StefanIsMe (imported)]

Thanks for this post, Jesus. An author's dream; not just a "rite moar pleez" 3-word thank-you, but a real appreciation-piece. I can only hope one of my stories warrants such a response one day!

[bella (imported)]

Thanks Jesus for this summary and links.

I have just read the whole series again

Thanks Sander for writing it

Looking forward to next chapter

[tjstill (imported)]

Nice review of the story/saga and good a parralel introduction into the potential real world context.

I am just reading Sceptsism inc by Bo Fowler, very very good. No castration but a similar aim... to expose current religious fundementalist attitudes.

[A-1 (imported)]

Interesting series and interesting speculation.

I cannot see it happening because of the laws that America built upon.

However, I CAN SEE that there are some people who are about this crazy...

Let us hope that they never become a majority or become obsessed with a "Tea Party"-like furor...

[Paolo]

This is such a GREAT story. Well written with good characters, and set in an alternate universe that is totally believable. Kudos to the author!