Write a story where a character is exploring their religious or spiritual identity.

Posted in Fiction on Oct 26, 2022

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✍️ 59 stories

“Eclipse” by Audrey Shaw

Submitted to Contest #132

It is the night of my 18th birthday and I am on fire. After collapsing into my skeleton of a bed, the black wireframe creaking like a cage of weary bones, and rapidly dropping into an oppressive sleep, my body had forced itself into a conscious state again at one am. I know this because I am staring at the pill-shaped alarm clock on my bedside table, its red glow spelling my fate in harsh fluorescent lines. The blankets are hot and heavy around my legs. It feels nice in a sweaty, consuming kind of way. I don’t usually let myself feel...

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“Night Vision: Remembering the Future” by April Lillard

Submitted to Contest #132

I’ve been to such a place so unimaginable, that even after sharing my experience, you would not be able to fathom what I have seen, felt, or witnessed. But…this is my attempt to share with you what is beyond. Beyond comprehension. Beyond what we’ve been conditioned to believe to be real or fake. It was a Wednesday late afternoon, November 18th to be exact. I finally arrived home after a long day at work. My feet are throbbing, I’m starved, and ready to crash. Eat or sleep first? Those were the options that faced my evening. I could barely th...

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“Eclectician” by Minerva Noiropp

Submitted to Contest #132

I guess you've already noticed by the tags on my story that my preferred genres have not been nominated. To have labeled this short story fiction, science fiction, fantasy or anything alluding to the fact that this story is false would be to lie. As a person, I would consider myself a character of good character. That is strictly my opinion. There are a lot of people who do not like me who will testify against my good character (and perjure themselves in the process). This story is to be about a character (which is me) exploring their religi...

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“We Had Names” by B. Mather

Submitted to Contest #132

“It’s just wine,” I lied to Fang as he buried his face into my chest. To this day, I am unsure whether or not Fang truly believed a word I said or if he just nodded because he needed to believe. Either way, he nodded. Suddenly the blood dribbling off the ax-head was no more than liquor running down a drunkard’s beard. Father remained stoic throughout the whole ordeal. “The villagers have no dealings with wolves,” he had tried to explain once. “Those that live out West, our old neighbors even, know that wolves are a threat to lambs.” At first...

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“Jesus, Mohammed, the Buddha, and Dixie” by Genevieve Willingham

Submitted to Contest #132

Jesus, Mohammed, the Buddha, and Dixie Dixie grew up in the absolute tightest hole of the Bible Belt. South Georgia, USA. Land o’ cotton. Other side of the Mason-Dixon Line. Dixie. They even named her Dixie. Lucky girl. As an adult, Dixie had lots of complaints about the Deep South culture, as most folks do after living in a repressive area. One of her main ones was the religious atmosphere. Not the spiritual atmosphere. This was all about religion. For one thing, almo...

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“The Burden of Not Being Alone” by Kasha Morin

Submitted to Contest #132

My thoughts continue to circle in my mind. The same pattern. A reflection of where I have been and where I could possibly be going. A future where my own existence could be forgotten. A present where my history is being used against me. I had thought when I started this whole thing that it was a fun way to no longer be alone. The responsibility had not occurred to me. I concede that I realized I could not do it on my own. Maybe I should talk with Jesus once again. After all, who could possibly know my wants and needs better. Two halv...

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“Memoires of a trip to Miyama Shrine” by Gianluca Angelucci

Submitted to Contest #132

This is the story of when I met a real God. It happened once, and I don’t know whether it will ever happen again, but it was enough to fill a lifetime.Just bear with me, it’s barely the memory of a dream, but all you will hear is nothing but truth.At the beginning of this story I was an undergraduate in nuclear engineering. You can’t really split substance from form, action from essence, so I’d say that my college major kind of matters, in the grand scheme of things. At least for this story.Douglas Adams once said “Isn’t it enough to see tha...

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“A Matter of Grace and Our Father ” by Jackie E. Thomas

Submitted to Contest #132

“Grace,” said mom. She sounded very distant, even though she was six feet across the table from me. Behind her wooden dining chair, an eight-foot artificial Christmas tree titled in the opposite direction, almost touching the plain white wall. The tree had fewer than usual ornaments, a red ribbon that stopped halfway down the middle, and not a single light bulb attached. She exhaled deeply, her head resting against the back of the chair, her eyes closed. She wore a somber expression, typical of when she had a severe headache. I clo...

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“When bad luck comes your way” by Laura Tensen

Submitted to Contest #132

Spirituality is to religion what pineapple is to pizza: they are often combined but shouldn’t. You can’t really compare the two either, in the same way that you can’t compare pizza to curry. Like Rolling Stones and Beatles, Amsterdam and Paris, cats and dogs: no need to discuss differences or argue which one is better. But if you insist on comparing spiritual apples to religious pears anyway, the difference can best be described as follows: spiritual people are in search of what to believe, whereas religious people are already told what to b...

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“Finding his Religion” by John Steckley

Submitted to Contest #132

Max came from a very religious family, but the beliefs that his parents held so dearly were not such that he wanted to claim as his own. They were both deemed ‘survivors’ of a residential school that was run by strict Christian missionaries who strived to drive the Indigenous beliefs out of the hearts and minds of their students. That had worked with his parents, but not many others of their generation. They were regular church-goers who had forced him as a child to attend church services at least twice a week. One Frid...

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“Unorthodox Practices” by Carol Glick

Submitted to Contest #132

Unorthodox Practices Mt Pleasant's orthodox synagogue mentored the congregants in all things Jewish. A schmear of family tradition filled in the gaps. As a result, members of our flock had the religious know-how to conduct themselves at circumcisions, bar mitzvahs, weddings, and funerals. Despite this spiritual blanketing, a few of us fell through the cracks. That accounts for the unorthodox style of Judaism I practice today. &nb...

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“No Higher Power” by Debbie Russell

Submitted to Contest #132

Two back-to-back tweets appeared in my Twitter feed last week: From an atheist: Everything I have, hope for, love and look forward to is in this life. In death there is nothing. From Pope Francis: Let us learn from Christ how to pray, to forgive, to sow peace and to be near those in need. I was raised a Christian Scientist. Wikipedia explains Christian Science as a set of beliefs and practices belonging to the metaphysical family of new religious movements and goes on to explain: Christian Scientists see their religion as consistent ...

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“Kyrie eleison, Christe eleison” by Jacqueline Sibanda

Submitted to Contest #132

"Kyrie eleison, Christe eleison".The euphonious petitions of the choir ring through the high walls of the church. Our priest swings a luxurious golden globe of myrrh incense, while one of the clergy boys sprays holy water at the congregation. The droplets land at my feet and I run the soles of my Converse over them; for these thoughts that inhabit my mind, I will need all the purifying I can get. Behind the alter there's a cathedral glass portrait of Mary mother of Jesus. My eyes stay glued to it and all I feel is a borrowing pit in my stoma...

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“Power in the Blood” by N.M. Stech

Submitted to Contest #132

In the glow of the lamplight, I looked at the face my dying wife, and was afraid. No, I thought, she’s not dying. She’s healed. We’ve asked God to heal her, and all we have to do now is believe that God’s done it. She’s not dying. She’s healed. She IS healed! Even as I forced these affirmations to play on repeat in my mind, the doubt continued to creep in. She certainly didn’t look healed. The cancer had eaten her away. Unconscious on our bed, Sarah...

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“Sunday School” by Joseph Eliot DeBrine

Submitted to Contest #132

Sunday School Leandra looked up at her mother with dreary eyes when the glass of chocolate milk splattered onto the floor. It didn’t break, but rolled beneath the island that covered the cracked tile in the center of the kitchen. Leandra knelt down, knees in the brown puddle, to grab the glass with her tiny hand. Sophie’s mouth curled and tensed as she watched her daughter and tried to remember if chocolate milk stained white dresses like the one Leandra wore. She finally grabbed hold of the glass and set it aside. One knee went down, then...

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Write a story where a character is exploring their religious or spiritual identity.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 59 stories

“Eclipse” by Audrey Shaw

“Night Vision: Remembering the Future” by April Lillard

“Eclectician” by Minerva Noiropp

“We Had Names” by B. Mather

“Jesus, Mohammed, the Buddha, and Dixie” by Genevieve Willingham

“The Burden of Not Being Alone” by Kasha Morin

“Memoires of a trip to Miyama Shrine” by Gianluca Angelucci

“A Matter of Grace and Our Father ” by Jackie E. Thomas

“When bad luck comes your way” by Laura Tensen

“Finding his Religion” by John Steckley

“Unorthodox Practices” by Carol Glick

“No Higher Power” by Debbie Russell

“Kyrie eleison, Christe eleison” by Jacqueline Sibanda

“Power in the Blood” by N.M. Stech

“Sunday School” by Joseph Eliot DeBrine

🌟 Similar prompts

Start your story with a character saying “Are you there, God? It’s me…”

Write a story about a couple with fundamentally different beliefs.

End your story with a character saying “Thank you, God. Thanks an awful lot.” (sarcastically or not).

Write a story about a teenager whose family is moving.

Contest #132

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

280

Contest entries

127

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: