Feb
26th
2022
How would a military chaplain survive in Equestria? · 9:26pm Feb 26th, 2022
Will there be challenges to his faith, fate, etc? Or surely be a mediator between humanity and pony dom along with other species or should he be a pacifistic peace negotiator that is impartial to equestrians at war with say like the griffins?
No storyline that is consistent as of yet but this has been on my mind for a while now and I can't wait to see the story form in my head after I show this thought here for input suggestions/ideas/criticism/etc.
Go all out guys I want all answers, even shitty ones.
God is the creator of all, so there would be no challenge to my faith
If there was a war going on between the ponies and the Griffins, I would try to help them make peace.
But if the war was a Just and necessary one, I would serve with them so that they may bring the conflict to a swift end.
5640004
That I believe. 🙂 Creator of all Life. Thank you. 😇 He would see them as beautiful creatures by Divine Hands.
He would definitely do so, either way, no doubt that for a "alien" species he's very important and surprisingly so when it comes to what he's truly capable of in regards of morale and love.
Thank you again! 🙏🏻
I feel like he might have a crisis of faith. Some of it might depend on if ponies have religion, and if so, what form it takes. It might also depend on if ponies (specifically unicorns) can do some of the miracles in the Bible; i.e., if a unicorn can raise the dead, turn water into wine, do the miracle of loaves and fishes, etc., that might bring some of his beliefs into question. Some of it would probably also depend on what the chaplain believed (i.e, the difference between ultra-conservative vs. liberal Christian [assuming he’s even a Christian chaplain and not Jewish or Muslim or Sikh or whatever else).
It could also depend on how Celestia is viewed by ponies--is she a very wise, very old ruler, but still essentially a pony? Or is she basically a goddess?
I feel like on a basic level, most people’s concept of God and what He created is focused on Earth; the idea that He could have created a different world, populated not with people but with ponies and other fantastic creatures, would be a huge shock. Perhaps even more so if their religion (if they have one) is substantially different than human religion . . . are they closer to the Creator, or a flock of lost sheep? If they have religious texts, are they more or less accurate than the human ones?
I think from a storytelling perspective, it could go anywhere from strengthening his belief to making him an atheist, and I think that any of those views could be justified in-story.
5656641
Christian he is, and a non-denominational one at that (despite being in the Protestant branch of the Chaplaincy).
And as for Celestia, I've to say that that the view as a goddess and pony of fur, flesh, and blood is kinda shared equally by most if not all the ponies and other species. I've seen a lotta fan theories, stories and the show, however nebulous the factuality might be, of Celestia wanting to be seen more than just a figure held up high. As an equal, that, and I believe if my dear chaplain OC is a firm and devout believer (and share in my POV) that a real god(dess) exists more in spirit rather than physical form (in other words, practically ageless) and has to be all-knowing, all-powerful, and ever-present; and only intervenes directly with mortals as to right their wrongs. But at the time, be humble, patient, forgiving, all that good stuff.
So simply put; I think some would see her as a wise long living pony.
I'd like to see that they're more or less close to the Creator, but most of them don't know His Name or know Him vaguely as a legend. Overall seeing these, I think would definitely have a positive or negative impact on the Chaplain's faith. 'Cause he would be friends with them, and (funnily in a peculiar way) say that their magic isn't really magic, but just energy source like power (like light side power) and this kinda goes along well with the view of dark magic being entirely disliked by the common Christian faith.
I'm also sure the shock would wear off eventually and make some of these things that he sees have a logical reason for existing. But like I aforementioned above; dark magic is the most despised enemy of all things that are good.
5657952
Forgive me for the long delay in replying; this is one of the kinds of questions I turn over in my mind now and again. In fact, that theme sort of factored in one of my stories, although it was a pony on earth. But also a non-denomational preacher and a very liberal one at that. . . .
I suppose depending on his (or her) beliefs, the very existence of ponies (or another sapient alien race) could cause a crisis of faith. If God created the universe and everything in it, He must have created ponies, and if He did, how come they don’t know about Him? Did they lose their way, or did God forget to leave behind a copy of scripture for them? Or, for a different type of pastor, there could be the risk of trying to convert the ponies to follow a non-pony god, if there are multiple . . . which the Bible implies, I’ve been told.
I personally don’t think that Celestia is a deity or wants to be seen as one. Maybe the closest human equivalent that I can think of would be the Pope? I also feel like a chaplain, or anybody else who is in her presence, would feel her power . . . which, to some, might be viewed as her being an aspect of Satan. That having been said, I don’t see her powers extending to the level of what Jesus did in the Bible; I don’t think she could raise a pony from the dead, for example. Although there are plenty of miracles in the Bible that I think would be something that Celestia could do--loaves and fishes, turning water into wine, etc.
Which does bring up another interesting thing to ponder: unicorn magic. How might that be viewed by someone of a religious nature? In terms of explanation, it is proper magic, rather than slight-of-hand or some parlor trick. Even something that a unicorn might consider really mundane, like hornwriting, is basically a miracle on Earth.
Assuming that ponies have no idea who God is or Jesus is, depending on one’s interpretation of the Bible, they’re all going to Hell, no matter how holy or godly they are; if a pony with no knowledge whatsoever of God lived a perfect life, they still wouldn’t be saved. I know some interpretations of scripture take that into account and presume that those who are unaware of him can still live a good, Christian life and reap the rewards, while others don’t think so (inclusivism vs. exclusivism).
I would think that a chaplain who believed in exclusivism wouldn’t be very popular. “Sorry, Applejack, your parents are in Hell forever ‘cause they never heard of Jesus, but now that I’m here, you have a chance to save your soul.” I suppose that’s one way to be martyred, though.
Man, wiser minds than mine have pondered this kind of question.
If God created Mankind in His own image, where do ponies fit into that? I would think that the most traditional/conservative chaplains might assume that they simply don’t have souls, or maybe God’s image transcends a physical shape; maybe He’s human and pony and whatever else might be out there in the universe.
5661567
Oh no, no worries! :) I wanna say that... well I think know something that’s more akin to what I have in mind in making this coexist well together and a possibility with the story: Ever read this before?
5661574
I haven’t, although it’s been in my read-it-later list for quite some time.
I was actually going to write a fic years ago where a missionary winds up in Equestria, but I wound up scrapping it because I didn’t know enough about the religion in question to not have it turn into a parody.
Is it something you’re thinking about writing, or just a topic you’re interested in?
5662571
Writing actually, it was both a topic of interest and something i wanted to do to test my writing style. :)
Feeling interested enough to be a co writer or proofreader i bet? 😏
And i completely understand, don’t wanna make parodies. Meh. Terrible. Sometimes. Lol.
5662571
I don’t mean to pry but doing a lil research into the religions could help one understand a bit. And I hope i don’t alarm but I know Christianity because I am a Christian.
5662573
I don’t have enough free time to co-write, but I could certainly pre-read anything you’ve got (as long as it’s not something that is on a really tight schedule).
And yes, you’re right I could have done some research into the religion in question, but it wasn’t one that I was overly familiar with, so I would have had to do a lot of research and perhaps attend a few church services, interview some people who are that religion, etc. just to make sure I was getting all the details right. That’s not undoable, and I’ve done that kind of thing for stories before, but it was more effort than I wanted to spend on what was intended to be a pretty short story.
If I’d just needed passing familiarity, I would have gone for it, but since that was to be an integral part of the main character. . . .
5662577
Well, I can help with all that if you like; for awhile at least, not right now but in time. :) And proof reading is fine by me, I’d appreciate that.
5662579
No worries on the missionary story, that’s long been relegated to the stuff I’ll never actually write pile.
For sure hit me up when you’ve got your story ready to pre-read, though
5662581
But I’ll admit, I think it would be cool if ya did do a missionary or religious story, with a bit of comedy. “Good Lord! Heavens help us!”
Cool, sure no probs.