Blog 2

Religion in The Sledding Hill

Without doubt, one of the major issues that was presented in the novel was religion. The story would not have developed without this element, so there is no question about if it exists. I think that religion is something that concerns almost everybody, theist or not, so it is a very relevant topic. This is what I think about this topic and how it was presented in this novel.
First of all, the author is most likely displaying ideas of his own. I will have to say that he does make good points and he does a superb job of utilizing many of the characters in order to do this. As we all know, the book is about a clash between two groups. On one side are the intellectuals, who seem to question the church and some of its ideas, and on the other side are the extremely conservative and traditional Red Brickers, who are unhappy with a book that is in the school’s curriculum. They feel that it discusses topics too taboo for teenagers to hear about from anybody except their parents. The way the story is would lead to the obvious conclusion that Chris is on the more “borderline” or “on the edge” side as he is the one who writes these novels, and gives the main characters the same traits. All of this made me want to know what Crutcher believes in. Personally, I think that the religious diversity in our country is a very interesting and valuable thing, and it was fascinating to read about it in this book, which really made me think about the author. These next paragraphs are going to be about reasons why Crutcher could be either a Christian theist or one who does not associate themselves with that institution based on my interpretations of what was presented in the story.

The following is about why I think that the author may have traits in the story that would suggest an atheist. The first reason that made me get this idea had mostly to do with the characters. He placed two characters (Mr. Proffit and Eddie) who were clearly agnostic. This could suggest that Chris feels the same way towards religion as them. Although, he could have put Eddie in the situation of having a Christian mother and an agnostic father to show some insight into what that situation is like for real kids in the same position. I am always fascinated to talk to my friend from the PRC who was raised without any religious biases from his parents and had to decide what to believe in on his own; I always wonder what that was like. One other reason why he may have these ideas is that when Eddie asked Billy’s ghost something about god, Billy answered by giving the subject in question the title “the universe”. The author could have written that because he honestly believes in something other that the Christian god, because he did not want to offend any non Christian reading the book, or because he wants the reader to think. There were other things written that would suggest his beliefs, and I am not sure the exact reason for him writing them; only he knows.

These points are reasons that lead me to believe that Chris Crutcher in fact is a Christian. In the text, he directly states that in the story, there are no bad and good guys. He is sure to clarify that the Christians in the story are not bad people. He shows that they have a genuine cause for trying to ban the book, so he might actually be a Christian, just not as traditional as the portrayed Red Brickers. Also, towards the end, instead of having characters like Eddie and Chad decide to not believe in God, he just chooses to have them have a less traditional outlook on it. There is also one major point that may suggest a Christian faith. After Billy dies, he turns into a 21 gram object that can do anything at the speed of the universe. He might really be implying that Billy is some sort of soul or angel. Once again, Chris Crutcher is the only one who really knows, so it is a mystery.
Please know that I do choose to put my faith in Christianity, but am not trying put any bias in this that would make is seem better for Crutcher to believe in God. This posting was written only so I could share my curiosity about the intriguing topic in the story. Please give me your opinion on what you think about this. I am very excited to see how others interpreted the book!