The book is filled with people actually breaking one of God's 10 commandments: killing (and glorifying it at that), not honoring their father and mother, having other Gods, etc., but Gay people is where you draw the line. As someone who was once was proud to be Christian, I wish there was a version of Christianity that actually focused on Jesus' love.
Jesus's love and mercy can not be appropriately expressed without His condemnation of sin. Also, not all sins are treated equally. All cause separation from God, but some are more detestable than others.
@@joshobrien4960 I mean that is your interpretation. When you get to heaven and Jesus asks you why you didn't follow his commandment to love your neighbor, is your excuse going to be to point out the verse in the Bible that told you not to? There are too many contradictions in the Bible to follow it word for word without straight up ignoring parts you don't agree with. I'm good with following the empathy God gave me. Also, why would any sin not listed in the 10 commandments be a greater sin than those that are? Did God not think to call out homosexuality when he gave them to Moses? Seems like a strange oversight on his part.
@AnneAbbey I'm not interpreting the text, I'm just reading the text. When I get to Heaven, I will bow my face before the Almighty God, deserving Hell, just like everyone else. The only difference is that I will plead for His great mercy by pleading that I trusted Christ with my salvation and that I am utterly unworthy by my own works, but I trust the work of Christ who bore the wrath for me on the cross. Homosexuality is covered in the commandments when referring to adultery, then Jesus Christ even makes it more specific by teaching that if you lust for someone, you've committed adultery already. The point isn't, "Follow these things, and you'll be declared righteous". The point is, "You are condemned in unrighteousness already because we are incapable of following the law". That's why Christ came: to fulfill the Law so that He would be worthy to pay our sin debt for us. If that's not true love, that God would condescend to Earth in the form of a man to lay down His life for us, then nothing is. True Christianity is love. The problem is that people have perverted and distorted the definition of love.
@@joshobrien4960 You state that then go on to make a huge interpretation. No where anywhere in the Bible does adultery have anything to do with homosexuality. They are even called out separately in Leviticus, the book all Christians point to when they talk about homosexuality being a sin. I'm also not sure why pointing out that you are a sinner makes any difference whatsoever. So it is ok for you to sin by not loving your neighbor because you are already a sinner, but being gay crosses the line for that guy over there even if he is also already a sinner? Also, the bible describes what love is. It doesn't need anyone to distort it. Let me know which part of the below involves condemning gays: "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs."
@@AnneAbbey 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 LSB 9 Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor [a]effeminate, nor homosexuals, 10 nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God. Romans 1:26-32 LSB 26 For this reason God gave them over to dishonorable passions; for their females exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural, 27 and in the same way also the males abandoned the natural function of the female and burned in their desire toward one another, males with males committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error. 28 And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them over to an unfit mind, to do those things which are not proper, 29 having been filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice; they are gossips, 30 slanderers, haters of God, violent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, 31 without understanding, untrustworthy, unloving, unmerciful; 32 and although they know the righteous requirement of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, they not only do the same, but also give hearty approval to those who practice them.
I absolutely agree. Theres such a difference between it being present and it being promoted. My biggest frustration is the normalizing of unhealthy relationships and even morally gray behavior.
@loralubimaia2783 thank you so much for the encouragement! And thank you for taking the time to watch! Happy reading! Also, I highly recommend James Islington.
@wcombs I'm so sorry. I'm sure they won't be missing out, though, because they have parents that care enough to find better forms of entertainment. I highly recommend James Islington, if you haven't read him already. Excellent writer and storyteller, and he's a good Christian brother. I hope you have a great week! Happy reading!
I have nothing against same sex relationships in books or in any other way but I just think Sanderson is pandering, brownie point earning and virtue signaling at this point. From being quite openly against same sex relationships to having them feature in his books quite heavily. Not to mention the fact that mental health has become an ever increasing feature in his works, interestingly enough the rise in that correlates quite well with his rise in fame and popularity. It all just stinks something foul to me. Like maybe none of this is actually genuine and it's all in aid of selling books. Fair enough I guess but lets not play smoke and mirrors here.
@@anangryscorpion5838 Yes, I agree that he is just pandering to a particular group, so I don't see how people can get upset when people outside that group don't enjoy that. Thanks for listening, and have a great weekend!
Yeah it does feel like it's more to please the masses. I can ignore same sex relationship existing in books not being so prominent and focused on tho. It can be distracting
I made the decision years ago to stop reading Sanderson’s books because he kept getting further and further away from my values, and it was a hard decision because I’ve always loved his books and I am a fellow Latter-day Saint. Year after year Sanderson has made that decision easier and easier. No regrets.
I hate to hear that, but I'm sure you're better off for it. It really is a shame, but good on you for actually living what you believe. I hope you have a great week, my friend! Thanks for watching, and happy reading!
The point about intentionality is crucial. I have some very dark, horrific scenes in Sorsa, but they are supposed to be terrible and uncomfortable. I am in no way promoting violence. Quite the opposite. I am showing what violence does to people and to the world and how people can recover, or become corrupted, depending on their choices and circumstances.
I have not heard of your series yet, but that is awesome! I'll definitely be picking it up today! You nailed it. The intentionality of the author is the key. Now, that isn't always clear, but in this case, it absolutely was, and it is not something that I'm willing to budge on. Thanks again, and I'll be picking up your book ASAP. Happy reading!
@@joshobrien4960 I replied but I don't see it now. I haven't published it yet. I've been leaning towards traditional publishing but now I'm thinking I should self publish. I've already written three 200k word books, and revised and restructured the first to meet publishing standards and I think I might still split book 1 into 2 or 3 books because there are a lot of plots and I feel like readers might not want to commit to 200k words for a new author. What do you think?
@TheSecretsOfSorsa In my personal opinion, when it comes to fantasy, most people don't have an aversion to thick books. I think that's entirely up to you as the author, but if it were me, if I felt that it is a more concise work as a chunky book.....then I guess they're going to get a chunky book, lol. Just do whatever you feel will serve the story in the best way. Please let me know when you finish it; I'd love to read it!
@TheSecretsOfSorsa If you do decide to self-publish, make sure to still hire editors to rip your work apart and make necessary revisions. Not using editors (or thinking they can edit their own work) causes a lot of self-published authors to put out books that feel more like unpolished first drafts than proper professional work.
@@joshobrien4960 That's true. I will have a lot to revise if I decide to publish it all at once. It will be like 250k at least. Thanks for subscribing!
Exactly. It is never ok to mistreat someone, but, like you, I get to choose what I'm entertained by, especially in the confines of my own home. Thanks for watching, and happy reading!
I'm glad you liked it. I never want people to NOT enjoy what they're reading. Different people just have different palates. Have a great weekend! Thanks for listening, and happy reading!
I'm so glad RUclips recommended your video, allowing me to discover your channel. As a fantasy/sci-fi reader/writer who is also a devout Christian, I have long been frustrated with a lot of the content that is glossed over in RUclips book reviews, and I have on several occasions been disappointed when I started reading a book that received widespread praise and then discovered overt content that I hadn't wanted to read. So thank you for your honesty here. I was on the fence about starting Stormlight before this--I recently read the original Mistborn trilogy and was somewhat underwhelmed, so I wasn't sure I wanted to even try Stormlight. Now that I know what sort of content is in Stormlight #5, I don't see the point in even starting it, since there are other books and authors I have more interest in. I am also writing my own novel, which I should devote more time to anyway. P.S. Love your hoodie in this video. I can't tell if it says anything more further down, but the sentiment about salvation warmed my heart (I'm LCMS Lutheran).
My brother.....thank you so much. Your encouragement truly is appreciated. I was in the exact same situation where I kept picking up books based on a RUclipsr's recommendation and having to ultimately put it down, or worse, finishing it and feeling guilty that I had read it. I looked everywhere for the "Common Sense Media" of sci-fi/fantasy books and came up empty-handed, so I thought that someone should do it in order that our brothers and sisters in Christ have the most information to make the best decision for themselves and their convictions. I just stopped wishing for it and decided to turn the camera around, and maybe I can not only help those in Christ, but maybe even reach someone in an unorthodox way with the Gospel. Thanks again for watching, and I hope that I can help you find a few good books along the way! Also, James Islington is a Christian brother with some fantastic books if you haven't tried him. Also, my hoodie says, "You contribute nothing to your salvation except the sin that made it necessary." - Jonathan Edwards Blessings, my brother! I hope you have a fantastic week!
@@joshobrien4960 Thank you for the James Islington recommendation! I'm glad you turned the camera around to fill a need that wasn't being met. I have a similar perspective on writing my own novels. I think books have an incredibly powerful way of influencing people, especially when it comes to fantasy, where a reader can be so deeply immersed in a world and fall in love with characters on the page and in doing so become long-term exposed to the ideology of the author coming through in the writing and story elements. I want to begin increasing the number of fantasy series out there written with a Christian influence as opposed to a secular one. Last year, I wrote a 52-page outline for the debut novel of a series, and right after Christmas I began drafting the actual manuscript. I plan to have the first draft complete by the end of this year, and perhaps begin querying agents in two years, after revisions/editing/beta reading. Love that hoodie. I need to get one.
To me it is as simple as this: If you don't like it, you don't read it. period. Nobody should shame anyone for it. There are maaaaaany people who dislike a book if it is religious, and hey, they can DNF them. Such a double standard. I don't mind having sinful things in the books because those things happen in the real world. However, as you said, the issue is when there is promotion of it. I haven't read WAT so I won't comment on that one. Plus, I already bought it lol. So I need to read and make an assessment myself. And for those who mention violence and slavery, I agree with you that those things are not put as something positive (although Adolin/Sadeas could be a point of discussion).
Exactly! As far as Sadeas goes, it wasn't viewed as a morally just action, but i will say that people just tended to overlook that he murdered someone, let alone a high-ranking official. I was pretty disappointed that everyone was just kind of like, "Oh man, that's crazy. Oh, well." I didn't think it was consistent with the story anyway, but yeah, I agree that it wasn't handled great. Thanks for listening and happy reading!
Yeah surprised no really consequence for that action for adolin. I can't remember if dalinar even confronted him on it. It being overlooked isn't good but its not promoting it as good @@joshobrien4960
I have always enjoyed Sanderson's Stormlight Archive, but I won't be reading Wind and Truth. I'm not a Mormon, but a Southern Baptist, and to me right is right and wrong is wrong. I also know that this morally gray stuff is not OK with science fiction and fantasy readers, and this is also true with me. I'm more of a science fiction reader than a fantasy reader, and began reading as a teen with all the classics - the mold was set.
Exactly. I have thoroughly enjoyed reading Sanderson's books the past several years, but I just can't do it anymore while he tramples over our values as Christians. Again, it's the authors that are drawing the lines in the sand and segregating a particular group. They are overly careful to not offend almost anyone else, but they don't care about their Christian audience. Thank you for watching! Happy reading!
Thanks for this. I have to be honest, my first thought was, "this guy is a prude" but your earnestness kept me watching. And then you said, "As a Christian, I don't WANT to be entertained by these things..." I thought no, this guy is absolutely correct. Reading is entertainment. You and everyone else has the right to read material that you find entertaining. Not offensive. Good on you for expressing your thoughts in a way even me, a non-Christian can understand.
@JKSwiftWrites Man....thank you so much. Truly. It can sometimes be quite discouraging when things like my Goodreads review have an OVERWHELMING amount of hateful comments thrown at me, simply for articulating my opinion. Surprisingly, RUclips has been the opposite. Most people on here have been very kind (or at least respectful),even if they disagree with me. I think it is difficult to be exhaustive in my explanations when I'm just talking to the camera and not having true dialogue. Thanks again for the encouragement, my friend. I hope you have an excellent week!
@@joshobrien4960 Definitely try not to get discouraged! I know very well from experience how tough Goodreads can be but don't let it get to you. Have yourself a good week too!
No, him saying he hates gay people isn't "not offensive." "I'm not offending you. I'm just saying that your very existence is pure evil and you should be ashamed."
I am still finishing the WaT to get the conclusion. I wont promote it and future works of Brandon I'd have to be careful and see what comes. Not be too quick before checking its quality and intent. Might realize the mistake he is making who knows. It sucks cause i love the stormlight archive i hope it doesn't get worse. I'd probably still recommend his other previous books with caution of what comes
I was in the same boat, for the most part. Mike over at Mike's Book Reviews gave a good analogy when he said that he sees this like Avengers Endgame. This is just the end of the cosmere story for me, and im perfectly OK with that.
Im a Christian and genuinely curious. I watched the video but maybe missed this part. Im curious why fellow Christians will be ok reading books that include murder and killing but homosexuality is where the line gets drawn. Also, my faith is not threatened by sinful activties taking place in the real world or especially not in a fictional world. Tbh it does seem like christians treat homosexuality as a much much worse sin than any others. Straight people sin just as much. All fall short of the glory of God. Thanks for the video, i appreciate your insight.
@SteppingStone445 Hey there! It really comes down to the intentionality of the author in this case. Yes, murder is bad, as well as an enormous list of other things. The difference is that, in this series, murder is not glorified or even being presented as the norm. Murder, deceit, theft, lying, adultery....all of these things were presented as morally corrupt up to this point.....because it is morally corrupt. Then, he tries to slide homosexuality, trans ideology, and non-binary lies into the story as if it's something that we should just accept and not bat an eye at. Christians need to keep in mind (talking to myself here) that it is not us who are drawing hard lines in the sand...it's the authors. THEY are the ones who are making these statements through their writing that "homosexuality isn't wrong, trans women are real women, love is love", etc. They have decided to cater to a very specific group of people, which is ALWAYS going to segregate and exclude another group. In this case, Sanderson decided that the Christian worldview is wrong here, the Bible is wrong in this way, and I'm right. So we, as Christians, just have to stand on the Word of the Lord, which is truth, and we can say, "it doesn't matter what I think about _____, God says....". If we agree with God, we will be right. When we disagree with Him and His instruction, it is ALWAYS wrong. Hope that answers your question, my friend. Happy reading!
Because the killing and murder Depending on the context can cause huge stakes in a plot. Also the killing or murder will be recognized as bad and not something the characters themselves will endorse or like doing. Homosexuality seems to be endorsed or as a life style that is completely ok.
“As a sin much worse compared to others” It’s stated in the Bible is one of the few sins so bad it calls vengeance out to heaven. Take it out with God.
@Finniganmydog Unfortunately, that seems to be the case. I highly recommend James Islington if you havent read him yet. Thanks for watching and happy reading!
I don't mind the gays being in stuff, as long as it's organic and adds to the actual story in a meaningful way. When it's inserted as a woke way for 'representation' purposes, then it's 100% going to be trash. Brandon must've gotten his ESG paycheck to force it into the story if it's as prevalent as I keep seeing others say.
@@danielbroome5690 I said (read carefully): "I don't mind the gays being in stuff, as long as it's organic and adds to the actual story in a meaningful way. When it's inserted as a woke way for 'representation' purposes, then it's 100% going to be trash. Brandon must've gotten his ESG paycheck to force it into the story if it's as prevalent as I keep seeing others say."
@@danielbroome5690I don't see that at all. They were both outsiders in bridge four and don't really interact much outside of that until they got the same Spren
I have no problem with gay relationships, I don't have personal, spiritual or professional problems with gay people even the tiniest little bit. What I don't care for is insertion for insertion sake. It's been stated since the end of Oathbringer that Renarin was going to be the MC for Arc 2 of Stormlight, it's been said he's gay since RoW, so I expected something of it at some point. And I'd have been fine with it being there, if it contributed to the plot. To have something other than what was done with the spiritual realm. But what we got was forced, Renarin and Rlain have no business being in that plot whatsoever. It doesn't matter what they do as they're not the important people involving the finding of Mishram. Then there's the repeated plots, the boring stakes and the absolute annoying levels of horrid writing in the book. I'm done with Sanderson.
@UncensoredScion Yes, this seemed like he just decided to cater to one specific group of people in a pandering way that detracted from, not only Stormlight, but also the entire cosmere. Thanks for watching, and happy reading!
Hey Josh, thanks for this video. I'm a new booktuber and you and I are alike in that we are both Christians. I just learned today about some of the content in Wind & Truth and I was very disappointed, as I've just finished Oathbringer. I won't be continuing. I'm subscribing to your channel as I know I'll find your content helpful. Thank you!
Thanks so much! Consider me a subscriber as well! Yeah, unfortunately, I've been disappointed on a few of the series I read this past year, but opens me up to some new ones. I'll be checking out your channel to get some recommendations! I hope you have a great weekend!
Omg how dare you not agree with, “the message”! Lord knows that if you disagree with someone’s lifestyle you must hate them. Keep doing what you’re doing bro don’t be discouraged by the talking head negative comments.
I missed the "clues/mentions" in the previous books but i had decided not to read Sand any more after i didn't care for RoW. I didn't read the secret projects either and a friend of mine had issues with Yumi for s*xual type content. Kudos to you for sticking with your principles.
Thank you so much for the encouragement! Yeah, I could see he was beginning to lean into it little by little, so I just had to give up on him as well. I hope you have a great week!
The problem with calling yourself a Christian is that most “Christian’s” tend to draw the line in the sand to varying degrees of tolerance. Anything that isn’t the Bible, gathering in His name or directly from God is sinful. You can split hairs all day long but if continue down the path of identifying anything of notable sin you’re going to end up not buying clothes (the clothes your wearing are most likely made from extreme exploitation from the poor), not using technology (the camera you’re using most likely cost someone’s life due to lithium production). You can keep this mentality until you end up sitting in a room afraid to do anything which in itself becomes a sin because you’re harming yourself by doing nothing. The point is that we live in a fallen world and reading especially reading literature that reflects our world is a way to self reflect, empathize, gain knowledge, etc. There’s nothing wrong with including sins or sinful behavior but the intention is what counts. Are you glorifying it as a positive? Is your intention meditative or self reflection? It’s up to what you tolerate and what aligns with your interpretation of scripture. That goes for the author and the reader alike. More importantly read your bible and learn what is acceptable and what isn’t.
@itsYTYogi While I largely agree with some of what you're saying, I also disagree with many others. Ultimately, I'm not overly concerned about what most other Christians think on this issue, I'm concerned about what the Bible articulates. I wouldn't phrase any of this in the same manner to a non-Christian, but you seem to be claiming to be Christian, so the standard is different for us. As an example, can you answer these questions: 1. Is homosexuality a sin against God? 2. Could Sanderson have written this book without the inclusion of same-sex characters and still gotten a similar or better result? 3. When should we expose homosexuality as a sinful act vs. when we should just accept it as part of the fallen world?
Yes, it is. But I guess I now have more time for other series that I've been putting off. Thank you for the encouragement and for listening! I hope you have a great weekend, my friend!
I wouldn't recommend wind abd truth to another Christian but it depends. I do think its bad this will be more prevalent in brandon series going forward
Man, I hate to hear that, but completely understand. It really is sad that he seemed to have bought into this new ideology and forsaken even his own view of morality. I highly recommend James Islington if you haven't read him already. Thanks for listening!
You know what's funny? the moment I knew Brandon was a mormon, I figured the ending of Mistborn (a little bit). SPOILERS I know they kinda believe people can become gods, so I thought "he's gonna make Vin a god", and he did. Of course, we know what happened and that then it ended up being shortlived and ultimately it became Sazed. At that point, and I was like "how do I feel about this?" but he was so clean compared to other authors that I gave it a pass. Also because many fantasy books tackle multiple religions, so... I am curious to see how things develop ion WAT
Yeah, when they made the statement, "How can you kill a god?", I figured the answer was to become one themselves. I was just disappointed that when I knew he was a Mormon, I obviously don't agree with his theology, but I assumed that his books would be safe as far as content goes. It's a shame that he has seemed to shift his views to reflect the world's standard of morality.
@@LeonC0704 no, it's also completely different. It's actually the same thing as in Stormlight in Mistborn. It's investiture. Magic. Mist or Stormlight are just different manifestations of the magic of the Cosmere, which is a fictional world. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints teaches that we are all spirit children of God, the Eternal Father, and that through Jesus Christ's atoning sacrifice we can return to God's presence AND become like him, in a similar way to how a son or daughter born to loving parents become like their mothers or fathers. It's not about magic, it's not about obtaining some shard of power, and it's not about embodying some emotion or force like Ruin or Preservation or Honor. It's about becoming like Jesus Christ and developing the qualities of His character into our own, and serving others.
I finished it, but recommended my brother to DNF and return. The story was disappointing and the writing was rough. It was a ramp up of the things I didn’t like from the series. Probably won’t read the rest. What an unfortunate way to end this series for me.
@andrews6810 Man, I hate to hear that. Despite what people on Goodreads think, I want people to enjoy the books that they're reading, but, yeah, I just couldn't with this one. I highly recommend anything by James Islington and Soul Cage by LR Shulz. Thanks for listening to my ramblings, lol. Happy reading!
So I didn’t DNF but pretty much agree with your thoughts. It was sad to see him push these elements especially in his last book when he hasn’t been pushing it in his other books. It seemed like a bait and switch which is not cool. Appreciate your thoughts! SDG
Thank you for the encouragement! Yes, I was crushed. I loved this series and hate that it ended for me like this. I highly recommend James Islington and Soul Cage by LR Shulz. Thanks again, and happy reading, my friend!
writing 4 1000+ pages books then adding it in as a specific plot arc is a betrayal and a waste of 10 years of my reading life, from my point of view. If he wanted to do this, it should have been there from page 1 rather than waste my time. This is my opinion. But this ss relationship exploration is not the reason this book sucks. It sucks because the backbone characters, Kaladin and Dalinar specifically, are not themselves and their stories are bizarrely underwhelming.
"Weak minded." Really? Seems to me like it's evidence of discipline and strength of character to put down a series you're so heavily invested in due to your convictions.
@ffrock1901 Thank you so much for your kind words. Yes, it was crushing to have to put down the series, but, like you said, it is more important that I be attentive to my own convictions than be entertained. Again, thank you so much. I hope you have a great week!
What's "weak minded" is shoe-horning all this in as a series conclusion because he knew he had the attention and people would buy the book, and "the message" would be promoted. Also, jamming in cross species near gay pedophilia is not what the average reader wants, shocker.
As an atheist I have to ask, why is it "unsafe" for a christian to read about a same sex relationship? I haven't read the book but knowing Sanderson he doesn't go into explicit details of sexual acts, so it's not like you're forced to imagine the acts themselves, therefore you are not being "entertained" by the acts, you just follow along with characters that happen to be gay.
I'm not saying that it's unsafe for a Christian to read ABOUT a same-sex relationship, but we shouldn't be entertained by it, especially regarding a piece of work where the author is promoting such a relationship. The scriptures instruct the Christian to dwell on whatever is good, and it is explicitly stated that homosexuality isn't. There are many reasons why we are instructed to do this, one of which is that people are influenced by what they dwell on. What I mean is that if we are constantly exposed to same-sex relationships to the point where it becomes commonplace, we are slowly being desensitized to a particular sin (and we see numerous examples of this with a myriad of unrighteousness). In a very similar sense, this is part of the reason why divorce is so prevalent today: because society has accepted that it is ordinary, so then people no longer see it as morally wrong. Also, Sanderson does go more explicit in this book with Shallan and Adolin, which I don't want to be entertained by either.
I stopped reading at chapter 17 because of the multiple sex scenes and poor dialogue before I even heard the gay stuff was in it. People mad that Christians denounce homosexuality do not understand why we do it. It's not out of hate for them, we see it as something that will diminish your life and harm you because of the reduced life expectancy and the fact you won't be able to have children. We want you to live as long as possible and have many children because god ordained you and the world is a better place with you in it. God bless you all.
Exactly! Sorry that you had a similar reading experience, but at least now we have more time for other books. I hope you have a great weekend! Thanks for watching!
It was Ready Player One. He showed me that in the first chapter where the main character is describing how society got this point, he goes on a rant for a few pages about "the whole 'God thing' being B.S.", and a few other lines that I must've just overlooked or not really payed much attention to
Its hypocritical and the same ppl talking about love and acceptance when you only said i am not reading this because same sex. Same group of thry stop reading a book focused on Christianity or religion and faith, they would bash it or be the reason to stop reading
Would you say that in the context of the fiction - where the Christian God and the Bible do not exist - that the same-sex relationships should still be viewed as sinful?
@ReVoLynx hmmmm, that's a really good question. For me, personally, I would still say yes, simply because I know the author's intent (which he disclosed in a live stream). I think that's what it comes down to, is, do you feel personally convicted being entertained by something in a piece of fiction? Personally, I did, so I stopped reading. But I'm interested in what you think? I've never thought about it like that before.
@@joshobrien4960I think taking the author's intents - however personally savory or not - into consideration is interjecting from outside the context of the make-believe world of the story. There's of course the whole side-issue of whether literary work is ever possible to be evaluated without reference to the author. But at least for me, fantasy - being the genre closest to full escapism - benefits from being evaluated by it's own internal logic, without extending dependencies from the real world. After all, the main pull of the genre is imagining things that would never work or happen in the real world. And in a story of this magnitude that includes the alternate metaphysics, gods and religions.
@ReVoLynx That's valid. As Christians, I do need to remind myself that we are no longer under condemnation for our sins or being entertained by any of them, including lying. Your comment is a good reminder that we have liberty because Christ bore our condemnation already, then we must continually be sanctified, and for some people, that could mean not drinking any alcohol (that's not me) or even not consuming certain forms of media. Like I said, it's a bit subjective with personal convictions, but, as far as my opinion goes, I just couldn't recommend reading this for my own conscience. Love the dialogue, my friend! Happy reading!
@@ReVoLynx I see your point, but I think it doesn't stand for most people when compared to other works of fictions. Let's say you have a fantasy world where child abuse is not a thing, meaning, there's nothing condemning it. Most people would still have problems with such work. We see this in some romance books where you have a much adult creature falling for the teenager, for example. I guess we can't fully disconnect from the fact that a book has a message the author is trying to put out there. And that's where people will have an issue.
Internal consistency in fiction is only ascertainable from the outside. We can't live in the fiction, we view it and experience it and interpret it on this side of reality. A fictional universe that is internally consistent in it's worldbuilding for violent child abuse to be a moral good would, I'm sure you would agree, be inappropriate material for a devout Christian, regardless of how it's perceived within the fiction itself. Pull back from scifi and fantasy a bit and consider that the fictional scenarios in actual pornography are internally consistent in that the actors and directors view what they are doing as morally neutral at best, or morally justifiable at worst, does that mean it's appropriate content for a Christian or child to consume?
Speaking as a devote member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints I do not approve of or condone Sanderson’s actions regarding his assertions of woke indoctrinations in his novels. I knew he considered himself “progressive” but he never asserted these things this hard before. There are also tons of modernisms in the dialogue that take me out of the worlds he’s created. Missing the point of fantasy thereby worrying that his readers would get lost. I always saw him as overrated anyway despite my enjoyment of Mistborn and Alcatraz Vs The Evil Librarians. Seriously I’d pick up CS Lewis, JRR Tolkien, Larry Correia Robert Howard, Michael Moorcock or even Guy Gavriel Kay any day over Sanderson at this point.
Really intrigued to hear the story of the book(s) that you loved-and got you back into reading-but then trashed as you grew and matured. For me, it was Stephen King. I probably shouldn’t have been reading his works when I was 13 years young, but… I still think he’s one of the greatest storytellers of all time… However, there are some things he’s written that, in a sane world, should warrant jail time instead of world’s bestselling author. I am always disturbed when I see/hear people unequivocally recommending his (probably) most famous book, It, without any kind of disclaimer or warning about the graphic, p**nographic p*d*philia contained within. As a Christian brother (not Reformed, tho), I love the idea, and mission statement, of your channel. That is indeed something that is sorely lacking in our world. I mean, Plugged In has always done a respectable job… but in this day and age, it’s really nice to get an audio source I can listen to while doing menial tasks.
Yes! The Plugged In comparison is exactly what I had in mind when starting this up. I really wished that I had something like that when I started reading. I would try to look for what was contained in the work and came up empty-handed, so I had to start doing things like reverse engineering my process by looking up which fantasy books were LGBT inclusive. Then, I would know what to stay away from. Funny you mention It, someone bought that for me as a gift early on, my pastor came over one day and saw it sitting on my shelf and asked if I had read it yet, I said no, and he said, "I'm not trying to tell you whether or not you should read it, but go to this section in the book, and tell me if you still want to read it after." I was absolutely appalled. I immediately removed everything that had his name on it (I had only read Fairy Tale, but owned several of his books). Yeah, I'll have to do that video soon. Thanks so much for watching. I hope you have a great week!
Dude what is with these weak men that dont like homosexual relationships because it isnt "written well" lol this is absurd. Either oppose it on moral grounds or accept it.
@joshobrien4960 I was referring to other reviewers that didn't. Not sure why they oppose it only on the basis of it being "woke". I just don't understand the mindset
@JMwrite Completely valid. I think he is a talented writer, a great storyteller, and has a crazy work ethic, but if im rating this work alone, and I DNF'd it (especially why), then I can't recommend it at all. I 1-star any book I DNF with few exceptions, but that's just the way MY rating scale goes. Out of curiosity, how would you go about rating a book that you had to stop for ethical reasons?
@@harshrox2 I stayed away from it because another commentor said that it also had some same-sex stuff, but I never verified that claim. Can you share any insight on it?
@@joshobrien4960 Yeah I was mostly agreeing with you, so I wouldn't think it would be deleted. But I wrote a long comment, and must not have clicked the "reply" button or something. Spark notes, I'm not Christian anymore, but really respect consistency. All I ask is for people to be consistent with what they say they believe. Long story short, I think Brandon is going more and more "woke" for lack of a better term, and surrounds himself with culturally left-leaning people he wants to impress. Whether he realizes or not, from what I can tell this seems not genuine. (Although i still haven't read the Stormlight books so I'm speculating). You seem very consistent with your views, and simply don't want to read something that promotes values you find sinful. Those claiming this is "hateful" or "bigoted" ironically are so narrow minded that they are the ones intolerant of other's beliefs/lifestyles. So I appreciate your views, and even though I am disappointed in Brandon for different reasons, I see where you are coming from and appreciate consistency. Also, just watched a vide on Jon Del Arroz's channel covering this and he read your Goodreads comments. Nice!
Man, thank you so much for your encouragement. Yeah, it seemed he has been buying into the woke culture more and more to me as well. I hate it because I love a lot of his works, but this REALLY made it hard for me to promote any of his works going forward. I was so torn because I was such a fan, but there are consequences to our decisions. Also, the comments don't bother me (some of them are quite creative, lol). Being able to reply on RUclips has opened up some fun and intriguing dialogue, but people like to hide behind their Goodreads comments. I was actually called a hypocrite numerous times, but, as a Christian, wouldn't it be more hypocritical to promote something that the Bible opposes? That's why that statement baffles me. Thanks for letting me know about the video! I'm going to go check it out! Thanks for listening, and happy reading, my friend!
Subscribed, added you on IG and Goodreads! 😃 My issue is also that everything became modernized in tone. Stormlight was always great at taking you into a fantastical world. My immersion is broken with this one... I put it down after 400 pages. I'll be skimming alot if I ever get to it again.
@@TheArtfulBrittani thanks so much! Yeah, saying that I was disappointed would be an understatement, but nowadays, I'm not surprised. At least now I have plenty of extra time for other books, lol! Have a great week, and happy reading!
Nice to hear a Christian point of view. I appreciate the risk in sharing opposing views to the not-so-tolerant people. I feel like Sanderson may have compromised his values, either to appease the publishers or his followers. I personally don't understand why he is so popular. I have read Elantris and the Mistborn trilogy and thought they were okay. I have read better books though. I have the first Stormlight book, but after seeing various reviews for book 5, I'll probably donate it...
@poeticpiscean thank you so much for the encouragement! Yeah, I really like Mistborn, and the first 2 Stormlight because blew me away, so it was crushing to me that he concluded the story this way. I highly recommend James Islington if you haven't read him already. Not only is he a Christian, but he's an excellent storyteller. Happy reading!
Good video. One suspects Brandon Sanderson will repent, but for financial reasons rather than for probity because he appears to be aware of what he is doing, and is therefore complicit. But... is that repentance?
@gothicwriter9897 I don't think so because repentance is supposed to be the changing of one's mind. That might be a change in his behavior, but not of what he views as morally corrupt. Thanks so much for the encouragement and for watching! I hope you have a great week! Happy reading!
I've seen alot of backlash regarding the gay relationship and it doesn't surprise me. I'm straight but i wouldn't really consider myself a Christian anymore (at least not practising). At first i was annoyed by this take on inclusion of a gay romance in the book, but I've tried not to be one of the haters and genuinely listen to you and your reasons against it. But I'll try to defend Sanderson here whilst being respectful for others that don't like this kind of content. From the video and your replies to the comments (which I'm very impressed with how well you've considered other points of view), I understand that you didn't finish it because you feel that the relationship was promoted/ celebrated and that goes against your ethics. Whilst i can completely understand why the content would make you feel uncomfortable, I believe that exposing yourself to other perspectives is the best way to gain an understanding and this doesnt have to change your ethics, it can even solidify them but I wouldn't shy away from things that challenge your ethics just because they might be uncomfortable. That said, this is a fantasy book and you should be able to enjoy it in your own precious time. If the themes in the book prevent you from enjoying it, at a base level the author hasn't done his job, for you at least. I don't consider myself woke as I find that the arguments in favour of wokism tend to be more exclusive than the movement claims to be. But Stormlight has always been about people that are different or struggling with certain issues, right back to Kaladin with his depression, Shallan with split personality (can't remember medical name for it), Teft and his drug addiction. It got to a point where Sanderson has to include more representation in a book that represented so many real people and the issues they've gone through. Yes there's an argument that this a phase our society is currently going through, but a story needs to be relatable to people reading it in the present day. I agree with Sanderson that if he didn't bring this theme to the forefront then he would be making a bigger statement about not being inclusive in a series that has been inclusive so far. And not to ruffle any feather but there are some very loud and angry voices on social media that have different opinions from you. And they probably shout louder. Now onto the romance and the characters itself. The romance was written significantly into the story and had an important part to play Narratively especially when it came to the outcome of Ba-Ado-Mishram. If you make a relationship have a positive outcome on the plot then i would say that you're celebrating it at an author. However if he had included it with no relevance to the plot then this would be extremely unsatisfying and will could be accused of 'hamfisting' to pander and that would be the argument. I think a lot of people try to find a reason why it is bad storytelling to include theme like this, but the truth in a lot of cases is that its just not for them. I think that Sanderson had actual walked a very fine line by trying to be as inclusive as possible but not making it obscene and has also given the relationship purpose in the plot. However while i think it works for the plot, i can't say the same about what it does for the characters. If you put two interesting characters into a relationship (straight or gay), you run the risk of making these characters less interesting. I think that is what unfortunately has happened here. Renarin and Rlain seem to work as a couple very easily without much conflict and it makes them boring. Shallan and Adolin have problems believing they're guys enough for each other and a whole pile of secrets. Navani and Dalinar have history and the blasphemy thing going on. Jasnah and Hoid is just a huge mess doomed to fail. All of these are bubbling with conflict and drama and they're interesting to read. Renarin and Rlain... they fit together too neatly and it makes them boring. This error could have happened in a straight romance as well. Unfortunately i think it does leave people feeling disappointed with their characters and critics use this to point the finger at why gay romance is bad. Its not because gay romance is always bad/boring, just this particular romance wasn't interesting. All that said my original point stands. If you don't want to read a story with certain themes then nobody should make you or make you feel bad for not wanting to. I do recognise that this is series you've clearly loved for many years and I'm sincerely sorry that it hasn't turned out in satisfactory way for you. Its truly a heartbreaking feeling. All the best and thank you for the video
@Zaineph100 thank you so much for ACTUALLY listening. You make some really valid points that I don't disagree with much of. I do, however, disagree somewhat about the different perspectives. That's true to an extent, but it isn't always wise to open yourself to ANY perspective. For instance, I don't trying to empathize or try come to understand Hitler's way of thinking will make us better; it will make us worse. He's morally corrupt, and everyone knows that without exposing ourselves to his ideology. That's an extreme example, I know, and I'm not comparing a gay person to Hitler by any mean, but I'm just trying to convey that exposing yourself to some points of view can be detrimental and even dangerous at times. My point is that I would rather expose myself to what I already know is good and true. But again, that's my view. Thank you again for the true dialogue, and not just beratement. Appreciate you, truly. Happy reading!
I also agree with you. In my case I won't even start to read it as I despise Brandon's pandering to the alphabet mafia just to be patted on his head and score woke points. Literature in general is in a weird place and promotes sick agenda. I do believe that Christians should be more active and vocal in defending and showing their convictions and views regardless of what the woke folk says. Brandon turned out to be a weak spineless sellout. I have his four books and have no intention to buy more. Your video is really relevant and I enjoyed it.
Thank you so much for the encouragement. Yeah, I'm with you on supporting him financially. It left such a bad taste with me that I sold my entire catalog of his works, which included leatherbounds, signed editions, etc. Thankfully, I managed to get some of my money back, but it's sad that it has come to this. I highly recommend James Islington. His content is clean and really good. Appreciate you watching, and happy reading!
Unfortunately, that appears to be the case. I hope he has good men around him who love him enough to tell him the truth, and it brings him to repentance. I hate that too because I loved his books, but yeah, I'd just hold off if I were you. I highly recommend James Islington if you haven't read him already. Thanks for listening and happy reading!
You are not wrong brother. Carry on, Sando needs pastoral care tbh, it's very sad to see play out. We all should pray that the man gets access to some correct counsel, as he is clearly surrounded by demons.
@aldan7812 Yes! I am so hoping that he has men that love him, that tell him the truth and not some false gospel, and that he repents in faith. Well said, my brother!
I'm still pretty new to reading. I only started back in 2020, so i have just binged his stuff, and his later books have definitely had an underlying promotion of a particular world view that I just don't agree with. But, like you, this was the hard line that he drew, and im not willing to promote his stance here. I hope he listens to his readers' feedback. Thanks for watching and happy reading!
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The book is filled with people actually breaking one of God's 10 commandments: killing (and glorifying it at that), not honoring their father and mother, having other Gods, etc., but Gay people is where you draw the line. As someone who was once was proud to be Christian, I wish there was a version of Christianity that actually focused on Jesus' love.
Jesus's love and mercy can not be appropriately expressed without His condemnation of sin. Also, not all sins are treated equally. All cause separation from God, but some are more detestable than others.
@@joshobrien4960 I mean that is your interpretation. When you get to heaven and Jesus asks you why you didn't follow his commandment to love your neighbor, is your excuse going to be to point out the verse in the Bible that told you not to? There are too many contradictions in the Bible to follow it word for word without straight up ignoring parts you don't agree with. I'm good with following the empathy God gave me. Also, why would any sin not listed in the 10 commandments be a greater sin than those that are? Did God not think to call out homosexuality when he gave them to Moses? Seems like a strange oversight on his part.
@AnneAbbey I'm not interpreting the text, I'm just reading the text. When I get to Heaven, I will bow my face before the Almighty God, deserving Hell, just like everyone else. The only difference is that I will plead for His great mercy by pleading that I trusted Christ with my salvation and that I am utterly unworthy by my own works, but I trust the work of Christ who bore the wrath for me on the cross.
Homosexuality is covered in the commandments when referring to adultery, then Jesus Christ even makes it more specific by teaching that if you lust for someone, you've committed adultery already.
The point isn't, "Follow these things, and you'll be declared righteous". The point is, "You are condemned in unrighteousness already because we are incapable of following the law". That's why Christ came: to fulfill the Law so that He would be worthy to pay our sin debt for us.
If that's not true love, that God would condescend to Earth in the form of a man to lay down His life for us, then nothing is. True Christianity is love. The problem is that people have perverted and distorted the definition of love.
@@joshobrien4960 You state that then go on to make a huge interpretation. No where anywhere in the Bible does adultery have anything to do with homosexuality. They are even called out separately in Leviticus, the book all Christians point to when they talk about homosexuality being a sin. I'm also not sure why pointing out that you are a sinner makes any difference whatsoever. So it is ok for you to sin by not loving your neighbor because you are already a sinner, but being gay crosses the line for that guy over there even if he is also already a sinner?
Also, the bible describes what love is. It doesn't need anyone to distort it. Let me know which part of the below involves condemning gays:
"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs."
@@AnneAbbey
1 Corinthians 6:9-11 LSB
9 Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor [a]effeminate, nor homosexuals, 10 nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God.
Romans 1:26-32 LSB
26 For this reason God gave them over to dishonorable passions; for their females exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural, 27 and in the same way also the males abandoned the natural function of the female and burned in their desire toward one another, males with males committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error. 28 And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them over to an unfit mind, to do those things which are not proper, 29 having been filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice; they are gossips, 30 slanderers, haters of God, violent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, 31 without understanding, untrustworthy, unloving, unmerciful; 32 and although they know the righteous requirement of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, they not only do the same, but also give hearty approval to those who practice them.
I absolutely agree. Theres such a difference between it being present and it being promoted. My biggest frustration is the normalizing of unhealthy relationships and even morally gray behavior.
@loralubimaia2783 thank you so much for the encouragement! And thank you for taking the time to watch! Happy reading!
Also, I highly recommend James Islington.
If you're opposed to morally gray behavior why are you supporting hate speech?
Stormlight Archive was going to be the first large fantasy series I recommend to my daughters as they get older. No longer.
@wcombs I'm so sorry. I'm sure they won't be missing out, though, because they have parents that care enough to find better forms of entertainment.
I highly recommend James Islington, if you haven't read him already. Excellent writer and storyteller, and he's a good Christian brother. I hope you have a great week! Happy reading!
I have nothing against same sex relationships in books or in any other way but I just think Sanderson is pandering, brownie point earning and virtue signaling at this point. From being quite openly against same sex relationships to having them feature in his books quite heavily.
Not to mention the fact that mental health has become an ever increasing feature in his works, interestingly enough the rise in that correlates quite well with his rise in fame and popularity. It all just stinks something foul to me. Like maybe none of this is actually genuine and it's all in aid of selling books. Fair enough I guess but lets not play smoke and mirrors here.
@@anangryscorpion5838 Yes, I agree that he is just pandering to a particular group, so I don't see how people can get upset when people outside that group don't enjoy that.
Thanks for listening, and have a great weekend!
Yeah it does feel like it's more to please the masses. I can ignore same sex relationship existing in books not being so prominent and focused on tho. It can be distracting
@@joshobrien4960that's what I was thinking even non Christians have issues with the woke pandering. For different reasons but still
I made the decision years ago to stop reading Sanderson’s books because he kept getting further and further away from my values, and it was a hard decision because I’ve always loved his books and I am a fellow Latter-day Saint.
Year after year Sanderson has made that decision easier and easier. No regrets.
I hate to hear that, but I'm sure you're better off for it. It really is a shame, but good on you for actually living what you believe. I hope you have a great week, my friend! Thanks for watching, and happy reading!
The point about intentionality is crucial. I have some very dark, horrific scenes in Sorsa, but they are supposed to be terrible and uncomfortable. I am in no way promoting violence. Quite the opposite. I am showing what violence does to people and to the world and how people can recover, or become corrupted, depending on their choices and circumstances.
I have not heard of your series yet, but that is awesome! I'll definitely be picking it up today!
You nailed it. The intentionality of the author is the key. Now, that isn't always clear, but in this case, it absolutely was, and it is not something that I'm willing to budge on.
Thanks again, and I'll be picking up your book ASAP. Happy reading!
@@joshobrien4960 I replied but I don't see it now. I haven't published it yet. I've been leaning towards traditional publishing but now I'm thinking I should self publish. I've already written three 200k word books, and revised and restructured the first to meet publishing standards and I think I might still split book 1 into 2 or 3 books because there are a lot of plots and I feel like readers might not want to commit to 200k words for a new author. What do you think?
@TheSecretsOfSorsa In my personal opinion, when it comes to fantasy, most people don't have an aversion to thick books. I think that's entirely up to you as the author, but if it were me, if I felt that it is a more concise work as a chunky book.....then I guess they're going to get a chunky book, lol. Just do whatever you feel will serve the story in the best way.
Please let me know when you finish it; I'd love to read it!
@TheSecretsOfSorsa If you do decide to self-publish, make sure to still hire editors to rip your work apart and make necessary revisions. Not using editors (or thinking they can edit their own work) causes a lot of self-published authors to put out books that feel more like unpolished first drafts than proper professional work.
@@joshobrien4960 That's true. I will have a lot to revise if I decide to publish it all at once. It will be like 250k at least. Thanks for subscribing!
as much as i blame bullying gays, dont expect me to like the aesthetic of a gay couple on a painting - or a textual work of art
Exactly. It is never ok to mistreat someone, but, like you, I get to choose what I'm entertained by, especially in the confines of my own home. Thanks for watching, and happy reading!
I loved this book. I thought it was a great end to the first act of the series.
I'm glad you liked it. I never want people to NOT enjoy what they're reading. Different people just have different palates. Have a great weekend!
Thanks for listening, and happy reading!
I'm so glad RUclips recommended your video, allowing me to discover your channel. As a fantasy/sci-fi reader/writer who is also a devout Christian, I have long been frustrated with a lot of the content that is glossed over in RUclips book reviews, and I have on several occasions been disappointed when I started reading a book that received widespread praise and then discovered overt content that I hadn't wanted to read. So thank you for your honesty here. I was on the fence about starting Stormlight before this--I recently read the original Mistborn trilogy and was somewhat underwhelmed, so I wasn't sure I wanted to even try Stormlight. Now that I know what sort of content is in Stormlight #5, I don't see the point in even starting it, since there are other books and authors I have more interest in. I am also writing my own novel, which I should devote more time to anyway.
P.S. Love your hoodie in this video. I can't tell if it says anything more further down, but the sentiment about salvation warmed my heart (I'm LCMS Lutheran).
My brother.....thank you so much. Your encouragement truly is appreciated. I was in the exact same situation where I kept picking up books based on a RUclipsr's recommendation and having to ultimately put it down, or worse, finishing it and feeling guilty that I had read it. I looked everywhere for the "Common Sense Media" of sci-fi/fantasy books and came up empty-handed, so I thought that someone should do it in order that our brothers and sisters in Christ have the most information to make the best decision for themselves and their convictions. I just stopped wishing for it and decided to turn the camera around, and maybe I can not only help those in Christ, but maybe even reach someone in an unorthodox way with the Gospel. Thanks again for watching, and I hope that I can help you find a few good books along the way! Also, James Islington is a Christian brother with some fantastic books if you haven't tried him.
Also, my hoodie says, "You contribute nothing to your salvation except the sin that made it necessary." - Jonathan Edwards
Blessings, my brother! I hope you have a fantastic week!
@@joshobrien4960 Thank you for the James Islington recommendation! I'm glad you turned the camera around to fill a need that wasn't being met. I have a similar perspective on writing my own novels. I think books have an incredibly powerful way of influencing people, especially when it comes to fantasy, where a reader can be so deeply immersed in a world and fall in love with characters on the page and in doing so become long-term exposed to the ideology of the author coming through in the writing and story elements. I want to begin increasing the number of fantasy series out there written with a Christian influence as opposed to a secular one. Last year, I wrote a 52-page outline for the debut novel of a series, and right after Christmas I began drafting the actual manuscript. I plan to have the first draft complete by the end of this year, and perhaps begin querying agents in two years, after revisions/editing/beta reading.
Love that hoodie. I need to get one.
@ChromeVader That's awesome! Let me know when you finish it, I'd love to read it!
To me it is as simple as this: If you don't like it, you don't read it. period. Nobody should shame anyone for it. There are maaaaaany people who dislike a book if it is religious, and hey, they can DNF them. Such a double standard.
I don't mind having sinful things in the books because those things happen in the real world. However, as you said, the issue is when there is promotion of it. I haven't read WAT so I won't comment on that one. Plus, I already bought it lol. So I need to read and make an assessment myself.
And for those who mention violence and slavery, I agree with you that those things are not put as something positive (although Adolin/Sadeas could be a point of discussion).
Exactly! As far as Sadeas goes, it wasn't viewed as a morally just action, but i will say that people just tended to overlook that he murdered someone, let alone a high-ranking official. I was pretty disappointed that everyone was just kind of like, "Oh man, that's crazy. Oh, well."
I didn't think it was consistent with the story anyway, but yeah, I agree that it wasn't handled great.
Thanks for listening and happy reading!
Yeah surprised no really consequence for that action for adolin. I can't remember if dalinar even confronted him on it. It being overlooked isn't good but its not promoting it as good @@joshobrien4960
I have always enjoyed Sanderson's Stormlight Archive, but I won't be reading Wind and Truth. I'm not a Mormon, but a Southern Baptist, and to me right is right and wrong is wrong. I also know that this morally gray stuff is not OK with science fiction and fantasy readers, and this is also true with me. I'm more of a science fiction reader than a fantasy reader, and began reading as a teen with all the classics - the mold was set.
Exactly. I have thoroughly enjoyed reading Sanderson's books the past several years, but I just can't do it anymore while he tramples over our values as Christians. Again, it's the authors that are drawing the lines in the sand and segregating a particular group. They are overly careful to not offend almost anyone else, but they don't care about their Christian audience.
Thank you for watching! Happy reading!
Thanks for this. I have to be honest, my first thought was, "this guy is a prude" but your earnestness kept me watching. And then you said, "As a Christian, I don't WANT to be entertained by these things..." I thought no, this guy is absolutely correct. Reading is entertainment. You and everyone else has the right to read material that you find entertaining. Not offensive. Good on you for expressing your thoughts in a way even me, a non-Christian can understand.
@JKSwiftWrites Man....thank you so much. Truly. It can sometimes be quite discouraging when things like my Goodreads review have an OVERWHELMING amount of hateful comments thrown at me, simply for articulating my opinion. Surprisingly, RUclips has been the opposite. Most people on here have been very kind (or at least respectful),even if they disagree with me.
I think it is difficult to be exhaustive in my explanations when I'm just talking to the camera and not having true dialogue.
Thanks again for the encouragement, my friend. I hope you have an excellent week!
@@joshobrien4960 Definitely try not to get discouraged! I know very well from experience how tough Goodreads can be but don't let it get to you. Have yourself a good week too!
No, him saying he hates gay people isn't "not offensive."
"I'm not offending you. I'm just saying that your very existence is pure evil and you should be ashamed."
I am still finishing the WaT to get the conclusion. I wont promote it and future works of Brandon I'd have to be careful and see what comes. Not be too quick before checking its quality and intent. Might realize the mistake he is making who knows. It sucks cause i love the stormlight archive i hope it doesn't get worse. I'd probably still recommend his other previous books with caution of what comes
I was in the same boat, for the most part. Mike over at Mike's Book Reviews gave a good analogy when he said that he sees this like Avengers Endgame. This is just the end of the cosmere story for me, and im perfectly OK with that.
Im a Christian and genuinely curious. I watched the video but maybe missed this part. Im curious why fellow Christians will be ok reading books that include murder and killing but homosexuality is where the line gets drawn. Also, my faith is not threatened by sinful activties taking place in the real world or especially not in a fictional world. Tbh it does seem like christians treat homosexuality as a much much worse sin than any others. Straight people sin just as much. All fall short of the glory of God. Thanks for the video, i appreciate your insight.
@SteppingStone445 Hey there! It really comes down to the intentionality of the author in this case. Yes, murder is bad, as well as an enormous list of other things. The difference is that, in this series, murder is not glorified or even being presented as the norm. Murder, deceit, theft, lying, adultery....all of these things were presented as morally corrupt up to this point.....because it is morally corrupt. Then, he tries to slide homosexuality, trans ideology, and non-binary lies into the story as if it's something that we should just accept and not bat an eye at.
Christians need to keep in mind (talking to myself here) that it is not us who are drawing hard lines in the sand...it's the authors. THEY are the ones who are making these statements through their writing that "homosexuality isn't wrong, trans women are real women, love is love", etc. They have decided to cater to a very specific group of people, which is ALWAYS going to segregate and exclude another group. In this case, Sanderson decided that the Christian worldview is wrong here, the Bible is wrong in this way, and I'm right. So we, as Christians, just have to stand on the Word of the Lord, which is truth, and we can say, "it doesn't matter what I think about _____, God says....".
If we agree with God, we will be right. When we disagree with Him and His instruction, it is ALWAYS wrong. Hope that answers your question, my friend. Happy reading!
That first paragraph you wrote really sums it up well. I appreciate your response!
@SteppingStone445 Thank YOU for watching!
Because the killing and murder
Depending on the context can cause huge stakes in a plot.
Also the killing or murder will be recognized as bad and not something the characters themselves will endorse or like doing.
Homosexuality seems to be endorsed or as a life style that is completely ok.
“As a sin much worse compared to others”
It’s stated in the Bible is one of the few sins so bad it calls vengeance out to heaven.
Take it out with God.
Just another her entry into the Panderverse.
@Finniganmydog Unfortunately, that seems to be the case. I highly recommend James Islington if you havent read him yet. Thanks for watching and happy reading!
I don't mind the gays being in stuff, as long as it's organic and adds to the actual story in a meaningful way. When it's inserted as a woke way for 'representation' purposes, then it's 100% going to be trash. Brandon must've gotten his ESG paycheck to force it into the story if it's as prevalent as I keep seeing others say.
Dude it's been in the book ever since the two met
@@danielbroome5690 I said (read carefully):
"I don't mind the gays being in stuff, as long as it's organic and adds to the actual story in a meaningful way. When it's inserted as a woke way for 'representation' purposes, then it's 100% going to be trash. Brandon must've gotten his ESG paycheck to force it into the story if it's as prevalent as I keep seeing others say."
@@danielbroome5690I don't see that at all. They were both outsiders in bridge four and don't really interact much outside of that until they got the same Spren
I'm VERY glad I found your channel! God bless! Thank you!
@GardnerGoldsmith Thank you so much for the encouragement! So glad to meet fellow brothers and sisters who love reading!
I have no problem with gay relationships, I don't have personal, spiritual or professional problems with gay people even the tiniest little bit.
What I don't care for is insertion for insertion sake. It's been stated since the end of Oathbringer that Renarin was going to be the MC for Arc 2 of Stormlight, it's been said he's gay since RoW, so I expected something of it at some point.
And I'd have been fine with it being there, if it contributed to the plot. To have something other than what was done with the spiritual realm. But what we got was forced, Renarin and Rlain have no business being in that plot whatsoever. It doesn't matter what they do as they're not the important people involving the finding of Mishram.
Then there's the repeated plots, the boring stakes and the absolute annoying levels of horrid writing in the book. I'm done with Sanderson.
@UncensoredScion Yes, this seemed like he just decided to cater to one specific group of people in a pandering way that detracted from, not only Stormlight, but also the entire cosmere.
Thanks for watching, and happy reading!
Hey Josh, thanks for this video.
I'm a new booktuber and you and I are alike in that we are both Christians.
I just learned today about some of the content in Wind & Truth and I was very disappointed, as I've just finished Oathbringer. I won't be continuing.
I'm subscribing to your channel as I know I'll find your content helpful.
Thank you!
Thanks so much! Consider me a subscriber as well! Yeah, unfortunately, I've been disappointed on a few of the series I read this past year, but opens me up to some new ones. I'll be checking out your channel to get some recommendations!
I hope you have a great weekend!
@@joshobrien4960 Thanks so much, Josh! :) I'll add you on Goodreads as well.
Omg how dare you not agree with, “the message”! Lord knows that if you disagree with someone’s lifestyle you must hate them. Keep doing what you’re doing bro don’t be discouraged by the talking head negative comments.
Thank you so much, my friend. Truly. I really appreciate the encouragement. I hope you have a great weekend! Happy reading!
I missed the "clues/mentions" in the previous books but i had decided not to read Sand any more after i didn't care for RoW. I didn't read the secret projects either and a friend of mine had issues with Yumi for s*xual type content.
Kudos to you for sticking with your principles.
Thank you so much for the encouragement! Yeah, I could see he was beginning to lean into it little by little, so I just had to give up on him as well.
I hope you have a great week!
The problem with calling yourself a Christian is that most “Christian’s” tend to draw the line in the sand to varying degrees of tolerance.
Anything that isn’t the Bible, gathering in His name or directly from God is sinful. You can split hairs all day long but if continue down the path of identifying anything of notable sin you’re going to end up not buying clothes (the clothes your wearing are most likely made from extreme exploitation from the poor), not using technology (the camera you’re using most likely cost someone’s life due to lithium production).
You can keep this mentality until you end up sitting in a room afraid to do anything which in itself becomes a sin because you’re harming yourself by doing nothing.
The point is that we live in a fallen world and reading especially reading literature that reflects our world is a way to self reflect, empathize, gain knowledge, etc. There’s nothing wrong with including sins or sinful behavior but the intention is what counts. Are you glorifying it as a positive? Is your intention meditative or self reflection?
It’s up to what you tolerate and what aligns with your interpretation of scripture. That goes for the author and the reader alike. More importantly read your bible and learn what is acceptable and what isn’t.
@itsYTYogi While I largely agree with some of what you're saying, I also disagree with many others. Ultimately, I'm not overly concerned about what most other Christians think on this issue, I'm concerned about what the Bible articulates. I wouldn't phrase any of this in the same manner to a non-Christian, but you seem to be claiming to be Christian, so the standard is different for us. As an example, can you answer these questions:
1. Is homosexuality a sin against God?
2. Could Sanderson have written this book without the inclusion of same-sex characters and still gotten a similar or better result?
3. When should we expose homosexuality as a sinful act vs. when we should just accept it as part of the fallen world?
this is what happens when brandon spends too much time around his reddit yes-men.
Exactly. When I saw his editor, Peter, for the first time rocking a blue-haired skullet, I knew we were in trouble, lol.
An absolute DNF. I should have given up on the Words of Radiance 2000 pages ago.
@@TheJoshuaborden I hope you find something that you will really enjoy. I recommend anything from James Islington. John Gwynne is also a solid choice.
DnF? What is it?
Thank you for sharing your thoughts and sticking to good Christian values. It's sad that Sanderson is going down the path he is.
Yes, it is. But I guess I now have more time for other series that I've been putting off.
Thank you for the encouragement and for listening! I hope you have a great weekend, my friend!
I wouldn't recommend wind abd truth to another Christian but it depends. I do think its bad this will be more prevalent in brandon series going forward
I DNF'd at page 286.
Man, I hate to hear that, but completely understand. It really is sad that he seemed to have bought into this new ideology and forsaken even his own view of morality. I highly recommend James Islington if you haven't read him already. Thanks for listening!
You know what's funny? the moment I knew Brandon was a mormon, I figured the ending of Mistborn (a little bit).
SPOILERS
I know they kinda believe people can become gods, so I thought "he's gonna make Vin a god", and he did. Of course, we know what happened and that then it ended up being shortlived and ultimately it became Sazed. At that point, and I was like "how do I feel about this?" but he was so clean compared to other authors that I gave it a pass. Also because many fantasy books tackle multiple religions, so... I am curious to see how things develop ion WAT
Yeah, when they made the statement, "How can you kill a god?", I figured the answer was to become one themselves.
I was just disappointed that when I knew he was a Mormon, I obviously don't agree with his theology, but I assumed that his books would be safe as far as content goes. It's a shame that he has seemed to shift his views to reflect the world's standard of morality.
@@joshobrien4960 yes, although I will say that even with the parshendi and them "changing forms" I was a little suspicious hahaha
Godhood in Sanderson's books is not AT ALL what the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints believes about godhood.
@@thomasray true, but the whole a human becoming god part in Mistborn was dead on
@@LeonC0704 no, it's also completely different. It's actually the same thing as in Stormlight in Mistborn. It's investiture. Magic. Mist or Stormlight are just different manifestations of the magic of the Cosmere, which is a fictional world.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints teaches that we are all spirit children of God, the Eternal Father, and that through Jesus Christ's atoning sacrifice we can return to God's presence AND become like him, in a similar way to how a son or daughter born to loving parents become like their mothers or fathers.
It's not about magic, it's not about obtaining some shard of power, and it's not about embodying some emotion or force like Ruin or Preservation or Honor.
It's about becoming like Jesus Christ and developing the qualities of His character into our own, and serving others.
I finished it, but recommended my brother to DNF and return. The story was disappointing and the writing was rough. It was a ramp up of the things I didn’t like from the series. Probably won’t read the rest. What an unfortunate way to end this series for me.
@andrews6810 Man, I hate to hear that. Despite what people on Goodreads think, I want people to enjoy the books that they're reading, but, yeah, I just couldn't with this one. I highly recommend anything by James Islington and Soul Cage by LR Shulz.
Thanks for listening to my ramblings, lol. Happy reading!
So I didn’t DNF but pretty much agree with your thoughts. It was sad to see him push these elements especially in his last book when he hasn’t been pushing it in his other books. It seemed like a bait and switch which is not cool. Appreciate your thoughts! SDG
Thank you for the encouragement! Yes, I was crushed. I loved this series and hate that it ended for me like this. I highly recommend James Islington and Soul Cage by LR Shulz. Thanks again, and happy reading, my friend!
Reading 4 1000+ page books and enjoying them just to dnf the final book because of one same sex relationship is incredibly weak minded.
Yeah, I was extremely disappointed, but I think it's important to listen to my conscience. Thanks for watching! Happy reading!
writing 4 1000+ pages books then adding it in as a specific plot arc is a betrayal and a waste of 10 years of my reading life, from my point of view. If he wanted to do this, it should have been there from page 1 rather than waste my time. This is my opinion. But this ss relationship exploration is not the reason this book sucks. It sucks because the backbone characters, Kaladin and Dalinar specifically, are not themselves and their stories are bizarrely underwhelming.
"Weak minded."
Really? Seems to me like it's evidence of discipline and strength of character to put down a series you're so heavily invested in due to your convictions.
@ffrock1901 Thank you so much for your kind words. Yes, it was crushing to have to put down the series, but, like you said, it is more important that I be attentive to my own convictions than be entertained. Again, thank you so much. I hope you have a great week!
What's "weak minded" is shoe-horning all this in as a series conclusion because he knew he had the attention and people would buy the book, and "the message" would be promoted. Also, jamming in cross species near gay pedophilia is not what the average reader wants, shocker.
As an atheist I have to ask, why is it "unsafe" for a christian to read about a same sex relationship? I haven't read the book but knowing Sanderson he doesn't go into explicit details of sexual acts, so it's not like you're forced to imagine the acts themselves, therefore you are not being "entertained" by the acts, you just follow along with characters that happen to be gay.
I'm not saying that it's unsafe for a Christian to read ABOUT a same-sex relationship, but we shouldn't be entertained by it, especially regarding a piece of work where the author is promoting such a relationship. The scriptures instruct the Christian to dwell on whatever is good, and it is explicitly stated that homosexuality isn't. There are many reasons why we are instructed to do this, one of which is that people are influenced by what they dwell on. What I mean is that if we are constantly exposed to same-sex relationships to the point where it becomes commonplace, we are slowly being desensitized to a particular sin (and we see numerous examples of this with a myriad of unrighteousness). In a very similar sense, this is part of the reason why divorce is so prevalent today: because society has accepted that it is ordinary, so then people no longer see it as morally wrong.
Also, Sanderson does go more explicit in this book with Shallan and Adolin, which I don't want to be entertained by either.
I stopped reading at chapter 17 because of the multiple sex scenes and poor dialogue before I even heard the gay stuff was in it. People mad that Christians denounce homosexuality do not understand why we do it. It's not out of hate for them, we see it as something that will diminish your life and harm you because of the reduced life expectancy and the fact you won't be able to have children. We want you to live as long as possible and have many children because god ordained you and the world is a better place with you in it. God bless you all.
Exactly! Sorry that you had a similar reading experience, but at least now we have more time for other books. I hope you have a great weekend! Thanks for watching!
Maybe his old titles... not his new titles
I suppose I don't know what you're referring to. What do you mean?
What was the book that you lent to your friend?
It was Ready Player One. He showed me that in the first chapter where the main character is describing how society got this point, he goes on a rant for a few pages about "the whole 'God thing' being B.S.", and a few other lines that I must've just overlooked or not really payed much attention to
@@joshobrien4960I get that. The main character of RP1 is deeply insufferable
What is Dnf?
It means, "Did Not Finish"
Out of curiosity, how did you rate the first 4 books?
@@Christian-ut2sp I 5-starred the first 2, and I think 4-starred books 3 and 4
Its hypocritical and the same ppl talking about love and acceptance when you only said i am not reading this because same sex. Same group of thry stop reading a book focused on Christianity or religion and faith, they would bash it or be the reason to stop reading
Would you say that in the context of the fiction - where the Christian God and the Bible do not exist - that the same-sex relationships should still be viewed as sinful?
@ReVoLynx hmmmm, that's a really good question. For me, personally, I would still say yes, simply because I know the author's intent (which he disclosed in a live stream). I think that's what it comes down to, is, do you feel personally convicted being entertained by something in a piece of fiction? Personally, I did, so I stopped reading.
But I'm interested in what you think? I've never thought about it like that before.
@@joshobrien4960I think taking the author's intents - however personally savory or not - into consideration is interjecting from outside the context of the make-believe world of the story.
There's of course the whole side-issue of whether literary work is ever possible to be evaluated without reference to the author.
But at least for me, fantasy - being the genre closest to full escapism - benefits from being evaluated by it's own internal logic, without extending dependencies from the real world. After all, the main pull of the genre is imagining things that would never work or happen in the real world. And in a story of this magnitude that includes the alternate metaphysics, gods and religions.
@ReVoLynx That's valid. As Christians, I do need to remind myself that we are no longer under condemnation for our sins or being entertained by any of them, including lying. Your comment is a good reminder that we have liberty because Christ bore our condemnation already, then we must continually be sanctified, and for some people, that could mean not drinking any alcohol (that's not me) or even not consuming certain forms of media. Like I said, it's a bit subjective with personal convictions, but, as far as my opinion goes, I just couldn't recommend reading this for my own conscience.
Love the dialogue, my friend! Happy reading!
@@ReVoLynx I see your point, but I think it doesn't stand for most people when compared to other works of fictions. Let's say you have a fantasy world where child abuse is not a thing, meaning, there's nothing condemning it. Most people would still have problems with such work. We see this in some romance books where you have a much adult creature falling for the teenager, for example. I guess we can't fully disconnect from the fact that a book has a message the author is trying to put out there. And that's where people will have an issue.
Internal consistency in fiction is only ascertainable from the outside. We can't live in the fiction, we view it and experience it and interpret it on this side of reality. A fictional universe that is internally consistent in it's worldbuilding for violent child abuse to be a moral good would, I'm sure you would agree, be inappropriate material for a devout Christian, regardless of how it's perceived within the fiction itself. Pull back from scifi and fantasy a bit and consider that the fictional scenarios in actual pornography are internally consistent in that the actors and directors view what they are doing as morally neutral at best, or morally justifiable at worst, does that mean it's appropriate content for a Christian or child to consume?
Speaking as a devote member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints I do not approve of or condone Sanderson’s actions regarding his assertions of woke indoctrinations in his novels. I knew he considered himself “progressive” but he never asserted these things this hard before. There are also tons of modernisms in the dialogue that take me out of the worlds he’s created. Missing the point of fantasy thereby worrying that his readers would get lost. I always saw him as overrated anyway despite my enjoyment of Mistborn and Alcatraz Vs The Evil Librarians. Seriously I’d pick up CS Lewis, JRR Tolkien, Larry Correia Robert Howard, Michael Moorcock or even Guy Gavriel Kay any day over Sanderson at this point.
Exactly. Thank you for watching, my friend! I hope you have a great week!
@@joshobrien4960 Thank you man! God be with you!
Really intrigued to hear the story of the book(s) that you loved-and got you back into reading-but then trashed as you grew and matured.
For me, it was Stephen King.
I probably shouldn’t have been reading his works when I was 13 years young, but… I still think he’s one of the greatest storytellers of all time… However, there are some things he’s written that, in a sane world, should warrant jail time instead of world’s bestselling author.
I am always disturbed when I see/hear people unequivocally recommending his (probably) most famous book, It, without any kind of disclaimer or warning about the graphic, p**nographic p*d*philia contained within.
As a Christian brother (not Reformed, tho), I love the idea, and mission statement, of your channel. That is indeed something that is sorely lacking in our world.
I mean, Plugged In has always done a respectable job… but in this day and age, it’s really nice to get an audio source I can listen to while doing menial tasks.
Yes! The Plugged In comparison is exactly what I had in mind when starting this up. I really wished that I had something like that when I started reading. I would try to look for what was contained in the work and came up empty-handed, so I had to start doing things like reverse engineering my process by looking up which fantasy books were LGBT inclusive. Then, I would know what to stay away from.
Funny you mention It, someone bought that for me as a gift early on, my pastor came over one day and saw it sitting on my shelf and asked if I had read it yet, I said no, and he said, "I'm not trying to tell you whether or not you should read it, but go to this section in the book, and tell me if you still want to read it after." I was absolutely appalled. I immediately removed everything that had his name on it (I had only read Fairy Tale, but owned several of his books).
Yeah, I'll have to do that video soon. Thanks so much for watching. I hope you have a great week!
Dude what is with these weak men that dont like homosexual relationships because it isnt "written well" lol this is absurd. Either oppose it on moral grounds or accept it.
You must not have listened to my review.....I DID oppose it on moral grounds.
@joshobrien4960 I was referring to other reviewers that didn't. Not sure why they oppose it only on the basis of it being "woke". I just don't understand the mindset
My bad, lol! I hope you have a great weekend!
I get that you arent looking for that experience but 1 star seems a little unfair.
@JMwrite Completely valid. I think he is a talented writer, a great storyteller, and has a crazy work ethic, but if im rating this work alone, and I DNF'd it (especially why), then I can't recommend it at all. I 1-star any book I DNF with few exceptions, but that's just the way MY rating scale goes.
Out of curiosity, how would you go about rating a book that you had to stop for ethical reasons?
Portuarios it is unfair. But the book, as a culmination of the arc is only a 2...
You need wandering inn in your life
@@harshrox2 I stayed away from it because another commentor said that it also had some same-sex stuff, but I never verified that claim. Can you share any insight on it?
Did my comment get deleted or did it not go through?
@@awesome-sauce-f9i I guess it didn't go through. I haven't seen anything from you yet
@@joshobrien4960 Yeah I was mostly agreeing with you, so I wouldn't think it would be deleted. But I wrote a long comment, and must not have clicked the "reply" button or something.
Spark notes, I'm not Christian anymore, but really respect consistency. All I ask is for people to be consistent with what they say they believe.
Long story short, I think Brandon is going more and more "woke" for lack of a better term, and surrounds himself with culturally left-leaning people he wants to impress. Whether he realizes or not, from what I can tell this seems not genuine. (Although i still haven't read the Stormlight books so I'm speculating).
You seem very consistent with your views, and simply don't want to read something that promotes values you find sinful. Those claiming this is "hateful" or "bigoted" ironically are so narrow minded that they are the ones intolerant of other's beliefs/lifestyles. So I appreciate your views, and even though I am disappointed in Brandon for different reasons, I see where you are coming from and appreciate consistency.
Also, just watched a vide on Jon Del Arroz's channel covering this and he read your Goodreads comments. Nice!
Man, thank you so much for your encouragement. Yeah, it seemed he has been buying into the woke culture more and more to me as well. I hate it because I love a lot of his works, but this REALLY made it hard for me to promote any of his works going forward. I was so torn because I was such a fan, but there are consequences to our decisions.
Also, the comments don't bother me (some of them are quite creative, lol). Being able to reply on RUclips has opened up some fun and intriguing dialogue, but people like to hide behind their Goodreads comments. I was actually called a hypocrite numerous times, but, as a Christian, wouldn't it be more hypocritical to promote something that the Bible opposes? That's why that statement baffles me.
Thanks for letting me know about the video! I'm going to go check it out! Thanks for listening, and happy reading, my friend!
Subscribed, added you on IG and Goodreads! 😃
My issue is also that everything became modernized in tone. Stormlight was always great at taking you into a fantastical world. My immersion is broken with this one... I put it down after 400 pages. I'll be skimming alot if I ever get to it again.
@@TheArtfulBrittani thanks so much! Yeah, saying that I was disappointed would be an understatement, but nowadays, I'm not surprised. At least now I have plenty of extra time for other books, lol!
Have a great week, and happy reading!
Nice to hear a Christian point of view. I appreciate the risk in sharing opposing views to the not-so-tolerant people. I feel like Sanderson may have compromised his values, either to appease the publishers or his followers. I personally don't understand why he is so popular. I have read Elantris and the Mistborn trilogy and thought they were okay. I have read better books though. I have the first Stormlight book, but after seeing various reviews for book 5, I'll probably donate it...
@poeticpiscean thank you so much for the encouragement! Yeah, I really like Mistborn, and the first 2 Stormlight because blew me away, so it was crushing to me that he concluded the story this way.
I highly recommend James Islington if you haven't read him already. Not only is he a Christian, but he's an excellent storyteller. Happy reading!
As a fellow gay christian I agree with all your points. Finally somebody whos not afraid to air the truth (pun intended). Great review
@@Jackalpvp thank you so much for the encouragement! Happy reading!
Good video. One suspects Brandon Sanderson will repent, but for financial reasons rather than for probity because he appears to be aware of what he is doing, and is therefore complicit. But... is that repentance?
@gothicwriter9897 I don't think so because repentance is supposed to be the changing of one's mind. That might be a change in his behavior, but not of what he views as morally corrupt.
Thanks so much for the encouragement and for watching! I hope you have a great week! Happy reading!
I've seen alot of backlash regarding the gay relationship and it doesn't surprise me. I'm straight but i wouldn't really consider myself a Christian anymore (at least not practising). At first i was annoyed by this take on inclusion of a gay romance in the book, but I've tried not to be one of the haters and genuinely listen to you and your reasons against it. But I'll try to defend Sanderson here whilst being respectful for others that don't like this kind of content.
From the video and your replies to the comments (which I'm very impressed with how well you've considered other points of view), I understand that you didn't finish it because you feel that the relationship was promoted/ celebrated and that goes against your ethics. Whilst i can completely understand why the content would make you feel uncomfortable, I believe that exposing yourself to other perspectives is the best way to gain an understanding and this doesnt have to change your ethics, it can even solidify them but I wouldn't shy away from things that challenge your ethics just because they might be uncomfortable. That said, this is a fantasy book and you should be able to enjoy it in your own precious time. If the themes in the book prevent you from enjoying it, at a base level the author hasn't done his job, for you at least.
I don't consider myself woke as I find that the arguments in favour of wokism tend to be more exclusive than the movement claims to be. But Stormlight has always been about people that are different or struggling with certain issues, right back to Kaladin with his depression, Shallan with split personality (can't remember medical name for it), Teft and his drug addiction. It got to a point where Sanderson has to include more representation in a book that represented so many real people and the issues they've gone through. Yes there's an argument that this a phase our society is currently going through, but a story needs to be relatable to people reading it in the present day. I agree with Sanderson that if he didn't bring this theme to the forefront then he would be making a bigger statement about not being inclusive in a series that has been inclusive so far. And not to ruffle any feather but there are some very loud and angry voices on social media that have different opinions from you. And they probably shout louder.
Now onto the romance and the characters itself. The romance was written significantly into the story and had an important part to play Narratively especially when it came to the outcome of Ba-Ado-Mishram. If you make a relationship have a positive outcome on the plot then i would say that you're celebrating it at an author. However if he had included it with no relevance to the plot then this would be extremely unsatisfying and will could be accused of 'hamfisting' to pander and that would be the argument. I think a lot of people try to find a reason why it is bad storytelling to include theme like this, but the truth in a lot of cases is that its just not for them. I think that Sanderson had actual walked a very fine line by trying to be as inclusive as possible but not making it obscene and has also given the relationship purpose in the plot.
However while i think it works for the plot, i can't say the same about what it does for the characters. If you put two interesting characters into a relationship (straight or gay), you run the risk of making these characters less interesting. I think that is what unfortunately has happened here. Renarin and Rlain seem to work as a couple very easily without much conflict and it makes them boring. Shallan and Adolin have problems believing they're guys enough for each other and a whole pile of secrets. Navani and Dalinar have history and the blasphemy thing going on. Jasnah and Hoid is just a huge mess doomed to fail. All of these are bubbling with conflict and drama and they're interesting to read. Renarin and Rlain... they fit together too neatly and it makes them boring. This error could have happened in a straight romance as well. Unfortunately i think it does leave people feeling disappointed with their characters and critics use this to point the finger at why gay romance is bad. Its not because gay romance is always bad/boring, just this particular romance wasn't interesting.
All that said my original point stands. If you don't want to read a story with certain themes then nobody should make you or make you feel bad for not wanting to. I do recognise that this is series you've clearly loved for many years and I'm sincerely sorry that it hasn't turned out in satisfactory way for you. Its truly a heartbreaking feeling.
All the best and thank you for the video
@Zaineph100 thank you so much for ACTUALLY listening. You make some really valid points that I don't disagree with much of. I do, however, disagree somewhat about the different perspectives. That's true to an extent, but it isn't always wise to open yourself to ANY perspective. For instance, I don't trying to empathize or try come to understand Hitler's way of thinking will make us better; it will make us worse. He's morally corrupt, and everyone knows that without exposing ourselves to his ideology. That's an extreme example, I know, and I'm not comparing a gay person to Hitler by any mean, but I'm just trying to convey that exposing yourself to some points of view can be detrimental and even dangerous at times.
My point is that I would rather expose myself to what I already know is good and true. But again, that's my view.
Thank you again for the true dialogue, and not just beratement. Appreciate you, truly. Happy reading!
I also agree with you. In my case I won't even start to read it as I despise Brandon's pandering to the alphabet mafia just to be patted on his head and score woke points. Literature in general is in a weird place and promotes sick agenda. I do believe that Christians should be more active and vocal in defending and showing their convictions and views regardless of what the woke folk says. Brandon turned out to be a weak spineless sellout. I have his four books and have no intention to buy more. Your video is really relevant and I enjoyed it.
Thank you so much for the encouragement. Yeah, I'm with you on supporting him financially. It left such a bad taste with me that I sold my entire catalog of his works, which included leatherbounds, signed editions, etc. Thankfully, I managed to get some of my money back, but it's sad that it has come to this.
I highly recommend James Islington. His content is clean and really good. Appreciate you watching, and happy reading!
The woke got Brandon it sounds like. I’ll just not worry about starting book 5
Unfortunately, that appears to be the case. I hope he has good men around him who love him enough to tell him the truth, and it brings him to repentance.
I hate that too because I loved his books, but yeah, I'd just hold off if I were you. I highly recommend James Islington if you haven't read him already. Thanks for listening and happy reading!
You are not wrong brother. Carry on, Sando needs pastoral care tbh, it's very sad to see play out. We all should pray that the man gets access to some correct counsel, as he is clearly surrounded by demons.
@aldan7812 Yes! I am so hoping that he has men that love him, that tell him the truth and not some false gospel, and that he repents in faith. Well said, my brother!
It’s woke trash I’m so disappointed by Sanderson but to be honest I haven’t liked his books for years now but the woke crap is too far
I'm still pretty new to reading. I only started back in 2020, so i have just binged his stuff, and his later books have definitely had an underlying promotion of a particular world view that I just don't agree with. But, like you, this was the hard line that he drew, and im not willing to promote his stance here. I hope he listens to his readers' feedback.
Thanks for watching and happy reading!