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Little spoilers

To be honest, I don't think Sam's religious views make any sense. If Sam believes that God is cruel and is constantly afraid of punishment because of what he has done, then he should be afraid of committing other sins just as much because God will punish him because he is cruel. At the same time, he criticizes Saint Paul saying that one must radically cut oneself off from sin and the submission of the flesh, saying that the teaching of Jesus said something different. Suggesting here that someone can sin from time to time and that's okay. But this has nothing to do with the cruelty of God. If God allows sin, and Jesus somehow implied it, then that is against harsh judgment and cruelty.

The whole shed scene in the latest update is also weird to me. Sam's views make sense for this scene, but they seem detached from other moments where Sam is terrified of God's judgment. I think the whole polemic with Saint Paul was written for this one thread, but in isolation from the whole story.

Of course, I know it's still just furry visual novel, but I like being consistent in how the characters are written. This is important, especially in a thread that is likely to be relevant in Will's route (I think). I'm still enjoying the game, but I'm starting to notice some turns that I don't like.

It is possible that I misunderstood Sam's message due to the difficult words and my language barrier, but I tried to understand this passage correctly.

(3 edits) (+14)

From Sam's perspective, he essentially thinks God is alien and impossible to understand despite trying his best to understand him, and he thinks many from the bible do not understand what he really is. (Of course, he doesn't want to think that or explore that because he's afraid to be accidentally sacrilegious--though he absoultely does, and it's one of his intrusive thoughts.) 

This is part of why his faith and belief is very shaky despite his best efforts and obsession with reading the bible. 

He believes God is likely wrathful and uncaring, and believes it is possible for himself to be already damned in spite of his best efforts-- though he is trying to admit that he doesn't really know the truth, and that those who claim to know the truth are untrustworthy. 

He struggles against constant uncertainty, and is most devout in moments of panic (when he's begging for mercy to a force that seems almighty, eternal, and intangible). 

Sam would most likely be Gnostic if he knew what gnositicism was, but he's not book smart. 

-George

(+8)

This makes a lot of sense. People (human, anthropomorphic animal, or other) have cognitive dissonance, which often takes a lot of time (and sometimes therapy) to recognize and resolve. It's why we see others often behave in contradicting manners, sometimes even when religion is concerned. 

I always interpreted Sam's behavior as a sign of this, given his belief in a wrathful God and belief in the possibility of redemption. These two ideas seemingly contradict one another and result in Sam's elevated levels of emotional distress, as seen through his anger, guilt and anxiety. Until he enters into a psychological state of congruence (which he most likely won't due to all the uncertainties regarding God in general), these emotions and behavioral contradictions will persist. Of course, Sam doesn't view it this way. He views all of his difficulties and the resulting emotions through the lens of Sin and Virtue, which is a form of all-or-nothing thinking. He is trapped within the rigidity of his own beliefs.

This turned out to be a lengthier response than I intended, but I do personally relate to Sam a lot and that is why I love him as a character. I didn't grow up going to Mass regularly, but I somehow still managed to have The Catholic Guilt© for many years. Even to this day, I have a bit of a guilty conscience. I see a lot of my old self in Sam and that's why I love his perspective.