u/luvsunjay

so i don't really buy stuff plus i live overseas so i'm very much unfamiliar with these things but i wanna buy the graphic novels someday

I CAN'T BE THE ONLY ONE

as an atheist, i really appreciate how nuanced jonaxx’s portrayal of atheism is in her story.

it’s incredibly refreshing that she doesn't demonize us or treat us as morally lacking. honestly, it was a huge surprise and relief, (not because of her capability as a writer, but) because the philippines is such a deeply religious and predominantly christian country. it’s rare to see non-believers written with such empathy and respect in local media.

i love how she shows that atheism isn't just one thing and that there are different types of atheists. some don't believe because of science, some just really don't care about religion, and others who might identify culturally as christian but don't practice it at all. she even touches on the deeper reasons, like those who stopped believing because of trauma, or because their identity is considered a sin by the church.

i liked how she represented us realistically, like yeah, we're not saints, we're not really the most respectful people when talking about religion by your standards because duh, we don't believe in it. but also, we're not bad people. just because we don't believe in god doesn't mean we don't have a moral compass on our own

at the same time, the story handles faith itself so well. i loved mikee's character because even though he's still a believer, he doesn't just blindly believe. he questions things, and he knows that at the end of the day, he was the one who had to be there for himself.

the topic of war and suffering was shown so naturally, like the question "if there's a god, why do these terrible things happen?"

personally, i don't think i'll ever believe in any religion, but i like how sayuri is being represented as a believer throughout the story. she isn't stagnant; she acknowledges the lapses in her beliefs and is slowly questioning instead of just blindly following.

to my fellow atheists, how did you feel about the representation in mos? and how about the christians, what are your thoughts about the atheism and discussion of faith in the story?