User blog comment:Tyberzannisultra/I need your opinion!/@comment-5239282-20140413000401/@comment-5239282-20140413161600

Mm, well, I don't have a desire to watch Revolution, so you can spoil the entire series for me. And no, I sadly haven't played Dishonored yet. I stick to RPGs.

Anyway, it'd probably be for the best if you were to combine a mix of religious doctrines. For one, if you were to center on one religion, there's always a chance some would be offended and you would face some criticism for "attacking" their religion. And even then, some would inevitably be turned off because the teachings used are not in accordance with their own -- how can they believe if they didn't believe in the first place?

Creepypastas like this are meant to be built on existing faith, after all. It's ultimately your choice to decide whether to shatter or reinvent that faith. Just don't go trying to Christianize (or Buddha-dize, for that matter) your audience; without a doubt, they'll be alienated and detached from the story.

On the flipside, mixing and matching a variety of doctrines makes it slightly more believable. No religion is discredited, and the audience (hopefully) takes home that even faiths in stark contrast with their own could possibly be valid in the long run -- while weakening their faith, they ponder the many possibilities you present.

I know a lot of people who live in terror "because" they were taught the doctrine of hellfire, or some other eternal punishment for disobeying God. They live and breathe in a shadow of inadequacy and low self-confidence, and fret for what lies beyond. In other words, they're bitter. Imagine placing that effect onto your audience. I dunno if hellfire is compatible, but there has to be some sort of tie to programming. If anything, eternal oblivion is good enough.

One thing's for sure, though: Don't create any loopholes. That means no heaven, or any other kind of salvation. ;p

Ultimately, you avert most criticism. Keep in mind that the majority of people that still breathe aren't atheist, nor fanatical evangelists of Christ's millennial reign. The message will be far-reaching and devastating to some (again, use eternal torment). Just don't outright preach. ;p

Anyway, I sincerely hope the stuff I've brought up has helped some. This is the reason why I typically don't speak my input on somebody's story -- I'd be at fault if the story was a hit and a miss (or a flat-out fiasco). That sort of guilt is overwhelming sometimes.

BTW, I'm still planning out that idea of mine. I'll make a separate reply for it, so don't worry.