| rdfs:comment
| - A stereotype, but... well, religious. The most obvious and prominent example is the Corrupt Church, which involves portraying all clergymen, especially Christian ones, as sanctimonious fanatics and/or hypocrites. When Religious Stereotype is in full effect in a work of fiction, expect all Protestants to be fundamentalists- don't bring that civil rights movement crap here! All Catholic priests will all have hidden sexual doings, which will make one wonder how the Church functions if all its priests are, safe to say, busy. Pedophilia, in particular, is a popular activity among Catholic priests in fiction.
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| abstract
| - A stereotype, but... well, religious. The most obvious and prominent example is the Corrupt Church, which involves portraying all clergymen, especially Christian ones, as sanctimonious fanatics and/or hypocrites. When Religious Stereotype is in full effect in a work of fiction, expect all Protestants to be fundamentalists- don't bring that civil rights movement crap here! All Catholic priests will all have hidden sexual doings, which will make one wonder how the Church functions if all its priests are, safe to say, busy. Pedophilia, in particular, is a popular activity among Catholic priests in fiction. And it doesn't get any better when you leave Christianity, oh no! Jews will probably be... well, many times Jews will be found where you least expect it in your characters, but to be a real stereotype, expect them to lament their lots in life (and do well in Broadway musicals). More generally, though, Jews will get assigned the more positive (or at least funnier) stereotypes. If they are Muslims expect them to be, at best, super conservative and arrogant towards women, while at worst all Muslims know Osama bin Laden's phone number and hang out with him on Fridays. (Prior to May 2011, that is.) Well, your fictional character says to himself, to hell with this, I'll just be an atheist!... Nope, buddy, you're still stuck. Atheists are evil in most portrayals of fiction, always have a sad backstory for being an atheist, and are usually a Nietzsche Wannabe. That's assuming they don't just become a smug Jerkass or, at worst, a Complete Monster. Still, note that all stereotypes are not bad. Just as common a stereotype is that of the Buddhist monk who literally knows everything worth knowing and helps the Hero, while another common one is the Hindu guru who is "in tune with the universe". This trope almost always results in Unfortunate Implications of the religious variety (especially if the author uses these stereotypes to boost up their own favorite side), to the point that its inclusion in a work of fiction should probably set you on high alert. Buyer Beware! If a negative stereotype was created just to make the hero look good, or the Creator's views seem right, then it is a Strawman. See also Christianity Is Catholic, and any of the Useful Notes series on the religions for what the religion is actually like. See also evil religions, good religions, Heel Faith Turn... ah, just go check out the Religion Tropes. Religious Stereotype is a part and parcel of all of them. Examples of Religious Stereotype include:
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