Religious or not Religious?

[Samantha14]

Speaking from my own perspective, I wanted to get others opinions about something.

During the before years of Odyssey, We heard many strong views on the faith of those who were Christian in Odyssey, And even those who weren't. There were spiritual battles and verbal debates about what exactly to believe. This, to me at least, made these seem, realistic.
Even when the story/ story arc was not.

However...

Now... Now I'm not sure what to say in terms of religious views. To me, When I hear Whit or Wooton, Two of the most firm founded in their faith, these days just do not relate anymore.
You cannot see the difference in a Christian and a non Christian that much anymore.
Before, When I heard characters such as Jimmy or Lucy, Compared to the Bones of Wrath, You could really tell the difference. They acted like those of reality, And because of that, We could relate more. Now, When you compare characters such as Barret and Jay, They seem pretty...um... One dimensional. Not very characters have their own, Unique personality. That is to say, You really can't tell the difference when it comes to views. Each Character takes something as strong and important as their faith, And turns it into a lighthearted, Not a big deal conversation that we truly could take or leave!! Let me now show you an article from Just Another AIO Blog, A wonderful site by our very own Creativethinker101, Talking about Wooton Basset. This really made me think.

JJAIOB's "Wooton." By CreativeThinker101 AKA Alex Jefferson.

I would like to say that this is not a reaction to this episode in particular, but simply a reaction to post-hiatus Wooton. This episode was just kind of the "straw that broke the camel's back". And it cemented in my mind what I had been thinking for a while now: obnoxious Wooton needs to say bye-bye. I had always found Wooton to be a funny, likeable character. In episodes like "For Trying Out Loud" and "Tuesdays With Wooton", I would laugh my head off and think, "I wish I could be as funny as Wooton..." With post-hiatus Wooton, however, I roll my eyes and think, "I'm already funnier than that guy."
Now, I don't for a second believe this is Jess Harnell's fault. I saw that guy being interviewed at the live show, and he was as funny, if not funnier than pre-hiatus Wooton. I believe Jess is trying his best to make the character of Wooton funny and likeable. But you can't change obnoxious lines into funny ones. So basically what I'm saying is that, in truth, this is not Jess Harnell's fault. This is the writers' fault.
Wooton has changed from a hilarious mailman who is passionate about God to an obnoxious guy who tries to be funny but just doesn't have anything funny to say and who hardly ever mentions God or Christianity; and when God and Christianity is mentioned, he attempts to say something funny to break up the spiritual conversation. But maybe I'm being too cynical... However, Wooton's behavior lately is inexcusable. If you're yelling, "What the heck is this guy talking about? Wooton's still got the laugh factor!" then I'll give you some lines...

Barrett Jones: I lost a friend.
Wooton Bassett: Uh, did you check your locker?

Wooton Bassett: You know, I've always found that running along the top of a train gives me inspiration.

Ted Humpfries: About the verdict?
Wooton Bassett: Oh yeah, the verdict. That was a good call, and the jury foreman had good diction when he read it out. Very Shakespearean.

Wooton Bassett: The point is Olivia, that sometimes we have to try to be understanding even if we don't understand what we're supposed to be understanding about. Understand?

John Whittaker: So what do you think upset Penny?
Wooton Bassett: Well it had to be the lack of soda's at the vending machine in the court house.

Connie Kendall: So what are you gonna do with all these confused feelings while Penny figures things out?
Wooton Bassett: I'm gonna wait and silence my body language.
Connie Kendall: How are you gonna do that?
Wooton Bassett: Oh I'm thinking about wearing a space suit whenever I'm around her.

Wooton Bassett: Mrs. Mitch is a mis-match!?!?!

Matthew Parker: Hey, maybe Wooton knows.
Wooton Bassett: Wow! Well, I never did before, but there's a first time for everything. What is it?

John Whittaker: Paris, France?
Wooton Bassett: Actually, it was Paris, Arkansas.

If it looks like I copied most of the post-hiatus Wooton quotes from AIOwiki, that's what I did. But I think these quotes prove my point to some extent. If you laughed at any of these, you can disagree with me, but I don't think you can disagree with me about Wooton's spiritual attitude. I don't see any huge problem with not talking about God in regular discussion, but saying something funny and trying to change the subject when spiritual things are brought up is, in my opinion, a problem. Wooton did this in "The Green Ring Conspiracy" and a couple other episodes, if I remember...
So, forgive me for going on a mini-article rant. I just wanted to explain why Wooton annoyed me in this episode and all other post-hiatus one. I'm hoping he changes and the writers recognize his obnoxiousness, but I don't have my fingers crossed.

Now, The thing I was trying to point out was that of Wooton's faith. I completely agree with CT, Wooton has done nothing but goof around every episode he is in! No longer is he the deep, Profound, Fatherly, Firm-faithed, Role model that he was. He no longer has Grady to be that which was said to. So, Now, He only has... Penny..... Which, I will not start a discussion about here...

Anyways, I also want to talk about Whit. Once a plump, Jolly, Wise, Caring, Connecting, Grandfatherly man. Is now... Well, You get the idea.
We heard the connection in the classic era. Whit sounded generally... Real, I guess is the only way I can describe it.... Now, He sounds out of touch, And has to really try to get any connection to the kids. It sounds almost, Forced? He no longer sounds Grandfatherly, Nor is he as wise. Both of these characters sound..... Different...

Now, As far as morals are concerned. The classics.

The lessons episodes. Such as one's with Jimmy, Robyn, And Issac? These are the ones I grew up on. Where lessons and morals were there, But, They didn't have to force them. These slice of life episodes really did connect with reality. I know as a younger kid I always remembered what happened to Robyn. The classic era had characters that were all different. They sounded like they could be real kids! Not to mention the amazingly real sounded back ground scene and other sound effects.
Now however.... Episodes are so out there you aren't sure what the lesson really is about! Morals are something that are not as before and very hard to relate to these days. There aren't any true slice of life episodes made. And, When there are, It takes forever to sort through what exactly we can and can't relate to. Maybe that's the worse part. the fact that there is something we CAN'T relate to, You know? Now, When kids are in Whits End, Or walking down the street. No longer do you truly hear the laughter of kids or the peaceful sound of birds chirping or the leaves crunching below the characters feet. Now it's most likely some big shot circus/Broadway/big production show music that doesn't even fit into the scene. No longer is there soft, Get to the heart music during a sad or heartfelt scene. Maybe because there aren't a lot of sad or truly heartfelt scenes?

No longer do we hear reality.

Now, Do not get me wrong! I LOVE AIO!!! I loved the newest albums!! But, It's these little things... Well, Except this one because I made it so long. ... That we really need to consider.
Something I pray they look into and try to fix soon.

I apologize for such a long post that went in so many different directions. If you survived this far, You must not have ADHD. Bahaha!

Thanks for reading!!

[Mara]

Good point Sammy and CT. I LOVE the newer albums too, but it is just not the same. Wooton's lines now are not as funny, and he doesn't snort anymore!!!!! I think Andre Stojka does a fine job with Whit, but he just isn't into it as much as Paul and Hal were. When I was at the live show, Andre read his lines and he sounded good, but he just sat there. Unlike Katie Leigh who was waving her arms and making funny facial expressions. You were both right too, about how Wooton doesn't seem as strong in his faith as he used to be. That is one of the reasons why I miss Tom, and Jack, so much! They were very strong Christians and were wise, like Whit. But, I enjoy the new albums. I guess we'll just have to accept Odysey how it is now, because the past is the past!

[Pound Foolish]

Barrett is arguably lacking in depth. He really shouldn't have the major roles he does. He just doesn't work very well as a main character.
However, how is Jay "one dimensional"? He's one of the most fascinating characters Odyssey has had, and just about anyone on here would agree.
And about the earlier episodes, some of the ones you sighted to prove Odyssey can make points without "forcing" them, are choc full of preaching, especially the Isaac ones. All of Isaac's episodes absolutely burst with moral spoon-feeding. Which is nice, but we wouldn't want most of Odyssey's shows to be like that, and goes against what you're saying.
This is a great topic, besty. However, could you build on your case a bit, please?

[ArnoldtheRubberDucky]

Half of me agrees with Sammy, and the other half agrees with PF.

I would like to start out by saying I don't believe preaching is a good device in entertainment. In church, it is very effective, but not in movies, books, music, or radio dramas. Now, don't get me wrong, I believe morals are a very good thing in entertainment. They give it another purpose besides entertaining, and they can tie a movie, book, album, or show together like nothing else can. But, with books, movies, TV shows, and radio dramas, the morals should be illustrated through the plot of the story, not simply relayed by one character to another. A character can briefly sum up the moral at the end of the story if nessecary, but preaching should never be a plot device. In other words, the moral should be a part of the story, not the story itself. In Isaac episodes, the moral was the story. Isaac would stumble around, trying to figure out the true meaning of a certain virtue and usually getting it all wrong, and then Whit would give him a sermon at the end. And I actually would really enjoy Whit's sermons, if they were in church. And let me simply stress the fact that I don't believe a brief moral summary at the end of an episode is the same thing as a sermon. If an adult character simply makes a brief summary of what the main character learned at the end of the episode, I have nothing to complain about. I just don't want, as PF said, spoon-fed morals in entertainment. The only Isaac episode I truly felt had a good plot was "Isaac the Chivalrous", for obvious reasons. Other than that, I agree with PF on this one, as well as his observation that Jay is not a one-sided character, but a complex, three-sided individual.

But I also agree with Sammy on the fact that modern AIO does not have as strong of morals as, say, the Jack & Jason age. I expressed that in the article she quoted, and I stand by that expression.

So, ultimately, I'm torn in this mini-debate. I suppose I'm leaning towards PF's stance, but I agree with several of Sammy's points as well. But I do love this topic, and I believe it could branch off into some fascinating conversation topics.

[Pound Foolish]

Applause! Let's see... As a matter of taste, I enjoy Whit's deus-ex-machina lectures. That's because they often inspire in ways a plot can't. It's like an Aesop's fable.
However, that's not much to whine about because overall I actually agreed with you wholeheartedly... just like over the chat and in the debate on Odyssey crossing lines... what is the world coming to?
Anyhow, yes. You said it well. Preaching should be avoided at all costs, and plot and character development should always be the focus. After all, we're here for the characters, when it comes down to it. The characters are our friends. Plot is the meat and spice of the story.
It just feels nice to have some salad once in a while.

[arwen]

Barrett is arguably lacking in depth. He really shouldn't have the major roles he does. He just doesn't work very well as a main character.
However, how is Jay "one dimensional"? He's one of the most fascinating characters Odyssey has had, and just about anyone on here would agree.
And about the earlier episodes, some of the ones you sighted to prove Odyssey can make points without "forcing" them, are choc full of preaching, especially the Isaac ones. All of Isaac's episodes absolutely burst with moral spoon-feeding. Which is nice, but we wouldn't want most of Odyssey's shows to be like that, and goes against what you're saying.
This is a great topic, besty. However, could you build on your case a bit, please?

I agree with this completely.