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My pleasure - glad that you enjoyed it! :)
I visit my daughters grave once a year. I have no religion that I follow. I do it to remember and pay my respects. Visiting a grave does not automatically make you believe in God or have a faith. I choose to not follow a religion, I don't criticise or denounce anyone who chooses to. It's their choice. Much as I don't appreciate being asked to have a religious belief.
As far as Bond goes, I never saw him as having any faith. He's never shown any. The impact of which would cause to many issues if he were to reveal himself to be Christian, Catholic, Buddhist or Muslim. The character simply doesn't need it.
However it is a worthy conversation. So long as it remains civil and without offense.
"Regarding both religion and spirituality, Bond is a lapsed Anglican, and a non-practicing member of the Church of England. He does not practice because his previous role as a Special Secret Double-O Agent hardly gave him much of any of the time or temperament to do so; and now his service as the new Chief of the S.I.S. does not give him so either, due to his firm dedication to his service to Her Royal Majesty's Government and all of her members, collaborators, allies, and interests. Aside from that, however, he also does not practice because he finds it very hard for one to justify such actions as such a government operative to God; and when he was still gambling with “Le Chiffre” in 1951, he launched the controversial argument that one might need an “Evil Book” to compliment the “Good Book”, (the “Good Book” in reference to the Holy Bible, and an “Evil Book” eventually in reference to Anton LaVey's The Satanic Bible, first published in 1966). He does, however, have the intention(s) to somehow make the time and temperament to practice, and/or to at least try to if he cannot do so completely."
In case you might be wondering why I put Bond as the new head of M.I.6 in this story, it's because in this story, he is, and his son, Jack Bond, who he had with his wife, Miss Moneypenny, is the new 007.
Otherwise, what do you all think??? Any critiques???
Thank you for also commenting on my blog post earlier today as well. It's always nice to get the views of readers.
Could you send me the fill short story some time? Also, what is the title?
I don't think Bond outright ever declares a religion in the books that I know of, but there are times when issues of faith and spirituality do come up. In Live & Let Die Solitaire tells him that she has foresight, and knew intensely inside of her that Bond would come, as if pre-destined, to save her from Mr. Big in New York. Now, an atheist would likely scoff at that idea and shout it down as a poor and traumatic woman's delusion, but Bond surprisingly takes her at her word and seems to trust in her senses and the spiritual plain she is tapping into, whatever it may be.
And of course in Goldfinger, when Bond thinks he's about to die with a woman beside him, he worries about how he will explain the situation to Vesper wherever it is that he's going, implying that he is thinking of where we'll end up after he dies. It also implies that he no longer views Vesper as a dark or sinful woman, which is interesting to comprehend as we wonder what make him cool to her over time and think that she'd end up in heaven as opposed to elsewhere; he probably attached sympathy to her, as she was just an innocent being manipulated by worse characters behind the veil.
Casino Royale has Bond mention the idea of good vs. evil and God vs. Satan as he questions his own morality and actions in life, but no real statement is made on his side of what he believes. He just makes note of how we use God to symbolize good and Satan evil, without picking a side or delving into his belief system either way.
I'm sure those more versed in the books could come up with more examples beyond these, but in my own reading these are the major religious points or elements that come up. Either way I don't think we'd be able to say just what Bond is or what he believes. As a man who kills people quite regularly, men he fully admits are probably alright and only serving their countries as he is England, he must surely wonder at times if his sins will land him in hot water or if there is any truth to eternal punishment for too many wrongs.
Bond doesn't seem the type to go to confessions and spill his guts (he'd be sharing classified government secrets with the church if he did anyway), but he also doesn't put his nose up to superstition either at times. In Live & Let Die he comments about how weak minded the negroes under Mr. Big must be to believe what he says (about being the returned form of Baron Samedi), but he also notes how superstitious his own countrymen are as well, implying in a derisive manner that they aren't too different in the end. This could be a sign that he views the literal interpretation of the bible as balmy, but later on this viewpoint clashes with his feelings of Solitaire, who he seems to believe to have true foresight, as mentioned above. Even as he races to save her near the end of the book, Bond imagines her sensing him coming, wondering if she knows he is on his way.
So I sense a tug of war in Bond, really, when it comes to belief. Sometimes he seems to be free from superstition or the belief in outrageous things, but other times what he sees or who he meets makes him get a new perspective and those experiences change his view of life immensely forever afterward. His torture at the hands of Le Chiffre made him reevaluate his entire life and where he morally stood, as well as if good and evil were just made up constructs we devise to make ourselves feel like we know who we're fighting. That is inextricably tied to faith and religion, which often deals with the right and wrong of the world and how one should act, so we can see that Bond thinks of these things at times.
Bond is a very self aware man and knows what he's doing, so he has to wonder from time to time how his actions and life choices would stack up if God's pearly gates were real. Would his killing for queen and country be seen as a positive defense of his fellow man, like his killing of Drax to stop the bombing of London, or would his more morally foggy kills, like those he had to complete to get his Double-O licence, drive him further to hell on the side of bad? Where does his killing stand in the end, more on the side of protection or cold and inhumane murder? Bond's mind changes so much on so many things, so again it's hard to say either way what he really settles on.
In Casino Royale for example, Bond points out that Le Chiffre thought himself the hero of his own story as he tried to kill his villain in the form of Bond, but Bond shortly says that he wasn't a villain at all and that was how he knew men's experience of morality didn't fall into a recognition of their own evil. We usually see only good in what we do, and that fogs things up. Yet at other times Bond is very down on himself and doesn't seem to hold himself as anyone worth celebrating or honoring as a hero at all, saying the Double-O title is a glorified one that only says you kill in cold blood, something he doesn't enjoy carrying on his back. At the end of the book he also derides the notion of him fighting "Red Indians" like some Hollywood cowboy, again showing that he doesn't portray himself as the glorious protector of innocents, a label so many fashion to those of his employment.
If I had to guess, from what I know of Fleming's Bond, I'd say he'd be against a literal interpretation of the bible, but I think he also wouldn't close himself off to the notion that there is a final decider at play in the world that chooses where men stand at the end of it all. He wouldn't be a church goer and he wouldn't pray at night with rosary beads, but there are times on his missions that he will say a quick word to will himself to live on through a trial and pray for his safety or another's in a way that isn't implied to be ironic or derisive, showing that he holds stake or importance in the practice. His unique and complex job has made him come face to face with the layers of morality, which probably make him more critical of the very black and white "do this, not that" nature of the bible, but as I stated before he must wonder where he stacks up between a trip to heaven or imprisonment in hell, and that is intensely tied to religion and the notions expressed in the text. At the end of the day I think he'd confess that he just doesn't know either way, and, like most things that worry or bemuse him, he would strike it to the back of his mind and live his life the best way he saw fit at the time, trying not to over think or overanalyze himself for fear of losing precious time.
At the end of the day I think we could all agree that Bond would never be the type to practice his faith, and would instead merely ponder similar concerns that those of the faith would, though not often. I can't imagine that the Church of England would ever want to see a man such as himself in the pews, what with his lively and unrepressed sexual appetites, his drinking, smoking and gambling habits, and the not-so-small order of his killing for the dead empire.
If one was to be cheeky, the closest thing Bond has to a god is M. A figure who he holds great reverence and loyalty and faith in, but also one who he at times fears or is intimidated by as he tries to steer his life on healthier paths. See M's urges for Bond to take more time off or to clean himself up at a clinic as the "God" giving his disciple food for thought and motivation for betterment. ;)
Well, there is my brand new and gleaming thread on President Trump and James Bond Villainy, as promised:
https://www.mi6community.com/discussion/18249/president-donald-trump-and-james-bond-villainy
No, maybe you're thinking of another thread as there are no posts from you there (yet!).
Looking forward to your contribution...
Interesting that this board entry was sparked by SPECTRE dialog and started by @joshdeese93 for how Bond approached these subjects. Also enjoyed @Dragonpol's excellent blog post and @0BradyM0Bondfanatic7's thoughts.
The mention of the book Ian Fleming's Seven Deadlier Sins & OO7's Moral Compass by Benjamin Pratt was a memory jogger. Now added to my shelf and I'm going through it.
Deferring that, I want to pull out more anecdotal examples from the novels starting with the second.
Hopefully it's taken in the right, um, spirit.
Within (blasphemy and otherwise):
God! For God’s sake. God knows. Thank God. God damn (your bloody eyes). God Almighty (twice by Bond). Christ Almighty (Leiter). Thank God (Leiter again). God am I glad to hear your voice! God forbid. Goddam (train; sleuth). God almighty (Bond). My God (Strangways).
He prayed that the Robber would miss. He prayed that the floor tank which was to take his dive would be one of the covered ones. It was. He prayed the stretcher was only a precaution. Prayed that the small waves were hiding them. 'Pray continue,' said Bond, not looking at Solitaire.
"Mr Bond, Mr Bond, so glad I caught you", implying that the vicar knew Bond in some way (a regular?). Considering how busy he is globe trotting etc, it's a little weird. Perhaps he just remembers him from the burial of Tracy?
how did the Vicar know Bond? I can't see Bond helping out with "hook a duck" at the Church fete?
It's an interesting question. Perhaps he's seen Bond visiting the grave before and maybe they've even had a small conversation at some point.
However, why does he "bless" Bond (or whatever he's doing with that arm gesture) when he gets in the helicopter? It's as if he knows Bond is in danger.
Maybe he's not a real vicar, but then Bond should've been suspicious right away. Or maybe he was forced by Blofeld to do it? Or maybe he's not a very nice vicar. Who knows?
plenty of business his way,or he could have touched Bond
up when he was younger. ;-)
Didn't give it much thought before this.
Well, in the Moore era everyone and their dog seems to know who Bond is, and that he's a super secret not-so-secret spy. Ever since JW shouted out his real job in L&LD the whole world found out and it was never the same.