Paranormal Romance & Urban Fantasy discussion

So this has been rolling through my head for a while and I thought I’d start the conversation that needs a clearer answer.

Angels and Demons: Are they paranormal or even Fiction when we put them in a genre?

I’ve seen a lot of these stories in the PR classification. But according to some religions, they are real. So is angels paranormal? The only way this works is by ghost. Some people believe they exists, some don’t. But I think there’s a higher difference because we are dealing with people’s religion.

For me, romance stories with angels just seem taboo-ish. Like I should’t be thinking about them in that way. Like I’d be tainted by it… Might explain why I avoided intimacy with virgins. Strange. But I also know that a story can be really good in the hands of a great and talented writer.

Or are these stories just thrown into the PR genre because no one knows what to do with them?

Anyway, I just wanted to ask and see what others thought about it.

What we consider Greek and Roman Mythology used to be someone's religion. Following that, I consider theology to be paranormal fiction.

Interesting topic.

I'll throw a spanner in the works... to me, anything 'not of this earth' so to speak is fantasy: high fantasy for a secondary world and urban fantasy for a version of our world - 'paranormal' (or romance) or not.

I also believe that the mythology of angels and demons (and many other beings) are metaphors for other things so that means that they are not of this earth. That is my take. But also, it depends on how they are written, and IME, most of the time they are written as paranormal beings.

Also, as angels and demons are not scientifically provable beings, they really should be considered as supernatural (as a lot of religious deities should be) rather than paranormal.

I think the difference with fantasy is that angels and/or demons are part of a larger world that isn’t tied to religious beliefs (Charmed was a fantasy series even though it had angels and demons because it was within a bigger pictures of witches and magical creatures, but I think of Touched by an Angel as not being fantasy because it is played as reality). In Imp World by Debra Dunbar, there are references to biblical information, but it’s part of the larger context of this fantasy world with its own rules. I think of books like Circe as less fantasy, though because it’s fleshing out a character based on text (the Odyssey) that incorporates religious beliefs at the time. There’s always gray area and debate, but that’s generally how I think about it.

To me it’s the same as urban fantasy anyway—some things are the same in real life and the fantasy world, but others are different and I think that’s where the fun is. Fiction and especially fantasy is about what if. What if angels and demons were common? What if vampires lived in New York? What if magic took over technology?

My thinking is if by definition:

“Paranormal - denoting events or phenomena such as telekinesis or clairvoyance that are beyond the scope of normal scientific understanding.”

It would totally be acceptable to think that angels and demons are paranormal - real or fiction. But if we can say that angels and demons by definition is paranormal, than is God paranormal too? And don’t get me wrong A Demon and His Witch by Eve Langlais does a great job of entertaining us in her Welcome to Hell series.

But if God can be paranormal, wouldn’t that also mean the bible is as well? That would not sit well with a lot of religious institutes, as is shouldn’t. And this is where I get the hang up.

Chicken? Or the Egg?
Paranormal? Fiction? Or Historical?

I guess if someone’s a devoted (not sure of spelling) Christian or religious person, I wouldn’t think that they’d read something like Welcome to Hell series. So maybe it doesn’t matter. Than again, no story is just one genre.

On a side note:

I wish GR or a major book store would design a better way to search for specific types of books. Smaller book companies/sites have a better search engine but lack any real book stock to make it useful. And bigger book companies like Amazon or GR have weak book search engines that its so broad you can never really narrow down the results or zero in on a select few that match perfectly.

But I digress. Still, I think it’s more of a personal belief whether angels and demons exists. I’m not a religious person, but I do believe in God, angels, demons, and even ghosts. That’s where this inquisitive questions come into play.

I don’t know. I think I could talk my way around in circles about this without getting into much into religious ideology. As for my quest, I’ve been circling the wagons for a while, forget it, and then circle again. So, when a relatable GR group thread came up, I startled circling again and finally wanted to get the questions out of the head. It can become distracting in there at times.

For me, I consider anything with religious/spiritual themes in fiction to be on the level of paranormal/mythology, especially when dealing with ghosts, angels or demons that actually interact in some way with the characters in the story.

Since I'm not at all a religious person, I consider all of it to be fictional anyway, so it doesn't really bother me one way or another.

I can totally relate to the icky feeling of non-fallen angel romance. Like you're sinning and stuff. I'm sure angels are real, I've had some experiences with them myself (but when I told people they told me I must have been dreaming...huh).

In any case, real life angels don't have a body so romance can be only platonic at best, I think.

DownTown wrote: "I can totally relate to the icky feeling of non-fallen angel romance. Like you're sinning and stuff. I'm sure angels are real, I've had some experiences with them myself (but when I told people the..."

I never thought about the incorporeal (?) part of it. I always assumed they’d have a physical body. It’s an interesting take, also makes me feel a little less guilty in imagining them in a romantic way.

Aeron wrote: "For me, I consider anything with religious/spiritual themes in fiction to be on the level of paranormal/mythology, especially when dealing with ghosts, angels or demons that actually interact in so..."

I’m not real religious either which is why the question has been so fascinating to explore. It’s nice to be able to have an intellectual debate with other people who may bring more to the table. 😬

The thing about angels is that they are around and about, but not like holographic humanoid forms with wings. Most people have likely seen them, but since they don't know how they look like, they'll brush them off.

They most likely appear as balls of light to the common eye, and if the person has a bit of spiritual training/meditation practice/etc., they can actually show up in quiet states as voices and humanoid images.

Yes, some say they can actually incarnate but lose their remembrances of it. I am sure I've met at least three of them if that is the case. One of them lived the life of a common human and died of old age, another is middle-aged, bohemian and single, and another is a young adult who lives as a typical one. So in that context, they can have sex too.

Cozen wrote: "So this has been rolling through my head for a while and I thought I’d start the conversation that needs a clearer answer. Angels and Demons: Are they paranormal or even Fiction when we put them i..."

Rant Alert!

I spent 8 of my early formative years in Catholic school with Sister Mary Nightmare, so to me, anything to do with religious works is strictly fiction. Technically I'm an Agnostic, so while I'm open to the possibility of a supreme being, angels, demons, ghosts, etc, I don't "believe" in them. And any books written about them, including the Bible, should be categorized as fiction because they're a matter of personal opinions, which vary widely throughout the world, and not facts that can be scientifically proven.

As far as what category to list them under, I do believe in a separation of church, state, and genre, so I'd stick to paranormal, supernatural, or fantasy, depending on the theme.

Side Note: Since I've had similar discussions about this in other groups... No, I am not going to Hell (don't believe in that either) so no need to worry.

Well at least it's comforting to know that I'm not crazy for being curious about it. I'm also grateful for all conversations and view points.