Come on inside, Little Priest

While some may believe the genre of crime fiction is entertainment on television or movies, there has been a rise in academics who look at this genre. One path academics are looking at is the connections that exist between crime fiction and religion. Some academics say that this connection is not surprising as crime genres also deal with concepts that are prominent in religions such as good and bad (including the fight between them). The detectives are (often) the “good” guys who must catch the “bad” which is reminiscent of the good vs. evil theme in the bible. Another link to religion in crime fiction is that one or more characters may be religious. This can range to the detectives, the suspects, or the victim(s) (1). In True Detective, the first victim shown (Dora Lang) is religious. Her husband shared a cell with a member of the Tuttle Cult, which is how the Tuttle Cult decided to sacrifice her for their religion (2).

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Crime fiction can also show religion as it can be part of the crime and the criminal underworld, which may show religion in a bad light. Religion may appear as madness on the screen, as the criminal may have divine visions, or have religious texts misinterpreted (3). This theme is prominent in True Detective as many of the possible leads are church-related, the victims come from schools sponsored by the church. There are individuals who were high-ranking members of the church who may have been part of the Cult (4). This website will help explore these themes more.

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As for the plot of True Detective, this takes place from 1995 to 2014. However, the show contains a number of flashbacks as the two main characters recount their experiences from the crime scene in 1995 while being interrogated by police in the present (which was 2014 at the time). However, the series does not show the origins of the cult formed as it appears that the cult has been around Louisanna before the detectives (5). This website will hopefully try to discover more about the cult's religion and other religious aspects like symbols.