Religious Trauma and Weaponized Faith in Hell Followed With Us

The Weaponization of Faith and the Trauma It Leaves Behind

In Hell Followed With Us, Andrew Joseph White crafts a horror story that is also a precise indictment of how religious extremism repurposes scripture and divine punishment into instruments of control, violence, and self-hatred. The novel’s central thematic claim is that faith, when weaponized by those in power, becomes a tool for enforcing conformity and erasing identity—while survivors of that weaponization must grapple with the wreckage of belief, often turning the same language of wrath against their oppressors or finding new, secular forms of community. This analysis traces that claim across the plot, examines how characters and symbols embody it, and confronts the contradictions that make the theme so unsettling.

The Epigraph: Scripture as a License for Genocide

The novel opens with an epigraph that immediately establishes the weaponization of faith. High Reverend Father Ian Clevenger, speaking before releasing the Flood virus on Times Square, declares that “the LORD spoke to us—for again we have failed Him, again He regrets His creations, so again the earth must flood!” This is a direct reimagining of the biblical flood narrative, but here God’s regret is twisted into a mandate for mass murder. Clevenger frames the virus as “holy work,” suggesting that the Angels are not merely acting on divine command but are themselves instruments of punishment. The second epigraph, Joshua 1:9 (“Be not afraid”), sits in ironic tension with the first: the same faith that promises comfort is used to justify terror. This juxtaposition sets up the novel’s core contradiction—faith can be both a source of solace and a weapon of destruction, and the line between them is often drawn by those who hold power.

Benji’s Capture: Faith as a Tool of Control

The first chapter introduces Benji fleeing after his father is shot by Brother Hutch. Hutch’s language is steeped in religious coercion: he calls out that Benji’s mother wants her daughter home, deliberately misgendering him, and later offers a “choice” between coming willingly or having his legs broken. This is faith weaponized as familial and institutional control. Benji’s mother, the Reverend Mother, sees him not as a son but as a vessel for the Seraph—a monster that will lead the Angels to war. Her pride is conditional on his transformation, as shown later when she tells him, “I am so, so proud” only after he has become the Seraph. The engagement ring that Theo gives Benji is another symbol of this control: it is forced upon him after his mother catches them having sex, and it binds him to a relationship that is less about love than about maintaining the appearance of purity. Benji’s internal monologue reveals the trauma: “I loved him through the death squads, through the carving of skin from his back, through him slamming me against the wall.” Faith here is not a comfort but a cage, and Benji’s dysphoria is compounded by the Angels’ insistence on his assigned gender.

The Pilgrimage: Ritualized Violence and Internalized Scripture

The pilgrimage to Reformation Faith Evangelical Church in Chapter 11 is a set piece that crystallizes the theme. The church is described as “the belly of the whale,” a monstrous body made of flesh and bone, with stained glass windows broken by arteries and roots. The ritual itself—boys sitting in pews with knives, their loved ones begging for their survival—is a perversion of communion. The Graces, creatures made of corpses and the Flood, are treated as holy warriors, and the nest behind the altar is a mass of trapped souls. Benji’s role is to destroy this place, but the scene also shows how deeply he has internalized the Angels’ theology. As he prepares to pull the trigger, he thinks, “Fear the wrath of the Lamb,” and later, in a bathroom, he tries to pull out his own teeth with pliers, reciting scripture to steel himself. This self-harm is a direct result of religious trauma: the Flood’s changes to his body are framed as divine punishment, and he believes he must excise them to be worthy. The bobby pins he tries to use to keep his hair back symbolize his attempt to maintain a semblance of his identity, but they slide out, just as his sense of self is slipping away under the weight of the Flood and the Angels’ doctrine.

Theo’s Betrayal and the Final Confrontation

Theo’s arc is the most explicit example of faith weaponized against a loved one. In the final battle, Theo confronts Benji in a flooded area, holding a bloody rock and accusing him of throwing away everything given to him. Their argument is theological: Theo insists that Benji’s transformation is a gift from God, while Benji sees it as a curse. Theo attempts to drown Benji, and Benji stabs him in self-defense. But the scene is complicated by the revelation that Theo has bandages and a fresh tattoo—he has been reinstated as a death-squad soldier, and his violence is not born of love but of zealotry. When Benji bites into Theo’s neck and Nick shoots him, it is a brutal end to a relationship that was always built on coercion. Theo’s final words echo the Angels’ rhetoric: “Our glorious work. Our God-given work.” This is faith as a justification for murder, and Benji’s own use of vengeance—he thinks, “Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord” (Romans 12:19)—shows how he has absorbed the same language, even as he fights against it.

Complexity and Contradiction: The Survivor’s Dilemma

The novel refuses to offer a simple resolution. Benji is both a victim and a perpetrator of weaponized faith. He uses the Flood’s power to kill Angels, and he even considers commanding a Grace to attack them in the opening chapter, only to stop because his father told him to be good. This internal conflict—between the desire for vengeance and the desire to be better—is central to his character. The ALC, led by Nick, offers a secular alternative to the Angels’ theology. Nick’s prayer to Benji during the final battle is a reclamation of faith: he prays not to God but to the person he loves, suggesting that connection and community can replace divine authority. The trans bead lizard that Nick gives Benji is a symbol of this new bond—a small, handmade object that represents acceptance and care, in contrast to the engagement ring that symbolized coercion.

Yet the novel also acknowledges that trauma does not disappear. Benji’s transformation into Seraph is permanent, and even after the battle, he creates a creature from Theo’s remains, placing the engagement ring in its palm. This act is both a memorial and a rejection—he honors the love he once had, but he also leaves the ring behind, symbolizing his refusal to be bound by the Angels’ version of faith. The masks that characters wear throughout the novel represent the hiding of identity, but also the possibility of choosing one’s own face. Benji throws his mask into the gutter when he embraces his monstrous form, but later, with Nick, he finds a different kind of peace.

Study Questions and Answers

1. How does the epigraph set up the theme of weaponized faith?

The epigraph juxtaposes Clevenger’s declaration that the Flood is “holy work” with Joshua 1:9’s “Be not afraid.” This contrast shows how scripture can be twisted to justify violence while also offering false comfort. It establishes that the Angels use divine punishment as a license for genocide, and that the same faith can be both a weapon and a shield.

2. In what ways does Benji’s mother weaponize faith against him?

Benji’s mother uses faith to control his identity and body. She calls him “sweetie” only after he becomes the Seraph, and her pride is conditional on his transformation. She forces him into an engagement with Theo to maintain appearances, and she sees him as a tool for the Angels’ war. Her faith is not about love but about obedience and utility.

3. How does the pilgrimage scene illustrate the internalization of religious trauma?

The pilgrimage scene shows Benji surrounded by ritualized violence—boys with knives, Graces, and a nest of trapped souls. Benji’s internal monologue is filled with scripture, and he later pulls out his own teeth with pliers, reciting “Fear the wrath of the Lamb.” This self-harm is a direct result of believing that his body’s changes are divine punishment, demonstrating how religious trauma can turn inward.

4. What role does the engagement ring play in the theme?

The engagement ring symbolizes forced commitment and the weaponization of love. It is given to Benji after his mother catches him having sex with Theo, and it binds him to a relationship that is about control rather than affection. In the final scene, Benji places the ring in the creature he makes from Theo’s remains, leaving it behind as a rejection of that coercion.

5. How does the novel complicate the idea of faith as purely destructive?

The novel shows that faith can be reclaimed or rejected. Nick’s prayer to Benji is a secular act of devotion, and the ALC offers a community that does not rely on divine authority. Benji uses the language of vengeance (Romans 12:19) but also chooses not to command the Grace in the opening chapter. The complexity lies in the fact that survivors must navigate the same language that was used to harm them, and the novel suggests that new forms of connection—like the trans bead lizard—can offer a way forward.