I will preface this by saying this is a sensitive topic and it is not one I tackle too often. It is not my area of expertise and I mean no disrespect to those who are religious. This is a side-effect of the writing process involved with Crow.
People talk about the concept of specific “complexes” in humans. That is, “a group of repressed desires and memories that exerts a dominating influence upon the personality” or “an exaggerated reaction to or preoccupation with a subject or situation.” I am sure you hear of the Napoleon Complex – the idea of making up for one’s lack of height by playing themselves up as “larger than life.” Another example would be a Weight Complex – this one leads to eating disorders and I urge anyone who has this complex to seek immediate help.
But these complexes pale in comparison to the “God Complex.” Blasphemous in name and nature, this is more common than the general public realise. And Crow is a novel where this God Complex is front and centre. That is where the religious undertones and parallels to the Almighty come into play.
For the focus character of Crow, Ashley Hudson, grew up with religious influence in her life. Yet Ashley is also far more intelligent than those around her. Thus, her view of the world had two conflicting ideas. Religion and Fact.* As she grew older, she still relied on God for guidance, but not as a means of helping her. No, to Ashley, God was a means of forgiveness. A way to forgive her actions against, in her mind, wretched sinners whose crimes were far worse than her own. In a sense, Ashley uses her Religious nature to justify her actions.
The lack of repercussion against Ashley can be attributed to Divine Intervention, but she thinks of it in a different way. See, everything Ashley does is by her design. If she gets away with something, that stokes her ego. And as her ego grows, so does her deluded view of the world. She begins to see those around her as lesser. Unworthy. An affront to the Lord. And Ashley cannot have that.
So, she decided long before the events of Crow that she would be a modern-day Crusader. An inquisitor for what was righteous. All in the name of the Lord. The more she believed that was what she was put on Earth to do, the bolder she got. It was no fun being Robin Hood. Setting fire to the house of, in Ashley’s eyes, a false good brought her no closure. But it did bring her happiness.
Which is why she fell into a dark pattern. Murder. Because that is the way to cleanse the world of the faithless. A way to ensure Ashley could satisfy her God Complex. Because, what did God do? He gave life. Ashley is His instrument of death. Or, at least she thinks that she is.
Religion, as it stands in Crow, is not painted as a bad thing. In fact, it has little major bearing on the plot. Rather, it is used as a character device in-universe for Ashley to justify her actions. The representation of Religion within Crow does NOT reflect on my own personal beliefs. I respect what others believe, even if I myself am not part of a particular religion, but rather style myself as a Fateist – one who believes our lives are preordained to start and end in a particular way, but the steps we take between them are of our own volition.
* I do not think in such a binary way. There is no hard proof that Religion cannot be factual. I use those terms as a way to prove a point.
Fenrir's Lair 