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Let’s Talk About Faith (Really Long Post)

*This is going to be a VERY long analytical post (feel free to just skim), and will talk openly about topics that might make people feel uncomfortable. Please look at the tags before reading. This was a collaboration with the fantastic @intheforest-hides-a-light and wouldn't be possible without her many contributions and support!*

Faith Seed is a character that occupies an odd space in the Far Cry 5 fandom. If she is included in fanon works, her characterization and interaction with the brothers tends to vary wildly. Sometimes, she is depicted as the product of a wholesome adoption, finding genuine love and a family that treats her as one of their own. Other times, she’s shown to act more like a coworker than anything else, discussing cult-related business with the brothers and leaving when her work is done. Sometimes she’s playful and mischievous, other times sweet and deferential. While John, Jacob, and Joseph’s core character traits remain generally consistent in fanon material, it seems almost as if every writer has their own idea of who Faith is, or who they want her to be.

Faith can be a difficult character to write because there’s a certain level of uncertainty to her that is simply not present with the other heralds. Joseph, John, and Jacob have different personalities and outlooks, but they have a shared history and biological relation that act as their foundation for genuine love and affection. Faith, on the other hand, is an outsider who did not meet the Seeds until she was seventeen. What complicates any group interaction even more is the uncomfortable truth that she is not the first Faith--she’s at least the third in a series of “sisters”; a triage of women who share two unfortunate identifiers: they are completely interchangeable and, in the eyes of Joseph, utterly disposable. Wholesome family moments ring hollow with the knowledge that these “brothers” were complicit in the deaths of previous “sisters” and could easily do the same to her. Despite their discardable nature, Joseph clearly believes that the role of “his Faith” is one that needs to be filled, otherwise he wouldn’t keep finding replacements and giving her so much power.

This is not helped by the ambiguity in the game itself. How much of what she says is true, and how much is fabricated or exaggerated? How does the Bliss affect our understanding of her? Is what the resistance says about her fully accurate, or biased? Does Joseph view her as an actual sister? A daughter? A wife? Who is Faith Seed, exactly?

The purpose of this post is to analyze Faith’s role within the family, which at its core explores the complicated and very toxic dynamic between Faith and Joseph Seed. Analyzing Faith’s place in the Seed family requires a willingness to address an uncomfortable aspect of the text that is often overlooked, ignored, or rejected outright: How Joseph exploited Faith physically, emotionally, and--yes--sexually. While part of the beauty of fandom lies in interpreting the text differently, there is a difference between disagreeing and claiming that there is no canonical basis for such an interpretation. We personally feel that, when analyzing the text as a whole, this unsettling relationship is the unfortunate truth that the game presents to us, and it would be remiss for us to discuss Faith without addressing these struggles.

There are varying and completely understandable reasons why some don’t like to imagine a sexual relationship between the two of them. This essay is not meant to be some kind of attack on anyone who prefers to interpret the characters differently, but it may address some possible repercussions of ignoring this side of Faith’s story. This essay will primarily focus on in-game evidence, but the Drew Holmes DMs will be considered under the school of thought that a writer’s intent holds additional weight when interpreting a text

So, without further ado, let’s begin…

The First Faith

Joseph lived through a horrific childhood, living with a violent drunk of a father and a mother who “glided through the house, listlessly...She had never been anything more than a ghost to us, of no help whatsoever, possibly doomed to derangement for all eternity” (Book of Joseph, p.11-28). He was separated from his brothers and went through many foster homes, having difficulty forming connections with others. Until, of course, he met his Faith.

Unlike his mother, who was completely detached, it is safe to assume Faith was the opposite based on the way he talks about her. In Joseph’s monologue to the deputy in Jacob’s region, Joseph recalls, “She had faith that things were going to work out. She always had faith…” His mother’s presence contributed to instability and violence, but his wife’s presence brought stability and comfort, keeping him grounded during his reasonable anxieties about parenthood.

Faith was more than just his wife’s name–it was also a characteristic that she embodied, both in terms of spirituality (as seen from the “God bless” in her voicemail in the DLC) and devotion to her husband. In Joseph’s monologue, after saying that she always had faith, there is a pause, as if reminiscing or reflecting on her and the selfless faith she expressed. Out of all the different aspects of her character, this is the quality that Joseph values the most: her steadfast belief and devotion. For a man who spent the vast majority of his life in a constant state of uncertainty, feeling neglected and unloved by anyone aside from his brothers, this no doubt was something he cherished and valued. Something he cherished so much, that when he lost it and emotionally returned to that empty void, he felt the unyielding need to replicate this sensation.

His Faith: An Examination of the Eulogy

Receiving confirmation in the DLC that Joseph’s wife was named Faith makes his intention towards the other Faiths clear. Although she’s technically deceased, in Joseph’s view, Faith (his wife) lives on through all these women. The “Faith” role guides and soothes the flock, keeping them all moving in the right direction, much like how Joseph’s wife supported him on an individual level through all his personal doubts about money. In her sermons in the cult outpost, Faith (Rachel) emphasizes the importance of having this characteristic, highlighting her role within the group.

Joseph's eulogy is very revealing in terms of how he views the role of Faith. In the eulogy, he praises her based on two things: 1. Her devotion (her “faith”), and 2. How he personally changed her from someone broken into someone who was “angelic” and “perfect.” This change only happened after he “put his faith inside her.” The things he praises her for (how much faith she had in him, and how much he changed her) shows that pride is clearly not a sin he has overcome.

A couple things to note about this: First, this eulogy is a stark contrast with the brothers and is revealing of how Joseph views her and her position in the cult. While Joseph gets very personal in John and Jacob’s eulogy and reveals who they were as people, their feelings, their childhood….Faith is given none of that, because to Joseph, none of that really matters. She’s an ideal, not a person--an interchangeable feminine presence meant to fulfill his needs, emotional and otherwise, that can no longer be fulfilled by his wife.

The eulogy begins by saying, “My Faith...My Faith.” The repetition brings attention to how he views Faith as belonging to him, as opposed to a person with her own wants, needs, and desires. He then contrasts her to his previous “sisters” by emphasizing how Faith was the “most devoted.” In Joseph’s eyes, how well a Faith shows and experiences that trait determines her value. This is corroborated by the “Confession” letter, in which one of the Faiths experiences fear because she’s afraid Joseph would not forgive her for having doubts--for not being faithful enough. Given the gruesome fate of at least one Faith whose body Joseph “threw into the boiling muck,” this is a very reasonable concern to have.

Joseph describes Rachel as coming to him “broken” and “lost,” but he then says, “I put my faith inside her, and she became angelic. Perfect.” While he says these lines, he gently closes his eyes as if fondly reminiscing, and then pauses for several seconds, before resuming. These types of actions (eyes closing, pausing after remembering key moments) are absent in John and Jacob’s eulogies. Joseph’s eyes begin to close when he describes her as becoming angelic, and they stay closed while he calls her “perfect” and during the remainder of the pause (eleven seconds total). Clearly, he likes whatever he’s remembering.

Finally, he says, “It is Faith that holds us together, and without it, we are lost.” Although it sounds as if he is referring to the concept of faith, the word “Faith” is capitalized in the subtitles, which shows he is referring to the idea of his wife. Joseph needs that support and stability of his Faith in order to remain grounded (relatively speaking, of course).

Echoes of the Past

Aside from their shared name and role, there are other connections drawn between the Faith we see in FC5 and the first Faith.

Perhaps the most obvious connection between Faith and a bridal role is her apparel--a white lace dress with flowers strewn about. White is traditionally a symbol of purity and innocence, and is often used for brides, which is appropriate if Faith is to fill the void his wife left behind. Lace is another traditional material that is used in wedding dresses, and the flower motif is also typically associated with weddings. The overall design of the dress looks very similar to a typical above-the-knee wedding dress.

The design of the dress also alludes to her multiple roles within the cult. The top part is very modest and conservative, high-cut and covering her shoulders, as befitting a stereotypical madonna-like presence whose purpose is to guide and provide comfort to Joseph’s flock. The bottom half of her dress, on the other hand, is purposely short--the front part only goes down to her mid-thighs. What’s more surprising about the dress is that it’s actually longer in the front than it is in the back, which only covers what it needs to, 0:53-1:00). It is not exactly the type of apparel one would expect from a figurehead of a group with a “no fornication” rule. The dress is contradictory because her role in the cult is contradictory; she walks the line between innocence and corruption, youth and maturity, lies and truth. If Joseph had any issue with the style of this dress, as the leader, he can and would have spoken up (much like how he does when John acts in ways he disapproves of, such as during The Cleansing), and Faith would have changed. But he doesn’t, and she doesn’t, because to Joseph, there is no issue. He wants her in that dress. It seems uncouth for a supposedly celibate cult leader to approve of a dress style associated with a sense of sexual desirability or availability, but if we take into account how Joseph views the role of Faith. Her borderline inappropriately short dress fits in with his twisted perspective of her. Her dress is reflective of both purity and sexuality, which he both expects from her, as her presence brings him spiritual, emotional, and physical fulfillment.

We also have this line: “We were just babies ourselves.” While we are not given their exact age, Joseph viewed him and his wife as being very young at the time. In Faith’s battle, she cries out: “I was seventeen..I was just a child...” Years after his wife’s death, he remains fixated on her memory. While he gets older and older, the young woman in his mind remains the same. And as a result, the girl chosen to become “Faith” and replace that void in his life is at a similar age to that memory. And yes, as a result, the relationship dynamic becomes unsettling and toxic.

Furthermore, we see something of interest written on one of the tablets on The Pilgrimage. It says, “Joseph Seed collects his blood family--John, Jacob, and Faith. He anoints them as his Heralds so that they may help guide the growing family of believers.”

We know for a fact that Rachel (and Selena, and Lana) are not blood family. So there’s only one other way she *could* be blood family— through marriage. Husband and wife are described as being “one flesh” in the Bible, which Joseph quotes frequently throughout the game. And while Faith isn’t literally married to Joseph, it ties into the ideas of him viewing “Faith” (whoever that might be) as a substitute wife--or a spiritual one--in all but name.

Other Examples of Sexual Subtext

There are other indications that Faith’s role is more than simply platonic. Faith’s official title in Eden’s Gate is The Siren. Sirens are mystical creatures who lure men to their doom, and in art are portrayed as beautiful temptresses. They are often depicted in a sexual way, which--much like Faith’s dress--is not something one would expect from a cult with a “no fornication” rule. This title reflects how Joseph views her in a sexual light, perhaps even “tempting” him into sin.

In the “Dirty Crumpled Letter,” the writer of the letter says, “You’re not the first woman he’s used up and thrown away.” The phrase “used up” is often used colloquially to refer to women that have had sex many times (and yes, it’s a very misogynistic term). By saying that Joseph was the one who “used [the Faiths] up,” the implications are obvious. While the Faith position requires a strong emotional center, there is evidently a sexual component to this relationship as well. This makes sense from Joseph’s twisted logic, as his wife provided both emotional and physical fulfillment.

And let’s take a look at this awkward family photo. The fact that Faith’s arm is sprawled across Joseph’s thigh is something that is not unintentional. Her hands could have been placed in her lap, or literally anywhere else, but whoever designed this photo made the conscious decision to have her arm spread out all over his leg. They also made the conscious decision to have Joseph holding a gun pointing between his legs while he’s keeping his other hand holding Faith’s arm in place over his thigh.

The image above is also indicative of the power dynamics between the “family” and Faith’s perceived role in it. She is not granted the luxury of a chair, or even allowed to stand alongside the brothers. Instead, she is relegated to sitting on the floor like some kind of prized pet. This tracks with the DLC, John’s desire to physically harm Faith like he does others shows that he does not view Faith as an adoptive sister, which was also hinted at by him looking down on her treatment of Angels in FC5. Joseph’s hand is on her shoulder, as if keeping her in place. Her body is leaning into him, with her whole arm resting on the entirety of his leg. Unlike the brothers who are all looking directly forward, Faith is looking off to the side, another sign that she is “out of step” with them to a certain extent.

This image is an indicator of how Joseph views Faith. He places her in a position of submission and he is the dominant, powerful patriarch. It’s another reminder of his possessiveness towards her, something that we see multiple times throughout the game.

The FC6 DLC also includes several examples of sexual subtext. Most examples below can be seen in these videos.

One memorable moment is the mission objective that involves you finding Faith’s dress. After getting it, he replies breathlessly that it “smells like her,” suggesting some rather intimate knowledge.

In order to “save” Faith, you see her kneeling with her hands bound behind her back, a more mundane scene in contrast with John and Jacob’s supernatural imprisonment. She says, “Why are you leaving me like this? Let me go!” After freeing her, she says, “You kept us close, didn’t you Father? Kept us controlled. Tied down. Was blind but now I see.”

“Do you need a minute to catch your breath, Father?” in a playful tone–alludes to sex, especially given the disparity of their ages and how that might affect, uh, performance

“You liked how that felt, did you? All that power, all that control. We did whatever you wanted.”

“I gave you my heart. I offered you everything. And you took it. You took and took and took until there was nothing left of me.” “No, I gave you so much. A chance, a purpose. We were family.” She is. She’s the replacement for his wife.

“You aren’t my Faith.” “You’re right, I'm not. Not anymore”--Joseph wants her to fit into the role of “his Faith,” his idealized version of his wife. Rachel refuses to play along.

Faith smugly telling Joseph she wants him to “Crawl back to me on your hands and knees”

Joseph saying “I…protected her. I loved her.”

“Your faith has brought you to me. Faith has given you a purpose. A new life. Will you trust me with it?”--shows how Rachel was chosen to become the new “Faith”/wife replacement because she has the characteristic that he valued the most in his wife.

When Everyone is Special, No One Is

Now that we’ve examined how the narrative draws connections between Faith and the wife, as well as looked at some examples of sexual subtext, we will now focus more on the process of the “creation” of the Faiths, and explore how that affects their dynamic and our perception.

Years after his wife’s death, Joseph takes young women and molds them so they can fit his “perfect” ideal and show the same love and faith that his wife once did. This is meant to fulfill the gaping emotional and physical void left behind by her death. The first step is that Joseph makes each woman feel special and unique. Many people who are drawn into cults do so because they have difficult personal situations (bullied/ostracized/abused/etc.), which makes them vulnerable to the cult leader’s charm. We have three different examples of Joseph exploiting this vulnerability. In our Faith’s first cutscene with the deputy, she says that “The father showed her how special she was, that she was full of love and life...She had been given purpose” . The DLC supports this when she tells Joseph “You told me I was beautiful. That I was special.” The writer of “A Confession” relays how she “just wanted to be special. When Joseph came into my life, I felt like you’d given me a true gift, Lord. The man who talks to you would bring me in on your holy conversation…?” In the “Grieving Note,” the writer says how “He told you you were special, but in the end he threw your body in here to disintegrate in the boiling muck.” The last note in particular is significant because it reveals Joseph’s overall hypocrisy in regards to this position. For all the lip service of considering each woman “special,” in reality he views the woman behind the name as interchangeable. He doesn’t actually care about the women on an individual level--insead, he just cares for how well they could live up to the idealized phantom memory of the only woman he genuinely loved. If they no longer fill this purpose, he can and will get rid of them and find someone else who is “special” enough to fill that void.

“A Leap Of Faith”

Once the chosen woman has been drawn in, there is some kind of test where she must prove her faith in him, and he in turn puts his faith in her. So, what was it? The deputy imagines it as an actual leap off a statue of Joseph, which would have been impossible to actually happen for two reasons: 1. The statue wasn’t even built at the time, and 2. Faith is not dead and/or paralyzed. The entire Henbane region is designed to play with perception, both from an in-universe and meta point of view. You see one thing with your eyes, and then it turns out to be another. This extends to its herald, in which even today there are debates about how much of what she says is true and how much is a lie. Sometimes, we see badgers become bears. Other times, we see Faith present one minute and then vanishes into thin air the next. We sometimes hear literal voices inside our heads. When Faith describes her test, we see it as a physical jump, but that’s not what it actually was. The reality lies underneath the surface appearance.

Let’s go back to Joseph’s eulogy, in which he describes how putting his faith inside her turned broken, lost Rachel into angelic, perfect Faith. It was analyzed in the “His Faith” section that Joseph’s words and body language pointed to a clear sexual innuendo, which is what we believe the “Leap of Faith” actually refers to: It’s the complete and total surrender to Joseph, becoming “his Faith” by giving him her mind, body, and heart.

In the DLC, Faith describes the process in almost ritualistic terms. She talks about how she was so devoted to him and wanted to give the world to him. Joseph took Rachel up here with the previous Faith, and told Rachel to have faith in him. Joseph *wanted* Rachel to push the previous Faith–he mentions right afterwards that he needed someone he “could trust, someone obedient.” And Rachel does it, because she wants to prove her love and fully be “his Faith.”

Made Anew: The Final Step

After the “Leap of Faith,” there’s still one final step in the creation of a Faith: the complete rejection of their “former selves.” This remains an ongoing process, but it’s during this stage that they become completely wrapped up in their “Faith” persona and shed all remnants of their past identity, becoming completely beholden to Joseph and the Project. The “A Confession” note describes how one Faith was “made anew,” the author of the “Dirty Crumpled Letter,” warns Selena against “losing herself,” and the author of the “Grieving Note” asks, “Christ in heaven what they did to you. The fact they could make you believe all that nonsense, make you forget yourself so hard. Forget your own name? How, Lana? What did he say to you? What kind of fucking dirtbag blood ritual could make you think your name was "Faith"?”

In all of those examples, the writers emphasize how the “Faith” role completely devours their past identity. They have a new purpose, a new role--one that is meant to serve Joseph and the Project, one that does not have any room for doubts. The Faith that we see in-game reinforces this by referring to her past identity as Rachel as a separate entity from Faith. In one voicemail, she says, “Rachel's so sad and alone. Once was lost. Never found. She led a faithless life and it brought her low. Faith rose up in her... but Rachel stayed low down. Faith flies divine. And Rachel... Rachel gropes around in the darkness. I left her there a long time ago.” She emphasizes the difference between her and “Rachel” by saying how Rachel’s faithlessness was the cause of her misery, once again reinforcing the idea that the quality of having faith is the most important quality for a Faith to have. However, it is important to note that Rachel isn’t completely gone (as she is referred to in present tense), but simply staying low in the darkness. Later, we will be discussing a time when the “Rachel” part of her comes to the forefront.

In another voicemail about babies, Faith says how they are born without souls, and how “You have to give it one. The only soul we ever have, we receive from others. And it is only others who can take it away.” She views herself as being given a soul--purpose and value--by Joseph, which means she views “Rachel”--her past self--as on the same level of an animal or some other base creature (or “broken,” as Joseph described in his eulogy). Without Joseph, she feels she is nothing. The last line is quite telling, as it subtly reveals a concern of Faith’s--that Joseph is able to take away her position of Faith (which gives her life meaning). She is completely beholden to him because of this, lest she face the same fate as the other women who once shared her name. Alternatively, it could also suggest that her soul as Rachel was taken from her, and that it was replaced by “Faith.” Joseph has no need for Rachel, only “his Faith,” and during the years spent in Eden’s Gate, Rachel has become so weathered down due to Joseph’s influence. The individuality of Rachel, Selena, and Lana have been completely stripped away in order to become the ideal, impossible woman.

And with those three steps, the process of Joseph sculpting these broken women into his Galatea is complete. He becomes their maker, and gives them value--a “soul.” And that value is determined by how well they serve him and his purpose. In Faith’s boss battle, she says “You strike, but you cannot destroy what He created.”. In looking at the subtitles, we see that Joseph is referred to as “He” with a capital “H.” This occurs in other lines during this battle as well. The capitalization of “He” is usually used in reference to God, and doing this emphasizes how Faith reveres him, as well as the complete control and power he has over her life. Faith referring to herself as “what He created” shows a level of dehumanization and a low opinion of her own personal self-worth. She’s not a “who,” she’s a “what,” a walking, talking tool that was built to serve his purpose.

During the scene where Faith brings the deputy to Joseph in the Bliss, we see a sermon where Joseph talks about how “those on the outside will see what we have built here together. In our New Eden...the love.” During the pause, Joseph looks directly at Faith, and finishes saying “the love” while he’s still looking at her. The pause--which was written into the subtitles--and him looking at Faith when he says “the love” are not unintentional. He took a broken, lost woman and built into an ideal replacement for the memory of his lost love; she is someone who supports him unconditionally and always has faith. And if the cracks start to show, then he can always toss her out and sculpt a new one.

Remembering Rachel: Tracey’s Recollections

So, how did we lose Rachel? It might make sense that someone would give up their identity if they had no one to live for, but Rachel DID have someone--she had Tracey, a friend who cared about her enough to keep trying to get her out of the cult. So why would she drink the kool-aid and give up her own identity?

Tracey says this about Rachel:

“Rachel... Faith, she was my friend. Like, my best friend. We told each other everything. That only stopped when the Father decided she was his. I did every fucking thing I could to make her realize what she was doing. She made a choice. She chose to play daddy's special flower princess instead of fighting. Don't think for a minute she's innocent, like she didn't have anybody looking out for her. I was there, okay?”

Ultimately, Joseph offers something Tracey does not--a chance for her to change herself into something that she views as better. While Tracey clearly cared for Rachel, Tracey was into the same hard drugs and drifter lifestyle that Rachel was, whereas Joseph offered her a chance to improve herself. While the audience might see it as some kind of Faustian bargain, for Rachel, Joseph Seed was able to see something in her that no one else could. He believed in her in a way that no one else has. No longer would she be Rachel, the druggie--instead, she’ll be Faith Seed, her “savior’s” “special princess.” And for Rachel, that was an opportunity she couldn’t afford to lose.

Tracey’s words emphasize the possessive way that Joseph views Faith by showing how Joseph “decided she was his.” He’s the one making the decision, another indicator of power and influence. He wanted her, and in order to get her, he made her feel “special,” like all the others. Another example of ownership can be seen in reference to Faith playing the role of “daddy’s special flower princess.” If someone describes a young woman who is almost a legal adult as “daddy’s special princess” when referring to her relationship with an unrelated older man roughly twice her age, the sexual undertones should be apparent. Tracey tries to get Rachel to realize what she was doing, but Rachel chooses to continue the relationship.

Tracey makes it clear that Rachel actively made the choice to be with Joseph. While this is no doubt unethical on Joseph’s part due to the massive imbalance (double life experience, coming from a clear position of power vs. Rachel’s position of emotional weakness), we cannot remove Rachel’s sense of personal agency. However, it is extremely important to note that she made this decision at a time when she was emotionally and physically vulnerable, at an age when she was too young to understand the danger this situation could put her in. She ignored Tracey’s concerns and started drinking the Eden’s Gate kool-aid, getting so wrapped up in feeling special and being treated like a princess by Joseph. Despite her friend’s support, she gets sucked into the cult and rejects her best friend and confidante in favor of a strange man twice her age that she just met. And because of this, she willingly gives in to Joseph instead of “fighting.”

So, what does “fighting” refer to? Here’s another quote by Tracey that mentions this idea:

“Faith was always too nice, back before... when she still called herself Rachel. She was always keeping the peace, agreeing, avoiding fights instead of realizing when a fight needed to happen. You can't talk it out with people who don't see you as human. 'Course, I got painted as the aggro bitch. But good ain't nice, and Rachel didn't get that. It was the only thing we ever fought about before. And she couldn't fight even when it was to save her own damn skin. Sucks to be right.”

The second quote helps give us a greater understanding of Rachel (as opposed to Faith) by painting her as a polite, kind, passive individual. And that passivity and agreeability is what made her easy prey for those who wished to take advantage of her. This quote also shows us that Rachel conflates being good with being nice, which has a lot of implications. Because Joseph acted nice, she thought he was good, which made her trust him. While it’s clear from her behavior and longevity as Faith that she had to have an inner strength that allowed her to succeed where many others have failed, Rachel also had personal vulnerability and naivety that was exploited in order to mold her into his ideal woman.

We also have this line: “You can’t talk it out with people who don’t see you as human.” If there’s one line that encapsulates the Joseph-Faith dynamic, this is it. Joseph doesn’t care about Rachel. He doesn’t care about Lana. He doesn’t care about Selena. He only cares about Faith. He viewed Rachel as broken and was only “fixed” by giving up her identity and sense of self. Joseph convinces these young women that they are “special" and gives them a place of honor in the cult. They receive his attention and all that comes with it, but when Joseph starts to lose that attachment, he allows them to be disposed of and replaced, covering up their disappearances. While he might genuinely feel--in the moment--that loves these women, his interest is ultimately fickle, as he cares for what she can do for him. He doesn’t actually care about *her* as a person.He cares for the ideal she represents, that generic feminine presence that can fulfill any role. A madonna figure, a lover, a spiritual child...she’s whatever he needs her to be. The dream woman who will love him unconditionally and be forever loyal. And when the cracks start to show and disrupt that fantasy, he gets rid of the doll and replaces it with a new one.

In both quotes, Tracey expresses that she thinks Rachel should have fought. Fighting in this context refers to a fight for personal agency, fighting Joseph’s power over herself. Following in the footsteps of her predecessors, she chooses Joseph over a friend who genuinely loves and cares for her, and refuses to listen to the warnings. But the key is that she believed Joseph genuinely loved and cared for her. He was nice, so she thought he was good. Her own weakness and need for approval causes her to get sucked into the cult so deeply that she loses herself in order to become Joseph’s love. Anyone who has seen a close friend get wrapped up in a toxic relationship and blindly refuse to see anything wrong with it can understand and empathize with Tracey’s frustration.

Believe Women: The Myth of the “Perfect Victim”

So now that we established that Rachel was willingly drawn to Joseph, we have to examine how this matches up with Rachel’s words during her fight with the deputy.

The first time we are given any information about Faith is in Dutch’s bunker. On Dutch’s board, we see a note that says this about Faith: “She’ll spin you a sob story, but Faith is a LIAR and a MANIPULATOR.” Various Resistance NPCs throughout the game claim that Faith is a liar as well.

Faith’s reputation as a liar is sometimes used as a means of dismissing anything she says in the game, particularly her claim of being drugged and threatened by Joseph at the age of seventeen. Even though Joseph has a known history of warped views on women in the Faith position, and is--at the very least--complicit in violence against them, Faith’s words are often interpreted as purely a manipulative ploy for sympathy or attention. Certainly, it’s easy to *want* to believe she’s lying--to believe otherwise would have massive implications for Joseph, to the point where some might find it understandably difficult to enjoy his character or even the game itself. And on first glance, her claim of being drugged seems to contradict Tracey’s recollections, so it might seem logical to side with the resistance NPC over the one who has a reputation as a liar.

However, there is enough in-game evidence to reasonably conclude that she is--unfortunately--being truthful with this particular claim. Automatically assuming that Faith can’t be telling the truth because she's manipulative is problematic, as it exonerates the perpetrator and villainizes the victim. There’s no such thing as a “perfect victim”--anyone can be sexually abused, regardless of how much power they currently hold. Faith being known as a liar and manipulator does not automatically mean her claims are false, especially when it matches up with what is presented in-game.

It’s important to remember that these claims about Joseph’s actions could be true without exonerating all of Faith’s behavior. Accepting Faith’s sexual relationship with Joseph does not diminish her power as a herald, but it does add to the complexities of her position in the cult as the highest ranking woman and as Joseph’s “special flower princess”. Faith’s culpability is similar to that of the Manson girls: Responsible for her own actions and participation in the crimes, but at the same time, exploited and taken advantage of by the cult leader in order to serve his purpose. We see that she exhibits a casual cruelty towards her Angels and the people who walk the pilgrimage and take the physical “leap of faith,” as evidenced from the dead bodies. It is clear that on some level she does want to be involved, and most certainly played a huge role in the Henbane region’s horrors. However, this doesn’t mean she couldn’t have been mistreated by Joseph. A victim can easily turn into one who victimizes and abuses others, as we see with all the Seed brothers.

During Faith’s battle with the deputy, the mask slips and she starts to lose her composure. In the beginning, her persona is very similar to how we’ve been interacting with her throughout the game. She’s calm, controlled, and speaks in a soothing tone. She discusses how the Sheriff was acting like a wall between the Father and the deputy, and says the Sheriff will soon accept the words of Joseph into his heart. In what is perhaps a reference to her own experience, she says that “when he does...there’s no coming back from that…” As the battle progresses, she lets her anger show. She uses Joseph’s message about the Collapse to try to get the deputy on her side, but to no avail.

The final part of the battle is where her Faith persona unravels completely and her composure is fully shattered. She acknowledges that the Project is doing something that requires blame, but rejects responsibility and yells, “It’s not my fault...None of this was my fault! You think I wanted this?” She attributes blame to Joseph by saying, “He plied me with drugs...He threatened me...I was seventeen...I was just a child.” Other lines during this phase of the fight express a sense of fear and helplessness in regards to Joseph, such as “He is more powerful than you know,” “You don’t know what He’ll do,” and “You cannot cross the Father.” She alludes to a deeper understanding of him and what he is capable of when she says, “You will never know what I know.”

Some people believe the entire battle was pure theater, and that Faith grows more and more desperate and creates increasingly outlandish lies in order to make the deputy feel guilty and stop attacking her. Our belief is that the battle is a slow descent from Faith back into Rachel, as she finds that her fabricated Faith persona no longer offers the strength, security, and protection that it once did. Out of a sense of self-preservation and panic, she relapses into Rachel, becoming more open with the deputy possibly for the purpose of--just as in the first interpretation--getting them to feel guilty and stop attacking her. But because of all the atrocities she committed in the name of the Project and all her past manipulation, it rings hollow and the deputy does not stop until she can no longer fight back.

Something that leads to this interpretation is how Faith acknowledged that the Rachel part of her still exists. Earlier in the essay, we mentioned how Faith views the Rachel side of her to be something separate, yet still present, albeit locked away. She said how “Faith rose up in her... but Rachel stayed low down. Faith flies divine. And Rachel... Rachel gropes around in the darkness.” Clearly, Faith crashed and burned, so lost, broken Rachel needed to crawl out of the darkness and take her place. The Rachel side of her was mentioned to be “faithless,” so she’s the side that can be negative about Joseph, without the Faith filter distorting reality to paint Eden’s Gate in the best light possible. Faith might be a liar, but is Rachel? Rachel, the girl who was “too nice” and “told Tracey everything”? The girl who is said to have stopped confiding in Tracey only after meeting Joseph?

The claims made by Rachel during the fight mirror Faith's first conversation with the deputy. While Faith portrays Joseph bringing her “here” (i.e, the Bliss) as a wondrous experience, Rachel calls it what it is: drugging. Faith then mentions being afraid after Joseph asks her if she was willing to die for him, which takes a much darker tone when Rachel’s words are taken into consideration. Whereas Faith recalls it as a request for devotion, Rachel interprets his questions as having a threatening undercurrent. Faith’s conversation with the deputy ends when describing how she closed her eyes, trusted Joseph, and lept. Rachel’s cries of being “seventeen...just a child” become more significant and tragic when remembering what the “Leap of Faith” symbolizes.

Something else that leads us to believe that Rachel is telling the truth in her claims about Joseph is that we see her being completely honest with the player immediately after. Before dying, she warns the player of what will happen in the future. The Deputy makes the choice on whether to resist Joseph at the end or not, and if they resist, then the bombs fall, in fulfillment of the Revelations prophecy. Rachel does not have to tell this to the deputy, but she does anyway, giving them a final warning of the end. There’s nothing for her to gain at this point, no last-minute manipulations. At the end of her life, after years of lies and manipulation, she is finally truthful and upfront.

But perhaps the biggest reason we believe Rachel is that we feel this is perfectly consistent with what has been shown to us regarding Joseph’s character, which will be fully discussed later. For now, we will address how this does not contradict Tracey’s claims of Faith went with Joseph willingly. In doing so, we will discuss the content of these letters, one which was written by Tracey to Faith, and vice versa (711628)

First, we have to keep in mind that both Tracey and Rachel can be telling the truth. Rachel clearly was drawn in by Joseph and wanted to become Faith, but that doesn’t mean that he couldn’t have done the things she said he did. Sometimes victims of grooming don’t realize how fucked up things are at the time. A lonely, abused teenage year old girl might feel flattered and honored by the attention that a prophet of God is showing her; he has faith in her and thinks she, of all people, is special and unique. That same person, now a grown woman in her mid twenties, could look back on that same event and see it for what it was: a man using his power and influence to emotionally and sexually take advantage of a homeless, drug addicted teenager. Just because Rachel didn’t see problems with it at the time doesn’t mean there were no problems at all. Faith’s letter to Tracey could have easily been written at a time when she was fully sucked into the glamor of Eden’s Gate and the feeling of being the prophet’s “special princess.” If Rachel felt any misgivings, it’s also entirely possible that she would mentally suppress them or feel they were not worth leaving over, especially due to a fear of going back to her old lifestyle where she’s no longer “special.”

The fact that the writers made a point to include the line indicating that Joseph reads their correspondence is not coincidental. Faith would have internal pressure stopping her from confiding into Tracey, as well as external pressure coming from Joseph. It’s easy to imagine her being gaslighted or coerced into thinking certain things are normal, even if they’re not. We know that Joseph goes through Faiths like he does tissues, and Rachel knows for certain what happens when they displease him.

Being exposed to the Bliss drug may have exacerbated the discrepancy between Faith’s recollection in her first cutscene and her remembrance during the boss fight. The DLC shows us with 100% certainty that Joseph made Rachel dependent on drugs, which is part of how she maintained her role as “Faith.”The Bliss drug warps one’s perception of reality and makes one canonically more pliable to suggestion, to the point where Rachel/Faith herself might question or be unsure of how she really felt. Also, keep in mind that a threat or drugging does not HAVE to be overtly violent for it to have happened. Threats can be subtle or passive aggressive. Drugs can be slipped in a drink or given over an extended time in order to cloud judgment and increase dependency, and Faith might very well have willingly taken them at the time. We simply don’t know the details, but based on Rachel’s words, we know that whatever happened was enough to make her afraid.

So by the time the novelty and glamor began to fade, Faith was in too deep. The cracks started to show, but there was nowhere else for her to go. She pushed away her only friend, and it’s not as though talking honestly with her “savior” would help. After all, as Tracey says, “You can't talk it out with people who don't see you as human.” And it should be apparent at this point that Joseph does not, in fact, view her as such.

Faith chooses to remain entrenched in Eden’s Gate and works within the framework available to her in the cult in order to carve a niche for herself and make herself as valuable as her role allows. She’s able to compartmentalize and push aside any personal reservations and devotes herself fully to the Project, as expected of a Faith.

Joseph’s Sin

The “Faith” position is important to Joseph because it offers him something precious that he yearns for: a feminine, accepting essence that exists outside of his traditional family dynamic that loves him unconditionally, filling his spiritual, emotional, and physical needs. But does he return this unconditional acceptance to his Faiths? On the surface, it seems like he would. That’s what the Project promises, right?

Nope.

The previous sections have touched a bit upon how Joseph views the actual woman behind the Faith name as an interchangeable body, more of a “thing” than an actual person. This section will elaborate on those views and focus on addressing two points that are frequently used to claim that him and Faith couldn’t possibly have a sexual relationship: 1. That he is a true believer and would not break his no fornication rule, and 2. That it would be out of character for him to act so callously as Faith depicts him.

In regards to the first point, we have some examples of the Seeds at least occasionally being hypocrites and holding themselves to different standards than the rest of their congregation. Tracey--who was once a member of the cult--gives an observation of how the Seeds sometimes showed a “rules for thee, but not for me” approach.” She says, “Know how I sniffed out Eden's Gate's bullshit early on? Only the Seeds were allowed to be angry, everybody else had to be calm--even though we all had our asses in that church because we were mad at the same shit too. But now everybody gets to be angry, 'cause it's a weapon pointin' where the Seeds want it. Protect the project. Transparent motherfuckers.” This tells us that Joseph and his brothers are not adverse to applying different rules to themselves than what they ask of their followers.

As John says, “Even the Father knows deeply of sin.” He has “Lust” prominently carved into his body, which shows that it’s a sin he struggles with. And there is clear, undeniable proof that he has a weakness for this sin due to the existence of everyone’s favorite addition to canon: Megan, one of Joseph's spiritual “children” that he canonically has sex with.

Their relationship is by no means on equal footing. He is in a clear position of power, and she reveres him and refers to him as “the Father” in two of her notes. At no point throughout the game does he express any regret or guilt in having sex with someone who practically worships him, perhaps because he might not view what he did as something wrong, which can be extended to how he views his relationship with Faith.

As we continue to discuss Megan, the examples here will overlap with “2. That it would be out of character for him to act so callously as Faith depicts him.” In Megan’s first letter we see that, despite being his lover, she is afraid of him and what he is capable of. Instead of asking him about why there’s a new Faith, or what happened with his wife and child, she feels like the safest course of action is to leave with her baby. That is massively telling. It shows us that she feels uncomfortable speaking up and voicing her concerns to him due to fear of his reaction, and that someone with a sexual relationship with him thinks that he’s capable of violence towards Faith.

Joseph does not show any regret regarding his relationship with Megan or their dynamic. In fact, the only time he mentions Megan is when discussing Ethan’s pride. He says that he should learn from his mother, because she “put aside her pride and it saved [Ethan’s] life.” And by “putting aside her pride,” Joseph means returning back to him. He views her leaving him due to worry and fear for their child as “pride,” which is another illustration of a warped view of relationship dynamics, which extends to his treatment of Faith and his expectation of absolute loyalty.

Let’s look at Megan’s letter that was sent after the Collapse:

In the last paragraph, Megan expresses concern that Joseph would hate Ethan because she “ran away and wasn’t brave enough to stand by [Joseph].” While Joseph obviously doesn’t hate Ethan in the game, we see his reservation about Megan’s actions seventeen years later by framing her desire to leave and not trust him as being an example of pride. This further emphasizes the degree that Joseph prioritizes loyalty and his twisted view on what constitutes loyalty, which we see reflected in how he throws away Faiths who are not loyal enough.

In Far Cry 5 itself, we have seen that Joseph has no qualms with harming others if it serves his purposes. While Joseph is completely earnest in his beliefs and often acts out of love and desire for the “greater good,” it does not make everything he does actually “good.” He is completely capable of making justifications for awful things and limiting his sense of empathy when needed. Our first glimpse of Joseph is when we see him gorge a man’s eye out with his bare hands. He watches silently while his younger brother--whom he knows has sadistic urges--tortures people and flays the skin off unbelievers. He sees his older brother keep humans in cages and put them in life-or-death trials. He allows for the cult’s enemies and “disciples full of fear and doubt” to have their minds and sense of identity destroyed, be fed dog food, and render them incapable of speech. In Inside Eden’s Gate, he chases after Alex with a gun. He does all of these things while fully believing he is doing this out of a sense of righteousness.

At the end of New Dawn, Joseph says, “My soul has become a cancer. I am a monster. I only spread suffering and death in the name of God.” Joseph himself acknowledges the evil actions he has committed, despite his earnest intentions, to the point where he feels he is no longer worthy to live in the new world and wants to face God’s judgment.

We’ve seen him do many awful and questionable things, yet the idea that he is incapable of having a sexual relationship with Faith has arbitrarily been deemed by fandom to be a line in the sand that he wouldn’t cross.

Perhaps the most relevant example of Joseph’s potential for callousness is his treatment of the previous Faiths, where we see that Joseph is not adverse to bringing harm (even against noncombatant women) if he feels it is justified.By saying that Joseph “threw away” the other women, it points to his direct involvement in their deaths, which we see evidence of quite literally with Lana. He “threw her body in here to disintegrate in the boiling muck like a common Angel,” not even affording her the decency of a proper burial. The “Dirty Crumpled Letter” tells us that a previous black-haired Faith (Lana?) was with the project for “years,” but even her longevity did not protect her from the same unfortunate fate as the others.The writer of “A Confession” expresses fear of Joseph and a belief that he won’t forgive her for having doubts. If he had no moral issues with having harm come to the previous women, why would he be reluctant to do the same to Rachel?

An example of this fear can be seen after the deputy destroys the statue and Faith’s personal copy of the Book of Joseph. Faith tells the deputy, “What have you done? His words. Don't you understand what He'll do to me?” Here we see another example of “He” being capitalized, once again showing a sense of reverence and submission. Some people feel like this line is a manipulation tactic by Faith, but we don’t think it’s likely in this case. The reason why is because up until the final moments of her battle, Faith’s whole spiel is about how wonderful and loving the Father and Eden’s Gate is. She does not present herself as a damsel in need of rescuing. Showing fear of the Father would be antithetical to her goals. Furthermore, Tracey says how “Faith is gonna feel the heat now... She'll need to answer for that burned book and mangled statue.” This confirms that Faith would genuinely have to face Joseph after the deputy’s actions. And it’s also quite telling that the only time throughout the entire game that Joseph calls the deputy directly based on what they’re doing is when the statue gets attacked. Joseph says, “I'm not angry, but I'm disappointed. My people are coming to show you my displeasure.” After this, a bunch of Chosen attack the deputy. Despite his claims otherwise, Joseph is obviously pissed that his statue is destroyed, which makes it logical that he would be angry at Faith, and also logical that she would be afraid of his anger.

Other examples shown in the DLC that show that Rachel was being truthful and Joseph was being abusive are as follows:

Joseph raises his hand to strike Rachel in a vision, and she cowers, not acting surprised or shocked that he’s being violent. Joseph then intimidates her by saying “If you truly knew [what I did to the other Faiths], you would not dare strike me.” She already knows for certain that Joseph wanted the Faiths that displeased him to die. This shows that there was OTHER disturbing treatment and abuse happening behind the scenes that was unknown to Rachel.

“I was a victim. And that was exactly what you were looking for, wasn’t it?”--she’s calling his manipulative ass out

“In the beginning, before I tried running away, I wanted to give the world to you.”--Faith tried to run away at one point, showing that she wasn’t as happy with Eden’s gate as she appeared to the deputy in FC5. This definitely supports the idea that she wasn’t being truthful to Tracey in her letters.

“To execute God’s plan I needed someone I could trust, someone obedient. I was only trying to find that.” “What’s the point of lying now, Father?”--Faith calls him out again here, stopping his attempt to justify his actions in getting a new Faith and having the old one killed.

“That’s the Father I remember. Strong, powerful, terrifying.”

“Faith respected me, feared me.”

We see that Joseph did and does, in fact, keep Faith “plied with drugs” in order to stay “Faith” and not “Rachel.”

That Rachel harbors a lot of anger towards Joseph and how he views her as a disposable, replaceable woman

Outside Support

While the focus so far has mainly been on FC5, there are external sources that lend support to this type of dynamic between Joseph and Faith.

While Joseph is stated to have been inspired by many different cult leaders, his primary inspiration is the “sinful Messiah” himself, David Koresh of the Branch Davidians. Both cult leaders have a philosophy that hinges around Revelations and breaking the seven seals, both involve a violent showdown between law enforcement and the cult, both have visual similarities, both stored a significant amount of firearms, and both lived separate from the rest of society in a compound. And according to the lead writer of FC5, both leaders also slept with several of their followers. He met his legal wife when she was a teenger, and she became a faithful and devoted follower to him, supporting even his more depraved actions. And her name...was Rachel. While this does not address Joseph’s specific actions in-game, it’s mentioned because these games are not written in a vacuum. When we interpret art, we bring our knowledge of the real world into it. Knowledge of communism affects our understanding of Animal Farm, for example. And the knowledge of the Branch Davidians and David Koresh allows us to gain a deeper insight into the life of our fictional Rachel.

Another leader of a doomsday cult with a unique take on Revelations is perhaps the most (in)famous: Charles Manson, the cult leader who ordered his female followers to brutally murder several individuals. Like Koresh, Manson and his followers lived in a communal living situation where they were kept apart from most of society. ABC’s Truth and Lies: The Family Manson special contains interviews with former followers of Manson. It is described how he would “remold” girls by breaking them down and building them up in his image. Leslie Van Houten describes how she thought Manson would lead to a “positive change” in her life but instead became “an empty shell of a person filled with Manson rhetoric.” The documentary also discusses how Manson would encourage his followers to use drugs, which put them in a more pliable state of mind. “Then, the questions would begin: Would you die for me? Will you be my finger on a hand?” The documentary also discusses how during Manson’s trial, there was a sharp contrast between the “savagery of the crimes and carefree nature” of the girls, who would do things like sing cheerfully in court and wear pretty dresses. All these examples are very reminiscent of Faith Seed, and the dynamic between her and Joseph. Rachel was “remolded’ into Faith and believed that Joseph could save her from a life she wanted to escape. Like Van Houten, Faith expresses an emptiness that Joseph fills by giving her purpose--”a soul.” She was exposed to drugs and expresses a willingness to die for him, and becomes an extension of him through her position as a herald. Her innocent demeanor and aesthetic is a clear contrast to the dark and brutal side she expresses throughout the game.

The final point is that the lead writer himself confirmed it. These DM’s below are from Drew Holmes, the lead writer on Far Cry 5. According to the Far Cry 5 Prima Collector's Edition, Drew Holmes was in charge of “overseeing the story, script, and characters.”

When asked directly about Faith and Joseph’s relationship, this is what he answered via the infamous DM: "Like most cult leaders, Joseph took advantage of his followers. His relationship with the Faith you meet in the game was very similar to the others. This Faith was probably more fanatical and loyal to him... Though I think he was probably frightened of her and saw her as someone with the potential to take over the cult from him. Depends on what you mean by "exploit"...they had a sexual relationship for sure. Joseph slept with a lot of his followers."

The fact that Holmes answered these questions after the game was released adds a degree of certainty about the nature of Joseph and Faith’s relationship. While it is common for a story and characters to go through changes during the development process, Holmes did not say “we toyed with the idea of giving them a sexual relationship” or “they might have had a sexual relationship”, he said: “they had a sexual relationship for sure”. Based on this wording, there is nothing pointing to the idea that this was a developmental change or an afterthought: they had a sexual relationship “for sure”. It does not get more explicit than that. Granted, the amount of explicit detail of their sexual relationship is limited, but this acts less as evidence against a sexual relationship between Joseph and Faith and more as an artistic choice to enable the player to draw their own conclusions. Holmes is not a rogue writer breaking away from the rest of his team to add in new, random information to an already-existing product. He’s the LEAD writer of the game who is responsible for the creation and development of these characters and their dynamics.

Possible Counterarguments and Questions

“But she’s his sister!”

No, she’s not. They’re not biologically related, and Joseph’s parents did not adopt Faith in order to make her his “sister” in a legal sense. She’s on a different level than the rest of her “family,” and she knows it. If Jacob disappointed him, Joseph wouldn’t be complicit in his mysterious disappearance the next day. If John died, Joseph wouldn’t pick out a random cultist, give him John’s jacket, and start calling the new guy “John.” Everyone in Eden’s Gate refers to each other as “brothers and sisters.” It’s a title, like how nuns are referred to as sisters. Faith being given the last name emphasizes her importance in the cult, and in the eyes of Joseph. They obviously don’t view her as an actual sister, otherwise she wouldn’t be viewed as so disposable and replaceable.

“Don’t some NPC’s say he treats her like a daughter?”

Yes, they do. As “the Father,” he takes a paternal role towards the entirety of his cult, including his biological brothers (John even says how he “found a new Father” in Joseph). The age difference between Faith and Joseph exacerbates this view to NPC outsiders who aren’t familiar with their past. But as we see with Megan, Joseph has no qualms with sleeping with one of his spiritual “children,” so there’s no reason to believe he would feel any differently with Faith.

“Faith has control over the Bliss. If Joseph mistreated her, why couldn’t she have overthrown him?”

This is like asking someone who was abused, “Why don't you hit back against your spouse/parent? You’re taller than they are and can probably physically take them down in a fight.” It fundamentally misunderstands the level of complexity abusive dynamics can have, and the psychological hold the abuser can have on a person. Faith views Joseph as her savior. He gave her purpose and she feels she is nothing without him. Putting the Bliss’s likely influence on her aside, if she’s not Faith, then she’s back to being lost, broken Rachel, which she wants to avoid since the Faith position is the first time in her life where she actually feels special and has some degree of power. Faith can be a dangerous person while still being vulnerable and endangered by Joseph.

If she wanted to leave the cult, there is nowhere for her to go since she was abused by her parents and cut off the only friend she had. She lived on a cult compound as a teenager and has no education or job prospects. Faith has shown no signs of ambition in-game in terms of wanting to wrestle control of the cult from Joseph, but let’s play devil’s advocate and assume she did want to leave. How exactly would that work? Eden’s Gate is a cult of personality that ultimately centers around Joseph and his visions. Would John and Jacob happily go along with their brother dying at the hands of the newest Faith? Would his followers? How exactly would the cult sustain itself? She’d basically need to be the queen of an army of braindead, perpetually drugged-up zombies, which is a cool visual, but ultimately a hollow one that gives her no purpose.

“Why doesn’t anyone in the game mention this?”

There are a couple layers to this question. Firstly, we think the relationship is, in fact, mentioned--albeit indirectly--by various characters, as explained above, and the DLC especially lays it on pretty heavily.

Secondly, if we look at this from an in-universe perspective, we have a couple possibilities. The first one is that the relationship was kept a secret. Joseph AND Faith are figureheads, and as previously mentioned, Eden’s Gate has a “no fornication” rule. It would be a bad look for two of the figureheads to be breaking that rule while expecting others to follow it. That by itself is reason enough, but if we take New Dawn into consideration, the pressure to keep it secret may have been increased due to Megan. Her note “Goodbye” isn’t addressed to a specific person, but she calls the reader her “precious family,” meaning there is more than one intended recipient. It can’t be directed at her parents, since she says, “You’ll understand if you’re a parent.” Context clues tell us this is likely directed towards some of her spiritual brothers and sisters in the commune, some of whom may have children and some may not, who know about the pregnancy. If Joseph “sins” with one person then it could get passed off as a slip up, but if it becomes repetitive then people will start to think he’s a hypocrite and lose faith. It’s better optics to keep it a secret.

Another possibility is that cultists know about it, but just don’t mention it where the deputy can hear. It would be a weird thing to bring up randomly if you’re a cultist guarding an outpost. “Hey, do you guys think The Father and Sister Faith are still a thing?” They wouldn’t want to gossip about the personal lives of The Father or the heralds. It would be disrespectful, and they revere these people. OR it could just be something everyone in the cult is aware of and doesn’t need mentioning.

From an out-of-universe perspective, there are again a couple different possibilities. We’re obviously not privy to behind-the-scenes discussions, so we can only speculate, but there may have been a fear that making their relationship more explicit would eclipse Faith’s personal agency and role in the story. Faith chooses to turn people into Angels, chooses to orchestrate the deaths of others, chooses to take on a leadership role during the collapse, and chooses to produce and spread a dangerous drug all across the county. She’s a villain, and the player isn’t supposed to sympathize with her to the point where they no longer want to defeat her, or stop thinking of her as an enemy. Her exploitation is part of her history, but it does not define her, and I think the writers were afraid that it would if they made the relationship too explicit.

Another possible reason is that Ubisoft might have been trepid about inviting possible controversy. Ubisoft is not a particularly daring company. The fear of seeing articles titled, “Far Cry 5 Requires Player to Kill a Sexual Abuse Victim” would have been enough to pull back and have the relationship be shown to us through subtext instead of overt text. There could have been concerns that being explicit might come across as exploitative or tasteless, and this company has had criticism regarding its treatment of female characters in the past.

“I can’t enjoy the game or Joseph’s character if I think that this happened.”

Completely understood--this is a very sensitive topic. The goal of this essay is to analyze Faith’s position in the “family,” which--according to Drew Holmes--does contain a sexual component, and we feel that absolutely needs to be addressed in order to fully and honestly explore her character and the personal struggles she experienced, as well as her dynamic within the group. We’re NOT trying to say that anyone’s a bad person if they don’t like this interpretation, or force anyone to address this topic in their writing. We’re just hoping that reading this essay will make people realize that Faith and Joseph being in a relationship isn’t some fringe idea thought up by a bored writer months after the game was released, but was instead a core idea that made it into the finished product and affects characterization and dynamics. Years after the original game’s release, the history of the Faiths remains at the forefront of the FC6 DLC. Not interpreting the characters this way is fine, but please don’t act like there’s absolutely no basis for it. We wanted to give the fandom some food for thought, even if people might not like the taste.

“Sexual abuse of female characters is such a tired trope. Why are you even writing this? Why would you want this to be the backstory? The story is so much better without it.”

This isn’t an issue of “want,” it’s an issue of what was intended by the writers. We think that by ignoring or refusing to discuss this aspect of Faith’s character, a disservice is done to her. According to the lead writer, this is something that happened, whether it’s “cliche” or not, or whether it “ruins” our perception of Joseph or not. Yes, it is gross and immoral. Yes, it is fucked up. But this is the character’s experience. The game was written with the intention that they had a sexual relationship “for sure,” which provides context to all these hints that show up. Ignoring the story of a sexual abuse victim, fictional or not, is something that really does not sit right with us, especially if the reason why it’s ignored is because it makes the abuser look bad.

Faith’s experience is something that can resonate with a lot of people for different reasons. And while we know some prefer this to be a topic that’s not discussed at all, there are others who connect with her character and the experiences she went through, and would prefer for there to be the possibility of open discourse about the idea without it getting shut down for being “baseless” or “out of character.”

Conclusion

Rachel’s story is one that’s unfortunately reminiscent of many real-life women who get drawn into cults. Rachel was abused, directionless, suicidal. She finally finds someone who sees something beyond the miserable drug addict everyone else shunned. She’s told she is special and believes it, and becomes incredibly devoted to this man who saved her from herself and finally gave her purpose. Because she loves him, she gives him every aspect of herself--her identity, her heart, her mind, her body. He puts his faith inside her, and she becomes angelic. Perfect. And she feels nothing but honor that out of all the other girls, he would choose to put his faith in poor, broken Rachel.

But then the glamor starts to fade and the cracks start to show. She comes to the realization that he doesn’t actually view her as special. Instead, he doesn’t actually care about her at all--all he cares about is the role she plays, the person he wants her to be. Like the other girls who were “used up and thrown away” by him, Rachel--by herself--is worthless. Rachel can be killed without a second thought. Rachel can get replaced with a new girl if she’s not devoted enough. All that matters is “his Faith.”

If she wanted to leave, there was nowhere to go. Her real family abused her, and she pushed away the only friend she had. All letters are monitored. So the only choice is to submit and play the role she is given.

As Faith, she has a pull and presence that Rachel never did. She embraces her status as a figurehead and gets fully involved with the Project. She carves a niche for herself through her production and distribution of the Bliss, and through using her natural talents of manipulation. She makes herself valuable so this Faith can’t be replaced as easily as the others. Faith has the power and control Rachel never had, and she revels in it. She loves how powerless the Bliss makes others, and how powerful it makes her. She enjoys the strength that comes with being a herald, and the complete and utter obedience of the angels, which are her own sadistic creation. She captivates and maintains the interest of the most powerful man she knows. Faith in the game is the “witch” and “demon” people say she is, but that sinister siren would not exist without Rachel. The Rachel who was abused, exploited, and transformed by the fantasies of her professed savior. The Rachel who had nothing, who wanted everything Joseph could give her. The Rachel who, at seventeen years old, sacrificed everything, even her identity, so that she could be born again as “Faith”.

Rachel’s story is a really complex, fascinating story to tell, and while her sexual history is simply one aspect of that, it IS part of her story, and it deserves to be told. Like many women who get sucked into cults, Faith was taken advantage of--both mentally and physically--but something that sets her apart from a lot of women in these situations is how she uses her own skills and cunning in order to go from “brainwashed victim” to “cunning and cutthroat leader.” Her past abuse is part of her story, but it does not define her. Ultimately, ignoring the abuse she suffered at the hands of Joseph flattens her character because it gives her nothing to overcome once she becomes a herald. What makes Faith so compelling is not her “sob story” of drug abuse and bullying, but her ability to overcome that as well as the compromised, contradictory position she found herself in once she became Faith Seed.

#faith seed #joseph seed #far cry 5

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