History Main / SoulsavingCrusader

* JackChick gets really overboard with this trope in the [[ChickTracts tract]] called ''[[http://www.chick.com/reading/tracts/1070/1070_01.asp Uninvited]]'': The tract features [[HeteronormativeCrusader a nurse who harasses dying AIDS-patients for their "crime" of being gay]]. Of course, [[SoulsavingCrusader her actions are fully justified within the verse of the tract]], since this is an {{anvilicious}}ly bigoted AuthorTract. The real kick? It turns out that all the homosexuals became homosexuals because they were sexually molested as children. More to the point, when a child is sexually molested, she automatically becomes unclean, possessed by a demon of defilement. The trope DefiledForever is played straight for everyone who isn't both TheFundamentalist ''and'' a christian. Averted for all characters who are (or become) HolierThanThou.

* The Cybermen from ''Series/DoctorWho'' fall into this, both classic and new series flavors. They are a particularly grim example, who save humans from disease and prejudice and mental weakness atthe const of robbing them of all emotion.

* Basium in ''FallFromHeaven'' has some shades of this.

* ''{{Lucifer}}'' contains various subversions of this trope, including the angel Remiel from ''{{Sandman}}''.

** Target Games may have been "inspired" by Games Workshop... or they may all simply be the real-world Inquisition placed in different settings and given justification.

* JackChick gets really overboard with this trope in the [[ChickTracts tract]] called ''[[http://www.chick.com/reading/tracts/1070/1070_01.asp Uninvited]]'': The tract features [[HeteronormativeCrusader a nurse who harasses dying AIDS-patients for their "crime" of being gay]]. Of course, [[SoulsavingCrusader her actions are fully justified within the verse of the tract]], since this is an {{anvilicious}}ly bigoted AuthorTract. The real kick? It turns out that all the homosexuals became homosexuals because they were sexually molested as children. More to the point, when a child is sexually molested, she automatically becomes unclean, possessed by a demon of defilement. The trope DefiledForever is played straight for everyone who isn't both TheFundamentalist ''and'' a christian. Averted for all characters who are (or become) HolierThanThou: [[http://www.cafepress.co.uk/thegamer.17703956 Jesus Saves, everybody else takes 5d6 points of damage]].

* Arguably, the Operative from ''Film/{{Serenity}}''. He'll do anything to create an Alliance without sin... until Mal and crew give him a [[AwfulTruth front-row seat]] to [[GoneHorriblyWrong what such a thing looks like]].

* Sebastian from ''[[BabylonFive Babylon 5]]'' will torture people to death if they are too [[{{Pride}} proud]] to admit that they are {{Fake Ultimate Hero}}es. And if they stay silent during the ForcedToWatch phase, they are too [[IDidWhatIHadToDo ruthless]] to lead. [[spoiler:Sheridan and Delenn pass because they [[WhatYouAreInTheDark offer]] to make a HeroicSacrifice, even if it would be [[SenselessSacrifice pointless]]]].
* The Cybermen from ''Series/DoctorWho'' fall into this, both classic and new series flavors. They believe that humanity is frail and weak -- not just because of emotions, but also because of disease, prejudice, and mental weaknesses -- and they honestly believe that to convert us into them is to do us the biggest favor in the world.

* The Cybermen from ''DoctorWho'' fall into this, both classic and new series flavors. They believe that humanity is frail and weak -- not just because of emotions, but also because of disease, prejudice, and mental weaknesses -- and they honestly believe that to convert us into them is to do us the biggest favor in the world.

* Arguably, the Operative from ''{{Serenity}}''. He'll do anything to create an Alliance without sin... until Mal and crew give him a [[AwfulTruth front-row seat]] to [[GoneHorriblyWrong what such a thing looks like]].

This character righteously murders and tortures people for their own good. No, not Self-righteously. Righteously. After all, no horrors in life could possible compare to eternal damnation in {{Hell}}. Yes, he is really willing [[IDidWhatIHadToDo to go the extra mile]] to save their souls. Unless they are AlwaysChaoticEvil, of course: In that case he simply do whatever is in his power to [[WouldBeRudeToSayGenocide exterminate]] them, up to and including finding a FinalSolution.

Please note that this trope depend on the audience being able to see the setting/universe from the outside, and that it thus cannot have any RealLife examples - subverted or otherwise.

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!!Examples

* {{Lucifer}} contains various subversions of this trope, including the angel Remiel from ''{{Sandman}}''.
* [[ZigZaggingTrope ZigZagged]] in ''{{Preacher}}'': It turns out that the protagonist's horrible family WAS in fact doing the good Lords work when they tortured him and murdered his father and all the other horrors they committed in order to force him to become a priest. And their actions would indeed have kept him safe from eternal damnation, if he hadn't rebelled later. However, it also turns out that GodIsEvil - and thus, saving souls for him actually isn't a moral thing to do.
* JackChick gets really overboard with this trope in the [[ChickTracts tract]] called [[http://www.chick.com/reading/tracts/1070/1070_01.asp Uninvited]]: The tract features [[HeteronormativeCrusader a nurse who harasses dying AIDS-patients for their "crime" of being gay]]. Of course, [[SoulsavingCrusader her actions are fully justified within the verse of the tract]], since this is an {{anvilicious}}ly bigoted AuthorTract. The real kick? It turns out that all the homosexuals became homosexuals because they were sexually molested as children. More to the point, when a child is sexually molested, she automatically becomes unclean, possessed by a demon of defilement. The trope DefiledForever is played straight for everyone who isn't both TheFundamentalist ''and'' a christian. Averted for all characters who are (or become) HolierThanThou: [[http://www.cafepress.co.uk/thegamer.17703956 Jesus Saves, everybody else takes 5d6 points of damage]].

* TheGrailQuest trilogy by Bernard Cornwell has several of these, one of whom is a primary antagonist in the second book.

* Sebastian from ''[[BabylonFive Babylon 5]]'' will torture people to death if they are too [[{{Pride}} proud]] to admit that they are {{Fake Ultimate Hero}}es. And if they stay silent during the ForcedToWatch phase, they are too [[IDidWhatIHadToDo ruthless]] to lead. [[spoiler:Sheridan and Delenn pass because they [[WhatYouAreInTheDark offer]] to make a HeroicSacrifice, even if it would be [[SenselessSacrifice pointless]].]]
* The Cybermen from ''DoctorWho'' fall into this, both classic and new series flavors. They believe that humanity is frail and weak--not just because of emotions, but also because of disease, prejudice, and mental weaknesses--and they honestly believe that to convert us into them is to do us the biggest favor in the world.

[[AC:{{Film}}]]
* Arguably, the Operative from ''{{Serenity}}''. He'll do anything to create an Alliance without sin...until Mal and crew give him a [[AwfulTruth front-row seat]] to [[GoneHorriblyWrong what such a thing looks like]].
* In the film ''The God Who Wasn't There'', the Spanish Inquisition is briefly cast in this role. If they really kept all those souls out of hell, then it would be petty to whine about their systematic torture and murder of the people they in fact spared from a much worse fate.

* Done in Games Workshop's {{Warhammer}} and ''Warhammer40K'' (RecycledInSpace), where the humanity must be protected through Inquisition.

* The player can potentially become one of these in ''{{KULT}}''--it's possible to enlighten people in a positive manner, but it's often easier to drive them over the DespairEventHorizon.

* This is essentially the motivation for the OmnicidalManiac BigBad of {{Arcanum}}, as there genuinely is an afterlife that is better than this world in that universe that everyone goes to upon death. Thus, he is portrayed rather sympathetically.
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* {{Lucifer}} contains various subversion of this trope, including the angel Remiel from ''{{Sandman}}''.
* [[ZigZaggingTrope ZigZagged]] in ''{{Preacher}}'': It turns out that the protagonist's horribly family WAS in fact doing the good Lords work when they tortured him and murdered his father and all the other horrors they committed in order to force him to become a priest. And their actions would indeed have kept him safe from eternal damnation, if he hadn't rebelled later. However, it also turns out that GodIsEvil - and thus, saving souls for him actually isn't a moral thing to do.
* JackChick gets really overboard with this trope in the [[ChickTracts tract]] called [[http://www.chick.com/reading/tracts/1070/1070_01.asp Uninvited]]: The tract feature [[HeteronormativeCrusader a nurse who harasses dying AIDS-patients for their "crime" of being gay]]. Of course, [[SoulsavingCrusader her actions are fully justified within the verse of the tract]], since this is an {{anvilicious}}ly bigoted AuthorTract. The real kick? It turns out that all the homosexuals became homosexuals because they was sexually molested as children. More to the point, when a child gets sexually molested, she automatically becomes unclean, possessed by a demon of defilement. The trope DefiledForever is played straight for everyone who isn't both TheFundamentalist ''and'' a christian. Averted for all characters who are (or become) HolierThanThou: [[http://www.cafepress.co.uk/thegamer.17703956 Jesus Saves, everybody else takes 5d6 points of damage]].

* Played painfully straight in Games Workshop's ''{{Warhammer}},'' with the Inquisition and its methods being a necessary evil to defend humanity from the forces of chaos.
* Played painfully straight in Games Workshop's ''Warhammer40K'' (RecycledInSpace), with the Inquisition and its methods being a necessary evil to defend humanity from the forces of chaos.

* Played painfully straight in Target Games' ''MutantChronicles,'' with the Inquisition and its methods being a necessary evil to defend humanity from the forces of Darkness.
** Target Games may have been "inspired" by Games Workshop . . . or they may all simply be the real-world Inquisition placed in different settings and given justification.

* Arguably, the Operative from ''{{Serenity}}''. He'll do anything to create an Alliance without sin...until Mal and crew give him a front-row seat to what such a thing looks like.

This character righteously murders and tortures people for their own good. No, not Self-righteously. Righteously. After all, no horrors in life could possible compare to eternal damnation in hell. Yes, he is really willing [[IDidWhatIHadToDo to go the extra mile]] to save their souls. Unless they are AlwaysChaoticEvil, of course: In that case he simply do whatever is in his power to [[WouldBeRudeToSayGenocide exterminate]] them, up to and including finding a FinalSolution.

* JackChick gets really overboard with this trope in the [[ChickTracts tract]] called [[http://www.chick.com/reading/tracts/1070/1070_01.asp Uninvited]]: The tract feature [[HeteronormativeCrusader a nurse who harasses dying AIDS-patients for their "crime" of being gay]]. Of course, [[SoulsavingCrusader her actions are fully justified within the verse of the tract]], since this is an {{anvilicious}}ly bigoted AuthorTract. The real kick? It turns out that all the homosexuals became homosexuals because they was sexually molested as children. More to the point, when a child gets sexually molested, she automatically becomes unclean, possessed by a demon of defilement. The trope is played straight for everyone who isn't both TheFundamentalist ''and'' a christian. Averted for all characters who are (or become) HolierThanThou: [[http://www.cafepress.co.uk/thegamer.17703956 Jesus Saves, everybody else takes 5d6 points of damage]].

* Played painfully straight in Target Games' ''MutantChronicles,'' with the Inquisition and its methods being a necessary evil to defend humanity from the forces of chaos.

* Played painfully straight in Target Games' ''MutantChronicles,'' with the Inquisition and its methods being a necessary evil to defend humanity from the forces of chaos.

* Played painfully straight in ''{{Warhammer}}'', with the inquisition and its methods being necessary evil to defend humanity from the forces of chaos.
* Played painfully straight in ''Warhammer40K'', with the inquisition and its methods being nessecary evil to defend humanity from the forces of chaos.
** RecycledInSpace
* Played painfully straight in ''MutantChronicles'', with the inquisition and it's methods being necessary evil to defend humanity from the forces of chaos.
** Some people think that the makers of ''MutantChronicles'' was, uh, "inspired" by Games Workshop.
*** Then again, they ''both'' lean heavily on medieval European worldviews.