--- RulingNations@aol.com wrote: > In a message dated 3/5/04 10:36:50 PM Mountain Standard Time, > andrewdj54701@yahoo.com writes: > >--- RulingNations@aol.com wrote: > >>In a message dated 3/1/04 1:09:36 AM Mountain Standard Time, > >>andrewdj54701@yahoo.com writes: > >> >When empirical evidence of multiple gods is obtainable, how can > >monotheism be defensible? > > That is the question, isn't it. > > >>2) Almost all cults are devoted to individual gods. (The Ka'Shari > are > >>the only known exception, and we know so little about their > religion > >>that they may not be an exception after all). > >> > >>3) In areas predominantly devoted to a particular religion there > are > >>numerous small and secretive cults EXCEPT where the main religion > is > >>monotheistic. > > > >I'm not sure what you mean by this. Could you expand on this point? > > Parglug is full of individual cults under the aegis of Marmdal. The > Free > Cities is full of individual cults under the aegis of Lord Sea. > Videssia > does not seem to have this problem. Okay, I think I understand the point now. > >>4) Even within a culture, the cults of the individual gods are in > >>competition with each other. > > > >I don't think this is true. > > Then explain the following: > > "The Church of Parglug (and their god Marmadal) is usually rather > tolerant of other religions, but right now they have problems with > (scholarly) Larasian religions, which they want to fend off. Still, > it > is not wise to turn a potential ally away. The Exquaestio is welcomed > to > the land, as long as they stay away from the path of Marmadal." Ok, point conceded. I phrased my comment badly; I should have said that I didn't think it was *universally* true. Makes a difference. > >>5) There are no signs of lesser power gods cooperating to match the > >>power of greater gods. (Again, with the possible exception of the > >>Ka'Shari.) > > > >You mean "matching" as in "ganging up on"? > > I have no idea what you mean by this. I meant lesser gods(perhaps we should simply say "beings"?) working together to combine their power and displace a greater being. > >>6) The gods have more control over their cults than the cults have > >>ability to operate independently. > > > >Again, I don't think this is necessarily true. It may depend on how > >"hands on" the god is. > > Produce one cult that is factioned where one faction is receiving > divine > aide while the other is not. (Or something similar.) Also, //When > empirical evidence of divine favor is obtainable, how can a cult > without > that favor survive?// Um, that's not quite what I meant. What I *meant* to say, was that perhaps some Beings, across the board, are less involved than others, in the sense that while they provide their clerics with the power to do magic, they don't get involved in the day-to-day operations of the religion, provided that the cult's behavior stays within certain broad bounds. In contrast, some Beings may be micromanagers by temperment. > >>If anyone can provide another scenario to explain the above facts > I'd > >>like to see it. > > Jefferson (Exquaestio) > http://www.picotech.net/~jeff_wilson63/rpg/ > > ---------------------------------------------------------------- > To unsubscribe, send mail to celandra-off@phoenyx.net. __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Search - Find what you’re looking for faster http://search.yahoo.com ---------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, send mail to celandra-off@phoenyx.net.
