Fantasy Religions
01-31-2015, 10:01 AM
Never confuse the two as rivals- if religion restricts Science its because its people have lost their control of it and have become a cult. science doesnt smash religious stories or narratives on purpose- infact if you listen to theoretical-Physicists youd swear it was a religion ,very romantic and optimistic. like wise, religious themes like the afterlife tend to be victims because they were made in a time where all those questions were on the table and hell they still are. Just cause the doubt of souls is way more justifiable than a belief in one doesnt mean there is no afterlife- it just means one idea for how itd work is no longer viable.
Im pretty anti-religious for moral reasons but you never have a community that big without alot of good people and ideas being in it. And many of those people and ideas offered their lives to science. As Hank green likes to say- history refuses simplicity.
thats why my tip was about diversity and complexity. You want the player to honestly think about the culture and beliefs of your people. Imagine if you hoped in Dragon age- AND ALL MAGES WERE TVIENTER. Would kinda suck the life outa that culture yeah? all templars bigoted anti-mages. Speaking of dragon age- Thats a perfect example of how to do religion in games- as opposed to Mass effects Hanar XD a laughable attempt.
In the real world the function of religion can be disastrous because it has the ability to make good people think bad things. If it was just; a bunch of evil people walkin around doing evil stuff, wed reject them entirely.after all if you asked christians why they are- I heavily doubt their answer would be; "Cause I hate homosexuals."
I have a friend who uses christianity to fight his suicidal thoughts. While logically thats prolly antithetical- His reason is entirely comfortable for him. the best part of that though is he still has agency- it was his choice- so all those negative sides of religion, he can edit because hes Secularist. That means his moral ideas are his and he has to answer for them if they do him wrong.
the religion can be a massive influence and they can be critical of others practices- but like I said earlier- if you made a culture where the religion IS their personality, youve just created a cultist. While totally on the table for characters The distinction is helpful when writing.
Secularists have two notable things that seperate themselves from cultists.
They also shouldnt seem like the religion dictates their actions.
Alot of the time religiously charged goals dont have religious themes at all.
On a list of commons - To be a good person{A good father/mother/roll model ect}
-To do well in ones career- to find happiness and peace.
Although if your character is an official in the religion giving them goals based on it is perfectly fine too.
Remember Final fantasy 10? remember how none-ofthe npcs seemed to have these traits? thats cause yevon is a cult.
The sad thing is I dont think it was meant to be. Hopefully I can help you avoid that pitfall.
Im pretty anti-religious for moral reasons but you never have a community that big without alot of good people and ideas being in it. And many of those people and ideas offered their lives to science. As Hank green likes to say- history refuses simplicity.
thats why my tip was about diversity and complexity. You want the player to honestly think about the culture and beliefs of your people. Imagine if you hoped in Dragon age- AND ALL MAGES WERE TVIENTER. Would kinda suck the life outa that culture yeah? all templars bigoted anti-mages. Speaking of dragon age- Thats a perfect example of how to do religion in games- as opposed to Mass effects Hanar XD a laughable attempt.
In the real world the function of religion can be disastrous because it has the ability to make good people think bad things. If it was just; a bunch of evil people walkin around doing evil stuff, wed reject them entirely.after all if you asked christians why they are- I heavily doubt their answer would be; "Cause I hate homosexuals."
I have a friend who uses christianity to fight his suicidal thoughts. While logically thats prolly antithetical- His reason is entirely comfortable for him. the best part of that though is he still has agency- it was his choice- so all those negative sides of religion, he can edit because hes Secularist. That means his moral ideas are his and he has to answer for them if they do him wrong.
the religion can be a massive influence and they can be critical of others practices- but like I said earlier- if you made a culture where the religion IS their personality, youve just created a cultist. While totally on the table for characters The distinction is helpful when writing.
Secularists have two notable things that seperate themselves from cultists.
- Choice and Agency
They also shouldnt seem like the religion dictates their actions.
- Self-fulfillment and strong sense of purpose.
Alot of the time religiously charged goals dont have religious themes at all.
On a list of commons - To be a good person{A good father/mother/roll model ect}
-To do well in ones career- to find happiness and peace.
Although if your character is an official in the religion giving them goals based on it is perfectly fine too.
Remember Final fantasy 10? remember how none-ofthe npcs seemed to have these traits? thats cause yevon is a cult.
The sad thing is I dont think it was meant to be. Hopefully I can help you avoid that pitfall.
