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Deities in D&D: Gods as Tulpas versus Gods as Progenitors
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<blockquote data-quote="el-remmen" data-source="post: 8849988" data-attributes="member: 11"><p>In my current setting I guess the gods are Tulpas - or at least Tulpa-like with a mix of what you describe as Apotheosis in item #3. Anyone or anything can become a god through their actions in life and resultant worship. But ideas also become the focus for such worship. So for example, one NPC cleric is a traveling priest of the god of dogs, something achieved by elevating the positive qualities attributed to dogs and practicing them (while also taking care of dogs), so this god is also god of friendship and guardians, etc. . . Another character they met is a monk/cleric who follows a kind of peasant hero boxer who was once a mortal. In theory a character could worship an ancestor who took in cats and make cat worship and qualities into the focus of their spiritual beliefs. At the same time, however, such figures also tend to syncretize or be subsumed into other customs of worship over time. So for example, a family who worships their great-aunt the cat lady, might in time decide that she was actually an avatar of Bast made mortal and incorporate some of her rituals and beliefs into their own.</p><p></p><p>In this setting organized churches exist, but are not are common or central as they are in other settings, having more local influence than national or cultural influence.</p><p> </p><p>Two PCs in one of my games are in the process of trying to separate their martyr-prophet former leader who introduced generosity and compassion as central tenets of the religion from the older god he was associated with, who was much more about law and justice and meting out punishment.</p><p></p><p>EDIT to add: As for the question of the origins of the gods if their worship helps make them, I tend towards [USER=90374]@payn[/USER]'s position, this is a mystery to reflect on in worship or by mystics and cannot be known.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="el-remmen, post: 8849988, member: 11"] In my current setting I guess the gods are Tulpas - or at least Tulpa-like with a mix of what you describe as Apotheosis in item #3. Anyone or anything can become a god through their actions in life and resultant worship. But ideas also become the focus for such worship. So for example, one NPC cleric is a traveling priest of the god of dogs, something achieved by elevating the positive qualities attributed to dogs and practicing them (while also taking care of dogs), so this god is also god of friendship and guardians, etc. . . Another character they met is a monk/cleric who follows a kind of peasant hero boxer who was once a mortal. In theory a character could worship an ancestor who took in cats and make cat worship and qualities into the focus of their spiritual beliefs. At the same time, however, such figures also tend to syncretize or be subsumed into other customs of worship over time. So for example, a family who worships their great-aunt the cat lady, might in time decide that she was actually an avatar of Bast made mortal and incorporate some of her rituals and beliefs into their own. In this setting organized churches exist, but are not are common or central as they are in other settings, having more local influence than national or cultural influence. Two PCs in one of my games are in the process of trying to separate their martyr-prophet former leader who introduced generosity and compassion as central tenets of the religion from the older god he was associated with, who was much more about law and justice and meting out punishment. EDIT to add: As for the question of the origins of the gods if their worship helps make them, I tend towards [USER=90374]@payn[/USER]'s position, this is a mystery to reflect on in worship or by mystics and cannot be known. [/QUOTE]
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