Re: sandy's maunderings from Sandy Petersen on 1995-02-21 (Glorantha Digest Vol 01)

From: Sandy Petersen <sandyp_at_idpentium.idsoftware.com>
Date: Tue, 21 Feb 95 10:52:35 -0600

Martin Crim:
>the term "Malkioni"covers as much ground as does "Eurasian
>Monotheism."

I'm not sure this is so. The Brithini certainly are no nearer to modern Malkionism than Christianity and Islam, but the various Malkioni churches which recognize Hrestol as their prophet are little further apart than the various branches of Christianity.

Let's trace the evolution of the major branches of Malkionism. As I see it, there are three major categories into which all Malkioni fall:

The Brithini. Fundamentally different from the others.
Those faiths which derive from the God-Learner heresy of the Second Age: Hrestolism, Rokarism, Syanorism, the Arrolians (as modified by the Red Goddess), the Jonatings, and the Old Seshnelan (Castle Coast) folks. All these faiths branched apart from one another only a few centuries ago, and so probably hold about as much in common as the Roman Catholic faith and the Lutherans. These groups generally acknowledge the supremacy of the Invisible God and shun other spiritual entities.
Those faiths which derive from the trials of the First Age: Aeolism, Stygianism, the Carmanians, the Borists, and the Galvosti. Note the greater trend among these faiths to adopt multi-deistic relationships. Some of them also recognize the Invisible God, but this was probably a later [second age] addition to their primeval beliefs.

I believe that an ecumenical council between the various faiths is far from impossible. All the various groups believe in Hrestol (except the Brithini, but let's ignore them for the moment), and all the major ones believe in the Invisible God. They have many tenets in common, such as "Solace in Glory" and "Do not ruin that which you love." though they interpret the tenets differently. Note that even the Galvosti and Borists recognize that the "do not ruin that which you love" includes a prohibition against Tap, though they differ with the majority as to what should be "loved".

The fact that an ecumenical council is possible is not the same as saying that it would be productive and lead to a Great Western Church.

>I'm glad Greg thinks there was a 7th Malkioni Conference in Sog
>City in 1625. I just hope he comes up with a justification for
>getting all those diverse groups together.

How about: "lust for power"? "Hope for conversion?" "Desire to avoid destruction at the hands of larger forces"? Remember that, to a _much_ greater extent than the Christian church ever enjoyed, the various sects of Malkionism _are_ their respective governments. Hence, there is a strong political motivation to interact and get together. If you can succeed in getting the New Rokari Church to accept the Galvosti sect as a minor aberration rather than a major heresy, then that means that the Kingdom of Seshnela won't be trying to persecute you. Which is well worth going to an ecclesiastical council over, even if it might mean giving up some tenet to which your sect has adhered.

Of course, if you _do_ agree to change anything about your religion, once you get home and tell your peers about it, some of them will doubtless feel you've betrayed all they hold dear, and form a new, break-off sect to maintain the old ideals.