Oh god

From: Colin Watson <watson_at_csd.abdn.ac.uk>
Date: Wed, 14 Dec 1994 10:49:54 GMT


Me:
> > no worshippers = not god (he says, defining his terms as he goes along...)
> > Might be a big spirit, or a hero, or a force of nature; but not god.

Jonas:
> Just as long as you're aware that this is a _re_-definition. There's lots
> of reference to gods without cults in published material.

IMHO the first act of worship is acknowledging the God. You don't have to sacrifice POW or MP or prayer - in the first instance you just have to perpetuate the myth. Even Orlanth's enemies are worshipping him to this extent.

Are there really any Gods who have not been (and will not be) acknowledged by anyone? How do we know about them?



Sandy:
> > no worshippers = not god
>
> I have always disliked this particular definition of "God".
> It reeks of the lame fantasy-novel idea that the gods "feed" off
> their minions' worship in some inexplicable way,

I'm not saying they feed off their minions. I'm saying they require them in order to exist; like (say, hypothetically speaking) your Mind requires functioning neurons to exist. IMO Gods are a high-level, abstract way of looking at cult & culture. The magical effects are almost incidental.

> and just seems too tame for a really _cool_ god.

Cool Gods went out with the Great Compromise it seems to me. Tame is the order of the day.

In the words of one Illuminate: "Humakt doesn't bother me; Humakti bother me."

> Orlanth doesn't depend on his worshipers to exist,

Without the cult of Orlanth how would He be distinguishable from the wind? Would he be called Orlanth? Who would call him Orlanth?

The wind would exist, but would Orlanth?

___
CW.


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