Re: Reading the minds of priests

From: Loren Miller <Loren.Miller_at_marketing.wharton.upenn.edu>
Date: Thu, 19 Jan 1995 12:00:19 EST


In reply to Mike Cule:

>Firstly, I do believe that it is standard RQ and standard Glorantha
>that the Initiates, Priests and Lords are the God's senses in the
>mundane world.

It may have been standard RQ2 as influenced by AD&D and the Christian-derived theology used in most AD&D campaigns, but I do not believe that it is the way that Greg or Sandy or the majority of digest members conceive of the world. More precisely, I do not think that the gods know everything that their worshippers are thinking at every time, or even at any time. They are NOT omniscient. If they were what would be the point in having a Lhankor Mhy responsible for accumulating knowledge? Even Lhankor Mhy can't keep track of everything he/the cult knows, filing systems being what they are, so how could Orlanth, whose function is to be a big bag of wind, remember everything?

>Now, the communication isn't perfect either way. Both sides have
>difficulty understanding each other and explaining themselves to the
>other (hence visions one way and prayers the other). But a god will
>certainly know if a Priest does something directly contrary to his
>beliefs: commits a sin in other words. That is directly in the god's
>focus of attention and directly in his interests.

I disagree. I'll state why in a minute.

>Priests who create heresies must either pervert the god's code very
>slowly and very discreetly or be Illuminated. Or both.

My take on illumination is that one of the things an illuminant learns is that the punishment for sin comes from inside him, not from the god, and if he can control his internal punishment routines then he can sin with impunity. The unilluminated masses think that punishment for sins comes from the gods, and that's how the gods convince people that their minds are always open to their god's senses.

Sometimes people who aren't illuminated stumble into this truth when they identify their own goals with their god's goals, and then do horrible, awful things while convinced of their spiritual purity. Ever wonder why they don't get punished? It's because the gods are unable to read their minds, or unable to understand what they find when they do, or both.

Powered by hypermail