Nils -- get a grip. There are no Gloranthan societies LESS tolerant than the theists. Consider --
The Malkioni believe their religion is the best.
So do theists. So?
The Malkioni believe that theists ought to convert to Malkionism.
The theists believe that folks that don't believe in their particular pantheon ought to be killed, ostracized, or at least kept very far away.
The Malkioni consciously refrain from certain deeds that they perceive as evil. (examples -- breaking caste rules, casting Tap, etc.)
The theists are forced to be good because of Spirits of Reprisal.
Despite their reputation, the Malkioni have not historically forced conquered peoples to adopt their theology. From the Six-Legged Empire to Richard the Tiger-Hearted, even black-hearted villains have permitted the former society to exist alongside their own as a separate, though unequal, religious system. Sometimes they even alter their _own_ Malkionism to incorporate the new peoples. The Carmanians are not an easy-going people, but they permit their peasants to worship the Old Ways.
Conquering theists invariably shoehorn the subjugated theology into their own system, forcing their serfs to adopt the dominant gods into their own pantheon.
Malkioni believe that Orlanth, Yelm, etc. are huge spirits with vast power and little free will. If you dutifully serve these spirits, they will give you magic.
Theists believe that Orlanth, Yelm, etc. are huge spirits with vast power and little free will. If you dutifully serve these spirits, they will give you magic.
The Malkioni believe that Orlanth, Yelm, etc. work just exactly like the theists say they do, and that these entities are just exactly _what_ the theists claim. Many Malkioni philosophers even agree that these gods provide an afterlife, and even that the souls of theistic worshipers are reincarnated after a time.
The Theists believe that the Malkioni way of life is founded on a lie, and that all the Malkioni are doomed to oblivion or hell at death, and that everything the Malkioni believe is a lie. Who is less tolerant?
Most Malkioni are rather anti-theist. Why is this? Because of actual contact with aforementioned theists, who have invariably proven warlike and unwilling to compromise.
NOTE: where I write "the Malkioni" above, I am referring to "mainstream" Malkioni, and ditto for "theists". Think of Yelmites, Orlanthi, Praxians, etc., Not obscure sects like the Dorasta Shrine.
Sandy P.
Sandy P.
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