Godlearners vs Illuminates

From: Loren Miller <loren_at_wharton.upenn.edu>
Date: Wed, 23 Jul 1997 10:08:13 -0500


IMO the difference between GLs and Illuminates is this:

Illuminates understand that one person can serve more than one god, even multiple gods with conflicting aims, by mirroring each god. They learn to worship by reflecting all the important characteristics of a god back to the god, meanwhile resisting the urge to become fanatic and monomaniacal. Illuminates can show reflective faces to any god they choose. This is why the moon, who reflects the sun, is the patron of Illumination in Glorantha. This helps them to worship as many gods as they wish. And because they can worship freely, they are able to gather many kinds of magic from all the gods. This binds them into the web of the world at the same time that it increases their personal power.

God Learners believed that there is only one God and He is the Invisible God. All other gods are merely spiritual machines or overweening sorcerers who have been seduced by the pleasure of receiving worship and gotten lost in the otherworld. These false gods are more usefully seen as combinations of Runes (RuneQuest Sight), and if the godlearner has the appropriate mastery of the correct Runes, then s/he can master godly powers and force them to his/her will. Worship not directed to the Invisible God is a dangerous activity, because it gives the false god a piece of you, a direct line to your soul, and leaves the worshipper immensely vulnerable to any sympathetic magic which the false god might wish to cast. If you need to use magic, then you need to use the Laws of Magic which were given to us by the Invisible God (RQ3 sorcery). They do not bind your soul to any false gods or dangerous spirits.

So a pious God Learner would never offer worship to any god other than the Invisible God, and a pious Illuminate can offer worship to many gods. Looks pretty incompatible to me.

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