Re: The debate about a worshipper needing to be sincere
It would seem to me that most people here are viewing Gloranthan religion through RW eyes to much. One of the most significant differences would be that , in the real world God,to the believers holds the overwhelming balance of power in any relationship. In Glorantha this is not nearly so. In fact since Gods can only influence the inner world through the actions of their worshippers it would be the mortals that, at least collectivley hold the real power. If a God no longer recieves worship that entity will eventually diminish and fade away. The worship of mortals is vital to its survival and continued power. Also with regards to faith, while a gloranthan may not require any to believe in his God he does require faith if he is to believe his God will be able to do all that he claims he can. In the real world a true believer is not going to see his god defeated and humiliated by another deity under normal circumstances. Events could perhaps be interpreted in that way but their !
is always an out if want to find one bad enough. In Glorantha this does happen, in many cases quite unambigously. The Gods are in competition for the pool of mortal worshippers. The more they have, and the more powerful they are, the greater their influence and power. I can see a God making alowances for powerful followers that they would not make for your average joe. The one has much more to offer the God and so is far more worth while making an effort to keep than the other. This is of course one factor among many others that will come into play in this situation but for Glorantha I believe it to be an important one. It is also one that is not a factor in most RW religons and their gods.
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