Rachel Pollack's _Unquenchable Fire_ is a look a modern day society where magic (of an Animist sort) is common and accepted. You go out on your lunch break and burn charms for success of your proposal presentation, etc. However, believing that spirits exist, can be contacted, and effect the world does not necessarily equal belief that they have "the answers." I think it can be similar in Glorantha. As long as the Animist or Theist or Sorcery-User does the right practices, he/she will get the benefit of the magic -- deep faith is unnecessary. Advanced practitioners -- devotees and the like -- are another story. Faith might be useful in heroquests, but it could also be a hindrance, especially for all the Godlearner screwing around. The afterlife is, no doubt, more pleasant for those with a real calling to the god/whatever, but that's true in the RW as well (or so we're told). About the only place where faith is necessary for an individual in Glorantha is getting miracles out the Invisible God, which takes Faith 10w7 or so to have any shot at it, and having an ability at W7 should pretty much let you do what you want most of the time, anyway ("Faith is inappropriate for armed conflict, take a -60 penalty." "OK, I still have two Masteries on the opposition."). For groups, I think faith comes in at Community Support -- do you throw yourself completely behind the quester/whatever and get the benefits and risks or not?
To paraphrase Eddie Campbell's _Deadface_ comics -- "What does faith have to do with it? When a 30 foot guy shows up with lightning and tells you that you're going to give him one of your cows, it's not a matter of faith." Also "Of course the Pharaoh was a god. He could point at you and say 'you will die soon,' and his soldiers would make it happen. How much more of a god do you need to be?"
Peter Larsen
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