> >> in my opinion, the God Learners would have
>>> encouraged the Orlanthi to worship Orlanth animistically
>>> and sorcerously in addition to theistic worship.
>>
>> No doubt.
>
>I do doubt that.
>The "mainstream" GL were trying to get everyone back online with the
>proper worship, which if course was Veneration.
>
>I am open to input of course.
>So, why would they encourage animism or tolerate theism?
Well, one factor might be which God Learners we're talking about. They were spread about the whole Lozenge for 200-300 years. And we know there are factions and schools that all get lumped together as "God Learner."
Many of them were trying to learn about God, but IIRC your original works had them learning about gods. And one way to do so is experimentally. Given some Otherworld being, is it better to worship it animistically, sorcerously, or theistically? What better way than to assign an Umathing clan to try each. (Veneration is the only proper worship for an Imperial, but for barbarians it doesn't really matter.)
You wrote about this sort of experimentation:
"In 849 the God Learners performed their infamous Goddess Switch. Also, about 845 the God Learners Collective was formed. Many like-minded sorcerous orders (including some from the Church) formally joined forces and begin their Explorations of Magic. Such had been done before informally, but now united, the God Learners' power increased dramatically.
"They thereby "proved" that their sorcery was superior to pagan worship, and that pagan deities were interchangeable." <http://www.glorantha.com/greg/seshnelanKings3.html>
I also recall back in the RuneQuest era, you or Sandy saying that the God Learners broke the [RQ] rules by learning all types of magic. This flavor of God Learner was only in it for the power.
-- David Dunham Glorantha/HQ/RQ page: http://www.pensee.com/dunham/glorantha.html Imagination is more important than knowledge. -- Albert Einstein
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