Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 Mulhull Aug 19, 2007 2:06:46	Is there anywhere that states what worship consists of? For example, does it have to sincere? I remember hearing that people who don't truly, sincerely worship a god on Toril go to the wall of the faithless, though that's kind of pointless, you can't make someone feel something they don't, in this case "love" and "admiration" But, I've heard also that in the case of Thulsa Doom's slave priests in Conan the barbarian their worship would count, say if it was a religion on Toril, even though they don't truly feel for the god they are worshiping, they have a choice not to worship and be killed for not doing it, but they DO have a choice, though if insincere worship is all that's required than it WOULD count And also, I kind of saw something which I like to call passive worship, whereas saying sincere prayers to your deity constitutes active worship, passive worship has two definitions. 1. Just genuinely heartfelt feeling of reverence for your deity, even though you don't say prayers, the deity can feed from it if they require/have use for your worship, and this constitutes worship, so even though some non-evil non-orc humanoids don't say prayers to Grummsh but admire him, thier feelings constitute worship. 2. Secondly, I read this is the 2E legends and lore, the Nehwon God Hate everyone worships when they get angry and have fits of anger and outbursts. So, in this case, certain actions are considered acts of worship. Stealing for a thief god, fighting for a battle god, love for the goddess of love, or whatever other gods there are. Are there some deities which just want the power from your worship and simply want your worship, and you don't have to do anything else but that, or do that to be their priest/priestess and/or carry out theer will-for example, putting out fires of Auril, goddess of cold.
#2 zombiegleemax Aug 19, 2007 4:01:52	Hmmmmmm, I'm thinking that the thing the powers draw their "sustenance" from, as it were, is not so much worship as it is faith, of which worship is a sub-category. Basically, what the power needs is for its faithful to genuinely believe in its capabilities, beyond that it likely benefits further from adherence to its doctrine, the emotional intensity of the worship, how generally accepted (even among non-followers) its status as a deity of this or that concept is, etc. What leads me to this conclusion is A) The existence of deities with some highly "goal-oriented" worshippers (sea-farers desiring a safe journey, farmers seekign good crops, those who are in love, etc.). When these people pray, one surmises, it is because they desire a particular outcome and have faith in the power's ability to affect it, not neccessarily because they feel immense religious awe for the power they worship (though many will no doubt try their best, and answered prayers presumably may play a part in increasing such feelings). The same may or may not be true for the fiendish clerics described in "Hellbound". B) It has been suggested, though in a Forgotten Realms supplement rather than a Planescape one, that even a power with no worshippers may still draw some strength from its standing and association with the concepts of its portfolio. C) The fact that if such were not the case, beings with little to no capacity for emotion, or religions of a rather dispassionate subject or ethics, would find it difficult indeed to continue existing (there's just not much potential for getting excited about Abbachor -God of the Calculus, not even on the planes). In the end, though, it may well vary from power to power. Some may be more disposed and able to accept worship than others, putting up different conditions, and possibly not benefitting, or benefitting as much, from insincere or improperly conducted worship/faith. As for activity consistent with a power's teachings, I would say that normally it would have to be done in the name of the power for it to weigh in its favor, though one should not rule out that a power closely associated with some concept, particularily if it is one with a strong material basis such as fire, or nature, may in fact beenfit from its increase regardless.