Sess'sth's Compilation of Notes on Religious Controversy

[Sess'sth]

The pages below have ripped edges on one side, as if they were removed from a book.

Sess'sth's Compilation of Notes on Religious Controversy

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Much in life, if not everything, is related to religion. The way one acts is determined by the god, goddess, or combination of gods and/or goddesses that one follows. Many occupations have arisen thanks to religion: healers, priests, monks, et cetera. Many wars have been fought for one's god or goddess; countless men and women from every race have been slain for what they believe, or, more often, what they do not believe. It is obvious, then, that religion is a major factor in this life. It determines who you are; how you act; and many times who you live with, know, and love. Therefore, one must know that their choice in religion is a heavy one. Some choose to follow every god altogether because of this, and some simply give up on religion completely when staring in the face of this great, determining action. I have found myself constantly thinking over this decision. I have found myself reading through ancient manuscripts and old wives tales, the little-to-no information left by our great gods for us to use to help our decisions. And in this time, I've found I have much different beliefs than that of many. And I am willing to share these beliefs.

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Introduction

For years I have been studying both the Elder and Younger Gods. For years I have sought the best one to declare my guide, a torch in these dark times. And for years I have seen little but flaws in these gods, I've read the "likes and dislikes" of each deity that makes them so different from one another. Would one not assume that in being a deity one is to be flawless, to be perfect? If the divine are as imperfect, flawed, and shallow as us, what makes them worth listening to; what makes them guides at all in times where we need guides most? Below I have placed several notes on each god of what I have uncovered and truly think, from the very little information we have kept in libraries. These are but my opinions and are truths only to myself, but I would like to share them with you so that you too may seek the truth. Below is criticism that I have found has turned me away from the following so-called gods. I ask no one to take offense, for I am here not to insult! Though I am sure many will see this compilation as more than a small bit of criticism toward their beliefs.

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The Elder Gods

It is said that the first story tellers and prophets of the Elder Gods fled from our world. Why? - No one knows. Perhaps they were hiding something. Perhaps they were afraid something was going to be revealed. We now know little about these gods, if we ever knew much. Only one of them does not pick followers personally. And all but that same one have fled our world. And why is that? Have they abandoned us? Betrayed us?

Brágon, God of Fire
The first god to leave our realm, and one of the most mysterious. It is said that in his list of loves, gold is at the top. A god with the power to burn a thousand seas dry seeks gold? What nonsense! He blesses those who sacrifices valuable things in his temples. I ask you, why worship such a greedy entity?

Eldan, God of Spirit
Very few pray to this god, for they say he was very seldom seen amongst the living. A good that created our very spirits, our very souls, that hides from us. Does he fear us? Does he hate us, despise the life he has given us? If no one has seen him, yet apparently people have seen the other elder gods, how are we to identify him on sight? We cannot, for he is but a myth.

Findari, Goddess of Air
Supposedly the creator of music, this goddess has very few followers. She is obsessed with her music, her dancing, and cares little of temples and worshippers. Why would someone care to worship a goddess with little interest in her believers? It seems that once she had given music to the mortals, she vanished right into her own element: thin air. Or perhaps, this goddess was created by a group of scholars only to explain music and our love for it.

Tanora (Zelphia), Goddess of Water
The only of the elder gods who supposedly still sets foot upon our world. She is said to be the mother of the lizardman race, and almost every lizard city is based off of her. If any of these ancient gods exist, it is her. It is said that she is in love with beauty. Does that mean that she will flee from those lacking such? Will she look away at the sight of a victim of a plague? Or perhaps it is only the lizardmen that she loves, for she supposedly crafted them herself. Must she be so shallow not to have enough love for every living thing? Goddess of water, shallow? Ironic.

Ushara, Godess of Earth
She rejected wealth, and that is basically all we know about her. I can understand that wealth leads to a noble-and-peasant type of hierarchy, but what else do we know of her? Does she merely exist to stand over our shoulders and scoff as we admire our fortunes? Must we need a god simply for that? Has our greed grown so great that we must look to something more powerful than ourselves for inspiration to become compassionate and share our well-earned money? Have we lost the unconditional love we once shared with our common man of many races?

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The Younger Gods
These new gods have arrived to take the place of the long lost elders. We know their loves, their hates. Each represent a sort of force in our lives. Many of them are more shallow and greedy than our general populace. Need we gods for such simple and foolish things? Definitely not.

Adron, God of Festivities and Wine
An impulsive maniac that loves to drink and celebrate. We might as well worship the village idiot. Most who worship him are tavernkeepers, but some younger folk of various races have become attracted to his ways. Why should we be tempted by gods to ruin ourselves? This creature is no god at all, but the manifestation of imbecility.

Cherga, Goddess of Spirits and the Underworld
Cherga is just a way to make death easier to explain. Cherga has few followers and has been known to care little, if at all, about the living. Besides showing children that they should act nicely as they grow, this god has little purpose to exist. What would you ask for when praying to Cherga - death, or avoidance of death? It is foolish either way.

Elara, Goddess of Wisdom and Knowledge
Finally, a decent deity worthy of worship. A god that promotes learning and training, reading and writing. There is little one can critique about such a god except that she escapes crowds. One would assume that such a wise goddess would wish to share her wisdom with the world, not hide it! Must she taunt us so?

Irmorom, God of Trade and Craftsmanship
A god of trading, of gold hoarding, of business. Are we so obsessed with money that we must pray for a good deal when heading to the bazaar? What foolishness! This god encourages greed and wealth and laughs at the poor. What kind of deity is that? I answer you in saying that this god is no god at all.

Malachín, God of Battle and Hunting
What better thing is there than an untouched forest, a hidden waterfall in the mountains? He seems worthy of worship, though, as with Elara, Malachín flees from cities - does he too hate us, fear us? Does he not wish for us to grow as a community, but let one warlord rule over all? Many armies fight in the name of this god; is that good enough reason to slaughter those with different thoughts, opinions, beliefs?

Moshran, God of Blood and Bones
Disgusting, to think that a god would exist purely for the tormenting and ridiculing of us mortals. To pray to such a god would be to pray for destruction of oneself and one's friends. Who would seek such madness? Is power worth destroying your soul over; are you willing to become an eternal slave for a bit of control over this ever-changing world? Of course not!

Nargùn, God of Chaos
A vengeful and disturbing entity, this god. There should be no reason for someone to want madness! We are smart and wonderous creatures; we have the ability to work together and help one another. Why would anyone want just the opposite: idiots killing one another for no reason at all? It is foolish for a god to exist for this sole purpose.

Oldra, Goddess of Life and Fertility
What better thing is there than the life we have been given? What should we do but grow and change for the better? The only reason to frown at Oldra is because she loves everyone but those who do wrong to others, such as thieves or murderers. If she is the goddess of life, should she not love unconditionally? If someone strays onto the wrong path, will they be forever banished from her liking? I think that being a deity, one must always have the capacity to forgive.

Ronagan, God of Thieves and Shadows
It is cowardice to pray to Ronagan. If one must hide in the shadows to stay safe, one should know that it is obvious that what they are doing is against the rules and wrong! To pray to a god for good loot when thieving is rediculous and stupid. It is against the laws that these gods have bestowed upon us! How can a god exist just to break those laws?

Sirani, Goddess of Love and Pleasure
Without love, we are nothing. We must learn to respect one another and act well towards eachother if we are to live successfully. But there is more to life than love, than sexuality. We must know that beauty isn't everything. We must know that sex is but a way to express your love and continue the life of the species, not a drug to intoxicate yourself with. Once it has become more than that, this goddess is useless.

Zhambra, God of Friendship and Loyalty
Alliances must be made, should we want to live orderly lives. But often, Zhambra is seen as a war god. No god should tell us that killing is right, for it is one of the worst things we can do in this life - to destroy that which we cannot create! Fighting for friends may prove necessary, sadly, but only if it is a defensive action!

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Conclusion

Of the many gods on this list, few are actually worth believing in, worth following. Few show us that knowledge and love is what we need to survive, that order and friendship will build great civilizations. But each god has likes and dislikes; would not a true god love everything and everyone, despite our wrongdoings? I do not mean that such a god would turn the other cheek when we sin, but this god would try to bring us back to the light, loving us unconditionally, and not simply shunning us and abandoning all hope.

What I have found in my research is that with so many gods and goddesses struggling for power, our world is doomed to be a chaotic one. I myself have come upon other beliefs in these dark times; beliefs that actually make sense, that do not involve flawed and false gods leading you down a wretched and twisted road!

I have come upon monotheism.

During the past weeks, months even, I have awoken in the night from strange visions. I know not why I have returned after so many years away from the isle; perhaps this is it! Perhaps this is the reason I was to return. To share my beliefs, to share just what I think a true god is.

Your elder gods, with the exception of the goddess Zelphia, pick their followers by hand. Yet a true god would test its creations, a true god would let all share faith and salvation. Your Ushara hates wealth, your Brágon demands it. Your Eldan hates crowds, your Findari demands them for entertainment. Your Zelphia requires one thing: beauty, and nothing else seems to matter. Great conflicts arise and very narrow lines are drawn by your gods. Nargùn spreads chaos, Ronagan steals from you, Moshran gives you death and torment. Yet you worship them. Elara despises your great wealth and valuables while Imorom wants them for himself. Zhambra cheers at honorable people and friendships; Sirani smiles at those who love; Adron loves to drink and celebrate; Oldra smiles upon beautiful life and grand meals. But if you forget to please your gods, if you forget not to sin, you will be taken by Cherga and never found again. Your gods demand obedience. Your gods shun those who make mistakes. And when following one god perfectly, you will find yourself disobeying multiple others. Your gods fight for power. Your gods are greedy, your gods are covetous. And that, my friends, is why I believe that your gods are not real.

During the many times that I have meditated and thought on these beliefs, I have found that perhaps each of these elder and younger gods are pieces of a puzzle; perhaps each is simply a personality of a greater power, a greater god. Seperately these gods are flawed and worthless. Together, they are perfect and powerful. A true deity rules over all with extreme wiseness and obvious knowledge. A true deity loves everything, shuns nothing. A true deity will always forgive, if you may learn to forgive yourself. And a true deity will test us.

Perhaps this is my test.

I have abandoned tradition and begun to follow my heart, my mind. I will not follow gods that don't care for me in the least. I will not follow gods that wish me to harm others. I will not follow gods that will love me only if I hand them gold. I will follow something omnipotent, I will follow something that is just and lovely, something that is true. I will stop following the things that I see as false idols, the wrong gods that have been presented to me with greed in their hearts. And I will begin to follow something better. Something perfect.

I hope that this short conclusion of my beliefs has helped you in your own personal path. Again, I wish not to insult anyone with the words I write this day. These are but my thoughts, my beliefs, and you will find that you can always argue. In the future, I may start a monastic order dedicated to these beliefs, should any others agree with my thoughts. Share your own thoughts and beliefs below, if you wish. But please, do not come here to insult, because that was not and is not the purpose of these notes and possible discussion.

With regards to all,
/|\Sess'sth\|/
-The Red One-

[Garen]

During the many times that I have meditated and thought on these beliefs, I have found that perhaps each of these elder and younger gods are pieces of a puzzle; perhaps each is simply a personality of a greater power, a greater god. Seperately these gods are flawed and worthless. Together, they are perfect and powerful. A true deity rules over all with extreme wiseness and obvious knowledge. A true deity loves everything, shuns nothing. A true deity will always forgive, if you may learn to forgive yourself. And a true deity will test us.

your thinking of something i like to call Spirit, no, not the god of spirit, but that wich created all of them. its is not god, nor is it "human" or anyother race.
OR
you might be thinking the another thing i have a theeary of, all rleigion is a puzzle, or a many faucited diamond, each religion is part of a whole.

________

[Sess'sth]

So, you are saying that the gods themselves were created? What is it that makes them gods, then, if not their omnipresent existence? Their power? Surely not their perfection, for it is obvious they are far from perfect. If you grant a man enough power, will he too become a god? Where can such a line be drawn? This is yet another flaw I see with the supposed gods of these lands.
/|\Sess'sth\|/
-The Red One-

[Alli Zelos]

To voice my own opinion, the gods were created to also create. All people alike create, buildings, works of art...we are the art of the gods, as is the world we live in.

What makes them gods is they are much like someone creating a beautiful picture, they are the makers, and they adjust it as so. The gods find you have done wrong...they punish you, much as a sculpture would for a slight flaw in his art.

However, we are not controlled by the gods, our path is only slightly adjusted by them. You may say I do not believe in fate...that is the half truth. Gods are much like those trying to change the direction of a river, they can...pursuade the river to alter course, by putting blocks and such in its path, but cannot simply change its direction.

I mean this only to voice my opinion, and wish no arguements to arise


Sincerely,
Alli Zelos

[Garen]

So, you are saying that the gods themselves were created? What is it that makes them gods, then, if not their omnipresent existence? Their power? Surely not their perfection, for it is obvious they are far from perfect.

they were created by the "begining",if you will, and nothing, is ever perfect, because there are too many eyes and minds to view.
so what i may or may not think is in perfection, you may or may not agree, the same with Alli, or anyother being on this planet.

[Cliu Beothach]

While you may not agree of such topics, it is an interesting read. If you wish to voice your own opinions on religion, the Varshikar Symposium is open for all submissions.

~Brer Beothach~

[Sess'sth]

they were created by the "begining",if you will, and nothing, is ever perfect, because there are too many eyes and minds to view.
so what i may or may not think is in perfection, you may or may not agree, the same with Alli, or anyother being on this planet.

Then I ask you again, where do you draw the line between between god and 'normal folk'? Are they gods because they created us? And if so, are we not gods as well for creating children? I've always considered something perfect to be something without flaws, and perfection in my opinion is what makes us so dissimilar from a true god. But if these gods are as imperfect as we are, why, then, should we consider them gods? We might as well just consider them to be skilled craftsmen.
/|\Sess'sth\|/
-The Red One-

[Nalzaxx]

The Younger ones were once mortal too...

The note is left unsigned

[Sess'sth]

The 'younger ones' were priests and prophets that the elder gods supposedly handed their power to, yes? If this is so, one would think that by simply gaining favor of a god, one would be granted great power. If this is so, we would see hundreds of figures with powers similar to that of the slain Darlok.
/|\Sess'sth\|/
-The Red One-