Atheism in DnD Campaigns

[Storminator]

IMC there was a recent apocalypse because all the worshippers gave up on the gods (over thousands of years), and they faded away. Into the vacuum stepped two new gods, good and evil. Those two have cemented themselves in certain societies, and therefore have an established worshipper base, and are truly gods.

Outside of those societies, there aren't any clerics, and even the idea that one should believe or disbelieve doesn't come up. As the god-driven cultures expand they will surely encounter "atheists," and who knows what folks will make of each other then?

But my game is fairly non-typical.

PS

 

[Henry]

Atheism is possible in a D&D campaign; all that needs be done is to remove all instances of DIRECT contact with the gods in question - e.g. Commune, and possibly Gate & Plane Shift - and the entire Cleric class's powers work perfectly well as a faith-based outlet for divine power, as do Druids, Rangers, and Paladins.

The Cleric's powers could then come from manipulating arcane power through sheer force of faith, just as Psions manipulate magic through sheer force of will, and Mages through ritual and words of power. It goes back to the basic premise of determining the existance of a certain being solely through the question of faith, because Tyr or Torm is not sending back public announcements about their will on earth.

 

[ced1106]

EQ RPG has an interesting take. Agnostics **know** gods exist, but don't follow a particular one. Yes, this does have consequences. The "kings" analogy actually might work here: Just as someone doesn't have to follow a king, someone can actively work against **all** kings. So someone who works against the existance of gods would be the D&D version of an athiest -- with the resulting consequences.


Cedric.
aka. Washu! ^O^

 

[Guacamole]

I think for 95% of the population of the standard campaign world, Atheism is impossible. The last 5% of people would be like sages or adventurers who have seen enough mind-blowing events, good and bad, would naturally come to question the fact of the gods if not their personal faith in the Gods. Think about, joe average plowman probably does not ever see magic (using greyhawk as the standard comparison) active aside from the rather frightening displays of nature that would frequently cause people to think about the gods. They wouldn't see a healing, a ressurection, a demon from a gate... they might know of these things from legends, and some people might even be skeptical of them, but no- even simple acts of magic like "cure light wounds" or "continual flame" would be enought to convince them of the existence of the gods. Ironically, higher level characters who are exposed to the big magic shows on a regular basis come to see it more as something akin to a force in the universe and less the domain of direct divine power (as it is established in the PHb). The dialogue above is instructive. IF a character can do things that only a god could be thought to do, then that character can start (in their hubris) to doubt the gods.

fwiw
guacamole

 

[Nifft]

Ah, but the defition of atheism is not merely the antithesis of theism as you have defined it above. It is: "Disbelief in or denial of the existence of God or gods."

Alright, to continue the "dictionary game", here's what god means:

1 capitalized : the supreme or ultimate reality: as a : the Being perfect in power, wisdom, and goodness who is worshiped as creator and ruler of the universe b Christian Science : the incorporeal divine Principle ruling over all as eternal Spirit : infinite Mind
2 : a being or object believed to have more than natural attributes and powers and to require human worship; specifically : one controlling a particular aspect or part of reality
3 : a person or thing of supreme value
4 : a powerful ruler

So, perhaps now you can see how someone could deny the existance of one of the above while not denying the existance or power of the others.

Finally, to quote from my original post: I'm not sure if these qualify as athiesm, but they sure ain't theism.

-- Nifft

 

[Conaill]

Not quite an atheist per se, but I have played a character that believed humanity (humanoidity? ) would be much better off if the gods wouldn't interfere. I.e. he believed in the existence of these beings that we call "gods", but refused to worship them.

However, he was also very pragmatic, and recognized that sometimes some gods' goals could coincide with his own. For example, as a NG character, he gladly accepted the dwarven clerics' offer to forge him an enchanted greatsword. But he did get them to make it an Evil-Bane weapon, rather than a Holy one.

 

[Psion]

So, perhaps now you can see how someone could deny the existance of one of the above while not denying the existance or power of the others.

I think it's pretty clear that in the typical D&D campaign, #2 best fits the functional definition of "gods."

 

[Umbran]

Debating the nature of divinity is a whole different beast than debating their existence.

Yes, but you must know at least something of the nature of the beast the existence of which you wish to question:

Q: Does foo exist?
A: Um, first tell me what "foo" is, and I might be able to answer the question...

 

[AEtherfyre]

I think it's pretty clear that in the typical D&D campaign, #2 best fits the functional definition of "gods."

Sooo.... isn't the aforementioned Bob the Wizard a god?

If not, why not?

 

[Dr. Strangemonkey]

Look up the Litorians in Monte Cook's Ptolus and AU campaigns on his website.

They might not be atheists in the classical sense, but they're pretty dang close and very cool about it.