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Worlds of Design: RPG Gods - Benign or Malign?
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<blockquote data-quote="Tonguez" data-source="post: 8728067" data-attributes="member: 1125"><p>Jane Goodall in her studies of the Apes in Gombe noted the animals repeatedly performing the same ritual behaviours in response to waterfalls, storms and fires. These included domination displays, heightened sense of agitation and arousal followed by calm contemplative spaces. while she never called it religion per se, she did speculate that there was a sense of Spirituality being displayed by the Chimps- an awe of natural phenomena that might have developed in early hominids into full formed religious feeling.</p><p> </p><p>so even before the consideration of gods happens the question needs to be asked regarding primitive Pantheism v Animism v Theism.</p><p><strong>Pantheism</strong> - is there a pervasive spiritual reality beyond the physical, phenomenological world?</p><p><strong>Animism</strong> - is everything possessed of a vital, presonal spirit?</p><p><strong>Theism</strong> - do gods exist as distinct beings seperate from the physical world?</p><p></p><p> Its then that considerations of Gender and Omnipotence can be developed. Not only is there an old theory that religion was originally Matriarchal (focussed on the Mother goddess birthing the world) there is also theory that religion was originally Monotheist with a single source/demiurge. This sometimes became Dualistic with either a Male-Female pair or a Good-Evil pair, examples of this can be seen in Ao-Bahamut-Tiamat and of course in the many Middle Eastern faiths.</p><p></p><p>Patriarchy itself has often been linked to the move from subtropical into more arid and colder climates, in particular the middle east and northern/central asia, where agriculture had to become more dependent on hard labour and the plough. In subtropical regions food grew abundantly and thus women and men could both contribute to family survival, in the desert hard work meant male strength was emphasised, alongside greater need for aggression to defend winter food stores.</p><p>Indeed there is another theory that the first temples were set up as grain storage centers in arid regions, the leaders elevating themselves not only as protectors of the food stores but as ritual leaders too.</p><p>Polytheism arises later as other gods are added to parallel the ‘family dynamic’ of tribal elites or to incorporate the specific myths of new allies or vassals.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Tonguez, post: 8728067, member: 1125"] Jane Goodall in her studies of the Apes in Gombe noted the animals repeatedly performing the same ritual behaviours in response to waterfalls, storms and fires. These included domination displays, heightened sense of agitation and arousal followed by calm contemplative spaces. while she never called it religion per se, she did speculate that there was a sense of Spirituality being displayed by the Chimps- an awe of natural phenomena that might have developed in early hominids into full formed religious feeling. so even before the consideration of gods happens the question needs to be asked regarding primitive Pantheism v Animism v Theism. [B]Pantheism[/B] - is there a pervasive spiritual reality beyond the physical, phenomenological world? [B]Animism[/B] - is everything possessed of a vital, presonal spirit? [B]Theism[/B] - do gods exist as distinct beings seperate from the physical world? Its then that considerations of Gender and Omnipotence can be developed. Not only is there an old theory that religion was originally Matriarchal (focussed on the Mother goddess birthing the world) there is also theory that religion was originally Monotheist with a single source/demiurge. This sometimes became Dualistic with either a Male-Female pair or a Good-Evil pair, examples of this can be seen in Ao-Bahamut-Tiamat and of course in the many Middle Eastern faiths. Patriarchy itself has often been linked to the move from subtropical into more arid and colder climates, in particular the middle east and northern/central asia, where agriculture had to become more dependent on hard labour and the plough. In subtropical regions food grew abundantly and thus women and men could both contribute to family survival, in the desert hard work meant male strength was emphasised, alongside greater need for aggression to defend winter food stores. Indeed there is another theory that the first temples were set up as grain storage centers in arid regions, the leaders elevating themselves not only as protectors of the food stores but as ritual leaders too. Polytheism arises later as other gods are added to parallel the ‘family dynamic’ of tribal elites or to incorporate the specific myths of new allies or vassals. [/QUOTE]
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