@Chaosmancer
Look man, can we agree on the following points:
1) The RAW states that animating the dead using necromancy magic is not a good act, and only evil people do so frequently (reference already provided)
2) The RAW on zombies and skeletons states the magic used to animate them is 'sinister and dark magic' that possess the corpse with a wholly evil spirit, that if uncontrolled goes on a murderous rampage, killing everything around it with no pity or remorse (reference already provided)
3) By RAW, zombies and skeletons are Evilly aligned (reference already provided)
and:
4) You accept the above as RAW, but you personally disagree with it being included as RAW in the first place, and would rule otherwise in games you run.
Is that a fair enough summation of where we sit?
Because I am getting sick of going around in circles.
RAW also allows that "dark and sinister magic" to be cast by someone channeling "holy and divine power". I've provided RAW examples of LG Gods that would allow this, backed up by reasoning as to why they might not see it that way.
A God of Sunshine and Healing can grant you Animate Dead by RAW. Animate Dead, which you say must be Dark and Sinister magic, even though the spell does not call it that, nor does the school of necromancy entry. You have to go to the Monster Manual to get that phrase.
Also, RAW, there are ways to summon good spirits of the dead. Multiple ways.
Also RAW, we have a type of zombie who uses the statblock, but that cannot logically be evil. Because there is no "dark and sinister magic" and no "evil spirit" to possess them. Still RAW, even though it contradicts the RAW you are quoting at me.
Also, just for giggles, nowhere in RAW does it state that mind controlling and violating the very sanctity of their mind is evil. Nothing in enchantment magic is called out like Animate Dead is, despite the fact that it is arguably more evil.
So, how about this. You agree that my RAW that contradicts your RAW is just as valid. That Clerics channel divine power of their gods, and that it is not dark and sinister, even though it may be used on the spell Animate Dead. That not all zombies are powered by evil spirits or evil magic.
Nothing about this debate is ever going to make me change my game (unless I come up with a cool idea) but homebrewing is not the problem. The problem is that you are taking a hard line stance (this is the only RAW that matters) when there is actually a lot of ambiguity here, because RAW contradicts RAW.
And your response to that has been to just repeat "No, this is RAW" even though I'm giving you RAW, I'm giving you straight info from the books on how things work, and they contradtict what you are saying. But you refuse to acknowledge that, you refuse to see that there is RAW that supports a different version of the spell. I don't know why, you can run the game how you like, with Animate Dead being an evil, horrible sin that only the most depraved do "frequently" (Like the necrophilia, pedophilia, torture, genocide, genital mutilation, and whatever else you've thrown out during this thread)
But when faced with contradictory RAW, I'm not going to just say you are right. I'm going to keep bringing up the fact that there is confusion here, and room for other interpretations.