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Message: <blockquote data-quote="The Sigil" data-source="post: 994483" data-attributes="member: 2013">No, I chose my words carefully and will stand by what I said.If you feel that what you did requires explanation, there's a problem.  Virtue and goodness should be able to stand on its own without you having to explain it.  In fact, you'd be so used to doing it, it would never occur to you to do things differently, hence it would never occur to you that it needed explanation.Now, when someone of a different culture ASKS you why you did it, and it dawns on you that not everyone is as virtuous as you, that's a whole 'nother kettle of fish... but even then, you're likely as not to spend your time explaining virtue and goodness, believing that once you explain the principles of virtue and goodness, they will be able to understand easily why you did what you did.In other words, you never feel the need to explain your actions - just your principles, with the understanding that once someone comprehends the principles, the reason for the ACT will become self-evident.Precisely.  But again, you are explaining the Code to them, not the act itself.I agree with Voadam here.  "Culture" doesn't/shouldn't mean a thing to a paladin - except for the "culture" of his faith.  Ultimately, the deity that grants the paladin decides on his worthiness.  The deity sets the standard.  The human culture that the paladin grew up in doesn't mean a thing to the deity.For example, let's assume, for just a moment, that one of the tenets of a deity is that sexual relations are only to occur between a man and woman who are legally wedded, and that the deity expects his paladins to adhere to this tenet.There could be some wiggle room based on culture - for example, a culture where polygamy (multiple wives, one husband) or polyandry (multiple husbands, one wife), or even multiple-party marriages (multiple husbands, multiple wives) might well allow a paladin from this culture multiple sexual partners... after all, the paladin IS legally wedded to each of the partners, and thus within the deity's code.  This is obviously different from the current western culture's expectation of monogamy, but within the bounds the deity has set.However, if the paladin came from a culture where marriage was not regarded as important and casual sex was the norm and marriage considered unimportant - or from a culture such as ancient Greece where homosexuality was encouraged - or even from a culture where homosexual marriages were legal, that would NOT allow him to engage in casual sex or in homosexual couplings without the expectation of "punishment" and "need for atonement" as regards his paladin powers - that may be the norm where he is from, but it's not according to the standards his deity expects from him (between a legally married man and woman - if they're not married, it's a problem and if they're not of opposite sexes it's a problem), and hence, he can expect to suffer penalties accordingly.Again, paladins' behavorial restrictions are set by their deities.  If a paladin from her homeland would think it odd, she's in trouble.  If a paladin from ANOTHER HOMELAND would think it sinful, she's in trouble.  If a paladin from another homeland would think it odd, but not necessarily sinful, she's probably okay.  To use the example above, a male paladin from a polygamous homeland would find monogamy odd, but not sinful.  A paladin from a monogamous homeland would find polygamy odd, and possibly sinful until it was explained to him that polygamy was a legally binding marriage (though he might still take a dim view of it and its practicioners).  A paladin from a "homosexual marriage" culture might find it odd that people take such a narrow view of "heterosexual marriage only" cultures (perhaps even being pleasantly surprised that these peoples' marriage ideals mean no tough choices for a paladin raised in the culture).  But all three paladins would agree that a homosexual coupling or a coupling out of wedlock is definitely in violation of the code.In other words, the deity sets absolute principles.  Laws of cultures may affect the application of some of these principles, but paladins will recognize these principles regardless of their original culture.BTW, I'm NOT trying to turn this into a political/religious discussion with the examples above; it simply seemed like the most convenient way to illustrate the interplay between cultural norms and a deity's standards.  Please keep it in that context.--The Sigil</blockquote>

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