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Message: <blockquote data-quote="CruelSummerLord" data-source="post: 3578293" data-attributes="member: 48692">In my version of Greyhawk, the many different churches are often wracked with internal debates, differences and discussions on theology and the interpretation of writings and doctrine, much like the differences between Catholics and Protestants, or between Sunni and Shi'ite Muslims in Islam.  The way I see it, the gods are very real and have their own beliefs-but they give a very broad set of guidelines to their followers, that those human followers then interpret and put their own gloss on.  It is this belief and devotion that forms a connection between god and follower, and allows the former to grant spells to the latter.  As the cleric's faith and connection become stronger (in game terms, as the cleric gains levels), the cleric can use more and more powerful spells and abilities.  The real-life Bible can be a perfect example.  Biblical scholars are always debating many different aspects of the religion, and Christians are involved in endless debates with one another.  While there are many common threads linking the various versions of the Bible, it goes without saying that different followers interpret different parts of Scripture.  I see no reason why D&D religions can't be the same way.  In a sense, it is the cleric's belief system that allows them to be able to gain divine power; violating their code of ethics disrupts the connection and causes them to lose power.  Different sects can receive spells from the same god, and still be punished if they violate the edicts of their own sect.  A real-life example would be, say, if a Catholic priest were denied spells for acting more like a Methodist, even though both sects worship God.  This divine-connection theory does not necessarily require an actual god-different hermits, holy men, shamans, witches, medicine men, or witch doctors might worship things like the sky, the sun, or a mountain range and acquire divine powers of their own.  It would be their sincere and devoted worship and belief that would allow the cleric to cast divine spells-their worship and devotion allows them to connect to a given outer plane and renew their clerical powers.  A wide variety of prestige classes, variant classes, and other powers can be developed from this.  It's also worth noting that evil gods can openly establish full-fledged temples even in cities and countries of good alignment-the sects that tend to operate openly don't engage in evil plots to destroy or conquer, but rather deal with the more savory aspects of their god's portfolio.  The followers of a god of disease and plague, for instance, might be mainly concerned with treating and burying the diseased and sick, and jostle with good-aligned religions to do so.  The followers of a god of murder and death might be more concerned with making sure that those who die alone and unmourned receive the dignity of a decent burial or cremation.  As a result of all this, there is often fierce debate and political maneuvering within a church, and different religions are constantly competing with one another for converts, donations, and other forms of support.  However, most of the time this is not violent; the followers of evil deities who operate openly tend to be members of less-violent sects who know better than to pull any funny business.  They put up with peasants throwing rocks at their temple-no need to give them an excuse to burn the temple.  Some particularly heated rivalries might lead to blows and street fighting, but not clerics of Pholtus and Nerull who meet in the streets of Greyhawk, for instance-the Pholtans despise the Nerullians, but also know that to mess with the Nerullians will only bring trouble from the city authorities, and the Pholtans know they must obey the law, distasteful as it is in this situation.</blockquote>

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