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Cleric shenanigans (metaphysical, no right answers)
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<blockquote data-quote="Celebrim" data-source="post: 7600095" data-attributes="member: 4937"><p>As a pet peeve, the definition of Faith has evolved greatly over the last 150 years - at least as it has been presented in dictionaries. Early dictionaries, say those of the 19th century, presented a very different definition of faith than the one that has been trending to dominance among lexicographists over the last 50 years. My contention is that this evolution has occurred as the proportion of lexicographists who are pious has diminished, producing a situation where the people judging the meaning of the word "Faith" are increasingly the ones that don't have it.</p><p></p><p>This produces a huge disconnect in modern conversation between the pious and the irreligious, since the irreligious when they say "faith" are using something like your dictionary.com definition, but the religious and pious when they say "Faith" are using an entirely different older definition. The result is a massive disconnect where neither side understands what the other is saying, and which were neither side agrees to the others axiomatic claims. The two groups are literally speaking different dialects where words with particular sounds are related to one other, but convey very different meanings.</p><p></p><p>For example, the reason that I would tend to say that "Faith" shouldn't really exist in a fantasy game setting, is that the vast majority of fantasy game settings have some sort cosmology that is pastiche polytheism, and in general polytheistic religions consider correct ritual vastly more important than faith (if they consider faith at all) and what separates the clergy from the common worshiper is not a degree of faith, but the fact that the clergy possess the esoteric and often secret knowledge (to say nothing of the paraphernalia) necessary to correctly perform the rituals. The logic of that is based on the assumptions of polytheism, which do not require that the worshipper form an attachment to any particular deity. Monotheism holds faith higher than ritual, because it emphasizes in a way that polytheism doesn't, attachment to the person of a particular deity. (As Gene Wolfe recently died, the conversation between Severian and his deceased Master concerning government, and the faith of his three legged dog comes to mind here.)</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Celebrim, post: 7600095, member: 4937"] As a pet peeve, the definition of Faith has evolved greatly over the last 150 years - at least as it has been presented in dictionaries. Early dictionaries, say those of the 19th century, presented a very different definition of faith than the one that has been trending to dominance among lexicographists over the last 50 years. My contention is that this evolution has occurred as the proportion of lexicographists who are pious has diminished, producing a situation where the people judging the meaning of the word "Faith" are increasingly the ones that don't have it. This produces a huge disconnect in modern conversation between the pious and the irreligious, since the irreligious when they say "faith" are using something like your dictionary.com definition, but the religious and pious when they say "Faith" are using an entirely different older definition. The result is a massive disconnect where neither side understands what the other is saying, and which were neither side agrees to the others axiomatic claims. The two groups are literally speaking different dialects where words with particular sounds are related to one other, but convey very different meanings. For example, the reason that I would tend to say that "Faith" shouldn't really exist in a fantasy game setting, is that the vast majority of fantasy game settings have some sort cosmology that is pastiche polytheism, and in general polytheistic religions consider correct ritual vastly more important than faith (if they consider faith at all) and what separates the clergy from the common worshiper is not a degree of faith, but the fact that the clergy possess the esoteric and often secret knowledge (to say nothing of the paraphernalia) necessary to correctly perform the rituals. The logic of that is based on the assumptions of polytheism, which do not require that the worshipper form an attachment to any particular deity. Monotheism holds faith higher than ritual, because it emphasizes in a way that polytheism doesn't, attachment to the person of a particular deity. (As Gene Wolfe recently died, the conversation between Severian and his deceased Master concerning government, and the faith of his three legged dog comes to mind here.) [/QUOTE]
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