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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Celebrim" data-source="post: 6198765" data-attributes="member: 4937">Don't get so hung up on the question of 'existence'.   For example, even if the Abrahamic religions allowed for the existence of any other gods, they would still argue that only their god was worthy of worship.   Likewise, it doesn't follow that just because a polytheistic outlook allows for the existence of the god of Abraham, doesn't mean that they would find such a jealous god to be in any way worthy of worship.On the subject of exclusivity, one way to look at the alignments is to say that each alignment denies that the opposing alignment really exists.For example, Neutral Good argues that evil is merely the absence of good and that law and chaos are arbitrary things without any real meaning.  The only thing that they believe is 'real' is Good.   Everything else is either a failure to see the basic goodness (of say both structure and growth, of the individual and of the group), or else the absence of this basic goodness.  Evil exists only as a flaw in the world.Lawful Nuetral for its part makes the same suggestion.  The only wrong in the world is Chaos, a thing without substance itself, but merely the absence of right and proper order.   Chaos is merely a flaw in the world.   Good and evil are arbitrary creations of delusional beings who fail to see clearly as a result of confusion arising from the disorder.  What others see as 'good' or 'evil' are in fact merely cases of right order or the absence of same.And likewise Nuetral Evil argues that evil is the only reality in the world, and that all 'goodness' is hypocrisy at best or superabundant deception at worst.   Good is basically a delusion in this world view that just propagates greater and worse evils.   The fundamental nature of the universe is corrupt and inescapably so, and anyone that tells you other wise just wants to use you or isn't strong enough to face the truth.   There is no difference between heroes and villains, between the white hats and the black hats, except that the villains and the black hats are at least being honest with themselves and others.   If the heroes were really honest with themselves and truly opposed evil, they'd recognize that the villain that wants to burn down the world is really the only person with any sort of sane moral outlook.These views of the world are intensely mutually exclusive.  Each side is denying not only the basic tenants of the other, but even that the system of the world each imagines has anything to do with reality.   In other words, those that don't share their moral outlook aren't only wrong, but positively insane.   It doesn't really matter whether a god of 'Good' exists and a god of 'Evil' also exists, since the fundamental question isn't really over existence but over what is right and what is wrong.  It's not like religious tensions goes away if you allow that all religions are representing something in reality.  If you believe their god is also insane, delusional, and diabolical (just like his followers), there is plenty of religious tension over what is the proper way to describe and think about that reality.   Should one live for oneself or should one live for others?   Should one be merciful and kind when working for the health and wellbeing of yourself and others, or does might make right and is oppression, violence, trial, and destruction the only real path to true strength?  Tension doesn't go away just because you allow that there are powerful figures advocating for the opposite path.</blockquote>

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