Monotheism?

[shivamuffin]

Zoaster, Yaweh, Since when is monotheism modern? Last time I checked, it's as old as we are.

 

[MarauderX]

So now one of the questions that need to be asked...

In a monotheistic world two opposing forces are about to do battle, so the LG cleric on one side casts Protection from Evil, and the NG cleric on the other side does the same, do they work at all? How about other spells like Bless? The whole thing seems to take on a evil aspect about it if the armies clash and one side is favored over the other by the god. Then again, how well do they really know their god?? There is definitely some room for a few Rat Bastard DM tactics in here.

 

[MerakSpielman]

There are two ways of defining Monotheism: A) Our people worship a single god and he is greater than all other gods; and B) There is only one god, and all claims to the contary are simply false.

There is significant evidence that the Hebrews belief evolved slowly from A to B over the course of centuries. By the time Christianity was born, B was pretty well established.

Zoroastrianism presents Ahura Mazda as the "Supreme God" and predates Christianity. But is that "supreme" as in, the most powerful god? Or supreme as in the only god? I don't know enough about it to say one way or another. Zoroastrianism is still practiced.

D&D DMs have the advantage of being able to lay out the ultimate truth in black and white, a luxury that we lack on the real world. "Of course such-and-such is a real god! See, he grants me spells!" as opposed to "Of course such-and-such is a real god! Well, no, he doesn't grant me spells..." Hard to argue with, really. When the priests of a god can do magic, it's pretty good proof that their god exists. If only the worshippers of one god can do magic, then it's a monotheistic world, regardless of how many false religions there are.

 

[shivamuffin]

The mono god could grant spells to all sides, delighting in the conflict? Each side thinks they are in tune with the ol mighty one, but in fact they are but playthings to it, and pitted against eachother.

 

[MerakSpielman]

I'd like to think a monothiestic god would be less capricious... But hey, it's fantasy!

 

[Elder-Basilisk]

A good monotheistic god would be less capricious. However, in fantasy, the monotheistic god is not necessarily good (although, if one were to follow the principle that fantasy can and should change physical but should not change moral realities any monotheistic god ought to be good).

Of course, the line between a God in the monotheistic sense and a god in the D&D sense isn't as clear as one might think. I don't think a campaign would necessarily be non-monotheistic if it included other beings capable of granting spells and/or performing acts which interrupt the normal course of nature so caprice is only one of a number of possible explanations for why both sides in any given conflict might appear to be granted spells by the same god.

I'd like to think a monothiestic god would be less capricious... But hey, it's fantasy!

 

[SylverFlame]

The mono god could grant spells to all sides, delighting in the conflict? Each side thinks they are in tune with the ol mighty one, but in fact they are but playthings to it, and pitted against eachother.

Two other possibilities I find quite intriuging are these:

1) The god is so ambivalent to the day to day workings of the world (more interested in the big picture on the scale of millennia) that it just gives magic to everyone. All of a sudden you have an excuse why all people can be clerics and it adds a level to the god that would be fun.

2) The faith and fervor of the people is so great that the god has lost the ability to keep them from taking the power of magic from it. I'm using this in the CW I'm making and all of a sudden a minor god has gotten to be a huge thing in my rare magic setting.

Both add new levels to a god and both make you scratch your head. Always good things when it comes to the divine.

 

[Dogbrain]

Also, this is fantasy monotheism is just to modern.

Can you please point me to some real-world history references that specifically, explicitly, and exclusively put "fantasy" into a single historical period? I've studied the prehistoric era. I've studied ancient history, classical history, medieval history, renaissance history, modern history, every region of the world, nearly every period, and I can't find a single time that is considered to be the "fantasy era" by any reputable historian.

So, what textbooks or monographs can you direct me to?

 

[Dogbrain]

First, you have to determine whether or not your campaign's cosmology/metaphysic is monotheistic. It is possible to have a polytheist campaign but a monotheist culture within that campaign. Those other deities might actually exist, but the culture in question will believe, beyond any doubt, that only Great Ghu exists, the rest are demons, delusions, etc.

This is a time for an aside: A monotheist believes that only one God exists at all. Admitting the existence of other deities but considering yours "the best" makes one a henotheist. A polytheist believes that multiple deities exist and that at least a few of them are equally as good as all the others. Likewise, polytheists do not "have a god". They will worship "the gods" as a group or "their gods" as a group while calling on particular deities as needed. Then we have mystery cultists, who are sort of "softcore henotheists". They may very well go on worshipping other gods but have dedicated themselves particularly to one.

Anyway, back to the question: Is the actual cosmology monotheist or is it merely a culture in that cosmology?

 

[Plane Sailing]

My homebrew campaign world is monotheistic, and it intentionally doesn't bear any resemblance that I'm aware of to any real religion.

Within the core religion there are various aspects of the god which are worshipped (with different domain sets etc). Within most aspects there can be both good and evil worshippers.

The campaign world is set up so that there is one huge theocratic state, and from there their missionaries have spread the word across most of the world to greater or lesser extent. In the campaign at the moment the PC's know that there is turmoil over in the theocracy, and it is something that they will probably try to deal with sooner or later as they become more powerful.

I far prefer the feel of this monotheistic world to any of the polytheistic campaigns I've ever played in, and my players are all enjoying it too.

Cheers