Kest wrote:
Imp-Chan wrote:
Slamlander wrote:
Real gods do not need religious magic in order to manifest themselves, as they are entities in their own right. It's only god constructs that need to be the focus of worshippers...
See, I would say the exact opposite is true. Real gods are exclusively the product of worship and faith, and their power is limited and directed as a result of that worship and faith. This is not because they as dieties have limited potential or perception, it is because they are bound inextricably to their worshippers. A true god's potential for power is unlimited not because of their essential nature but because that power is a product of faith. They have no true free will or omnipotence because they are limited by the vision of their worshippers, but that worship makes them not merely a directionless "super-powerful being," but a god... a focus for potentially infinite faith and a force of order within the universe.
Yeah this system has been used in many settings - Forgotten Realms, American Gods, etc.
There are no absolutes in fantasy, Slamlander. ![:-?](./images/smilies/icon_confused.gif)
Itterind wrote:
As a monotheist trinitarian Christian my view on what is a 'true God' would have to be a single omnipotent being, 'a creator of all' with 'infinite power'.
Slamlander wrote:
...
Possible. It depends on how the author wants to use this particular plot device. Usually, without a focus, the energy is simply dissipated because the focus has to be active. The priesthood is there to provide activation and, in this case, direction.
...
A minor quibble and clarification, the context was plot devices and gods are only yet another plot device and I was only decribing one standard model. Authors don't have to stick to any standard models; I certainly don't.
My specific current theistic plot device has a background I call
The Life Cycles of gods. It's in a word doc and I don't even have it on my own wikis because it's too much of a spoiler.
Imp-Chan wrote:
The comics appear to be pretty standard stuff with nice cover art, though the intros for each volume seem a little over-dramatic, I think.
A link:
http://lalunenoire.dargaud.com/
I thank you both Neko and Impy.
Impy: What you stated is yet another theistic model. In mine, the Goddess is the Universe and the Universe is the Goddess. As a direct result, she can be anywhere or multiple 'where's simultaneously. Yes, it's a hell of a Superman problem and I did come up with a non-contrived answer, going back to
Lifecycles of Gods. But as another point, she doesn't need, and has no use for, worshippers. Only the fake gods need worshippers. Angels worship an Angelic God and in return, he keeps them enraptured, much to the annoyance of the real Goddess. Yes, by your definition, the Goddess is only yet another emensely powerful being but don't kill this one because the universe won't survive the experience. Again, just another theistic model (he quickly says, hoping to avoid a religion-based melt-down).
Neither model is definitive and both, in their context, are correct. They are just tools and possibilities.