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Spiritual centers and factions

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Mon, 2014-04-07 18:16

Steel Accord Steel Accord's picture

Spiritual centers and factions

Between ego-casting, backups, and the upward limits (or lack therefore) of Singularity Intelligence, there is quite a lot in this setting with great religious and spiritual significance. I know the original sourcebook gives us a section on three new religions and Catholicism is still practiced in the Jovian Republic. (Represent! XD) But I'm thinking the topic could be expanded upon in a campaign. What are some places in this setting that you guys think might attract those of the religious or spiritual inclination, and what kinds of orders or cults would there be beyond the given three? Personally, I think the sun might actually be ripe for such a theme. The Surya themselves are named for a deity, and call one of the most powerful objects in known existence (a star) their home. That's bound to make one very introspective. Not to mention the politics and troubles of the Inner System happen around them, but they are only as involved as they choose to be. With the precedence for sun-worship in human history, it wouldn't be unreasonable for those with the mind to do so, seek out the older Surya as teachers or shamans. What do you guys think?

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Your passion is power. Focus it. Your body is a tool. Hone it. Transhummanity is a pantheon. Exalt it!

Mon, 2014-04-07 18:33

Ancient History Ancient History's picture

More Shameless Plugging

I played with this a bit on Farcast...most notable examples: http://www.farcastblog.com/2013/12/360-af-anabaptists.html http://www.farcastblog.com/2013/09/267-white-room.html http://www.farcastblog.com/2013/07/197-last-caliphate.html http://www.farcastblog.com/2013/06/156-communion-of-re.html

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[url=http://farcastblog.com]Farcast, an Eclipse Phase yearblog[/url]

Mon, 2014-04-07 18:45

Steel Accord Steel Accord's picture

Thanks

Thank you for the suggested readings. I will get to them in time.

—

Your passion is power. Focus it. Your body is a tool. Hone it. Transhummanity is a pantheon. Exalt it!

Mon, 2014-04-07 19:49

uwtartarus uwtartarus's picture

Religion in EP

Just as 21st century religious traditions, no matter how regressive or fundamentalist, are ultimately shaped by the world they live in, not the historical tradition they'd like to pretend they are a pure continuation thereof, I always felt like the "religion is dead, long live rational transhumanity" element of Eclipse Phase was sort of weak. In the Takeshi Kovacs trilogy, resleeving technology and colonization of other worlds hasn't purged religions from humanity's cultures, and instead there are religious traditions that arise to confront and counter the sweeping changes that technology inflicts upon humans. I imagine that religious organizations, no matter how contradictory, would prey upon the dissatisfaction of people living in slums on Mars or Luna, and that the terrorist groups are just as likely to be believers as well as non-believers. Never thought much on the sun whales, they are a bit odd, but it adds up that they'd end up with some strange insights into spirituality as they float in the giant ball of furious plasma and such that has so long been a thing of worship.

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Exhuman, and Humanitarian.

Mon, 2014-04-07 20:54

Steel Accord Steel Accord's picture

General attitude

I agree that religion wouldn't have been dead by the time of this setting. That's why I asked. What I'm asking for is just people's theories on specific locations and sects that have evolved, as the splatbook kind of glosses over something that is a HUGE part of the human experience and would remain in the transhuman one. I mean, imagine what Uplifts or AGIs might come up with in terms of spirituality and systems of worship!

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Your passion is power. Focus it. Your body is a tool. Hone it. Transhummanity is a pantheon. Exalt it!

Tue, 2014-04-08 00:07

ShadowDragon8685 ShadowDragon8685's picture

Didn't the last thread on

Didn't the [i]last[/i] thread on religion in EP turn into a grade-A clusterskronk?

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Skype and AIM names: Exactly the same as my forum name. [url=http://tinyurl.com/mfcapss]My EP Character Questionnaire[/url] [url=http://tinyurl.com/lbpsb93]Thread for my Questionnaire[/url] [url=http://tinyurl.com/obu5adp]The Five Orange Pips[/url]

Tue, 2014-04-08 00:48

bibliophile20 bibliophile20's picture

ShadowDragon8685 wrote:Didn't

ShadowDragon8685 wrote:
Didn't the [i]last[/i] thread on religion in EP turn into a grade-A clusterskronk?

Yes, but there are two differences this time. [color=orange]First, certain parties that actively engaged in disrespect towards the beliefs of others are no longer present. And second, there's a mod in town now. :) So, as such, please, let the discussion commence, but keep it respectful; even if you don't agree with a person's beliefs, respect their right to hold those beliefs. There is a difference between critiquing the belief and attacking the person. I am not singling out any individual; this is more an up front warning because, as ShadowDragon so nicely put it, the last Religion discussion turned into a "grade-A clusterskronk", and an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure and all of those wonderful such phrases. [/color]

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"Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch. Liberty is a well-armed lamb contesting the vote." -Benjamin Franklin

Tue, 2014-04-08 00:59

Steel Accord Steel Accord's picture

Understood

I'll refrain from sounding like I'm evangelizing, even by implication. Perhaps, given the open ended nature of the responses, this thread should be moved to the Homebrew section?

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Your passion is power. Focus it. Your body is a tool. Hone it. Transhummanity is a pantheon. Exalt it!

Tue, 2014-04-08 07:11

nick012000 nick012000's picture

You know, this thread reminds

You know, this thread reminds me of a discussion I was having with an anti-transhumanist Christian, where I was arguing in favor of transhumanism from a Christian perspective. A couple quotes from the Bible to think upon: Matthew 18:7-9 "Woe to the world for temptations to sin! For it is necessary that temptations come, but woe to the one by whom the temptation comes! And if your hand or your foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life crippled or lame than with two hands or two feet to be thrown into the eternal fire. And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into the hell of fire." Galatians 5:16-24 "But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires." So, taking these verses in mind, it seems evidently reasonable that there might be a transhumanist sect of ascetic Christians, who seek to eliminate the sins of the flesh through psychosurgery and body modification (or simply uploading their minds to synthmorph or infomorph bodies). The next question then becomes "How would we make them interesting enough to feature in a game?", and that's one I'll leave to you guys.

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+1 r-Rep , +1 @-rep

Tue, 2014-04-08 08:27

#10

Kassil

For AGI and uplifts, it

For AGI and uplifts, it depends on how thoroughly the part of the brain responsible for religious experiences is emulated/replicated, I'd think. given that we can now induce a spiritual experience with an electromagnetic stimulation of that part of the human brain and all, the degree to which religion and faith play a role in the transhuman future depends on our replication and modification thereof. However, I'd wager that most transhuman population centers will have at least some presence of multiple religious groupings, just because it has, historically, been an incredibly useful social glue to form communities and to help ensure the survival of said community; even in atheist-rich technoprogressive space you'll have at least small clades that put together shrines to their belief system and hold traditional ceremonies. Some will reinvent themselves for the new world, others will cling more fiercely than ever to the way things used to be done as a link to pre-Fall Earth. The more permissive religions and factions thereof will tend to flourish in anarchist-oriented space. The more restrictive and hierarchical faiths and sects will flourish in the social zones that already trend toward that. I'm sure that in much of the PC, there are dedicated simulspaces where you can find ordained leaders of numerous faiths, in virtual replicas of Earth's greatest centers of those faiths. I'm even willing to bet there's a simulspace where Zoroastrianism has been replicated as best possible by people who feel it at least passingly explains things better.

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"Don't eat the jelly, that's a protoplasm someone sleeved into."

Tue, 2014-04-08 11:14

#11

Steel Accord Steel Accord's picture

Great example!

That gives me the image of an entirely new Christian sect composed entirely of AGIs and infomorphs! Baptisms to erase the sub-routine of original sin. Rejecting the temptations of temptation of hard-takeoff Singularity. And probably a bunch of other digital allegories I can't think of! Good idea. Especially if it was put in direct conflict with the Neo-Catholic Churh of the Junta. The Priests would be forced to overcome their prejudice and actually engage this new Church's clergy as something they never wish to see in non-humans . . . equals.

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Your passion is power. Focus it. Your body is a tool. Hone it. Transhummanity is a pantheon. Exalt it!