Priest and Deacon in Cork

[pygmental]

I actually used to live here. Here are where I differ from the "leadership" of the order of Mucaz":

	Basic Principles The Faith teaches that life is about choices and the consequences. You are not punished for ignorance, but rather for willing disobedience. It is essential that one tries to learn, but there will be times when one slips. It is not the slips that define us, but rather our choices and what we do about it. Know this, in the faith it is YOUR choices that guide you. You will not be condemned for what you do not know, but to willingly transgress, you will be judged by it.

I am not so much interested in making a hierarchy with me at the top like the more vocal members of the priesthood. There are a couple theological disagreements among the members but that is my largest issue with the order of Mucaz. Trying to write rules to control members is wrong.

Here is my code, in the words of the Mage Zachrin:

	The purpose of the faith is simple. To learn, to improve, and to guide.

[Adonair]

Thanks

Since you don't believe in imposing rules to control members, perhaps you could start some discussions among us here and guide us towards our own understanding of the Faith.

I'll tell you up front that I'm not religious, but I have some views on how the world works.

[pygmental]

Well, you don't exactly need to be religious. You make your own choices and the experiences from those make you who you are. See, as a part of the idea of everyone learning from their own experiences, people need to be free to make their own choices. If I told everyone how to behave, what would they learn? Learn that I'm a jerk amybe, heh. Seriously though, if we don't try anything new we lose the opportunity to better our lives. Yes, there is the possibilty that something unpleasant will happen, but even if it does, that is something you can learn from.

Knowledge is power. These are not just trite words, but the key to controlling our world. Views on how the world works are fine Adonair, but observations are better. Consider a house. Is it made from bricks? Okay, and bricks are made by hardening clay. Someone saw that the slippery sticky stuff could be made hard through fire, and using a simple observation changed the world they lived in. Vases, cups, plates, bricks for bridges and houses. Bricks are used in large ovens for baking, furnaces for melting and refining metal. I'm getting a little off topic, but youcan see the progression of simple observations about the world, leading to the power to control it. With steel pickaxes we can remove a mountain.

Okay, I've never run off into a sermon or whatever before, so everyone feel free to pick it apart, or ask whatever questions might occur to you.

[balerion]

So basically scientific knowledge developed over several eras trumps the Faith. Or is science your Faith? Either way I still like my cult better.

[pygmental]

How do you get thatscientific knowledge trumps the faith? Where are they in competition? As you already know, since you are in the Inner Chambers of the Order of Mucaz, the faith has to do with the Mages. Well, I still dislike trolldragons, but I'm not getting sucked into worshipping you, hahaha.

The point is to live your own life and better yourself.

[Adonair]

that sounds like good news, deacon, that science and the Faith are not in conflict. I would hate the idea that the important work I've done in alchemy, physics and astrology might be attacked by the leaders of the Faith if it didn't bear out their own beliefs.

I see where Balerion is getting that inference, but its sort of complicated. Essentially, science tends to concentrate on the observable and the experiment whereas faith tends to concentrate on a body of knowledge passed down (beliefs, dogma, perspective, points of view etc). In truth neither is purely one or the other nor is any of us. If we shut our eyes and accept what we're told we lack wisdom and will probably hurt someone and ourselves, and if we insist on proving everything for ourselves we lack intelligence and will just wind up reinventing the wheel continuously.

science and faith, observation and perspective should be in continuing dialogue.

[pygmental]

Yes, and it gets really interesting when you start adding magic to the mix.

Now about the faith I can say that a lot of it has to do with the Mages. Note the capital M there. These are people who are incredibly powerful, have great wisdom and unsurpassed magical power. There is actually some debate about their nature among the faithful, but my point is that the directives of the faith came from somewhere. Some folks might be more comfortable if they didn't have to make decisions, and had something to reassure them that they are good. But what the Mages said was for us to Learn. To take responsibility for our own actions. There will always be some people who misuse religion, but to the faith the real sin is blinding yourself to what's around you. The faith does not make moral judgements, sying some actions are good and others bad. Rather it says you act as you wish, but take responsibility for what you do.

[Adonair]

seems like this particular sermon or discussion is finished. Can the deacon or the priest give us a new topic for discussion and help us find our way in the Faith?

[Nathan]

A letter was slipped under the door of the empty building.

	Dear Priest & Deacon of Cork, I have a personal request of some import waiting for your attention. Please let me know when you are due to return, if not already. Be safe in your journey. Nathan Braeden

[pygmental]

Hmm, well I am not sure where to take the theological discussion from here, have you had any questions you would like to ask?

nathan, I ahve returned and checked my Deacon offices first thing, but I see no request there. Has Amladris already handled this isssue?if not please enter your request again and mail me, I will attend to it as soon as I see it.