[IC] Imperial Cult Thread

[Ecclesiarch]

Re: [IC] Imperial Cult Thread

I have to say, I am torn between trying to accept that this is something that folks actually follow and believe, and wondering if maybe someone just drank too much of the GW cool-aid. Now, I'm going to approach it from the first stance, because to do otherwise is disrespectful if in fact, that is the case.

What you mentioned strikes even closer of a chord to many of the things that I have heard Christians say in the past. Specifically the part about human dominion over all, and the concept if "if you're not with us, you're wrong". We do not lay claim to any such ownership or possession of anything, including space, nor are we a perfect creation. Through upheaval, conflict, and chaos, the world as we k ow it was able to become what it is, for good or ill. It is not an evil, destructive force as you claim, but a catalyst for change and invention, an important and necessary fact of existance.

I'll stick to my tyranids, though the way the company has decided to run itself over the past ten years, they'll be lucky if they make it another ten.

Christians inherently believe humans are sinners and tainted, we do not. We believe humans choose to accept being tainted later in life and at their birth they are perfect. We also lay claim to our universe because we believe it our birthright as human beings, although I do understand the suspicion, and we do borrow some elements commonly found in all Semitic traditions (don't single out Christians here) but that is simply because our belief system isn't as accommodating and tolerant as yours towards alternate faiths, although as people we are completely capable of not going off on a random purge or flaming each and every thread in this forum so we do not.

- - - Updated - - -

Hubby's first comment was that he'd wait til the dude was actually around to worry about where to find the 10k a day to sacrifice.

...You should see my Sisters of Battle army MO

He is more symbolic to us, we also don't believe in sacrificing thousands to a deity that doesn't necessarily exist physically. In fact if anything, we frown upon human sacrifice.

[MaskedOne]

Re: [IC] Imperial Cult Thread

That and in his defense (mark this, I rarely mount a serious defense of the GEoM), he'd be opposed to the human sacrifices if he was healthy. Of course he'd also be enforcing anti-theism at gun point if he were healthy. You win some, you lose some.

[Torgrim]

Re: [IC] Imperial Cult Thread

That and in his defense (mark this, I rarely mount a serious defense of the GEoM), he'd be opposed to the human sacrifices if he was healthy. Of course he'd also be enforcing anti-theism at gun point if he were healthy. You win some, you lose some.

Well, the anti-theism bit is due to the fact that in the Warhammer 40K setting, any worship of gods seems to at least in part power the chaos gods... (usually due to the chaos gods corrupting it somehow and taking the place of that religion's gods or filling in their roles).

For example, a planet of non-Imperial warriors who worship a god of battle in the 40K setting would be "accidentally" worshiping Khorne (the god of battle/carnage/bravery) and thus making him more powerful through their worship. The emperor desired to eradicate any empowering of the Chaos Gods and if he had his way would have most likely attempted to make all humans atheists so as to weaken the Chaos Gods.

I honestly didn't expect to see this sort of discussion on this forum when I joined yesterday, but it is interesting to say the least! I play 40K a good deal (and ironically my favorite factions are Chaos Marines and Chaos Daemons) and I run a good number of 40K roleplaying games for friends.

Taking the argument that people follow the Imperial Cult for real (which this thread seems to imply), as long as it remained at least somewhat tolerant I could be down with it, but at the same time... the basic creed of the Imperial Cult would basically see the worship of other gods as indirect support of the Chaos Gods themselves (at least from the Emperor's standpoint, and some of the Inquisitors and Ecclesiarchy surely).

I do understand that on some planets where the Ecclesiarchy has "converted" the population to the Imperial Cult from their local religion, they often don't change the name of the local religious entities, but merely make them into aspects of the Emperor himself so that they can't accidentally slide into Chaos worship, and through this mode of worship the priests control the beliefs of the population to ensure their purity.

With this in mind, it leaves me with some questions, wouldn't then Imperial Cultists who aren't intolerant of other religions believe that the Gods other people worship are all actually just aspects of the God Emperor unless quite clearly Chaos Gods? What if for example, someone like myself worships The Morrigan (goddess of war/death), who could easily fall under "chaos/khorne" territory, how is that perceived by the Imperial Cult, I am worshiping a Goddess who to at least some degree revels in some violence and the darker nature of humanity? How does an Imperial Cultist reconcile that without branding it outright heresy and also not outright laying claim to all deities?

[Doc_Holliday]

Re: [IC] Imperial Cult Thread

Interesting. Do most followers of this faith find the faith first or the game that it comes from? This is all new to me.

[anunitu]

Re: [IC] Imperial Cult Thread

Who knows Doc,and BTW welcome back,ya been missed ya know..

[NeoPlatonic]

Re: [IC] Imperial Cult Thread

If you are literalists, I would much rather worship Tzeentch. I always wanted to do a little bit of magic, myself.

If you are not literalists (and we leave out the fact that I still would much rather worship Tzeentch), then I disagree with you on a number of grounds: First, the universe is vast. We do not know if there are aliens out there - but if there are I would be inclined to share it with them rather than claiming the whole of existence as humanity's property.

Second, humanity is not perfect by virtue of the fact that perfection is subjective. It is also an argument I have against supporters of the Intelligent Design theory: If humanity was "Intelligently" designed, why are there so many things that do not make freaking sense? That aside, the fact that we are capable of improving ourselves through genetics means there is room for improving the human condition (perfect beings would gain nothing from this in my view as they would already have the desireable qualities genetics could provide without science providing them).

Third, Emperor is an outdated political title. Surely a being willing to protect humanity would use a more modern title?

P.D.: Since this is a pagan forum and I have been playing some Total War recently, the first thing I thought of upon seeing this thread's title was the Roman Imperial Cult, which would certainly have been interesting to interesting reading about neo-pagans reconciling their beliefs with the fact that the Roman Empire has not existed for almost six hundred years.