Sermon #1 - text

[raptura]

[Just a simple little post from username 'Bluemarine', but it's posted for everyone to see and the option to reply in any format you like is there, should you feel like it. Somebody sure has the burning desire to ask everyone a question (or piss off as many people as they can, depending).]

How many of you believe in an afterlife? Or...What I should ask is; how many of you understand that you're slaves to fate and destiny, no matter how unhappy yours might be?

You're welcome to try and change my mind on that front, if you think you have the intellect.

Comments

[raptura]

Forgive my assumptions; once you hear one thing that sounds extraordinary, you start to think that everyone else is capable of it bar yourself. It's only natural that our perspectives on the more philosophical parts of life would differ drastically, when gods are tangible to you in a way that I'll never understand.

[A lie in some small way, but giving away his love life just isn't Pucci's style online. But then, he's also not going to give away just how hard that last part about 'whatever happens couldn't have been helped' hits him. The joys of anonymity.]

And you're definitely correct about the reasoning behind humanity's philosophical and religious inclinations in the first place. Scientifically, I know that it's all justification for that which we can't fully explain or don't want to, a way that we can make everything fall into place without having to look at the wider, emptier maw of chaos. But it's the spice of human existence. Or demigod existence, I suppose?

[assyrian]

It is very human to dwell on philosophical matters and conjure all kinds of inventive notions as to the reason of being. Part of me admires that creativity. I can see that from your writings that you are one such imaginative man yourself.

Alas, I am a more practical woman, who prefers the concrete over the abstract. Call me simple-minded, if you wish.

[raptura]

You flatter me! I'm merely ingrained into the system that such imagination formed, though it gives me purpose all the same.

At any rate, your practical is my abstract; I can't call that simple-minded, nor am I in the mood to insult you as such. You provide intriguing conversation, so that alone proves you no simpleton, I think. I just wish that I could offer more in the way of interesting topics myself, but asking things such as 'what is a tangible pantheon like to live with' would probably be boring for you.

[assyrian]

Though I don’t hold great affection for the gods, discussing them is never dull. Besides, I’m in a generous mood tonight.

[ Translation: she’s bored. ]

So, what is a tangible pantheon like to live with? Awe-inspiring. Terrifying. A divine being never does anything half-heartedly. My first point of advice when dealing with a god is to avoid their attention altogether. And if that’s not possible, do your best to avoid provoking their ire. It could be my bias speaking, [ It is ] but I’d say that they have more in common with the monsters they create than humans.

[raptura]

Your generosity's much appreciated, of course; I do love learning new things!

The way you describe it sounds like a more realistic take on the stories of the Greek pantheon, in truth; theatrical, ridiculous at times, but also definitely worthy of reverence for the sheer scale of everything they do. Mind you, avoiding their ire is something that even people in my world try to do, as a general rule; it's the attention thing that seems to be the difference, though that much makes sense.

Monsters, however! That's a new one to me. Can I ask about the nature of these monsters?