Forbidden Magic, Fantasy Religions, and other Thoughts

WingedKagouti · 03-18-2023, 12:23 PM

Fantasy religions are usually backed by actual gods with very real power, which makes atheism and agnosticism silly notions for those worlds. Many of them are also polytheistic, which essentially means that no single church can lay public claim to having the "one true morality", but instead have to acknowledge that their chosen god is just one aspect of the world. There will certainly still be those who are too dogmatic to acknowledge non-believers as people.

On the other hand, a church or deity can certainly ban their own priests from using certain types of magic. If the church is against it but the deity isn't, the repercussions will be purely social. But if the deity is against that type of magic, things might be really bad for any faithful that breaks a ban.

Additionally, mages will probably also be at least a bit religious themselves in such a world. If there is no god of magic (or mages), they'll probably lean towards a god of knowledge or mysteries if they don't have reasons for worshipping a different god (eg. a mage who grew up as the child of farmers might worship an agricultural deity). In most settings, mages and priests will understand that the power of a mage comes from a non-divine source, without magic itself being more inherently evil than any other tool or weapon.

Take something like the ancient Egyptians, Greek or even the Norse. While an individual might favour a specific deity, (or at least close to) everyone acknowledged the other deities and offered sacrifices of some sort to ask for favours or placate them. Greek epics often touch upon people who worshipped one deity and forgot to offer a sacrifice to another before undertaking some task, which was then punished by the ignored deity.

City- and nation-wide bans on various types of magic are more likely to come from whatever government is in place than from religion(s) (theocracies being a special case). From them you're likely to see bans and heavy restrictions on any type of magic that has a risk of causing major damage, disrupting the economy or otherwise usurping the minds, abilities or wealth of those in power.

03-18-2023, 12:23 PM	#9
WingedKagouti Join Date: Oct 2007	Re: Forbidden Magic, Fantasy Religions, and other Thoughts Fantasy religions are usually backed by actual gods with very real power, which makes atheism and agnosticism silly notions for those worlds. Many of them are also polytheistic, which essentially means that no single church can lay public claim to having the "one true morality", but instead have to acknowledge that their chosen god is just one aspect of the world. There will certainly still be those who are too dogmatic to acknowledge non-believers as people. On the other hand, a church or deity can certainly ban their own priests from using certain types of magic. If the church is against it but the deity isn't, the repercussions will be purely social. But if the deity is against that type of magic, things might be really bad for any faithful that breaks a ban. Additionally, mages will probably also be at least a bit religious themselves in such a world. If there is no god of magic (or mages), they'll probably lean towards a god of knowledge or mysteries if they don't have reasons for worshipping a different god (eg. a mage who grew up as the child of farmers might worship an agricultural deity). In most settings, mages and priests will understand that the power of a mage comes from a non-divine source, without magic itself being more inherently evil than any other tool or weapon. Take something like the ancient Egyptians, Greek or even the Norse. While an individual might favour a specific deity, (or at least close to) everyone acknowledged the other deities and offered sacrifices of some sort to ask for favours or placate them. Greek epics often touch upon people who worshipped one deity and forgot to offer a sacrifice to another before undertaking some task, which was then punished by the ignored deity. City- and nation-wide bans on various types of magic are more likely to come from whatever government is in place than from religion(s) (theocracies being a special case). From them you're likely to see bans and heavy restrictions on any type of magic that has a risk of causing major damage, disrupting the economy or otherwise usurping the minds, abilities or wealth of those in power.