From: Argrath@aol.com
Date: Wed 17 Jan 1996 - 04:29:14 EET
Sandy, in V2 #326, says, in rebuttal (?) of my statement that religion
represents group interests:
>My Mormon bishop takes out time to talk to me personally about my >family
concerns.
That's magic?
Really, just read the book, Sandy. It's called _Stolen Lightning: The Social
Theory of Magic_, by Daniel Lawrence O'Keefe, published by Vintage Books
(1983). Please note that no rebuttal was offered to the examples I cited of
independent magic.
OTOH, Sandy's descriptions of independent magic (V2 #327) in the various
The cults for hire span a spectrum from highly establishment to
lands are not too far off the mark. The "mercenary cults" are a feature not
found in Earth society to any great extent, so it's hard to gauge the impact
they have. But my view has always been that the cults of the Orlanthi (frex)
are more like different churches in the same sect, analogous to the many
saints' venerators in the early church, than they are like separate
religions. Thus, they work in general harmony, though there are the usual
political problems.
illegality, making Sandy's thesis attractive. But there are two problems
with Sandy's thesis: 1) you don't need a priest/wizard/shaman for every
problem any more than you need a doctor for every headache or a lawyer every
time your neighbor does you dirty; 2) people everywhere have independent
magic, and sufficiently sophisticated peoples have always had independent
magicians.
- --Martin
------------------------------
End of Glorantha Digest V2 #328
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