At 12:40 AM on Friday May 5th 2009 (299 Days 19 Hours ago)
Ratha posted the following:


Let me expand upon your observation a little bit.

Sheep: On the bottom we have sheep. Sheep make up the majority of religion, they are kindof like pawns in a chess game. You can manipulate them simply by putting ideas in their heads and making them think that they were the ones who constructed the idea. Sheep tend to have a couple of different levels of engagement:

Converted: The Converted are like the rogue of religion. They use tricky tactics and sneak around and often into your homes. If you've ever encountered a Converted, you probably have felt that sense of relief when they have gone, this is because their newfound holy word secretly saps your minutes, also your patience. You may experience a sense of freedom once again at their departure when youve gotten back your future time, and no longer feel their word spiritually repressing you. Unfortunately then you also realize that your civility towards them will mean that they will return, again, and again.

Priest: This level of sheep tends to believe in the higher power, and as such is able to call down the spiritual essence and channel it, and use it to 'heal' the minds of the devote. The warmth you feel is usually not your blood, sweat, or money flowing from your body, thats the sacred light warming your soul as you are healed. This class has the power to convert you. This class is also capable of laying hands. But we dont discuss that part.

Zealot: These guys are bad news, these are like the assassins of faith, but not quite the image of a paladin that may come to mind. These guys are the gangs and militia of the religious world. They bomb your senses with improvised explosive devotion. Chances are you are their enemy, you may not know why, but you are a scourge and must be vanquished. These are the guys who are sent to do it. Unlike assassins though they do not have the refinement of skill, they believe their zeal alone will make them triumph.

Preacher: These guys are your public figure heads. Think of them like politicians, they talk and talk and talk and talk, and nomatter what anyone else thinks, they cannot be convinced that their ways, teachings, or thoughts could be harmfully misguided, or misguiding. Thankfully most sheep cannot be seduced by their word, because the preacher is key in the training of the zealot.

Bishop: The bishop is kindof like the vice president. No one really knows what the bishop does, but he always seems to be there whenever there are matters to discuss. For some reason the people who actually know what they are doing come to him for executive decisions. These guys are the heads of the churches and temples, they dictate and judge, unfortunately their decisions are weighted by the symbol around their necks. They are strictly bound to follow the old ways and writings of the past. Nomatter how the world evolves. Bishops are the direct descendants of the days when the church ruled the world, and not the kings and queens.

Pope: The highest religious authority. These are the guys who make the rules. They've been around longer than time itself. Their family ties stretch back to the dawn of creation, roughly 5000 years ago. These are your mages, for the mere wave of their hand can silence millions, and drop them to their knees. Only god himself is of higher religious authority than the mage, and because he only speaks directly to the pope, the pope is considered to be the liaison between this world and the magical one in the sky.

God: Gods are the dragons and spirits that inhabit the skies and underworlds, the stars and heavens. While believed to be all knowing or all powerful, even gods can fall. It once took 40 men but those days are now over, now only a fraction of that is needed. There used to be many gods, of war, and of love, the seas, skies and heavens, of nature and even the earth itself, but many of them have been killed. Only the god, or gods who have remained hidden throughout the ages still remain. The day of man is coming though, and soon man will shape his own destiny.