Brief Discussion on Choosing and Honoring the Gods, A

A Brief Discussion on Choosing and Honoring the Gods

                  By Gadelica Treblesong

There are those who find an expression of their faith and spirit within a single Immortal of these lands. There are those who approach the holy ones in their worship of the All-God. And there are those who cannot find the way to express their beliefs at all. Following is a discussion of some of these concerns and the solution some of the wise have found for themselves.

As Clerics we are called upon to carry the lore and faith of the Immortals to others, and to show our undying faith to those who protect us. As creatures of the Realms, unless we take the blind path of only trusting in ourselves, we are required to seek and earn favor from one of the Immortals, to come to our aid when our own resources fail us.

How does one make this choice? How are we to know whose path to walk? Many feel it is an intuitive simple choice, based upon the path we have led before and the path we seek to walk into the future. Some of the Immortals are a closer expression of that path than others, for any given individual. But what happens when we choose one? Do we then reject the Others?

The wise Monk Darnelli wrote a discussion of this subject, which I quote:

"He who thinks he may worship and honor only one of the
Immortals, And rejects all others, does so at great peril to
himself and others.  For it takes all, all of the 13, even all of
the 39, to create the beam Upon which we balance.  Thus though
one may devote his life to Damaris, In some instance upon his
road, he will need the bitterness of Beort To see him through.
All are revered, all must be honored, though we Choose to seek
the Favor and attention of the One we feel most close to us, In
spirit and Kind, in no way does such honor of One dishonor the
Thirty-eight."

Upon these thoughts then comes the question, well, what if I choose to honor one and reject all others. First of all, favors are granted in the name of the 13, and one cannot gain favor from Botolf without the favor of Rutilor. The Immortals themselves cannot stand alone, neither the 13 nor the 39. If one gains the favor of Chadatru, and behaves and honors only Botolf in his deeds, then he puts himself in the hands of the forces of chaos with no chance of order. There is no such thing as a favorite of chaos. All is equal there. And the forces you seek to call down upon your enemies, may just as likely exact their price upon your own head, indeed perhaps more conveniently so.

So what then, becomes the ideal path of the cleric?

We are specialists. Specialists of the spirit. The ability to return life through our spirits and bodies is a blessing we are granted, should we earn it.

We are specialists of a diety, one who has perhaps called our name, or one we seek to follow behind.

It is our responsibility to be the specialist our profession demands, and to be a specialist, one must know something of all.

Thus follow the path laid before you. Honor the immortal it is your duty to proclaim. But do not be ignorant of any, for each Immortal requires each other, and we as mortals -- require them all.