alexseanchai | (no subject)

I'm worldbuilding what might fairly be described as a genderbent, racebent Supernatural in which nobody gets fridged and the creative force behind the project knows what 'social justice' means. (So, not very like Supernatural at all. Le sigh.) I'm currently trying to figure out whether the storyverse is theistic (Christian style, as I wish to play with angels and know the Christian mythos best), theistic (American Gods style, which does not preclude playing with angels), or atheistic (in which case, where did the angels come from?). I'm certain that my four most important characters have at least six different opinions on this, and somewhere in the course of the story they're going to find out who's right. So, in the interest of solving this mystery and figuring out what happens after, a survey:

What is your religious identity? I don't need more detail than 'agnostic', 'atheist', 'monotheist', 'polytheist', or the like, and if theist then the broadest term that accurately describes you (Jewish, Christian, Muslim, Hindu, Shinto, Pagan, Hellenic Reconstructionist, what have you), but anything you want to tell me is welcome.

If you're sure of how many gods there are, whatever number you think that is, what would convince you that there are multiple gods when you thought one or none, or that there is only one when you thought multiple or none, or that there are none when you thought at least one? If you're agnostic, what would make you sure of the number of gods, whether that number is zero, one, or multiple?

If you were so convinced, what would you do?

If some degree of publicity is necessary to convince you (which I know is true of at least some people, who say that if it can't be verified scientifically then it's not sufficiently convincing), what do you think the other witnesses, and anyone who heard about the incident from them or from you, would do?

As always, anon comments are on but screened. My usual procedure is to unscreen anything that isn't spam; for this survey, I will unscreen only those anon comments that say I'm allowed to unscreen them. If you're commenting anonymously because you have neither a Dreamwidth nor an OpenID account and you don't care to create a DW account (fyi free DW accounts don't presently require invites), rather than because you don't want me or spectators to know who you are, please identify yourself.

Thank you!

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What is your religious identity?

Atheist, fairly confirmedly so.

If you're sure of how many gods there are, whatever number you think that is, what would convince you that there are multiple gods when you thought one or none, or that there is only one when you thought multiple or none, or that there are none when you thought at least one? If you're agnostic, what would make you sure of the number of gods, whether that number is zero, one, or multiple?

I think for me there's a distinction to be drawn between my own personal feelings and genuinely objective fact - in much the same way that I can dislike a movie but still be pretty sure it's a well-made and excellently-acted movie, I can understand varying personal feelings on the subject but still be pretty sure about the amount of solid objective evidence. I sometimes have major chest-squeezy feels about how freaking amazing the universe is, the sheer incredible age of the earth or the collective beauty of life, but there's a big step between that and a god or gods whose existence I would accept as absolute fact and, like, argue with people about because I'm that sure it's objectively true.

I'm not actually sure what that would take - working out the line between "god" and "entity capable of shit I can't explain only because I don't yet understand the mechanisms involved" seems like it would be kind of tough, and in a universe where magic were real, I'd think it would be even tougher, because how could you be sure you wouldn't be capable of exactly the same feats if you just had enough power/knew the right stuff? And even then - this is actually making me think of the Q from Star Trek. I don't know what would make me use the word "god" with sincerity and reverence rather than as shorthand for - well, "entity capable of shit I can't explain only because I don't yet understand the mechanisms involved". I think maybe "god" carries with it connotations of deeper faith that I'm not sure I would ever quite match; even if something came up to me claiming to be YHWH and performed every feat God is ever described as accomplishing, and managed to convince me it had been around for thousands of years, such that it might indeed be what the Bible had been written about, I'm not sure that key underlying faith would be there.

If you were so convinced, what would you do?

... I have no idea. In a hypothetical scenario where I have that faith - which would presumably include the desire to do as a god or gods asked of me, particularly if I considered any claim to infallibility valid - I guess it would depend on what the god or gods wanted? D: I really don't know what that would be like. In the event that I remained my skeptical skepticky self, it would depend on the god or gods. Much like the anon above, I would attempt to act within my usual moral standards, although if there were multiple gods fighting with each other, or an all-powerful god with a master plan that I found morally objectionable, I'd probably have to spend a little while scared out of my mind before I'd have a shot at working out what I wanted to do about it.

If some degree of publicity is necessary to convince you (which I know is true of at least some people, who say that if it can't be verified scientifically then it's not sufficiently convincing), what do you think the other witnesses, and anyone who heard about the incident from them or from you, would do?

Haha, yes, I am that person in the parenthetical. :D I'd probably need something that I'd feel good asserting was not a hallucination - in a universe where magic were real and I knew it, though, that part would probably be easier, because hallucination would not necessarily be my default assumption. As for the rest, I guess it would depend on the witnesses and their own beliefs and opinions? I mean, some people would probably panic, some people would probably feel gloriously righteous, some people would probably think it was mass hysteria; it would depend on who they are, where it happened, and what it was.

By the way this project sounds like the best thing ever.

Thank you. And I do hope it turns out as awesome on paper as it is in my head...