The face of Pas

James Wynn · 15 Sep 2010, 14:59 · from 2010-September.txt.gz

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From: crushtv at gmail.com (James Wynn)
Date: Wed, 15 Sep 2010 09:59:27 -0500
Subject: (urth) The face of Pas
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> It is not so
> easy to see it in an Islam-based city like Trivigaunte. Lemur said that
> Viron's religion was a parody of the state religion on Urth, but that says
> nothing about the other couple-hundred cities on the _Whorl_. But what he
> said about Typhon and his family being deeply entrenched in the minds of
> people put aboard the ship does apply to all the other cities.
> Though the religion in Trivigaunte in Silk's day may have degenerated so far
> as to be all but beyond recognition, it cannot have been that way on Day
> One. What to do with 9+ gods in such a monotheistic religion? Did all the
> other gods just agree to step aside and let Sphigx have her way?

The concept of monotheism as a central doctrinal signifier was 
foundational to Islam from the beginning. "There is no god by God" is 
the first doctrinal tenant of a Muslim.

As for how such a practice could arise, there are at least two 
possibilities. 1) The memory monotheism was so ingrained in the minds of 
original the Islamic citizens of Trivigaunte that they naturally 
returned to that belief immediately. 2) The scientists recognized in 
advance that monotheism was so deeply ingrained as designed the city's 
religion around it.
Either way, it seems unlikely that Lemur's knowledge was comprehensive 
regarding the cultural/political situation on Urth and the requirements 
of the Whorl's design.

As for why the other gods did not compete for worshipers there:
Apparently, there are ways to summon and avoid summoning gods. Quetzal 
managed to completely avoid having any gods appear in Viron after the 
death of Pas and Tussah. I guess forbidding child sacrifice was one way, 
but I imagine there could be others. Presumably, the Trivigaunte were 
only interested in attracting the interest of Sphigx. They might well 
have been quite adept at it.

u+16b9

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