http://wiki.travellerrpg.com/Runetha_Saetedz
Runetha Saetedz (817–866) was a legendary Vargr adventurer/pirate/scout whose exploits are bedtime reading for young Vargr throughout Regina Subsector, Uthe Subsector, and Dirgir Subsector. Dying from old internal wounds, he managed to lead his band to a heroic victory on Menorb (Spinward Marches 1803), but died soon after.
Soon after his death, his followers founded the Runetha Society to keep alive his memory and his philosophy. As his fame grew, they built the Greater Thatho Temple in the Dro-Zhemm Hills (on Menorb), and spread his philosophy throughout the region.
The Temple is the central site of the Runetha religion, now run by the High Runetha Federation of Holy Adventurers. The temple itself is a circular building, of about 25 m length, 5 m in height, with a concave roof. Of strong interest is what's above the temple: a large, floating, glowing yellow ball, of about 30 m diameter. It is quite bright (one cannot look at it directly within 50 meters), and can easily be mistaken for a second sun.
The religion itself is strongly focused on heroic endeavors, felt to be the way of a True Life here and a glorious afterlife. Study of Runetha's history – and the history of other heroes, Vargr and Human – is a required tenet of the religion, as is the Aiding of all True Heroes, the pursuit of at least one Quest in your life, and the support of the Runetha Brotherhood above all worldly loves.
The religion, IMTU, is slowly spreading into Ksits Usathu Odzuetarug <Free Spirits Subsector> of Gvurrdon, most quickly into the Dzen Aeng Kho <Society of Equals> and the Thoengling Empire as more 'heroes' rise to the occasion or develop quests of their own.
For Net-7 News, this is the Pakkrat.
What sort of fictional religions, alien or human, have people created for Traveller?
Yorian religion has a 'crude' understanding of star systems: Dectura is heaven. Surrounded by walls to keep the unrighteous out. Thus Yori circles heaven as a penitent circles a temple. But across the vastness of space lies the slave pits of Korsu ... hell!
The gods of Dectura all take turns guarding the entrance to Dectura. And they all have different ideas on what makes a person worthy. The role of the Advisors is to help the people navigate these conflicting agendas. Tino is also a god but he has been banished from paradise. Like Yori, he too circles Dectura, trying to get in. He may someday succeed, so appeasing him is also prudent.
To modern day Yorians, Dectura is a gas giant, to be sure, but only physically. On the spiritual plane it is still a paradise. Thus the spiritual plane can be seen as a sort of parallel dimension in which the paradise Dectura is co-located with the gas giant Dectura. Further, the physical world is a metaphor for (or created by) the spiritual world. Some Yorian theologians describe the physical world as the 'dreamlands' of the gods.
As Yori passes through the plan of Dectura, the rings (Skyline) that surround Dectura as a wall vanish for a moment. This is when any funeral services are performed: the walls to heaven are down and the soul can enter (assuming it is judged worthy). There are also unsubstantiated claims of rare momentary reflections off the ring edge … that people seeing these experience religious visions.
Fifty years ago the ascendant god was Tricore. Tricore promoted growth, of building a better future, of trade and prosperity.
Then the ascendant god was Chaarni. Chaarni promoted enlightenment … enlightenment through exploration and the pursuit of truth.
But now Zelodeous is in charge: he is a reaction to the decadence and complacency that comes from over-reliance on technology, a reminder that no matter how powerful the people become (through technology) they must still honour the gods. Zelodeous promotes piety … through the virtues of self-reliance, anti-materialism, hard work, and self-sacrifice for the good of the community.
But Zelodeous is linked to Tino. Tino is all about the self: the importance of pleasure as part of a balanced existence, and of sometimes putting one's own needs ahead of the needs of others.
If Tino doesn't follow Zelodeous then the next god (or godess) will probably be Ampora. Ampora's agenda is about protecting the people from external threat through a superior military. It is not fair to call her a godess of war as that would falsely imply a certain level of aggression. While the best defence is sometimes a good offence, Ampora has no goals other than defence.
Zelodeous has decided that Tino and Ampora must battle to the death to be his successor. He has decreed that the pious must seek out a weapon capable of killing a god for this battle … the "Lance of Zelodeous".
The Star Fleet Battles "Vargr" equivalent was the Carnivon, and for those who like to borrow, the write up for the Carnivons had them worshipping a pantheon of minor deities and spirits. I think a lot of them seemed to be associate with natural surroundings. That's kind of how I always pictured Vargr religions.http://wiki.travellerrpg.com/Runetha_Saetedz
Runetha Saetedz (817–866) was a legendary Vargr adventurer/pirate/scout whose exploits are bedtime reading for young Vargr throughout Regina Subsector, Uthe Subsector, and Dirgir Subsector. Dying from old internal wounds, he managed to lead his band to a heroic victory on Menorb (Spinward Marches 1803), but died soon after.
*snip*
Soon after his death, his followers...got to do certain things to win the sim/game.
So when does a philosophy change into a religion?
Something like Stoicism is a philosophical basis for behaviour, but what would it take in somewhere like the OTU or YTU for it to evolve into a full-blown religious institution, possibly with organised worship structures?
An alternative to all that was proposed in one of Iain M Banks novels (can't remember which one) founded on the idea that we're all playing in a VR, that we can't prove that we are, but that we've got to do certain things to win the sim/game.
I don't think a hard line can easily be drawn between philosophy and religion, but I would say that the formalization of a philosophical school and development of attendant rituals would tend toward development of a religion.
(Or an ersatz religion, if we are looking at modern political ideologies.)
But I cannot discuss how that relates to Stoicism, because of the ban on RW religions. Nor can I give the more straightforward examples. Same reason.
That VR idea sounds fun.
Traditionally, in the social sciences, there is an easy line to draw the distinction: Ritual. Religions have it, Philosophical systems do not.
What about yoga - if you consider the poses as ritual? But don't let me derail this interesting thread...need to re-read some books: for my masters I know I did some philosophy of religions classes that may have given ways to separate them.
(some people had a hard time understanding that the theory and philosophy of the religion was not the religion itself, but more like meta-gaming: what does it mean behind the meanings sort of thing? Where did it come from? I miss those classes!)