(02-08-2020, 01:01 PM)SolarRider Wrote:Madine Wrote:This is already true across much of the Terragen Sphere. The forum discussions we've had regarding religion in OA have basically settled on a mixture of views, in keeping with our "diversity, diversity, diversity" standpoint. Some sophonts do not "worship" transapients at all. Many believe more or less what you describe, that archai are not supernatural per se, but are effectively godlike in wisdom and power and are thus sought out as protectors, mediators, and guides in manner analogous to polytheistic worship. Some Terragens do literally believe the archai to be manifestations or agents of whatever extrauniversal deity(s) they believe in.
Okay that good to know, I always thought the inhabitants of each Sephirotic empire have a uniformed way of thinking based on the philosophies, ideals and tenets of their host empire. I thought because of the cultural influence and ideology instilled by the ruling Archai that independent thought for modos and transaps is heavily restricted.
No problem! To be fair, some people in setting believe the archai are controlling every thought of their subjects. Generally, though the Sephirotic empires and their many affiliates and vassals follow principles of sophont rights that are heavy on self-determination. In particular, any society that wants to be on good terms with the Civilized Galaxy will allow citizens the right to emigrate, ie to leave and seek another place that better guarantees their happiness if they are dissatisfied. The borders of the meta-empires are also fuzzy rather than sharp - much like America is a massive exporter of movies, music, brands, etc. their cultural influence extends far beyond the worlds that are directly ruled by avatars of a Sephirotic archai.
As an example, take the Solar Dominion, arguably one of the most centralized and hierarchical of the Sephirotics. Even so, religions other than Solarism are explicitly allowed on Dominion worlds. The core memetic of the Dominion is also all about personal identity and self-expression, so extreme conformism is antithetical to Solarist beliefs.
And that's the Dominion. The Utopia Sphere, TRHN, and NoCoZo are even more against monolithic perspectives.
EDIT: As for quotes, generally I actually find it easier to hit quote and then add them to the "quick reply" at the bottom of the page. From there you can edit BB code for headers and footers to quote only the parts you're actually responding to.