a terminology question

[big teej]

what would you call someone (especially in a fantasy setting)

who acknowledges the god's existence (he sees them working through their clerics)

but he doesn't worship any of them.

what term would you give such a character?

I ask because more than a few characters have not lent themselves to the worship of any particular god, so rather than shoehorn one in, I'd rather leave them undevoted.

but I dunno what to call such an individual

[Keld Denar]

Agnostic? (http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/agnostic)

A person who acknowledges that higher powers exist (you can see them), but denies that it is within the realm of mortals to attempt to understand their plans and will. If you don't believe that mortals should interpret the will of the gods (as clerics do), then you would not actively attempt to promote any god's ideals since you are not ultimately sure what that god's ideals REALLY are.

[big teej]

Agnostic? (http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/agnostic)

A person who acknowledges that higher powers exist (you can see them), but denies that it is within the realm of mortals to attempt to understand their plans and will. If you don't believe that mortals should interpret the will of the gods (as clerics do), then you would not actively attempt to promote any god's ideals since you are not ultimately sure what that god's ideals REALLY are.

I thought agnostics were "I don't know if the gods exist"

yea going by your own link it's "the gods are unknowable" not "I don't worship them"

well, at least, the definitions don't match up in the manner I'm after.

[Keld Denar]

Well, as I said in my example...if you don't know what the god's wills are, how would you worship them or live according to that will? You consiously refuse to conform to normal "worship standards" because you don't know if such will have any effect at all. If it is not of the realm of mortals to consider deific wills, then who's to say that all those guys running churches are ACTUALLY doing it right?

[Cerlis]

id say "normal"

In dragonlance there are many people who believe the gods exists but dont have time to worship them. or dont feel devoted to em. by the most recent books, many have lost faith in them and think they are no good.

so people who are expressly devouted are seen as the outsiders and often treated with the same sarcasm and reservation that people in real life are.

[The Dark Fiddler]

Areligious (or non-religious, if you prefer). The gods exist, your character simply chooses to not worship any of them. Atheist doesn't work unless your character goes so far as to not believe (which, in most settings, falls into arbitrary skepticism (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ArbitrarySkepticism) since the gods are very real forces, granting spells to their followers and able to be directly contacted), and agnostic doesn't work unless your character simply doesn't know one way or the other (which runs into its own problem of your character just being dense, in most settings, like the problem with calling them an atheist).

[ORione]

A Nay Theist. (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/NayTheist)

[Fax Celestis]

Agnostic? (http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/agnostic)

A person who acknowledges that higher powers exist (you can see them), but denies that it is within the realm of mortals to attempt to understand their plans and will. If you don't believe that mortals should interpret the will of the gods (as clerics do), then you would not actively attempt to promote any god's ideals since you are not ultimately sure what that god's ideals REALLY are.

Agreed. "Agnosticism" is not, by definition, what a lot of people think it is.

[Slipperychicken]

Deism (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deist) could well be what you're looking for: You believe in the gods, but those who claim to worship them are doing it wrong. Either because the gods don't have mortal will, that their will is unknowable, the gods don't want you to worship them, the gods killed your dog, etc.

[Shadowknight12]

"Financially secure."

[Zaq]

I think "abstain" could be the root word we're looking for. Perhaps "abstainer" or "abstentionist"?

[kardar233]

I'm using "Apatheistic" for my current character. He knows that gods exist, he just doesn't see enough benefit in worshipping one to make it worth the effort.

[Asheram]

"Bricks" since they'll all end up in the wall around City of Judgement.

[Greenish]

what would you call someone (especially in a fantasy setting)

who acknowledges the god's existence (he sees them working through their clerics)

but he doesn't worship any of them.

what term would you give such a character?l"Theist" by the wider definition (believes that at least one god exists), more specifically a polytheist (believes several deities exist).

[Yora]

Historically, "atheist" would be the correct term. It was used to describe people who refused to take part in the worship of the local gods, even though it was seen as their social duty.

[big teej]

A Nay Theist. (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/NayTheist)


Deism (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deist) could well be what you're looking for: You believe in the gods, but those who claim to worship them are doing it wrong. Either because the gods don't have mortal will, that their will is unknowable, the gods don't want you to worship them, the gods killed your dog, etc.


I think "abstain" could be the root word we're looking for. Perhaps "abstainer" or "abstentionist"?


these sound the most like what I'm after.... though I must admit I favor "abstainer/abstentionist" and "nay-theist" over deism.

my knowledge of deism is that, historically, that was the "watchmaker god" belief, wherein that the gods have created the setting, wound it up like a clockwork soldier, and are letting it tick over on its own. not interferering.

[Rejakor]

'a regular guy'?

If you acknowledge the existence of (worship?) the gods as a whole, but don't worship a specific god, then you're pantheistic, or, a pantheist.

Honestly, while some people venerate a specific god or make offerings to a specific god, i'd say that in a average DnD world most people would just go to whatever local church their community has once a week, or even never. Most religions in DnD wouldn't punish people for not actively worshiping, and those that would are not in the majority and usually share space and land with the other religions... only the kind of punishment/reward control system the catholic church had on peasants in the middle ages could force a whole population to rigidly worship once a week.

[Yora]

my knowledge of deism is that, historically, that was the "watchmaker god" belief, wherein that the gods have created the setting, wound it up like a clockwork soldier, and are letting it tick over on its own. not interferering.
Which I think is the closest real world philosophy you'll find for the described situation. Deists accept the existance of gods, but think worship is futile and pointless.
However, if the gods do actively manipulate things in the mortal world and do communicate with mortals, it's rather the opposite of deism.

Pantheism is the believe, that god is present in everything. This could be a basis for a kind of nature worship, but also for deism. In this case, it wouldn't make a distinction between the worshipper and non-worshippers.

[olentu]

How about apathetic.

[Yora]

I don't think pathos is in any way related to theos.
Apathetic would simply mean "non caring", but the subject of the not caring could be anything.

[big teej]

thankyou everyone for contributing.

alot of the answers here have been very helpful and inventive.

unfortunately, more than a few are going to have to be ignored due to a certain agreement in our gaming group.

all things considered,
I think I"m gonna go with "abstainer/abstationist"

and here's to hoping we didn't toe any lines regarding religious discussion

[Yora]

Well, your opening question did start with asking about religious believes. :smallwink:

[olentu]

I don't think pathos is in any way related to theos.
Apathetic would simply mean "non caring", but the subject of the not caring could be anything.

I suppose one might have to add say about religion to show the position is really non caring about religion. It also avoids other elements that may be attached to other descriptions well assuming of course that the character is choosing to not worship due to it being a bother rather then a crusade against the gods or something of the sort.

[Yora]

"Religiously apathetic" would probably be a term we would use in the scientific field of Religion.
"Nonreligious" would work as well, but include both people who don't care and people who oppose religion. (Though there are interesting cases of groups strongly opposed to believe in god, but showing all the elements you find in religions.)

[Diarmuid]

In the FR setting, these people would be considered "Faithless".