Editing Religion (section)

==Types==
Here are some broad outlines for types of religion as a general rule. Note that the below is purely intended as ''definition''. There is no endorsement nor denunciation here, since Religion is one of those topics we need to treat like an exposed and live electrical wire: With extreme caution.

===Monotheism===
Monotheism is the probably the most familiar to western readers. There is a singular god that made everything, he is almighty or all powerful, yadda yadda. IRL, this mostly means Islam, <s>DA JOOZ</s> Judaism, and Christianity, though Sihkism also fits this description. Monotheistic faiths can be surprisingly diverse on their belief systems and practices and ways in which they practice their faith, though they generally tend to agree with the overall sentiment of there being only one god.  That's one thing even Catholics and Sunni Muslims agree on.

Culture can also have a deep influence on a sect of monotheistic faith. A prominent example of this is the Baptists in the United States, who generally don't drink for what would seem are religious reasons, but there is no actual scripture that explicitly forbids alcohol (it's usually done as a precaution against drunkenness, which is condemned in Scripture). Much as the Ecclesiarchy is very flexible in what it allows, so do many monotheistic faiths, so long as the general sentiment is still true to the overall message of Scripture.

A great example of Monotheism is the Imperial Cult, which worships the God Emperor, and venerates the Space Marines as his Angels of Death, which is pretty much just analogous to medieval Catholicism (tl;dr: the largest branch of Christianity. Their leader wears a funny hat too!)

===Polytheism===
Polytheism is also fairly familiar to western readers as well, likely because they know about the Greek or Roman Pantheons. Bonus points if you thought of Hinduism first, one of the largest faiths in the world simply because it is in India. Polytheism typically has a pantheon of gods, and some are on unequal power levels compared to the others. Polytheistic faiths tend to be very diverse and colorful, and this is probably the reason why it attracts so much attention, as it is seen as more interesting than the "boring" monotheistic religions. Each god is a unique character with his own role to play in the universe, and mythology is usually pretty rich with these ones.  

Culture can easily influence how practitioners of a polytheistic faith practice their faith, and some even pick and choose what they believe while disregarding others, meaning they'd fit right in with [[Star Wars]] fans! This tends to lead to a lot of divergence in belief and alternate takes on common tales, and the morals of the story can change quite easily and fluidly.

Two examples of polytheism readily known to /tg/ are the Eldar Pantheon (A more traditional polytheistic faith, though Khaine is stronger than some gods because he likes to punch people in the face) or Chaos, because duh <s>five</s> four major gods, and practitioners can choose which to serve.

====Henotheism====
Henotheism is a subset of polytheism, which involves believing in the existence of multiple gods, or being open to their existence, but worshipping one as supreme.  This can be found in multiple religions, including Hinduism and Zoroastrianism.  It is also known as monolatrism.

As stated above, two examples related to /tg/ are the Eldar and the Chaos Gods.  In fact, both parties acknowledge the existence gods outside their pantheons, but are naturally oppose them.  Both sides can choose which gods they serve, such as Eldar either becoming an Aspect Warrior to put Khaine in pre-eminence or Cegorach as a Harlequin.

===Animism===
If you have heard of this one congrats. You are either really into religion, theology, or played a crap ton of Crusader Kings or Empire: Total War (or maybe you're a weeaboo who looked into Shinto). If not, no worries. Animism is often called the world's first religion by anthropologists, with roots tracing back as far as the days of the hunter gatherers. Animism can be observed most in sub-saharan Africa and Native America. There may be a superior "great spirit", but there are always spirits of pretty much everything. 

How this belief differs from tribe to tribe can be radically different, and they tend to be highly susceptible to cultural or even environmental influences. Typically, there is a highly important ritual that must be performed so that the spirit will not be angered or disrespected. Seeing as Bison are native to North America means that there is not usually a pressing need for African Animists to address the issue of Bison spirits.

An excellent example of Animism is the Kroot Religion and (debatably) the Machine Cult, who have a higher deity (The Omnissiah) and appease machine spirits all over the Imperium from in Plasma guns to Toasters. However the Machine cult is staunchly Monotheistic if you don't believe machine spirits are actually spirits, so mileage will vary on this one. [[Werewolf: The Forsaken]] is an equally strong example of this in action, with spirits for virtually everything that exists.

===Asceticism===
While technically this can be a tradition for any faith that calls for an [[/d/|abstinence or removal of sensual pleasures]], the overall category still applies to those different faiths, such as Jainism or Buddhism. Both are weird in that they believe gods exist, but that they are mixed into the Karma of the universe, and the overall goal of their faith is to reach enlightenment.

Jainism has not left India, but Buddhism has, and it played a very prominent role in Chinese history, including influencing several Chinese dynasties. Buddhism in China is far more intellectual due to the higher amount of intellectual traditions typically found in China. This differs from Buddhism found in other parts of the world, which are far more esoterically spiritual.

The Jedi embody asceticism perfectly, with there being strict code to follow, along with certain actions like marriage being forbidden. The same could probably apply to some space marine chapters, which does not include the Black Templars because Aaron-Dembski Bowden is an idiot.

===Dualism===
A belief that there are two deities, one all good, one all evil. Usually, the good one is more powerful, but also more restrained. If you've ever seen a work where Satan is roughly as powerful as God, you probably have a Dualist theology on your hands.

Differs from the Dualism of Daoism/Taoism in that in Taoism, neither of the two extremes are evil, per se.

See also: [[In Nomine]], or [[Avatar: The Last Airbender]]. (You'll have to tolerate Korra to observe it though)

===Gnosticism===
An important outgrowth of Dualism, which believes that material reality is a lie cooked up by an imposter God, called the "Demiurge", and that the true spiritual reality can be reached through secret knowledge. Needless to say, for just about all Christians, Muslims and Jews, this counts as [[Extra Heresy]], in a rare bit of agreement between the mainlines of all three as what counts as "Heresy".

/tg/ relevant settings influenced by Gnosticism include [[Mage: The Awakening]], [[Kult]], and many others. Quite a few factions, as well, notably the [[Athar]] of Planescape.

===Some terms that matter for /tg/ purposes===
Some terms for other relevant concepts:

* '''Atheism''': Belief that no gods actually exist. The T'au really like this one. On its own, not as bad as its reputation, mainly because the more vocal atheists espouse...
** '''Antitheism''': Actively hating religiosity, which often includes any who follow a religion. See: The [[Emperor of Mankind]]'s [[Imperial Truth]].
* '''Misotheism''': Hatred of God/the Gods.
* '''Maltheism''': Belief that God is evil. [[Chaos|Chaos anyone?]] <ref>Differs from Misotheism in that (1) you can think God is evil and not hate him (particularly if you're [[Alignment|evil]] yourself (see Religion of Evil, under the Special Cases section)), and (2) You can hate God and not consider him evil; for example, you could think Him merely indifferent to suffering.  Also crops up in arguments for antitheism and misotheism.  That being said, the main reason we include it here is because there have been factions in /tg/ relevant settings who hold this belief, particularly Gnostic influenced ones.</ref>
** The belief that God is neither good nor evil is "'''Dystheism'''", while the belief that God is wholly Good is "'''Eutheism'''".
* '''Fundamentalism''': Usually used to describe a religious subgroup, which has an emphasis on "purity" and return to some idealized past version of their beliefs; outside of a few groups of Christians, almost never used by the group itself. If it's not being used purely as a snarl word (which it frequently, but not always, is), it carries the implication that the "Fundamentalist" group in question holds their creed or holy book as being totally, objectively, and completely True, and the source from which all other Truth flows, and that any disagreement with any aspect of their particular interpretation of Holy Writ is a lie.<ref>Interestingly, this term has also been applied to certain Atheists, particularly the more anti-religious ones, and [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Market_fundamentalism Free marketeers].</ref>
* '''Agnosticism''': The belief that we'll never get any confirmation of if God exists, at least on this side of the grave. 
* '''Ignosticism''': The belief that asking if God exists is meaningless if we can't even come up with a coherent definition of what "God" ''is''.