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#### Agnosticism In Ur

Everybody does need to acknowlege that the Gods in Ur exist and are a potent force. But it's totally optional whether we choose to cherish our emblems or just spend them for the favor to accelerate Skill learning.
I am choosing a path of agnosticism. That means I will not be collecting emblems to build Icons, and will not be allowing Icons to suck my wealth away in the form of tithes. I suspect I am not the only glitchite taking this approach to life in Ur.
The Gods exist. But I don't care. How will it impact my play and the development of my character? Are there others who feel the same way about the matter of the Gods and those public-area waste-recycling containers some people call 'shrines'?

Posted 13 months ago by Razzal | Permalink

### Replies

- LOL! I think of the Giants as more like good friends who are disabled in some way and cannot fend for themselves so I support them when I can and they are grateful by helping me. It is a "Mutual Admiration Society". I help them, they help me. I do not have any Icons yet but I am willing to try them and am saving my Emblems. I suspect that the Icons might be pushing our "friendship" too far. If that turns out to be the case, I will not collect more than the first Icon or tithe to it. My opinion on that is pending.
  Posted 13 months ago by Brib Annie | Permalink
- You know the Giants give you beaucoup experience when you reflect upon their icons, right? ...And gaining experience is how you level up?
  Posted 13 months ago by DUG1138 | Permalink
- But what of what purpose is leveling up :)? There are a great many threads debating the value of advancing in level within the world of Ur.
  Posted 13 months ago by Liza Throttlebottom | Permalink
- I don't have any icons yet, either, but I am hoping to get XP rewards for earning them. They do give us XP for all donations. That's really the only reason I'm doing it. Good idea Brib Annie has to get one first and see how it goes - that's what I intend to do. There is also something to be said for earning all your XP the hard way, like you, Razzalle.
  Posted 13 months ago by Shmoopie Kerfuffle | Permalink
- Not really agnostic if you acknowledge the existence. You have the gnosis, you are not without it. You can ignore the existence of the giants but that's not agnosticism.
  I don't think of the giants as gods, merely other life forms.
  Posted 13 months ago by Bunny Snuggler | Permalink
- Praise be to the Rook. A truly selfless creature.
  Posted 13 months ago by Volkov | Permalink
- The common usage of the term 'agnostic' is: 'god exists. don't care.'
  Posted 13 months ago by Razzal | Permalink
- I to follow this 'agnostic' way of life, to a degree. I stopped donating to shrines after I learned all the skills and will stop again once I'm finished with the current new set.
  I also have all of the Icons, but don't use them, they're just set up my house and every once and a while one of them gives me some "giant love", but since I stopped doing the 3 Rs, the Icons have stopped asking me for money.
  Posted 13 months ago by Rosencrantz | Permalink
- i thought agnostic was you weren't sure if god exists
  Posted 12 months ago by Mr. Dawgg | Permalink
- Razzalle, I'm pretty sure the common usage of agnostic is 'I don't know if God exists.' Somr people further refine this to, 'It is impossible, with our current state of science and technology, to know whether God exists or not, so I take no position on the matter.'
  Posted 12 months ago by Pocket Bard | Permalink
- Okay, I revise my comment. The common usage for the term 'agnostic' is: 'god might exist. I don't care.'
  Posted 12 months ago by Razzal | Permalink
- Yeah, "agnostic" is the wrong term for this stance. Not sure what the right one would be. Maybe take the opportunity to invent a cool new word?
  Posted 12 months ago by Shepherdmoon | Permalink
- Agnosticism is the view that some things (like the existence of deities) are just unknowable, so Bunny Snuggler and Mr. Dawgg were right to point out this isn't agnosticism. That being said, this seems like an interesting way to play.
  Posted 12 months ago by LittleMan | Permalink
- Agnosticism is the view that the truth value of certain claims —especially claims about the existence or non-existence of any deity, but also other religious and metaphysical claims—
  is unknown or unknowable.
  Someone had to do it.
  Posted 12 months ago by Volkov | Permalink
- Isms are schisms. Anytime 'ism' is added as the suffix to a term, there are almost as many 'definitions' as there are people using the term. See 'socialism' or 'capitalism' etc. But geez, I don't think I took the pre-requisite courses to participate further in this thread.
  Posted 12 months ago by Razzal | Permalink
- I just pulled it from the Wikipedia.
  :o
  Posted 12 months ago by Volkov | Permalink
- I was thinking about icons as well. If not going for icons, wouldn't it be better to spend the points from shrines before obtaining the emblem, as each one requires more favor to obtain?
  Posted 12 months ago by Harley Davidson | Permalink
- Anytime 'ism' is added as the suffix to a term, there are almost as many 'definitions' as there are people using the term.
  No. It's right there in the word. A-. A prefix. Like in amoral. amoral isn't immoral. "A" indicates a lack, not a negation. Gnosis. Knowledge. As in "gnostic", early xtian mystics who sought direct knowledge of god.
  a + gnosis = lack of knowledge. We don't know. It says nothing about how much we care.
  Posted 12 months ago by Bunny Snuggler | Permalink
- Each emblem requires more favor to obtain, but each time you get an emblem, the daily ceiling of favor that can be earned from that shrine goes up by 100. So there is a tradeoff. If you want lots of daily favor from each deity, going all the way to the point of getting an emblem raises the cap, and also makes the next emblem more expensive.
  And for those of us who say 'harumph' to the god racket here in Ur, it all boils down to the numbers.
  Posted 12 months ago by Razzal | Permalink
- the giants are not gods.
  they are the giants. we exist only in their imagination.
  anything you imagine is only that much farther removed from reality.
  hey, have you ever REALLY looked at your hands?
  Posted 12 months ago by flask | Permalink
- You know, just 2 of my Icons can replenish my entire amount of health in one sitting. So I think the tithe amounts are more than fair, considering. ^_^
  When I garden and tend to my animals, I run upstairs and "Revere" an Icon to get back the health, then I run and mine... tp back to my house at nearly 0, "Revere" some more, and bam, it has almost eliminated my need to eat. ^_^
  Posted 12 months ago by ♪♥~ Auren ~♥♪ | Permalink
- err energy rather...
  Posted 12 months ago by ♪♥~ Auren ~♥♪ | Permalink
- I like this idea ... I'm currently homeless, with only a few tools, existing by nibbling piggies and sipping butterfly milk. So I might as well be an atheist as well.
  Posted 12 months ago by Tsu Dho Nimh | Permalink
- Ignoring the terminology aspect, I like Razzelle's idea of role-playing a glitch who refuses to serve the Giants. I think anyone who considers themselves to be done with the tutorial should pick some kind of quirk like this for their Glitch.
  Posted 12 months ago by Crag | Permalink
- I'm an atheist, so for me it's different and fun to worship the giants and the icons look nice as house decorations.
  The icons are a quite new addition and are unnecessary, but a truly agnostic, should spend emblems?
  Posted 12 months ago by Natalia | Permalink
- XP in Glitch really seems to have little purpose but I enjoy getting it and leveling. It, for me, is just another thing to do, an achievement that is not needed but gives me some feeling of accomplishment. XP has more meaning early on but it is so easy to level up that the requirement in some skills to be lev. 2 or lev. 3 seems pointless. As a Greeter, I have seen a number of new Glitches reach lev. 2 or even 3 before leaving the Start street so there seems no point in level requirements for skills. What I like about leveling is the increase in Energy and Mood capacity. This makes it easier to get things done before the ultimate side trip to Hell. Yeah, yeah, I do forget to stock up on food and drink sometimes. Now at level 30 I can pretty much make it through the day without going to Hell and I now have to make an effort to go there which is another small achievement, something to actively pursue instead of something thrust upon me.
  Posted 12 months ago by Brib Annie | Permalink
- natalia, why does having atheistic beliefs make pretend worship of gods more fun for you? many don't have atheistic beliefs, yet many find it fun to role play the belief of gods that are in games. so i don't see the connection.
  Posted 12 months ago by Mr. Dawgg | Permalink
- If "Agnosticism" is the wrong term, how about "Nihilism"?
  Posted 12 months ago by Xain | Permalink
- @Brib Annie... I totally agree with the XP... most mmos I play, I just play for fun, the XP/lvl/$$/Items/achievments are all mostly just side effects from enjoying the game. As far as 'hell' goes, I didn't even know it existed, or you could die until around lvl 20, and at lvl 23 now, have been there only once, just to experience it. I've always thought of the giants more as parents/teachers than gods. Certainly doesn't stop me from climbing trees in search of quoins though, lmao ;[)
  Posted 12 months ago by Harley Davidson | Permalink
- Some of us, pehaps who could be alternately called either the no-no addled or the cheese empowered, are very acquainted with hell. I die on almost a daily basis. If the clock rolls over to a new day and I am not freshly back from stompng grapes I almost feel like I screwed up.
  Posted 12 months ago by Parrow Gnolle | Permalink
- sounds like an interesting ritual? ;) not sure if there is any benefit?, but then again who cares. Not sure if there's any penalty, but than again, who cares?... The best thing about this place is it's directionless/freeroaming attitude... You can't win, so finally I found a game that I can't lose!....What feels so good about poking your finger into a piece of very stinky cheese?..... Is it really the small object with no intrinsic value?... or is that just a convienent cover story? These questions, I think cannot be answered by us mere imaginations. If it feels good do it.
  Posted 12 months ago by Harley Davidson | Permalink
- Open your mind, man....let the purple flow into your vertabrae...
  I'm just a ghost of a Glitch in the minds of your Giants....
  Posted 12 months ago by MrVolare | Permalink
- Parrow Gnolle, I am with you 100%. There is no better way to end a day than with a good, "powered-up" cheese aging session and a trip to hell! I made 80 expensive grilled cheeses in one go a couple of days ago. The giants ate them some melty cheese the next day.
  Another bonus was dying in mid leap and passing by my tombstone the next day, finding it at the top of a bubble tree.
  Posted 12 months ago by Nomi Simple | Permalink