Occams Razor

Hi,

I figured that as the rulebook is now out (at least in its Alpha form), people will begin to work on their histories. And questions might arise regarding this version of earth, or the atmosphere of the game or something else that isn't really a rules question.

So, my initial question:

I'm pretty sure I'm going to be playing a Faithful, and while worshiping the Deity of Flying Spaghetti that many deem Monstrous would certainly be amusing when trying to convert others, I have a couple of questions about Faith itself. I assume that Faith is more about the person's belief, rather than being actually mandated by the Archangel of Nothing but Chocolate-Chip Cookies! or the Goddess of Beach Pebbles that Washed Ashore.

That being assumed, are there certain deities of pantheons that should be avoided for reasons X, Y, or Z? If someone were to decide that they did want a more personal relationship with their deity, could they? (aka could say the God of Magnetized Metal manifest in some way to said character? Older religions had it happen all the time.) How prevalent is religion in this darker version of Earth? Is it much the same or have people sort of abandoned it in the despair that the world seems to be caught in?

There are no deities or pantheons that need be exclusively avoided (save for silly things that will earn you quality time with the Trout of Shame). That said, we need you guys to approach religion with the respect it deserves--caricaturing a Real World faith will not end well for anybody involved.

If you decide that your character has received miraculous examples of divine intervention, be prepared to deal with the consequences of being an Instrument of the Divine. Or, you know, suffering from consistent hallucinations due to pernicious brain chemistry. One of the two.

Religion is somewhat less prevalent among the masses, those communities and people who do embrace their faith probably due so with more fervor and dedication than those in the real world. Basically, there are fewer people who go to <place of worship> on <high holiday> but maybe more who attend <weekly services> or those who do attend <weekly services> are more devout in the rest of their lives.

Alrighty, that explains everything well enough