Now that's a rollercoaster of twisted logic and paranoia. Honestly I don't see the point in trying to explain myself any further, given your ability to extract hostility, ad hominem attacks, insults and disrespects out of thin air. It's so embarrassing that I think this thread shouldn't had been split; I think it should had been deleted.
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I never claimed hostility from you, simply a level of bias that you might want to examine and pointing out that being an atheist does not give you some form of superior viewpoint to make proclamations about religion from. It is others who felt the need to descend to personal attacks in response.
Parsing this carefully:
Wanting a different thread doesn't say anything about religions at all. Not personally having an issue and being in a mostly atheistic group isn't offensive in any way and doesn't make any statement about anyone else's religion. It doesn't even say for sure Ouroboros is an atheist.
This is just a statement of fact in game. In game there are religions and God and gods. In game religions cover many types, not just monotheistic religions. "Religion is true" makes no insinuation at all about monotheism, let alone Christianity.
That the group as a whole does not believe in God does not imply they don't also not believe in gods nor spirits nor other things. The singular "God" here would work for for Christianity, Islam, and Judaism perfectly as well. While there might be a hint of aligning "religion" with "monotheistic religion," as the vast majority of people in Mythic Europe and its surroundings follow a monotheistic religion and as you only need one counter-example to show the point, it has no more insinuation than a possible hint.
Compare this with the prior quote. Did Ouroboros need to say there aren't giants to make the point? Did he have to name every single thing that doesn't really exist? No. In the same way, he doesn't have to name every religion. He's just making a parallel: they're fine playing with things they don't believe in, so why not more things they don't believe in?
This makes no aspersions whatsoever, just saying the game gives some flexibility.
Now he gives one example of how someone might have fun with their own religion in the game. That "Christians" was chosen only implies that there might be Christians who play the game and this particular option might be one they choose, not that others don't play and couldn't have their own similar approaches nor that anyone must take this approach.
Here we see they have some ideas about the Divine (which covers much more than Christianity) eventually coming into serious conflict with the Order. That says nothing about other religions, just not necessarily including them in any conflict with the Order.
And finally, this is just a statement of Rule 0 in RPG's.
So... After carefully parsing every bit of Ouroboros's statement, there is absolutely nothing in it excluding any religion. There is absolutely nothing in it equating "religion" with "monotheistic religion" nor with "Christianity." There is absolutely nothing in it claiming moral superiority for being an atheist; technically there is nothing in it even claiming Ouroboros is an atheist, just likely one by probabilities.
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The mastery of the reduction ad absurda fallacy does not in fact make your point accurate or valid.
Ultimately though what is your point here? Do you think that someone who finds the emphasis on Christian validity offensive is going to stop finding it offensive because you argue belligerently with them? Or that people who might not otherwise choose to play ars magica because of that bias will choose to do so because you are hounding people who have a different perspective than your own? All you are accomplishing is demonstrating exactly why the attitude of the game's community is potentially restricting sales, thus preventing any further expansion of the franchise.
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That can be generalized to "do you think that someone who finds something offensive because of his beliefs is going to stop finding it offensive becase you argue with them?". Sadly it seems that the answer is no, and I think it's time for us all to assume it and move on. And I said all, including you, becase you are also arguing something we can't argue back at you (because apparently that's going to be belligerence, and all we will manage at the end is keep treading on your hurt toe).
Hmmm, Isn't this actually the same thing you are doing?
I'm failing to get the one to blame there: if it's me, the game designers who build the Dominion the way it is in the game, Callen for analyzing this whole mess step by step, you, or your beliefs. Not that it matters much to me anyway, I can live with uncertainty (a side benefit of having no beliefs!); I already and sincerely said I'm sorry, just if the guilty happens to be me.
Anyway, in the end your point is that sales will fall because people hurt someone else's feelings in a forum. Again, I'm sorry (one more time) you see it that way. But I can live with that and move on, which is exactly what I plan to do next. I sincerely hope you can do the same. And if you don't, I really wish your beliefs, whatever they might be, are of the kind that have a hell or a next reincarnation into a flea or a carrot for us at the end, so you can get some solace with that.
Best wishes, anyway!
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If you see the question as one of blame then you miss the point entirely.
The point is to consider other points of view in order to perhaps stop offending people with different beliefs.
My perspective on the different people involved is varied- for yourself I believe you have simply experienced a limited viewpoint up until now that you might reconsider.
For the game itself I think it suffers from a unfortunate history with limited perspectives that it should consider making amends for if it is going to go forward. For Callen, and EricT, I am not sure if their approach is to continue with a personal animus they have displayed towards me in the past or if they really the alt right jackasses they appear to be.
And no, my point is not that sales will fail because of anything- I only indicated that sales could suffer, which is not the same thing.
I don't have any "personal animus" towards you. If you have percieved any, it is all in your perception rather than in reality.
And if I understand you right, and you really think that I belong to the so-called "alt right" then I can only say that you are about as wrong as you could be.
Aside from Silveroak's weird conversation, I'd be interested in rewriting Ars's "divine" and "infernal" as belief in "the good" and "the evil" of various religions, basing the strength of aura around the power of belief more than the firm in-game statement that there is one infinite creator, and other deities are "just" faeries and other supernatural beings "posing" as gods. It would validate all religions equally.
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I don't think this discussion is going anywhere productive now, so I'm going to close this thread.
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