Moric wrote:A century ago, differing from one's familial/regional/national religion was deeply scandalous, things have changed. Converts and apostates alike do abound, regardless of religion (and/or professed lack thereof).
And they pretty much always have. People tend to "go with the flow" true and there's something to how youre raised and where coloring your outlook on life but these guys simply dont have that sort of religious structure. Its less even than our modern concepts. "Worshiping" Sharess was giving credence to why the Sharen should be obeyed and pretty much no one, including the major Sharen themselves, AND the fanatical Sharessite Kyorl believed that after awhile.
Nowhere Girl wrote:Oh, you sweet summer child.
Religious belief is indoctrinated in youth, and even which religions can be under consideration are driven by one's cultural circumstances, which also shape so-called "free will" far more than you will probably ever fully realize.
To say that people simply choose religion of their own free will, as though that were all or even most of what there is to it, is both a gross oversimplification and also hopelessly naive. It's simply not correct.
Edit: Perhaps I should rephrase this in the context of the story so as not to annoy the mods or go completely off topic.
If Quain’tana had been born a daughter of Diva she might have held Sharess in different light for the first part of her life (that is, that she was destined to rule Chel because of who she was) but given her tempestuous nature and issues with authority, Im willing to bet that she would’ve been a daughter to Diva in much the same way Mel is to her. That would in turn, combined with cold hard reality sinking in after awhile (defeats in battle, the general shape of Chel deteriorating, more powerful Clans like the Belds taking center seat etc)eventually still see her questioning the validity of ancestor worship and led her to the same conclusion as she had as Quain’tana Sarghress rather than Sharen - life is what you make of it.
You could argue Mel is the way she is due to her experiences but that brings us to Ariel. Ariel had a shitty childhood too, yet she’s extremely respectful. If you say oh that’s Kel’s influence, think for an instant about how much Kel didn’t help Ariel. If that had been Mel, she would’ve been crying over how much everything was Syph’s fault to this day, and if it had been Quain, she would’ve rigged her door and a dinner knife in such a way as to slay Syph instead of just giving wanting her dead lip service.
Also, if Ariel had been born Sharen she surely would’ve been a devout Sharess worshipper, and completely loyal to Diva, yet given her tendency towards the human version of empathy, probably would’ve “freed” her protector twin and then ran off to be a Val born relic hunter because she couldn’t change people’s plight for the better and she has zero interest in being a leader. Would she have come home if she were still alive to fight alongside Nishi after the Twisted Three made their move? Im guessing yes, because she also has a strong sense of duty. Aka, her spirit, or personality if you prefer, would ultimately lead her down the same path she’s on now.
In my observation, I think you would be surprised by how little a person's circumstances truly color their lives in comparison to their basic, intrinsic nature. That's what Ive come to expect in my 40years of being here. You however may gain(or have) a different perspective, and thats also one of the joys of each of us being an individual.