Catholic vs. Glabados

by Bill Johnson 

I try to be a tolerant kind of guy, and keep my mouth shut and listen when somebody says something I don't agree with, but this FFT religion controversy has ballooned into a debate of a scope I'd never have dreamed. I happen to believe emphatically that there is absolutely nothing wrong with the plot / story that first consumed about 50 hours of my time to play through.

Now, before any of you readers decide to start sending hate mail slamming my views, let me inform you that I happen to be a devout Roman Catholic. Why is it, then, that I don't view Square's depiction of my religion as desecratory and blasphemous? Because it's not a depiction of my church. Yes, there are numerous parallels between the Glabados chuch and the Catholic church of the same time, but the two churches are not one and the same. As a single example, take a brief comparison of the the most visible "commonality" between the two-- the prophet / son of God depicted by the church-- and you'll see what I mean.

Ajora: Militant political subversive who was executed by the Murond church because of his rising influence with the people. After his death, a freak natural disaster sank a continent. A group of opportunists quickly assembled, formed a "church," and adjusted history to suit their goals (personal wealth & power). The Glabados church never worshipped a true prophet or son of God.

Jesus: Pacifist prophet who worked numerous documented miracles in his lifetime, by his own hands. His execution was carried out by the Jewish church in accordance with its long-standing (however misguided) blasphemy laws. They clearly stated that anyone claiming to be the son of God was to be executed for heresy. His church was formed by long-standing disciples of his, who believed they were worshipping God's son.

To this day I am unable to understand why people insist upon being insulted by FFT's Glabados church. Square did not depict the Catholic church as a Satan-worshipping, corrupt-to-the-core organization. It depicts the Glabados church-- a completely fictitious creation, born from the imaginations of Square's storywriters. We, the players (or some of us, anyway), insisted upon being offended and indignant by creating connections and making the Glabados church into something it isn't.

In conclusion, I implore RPG players everywhere to use a little bit of the common sense when evaluating the stories that make RPG's so great. Don't succumb to the insatiable human thirst for controversy even where none exists. Don't compare apples to oranges, and always consider something on its own merits before you criticize it for not meeting the merits of something that it is not.