Line #150 Main/OneTrueFaith


1	The phenomenon in which a work of ScienceFiction or {{Fantasy}} has only one religion (TheChurch) in it; furthermore, there are never any factions of it, or different interpretations of its belief.
2
3	This is related to LawOfConservationOfDetail. The lack of other faiths doesn't particularly break WillingSuspensionOfDisbelief, so why bother? Having said that, it's inherently unrealistic; our planet has seven or ten major religions in the modern day alone ([[StartMyOwn some founded individually]] and [[MorePopularSpinoff others spun off from existing ones]]), and other religions [[TheMagicComesBack have come to prominence]] and [[GodsNeedPrayerBadly since died out]]. But no one ever questions this when it happens, making it either an AcceptableBreakFromReality or something too controversial to touch with a ten-foot pole. It is most justified in works where much more is known about the spiritual world than in RealLife, and there's lots of evidence to back it up to the point that not believing in this faith would make one a FlatEarthAtheist (though that still doesn't explain the lack of factions; there is no hair so fine that people won't try to split it).
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5	Ignore OutgrownSuchSillySuperstitions.
6
7	This trope is more of a [[SortingAlgorithmOfTropes Sliding Scale]] than a straight trope, since there are numerous aversions and subversions. We'll go in order.
8
9	----
10	!!Played Straight: One Religion, No Factions
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12	[[foldercontrol]]
13
14	[[folder:Literature]]
15	* ''Literature/TheWheelOfTime'', arguably. See "subversions" below.
16	* In ''Literature/WatershipDown'', all rabbits depicted worship the sun god Frith and believe the first rabbit was El-ahrairah. However, since only a regional group of rabbits appear, the beliefs elsewhere might differ.
17	* In ''Literature/TheColdMoons'', all European badgers worship a vaguely Abrahamic-inspired religion where their god is named Logos.
18	* In ''Literature/SurvivorDogs'', dogs, wolf-dogs, and wolves worship the Spirit-Dogs. This applies to pet dogs as well as feral dogs.
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20
21	[[folder:Video Games]]
22	* In ''VideoGame/TalesOfSymphonia'', two entire worlds share the same religion with only minor cosmetic differences. Justified by the BigBad having created and actively running both. Although the village of Mizuho has its own gods.
23	* ''VideoGame/DeadSpace'' has Unitology, which is specifically mentioned to be the only religion that has survived into the timeframe of the games. [[spoiler:It is mass low-level MindControl by the Markers, preparing humanity to be turned into Necromorphs.]] It seems to be primarily modeled after a [[ChurchOfHappyology certain controversial religious movement]] in the United States, though the writers have said it's based on religious cultism in general.
24	* In all ''{{VideoGame/Tropico}}'' games except ''Tropico 2'', the only religion is the Catholic Church. This is justified since the games are set on Spanish-speaking islands in the Caribbean, which are very much Catholic country.
25	* ''VideoGame/StardewValley'' has the Yoba religion which is also followed by non-humans who usually don't have contact with normal people, like Krobus ([[LivingShadow a shadow person]]) and it's implied dwarves as well. But there are a few characters that claim to be atheists.
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27
28	----
29	!!Averted: More Than One Religion
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31	[[foldercontrol]]
32
33	[[folder:Anime and Manga]]
34	* ''Literature/ACertainMagicalIndex'' has just every religious denomination that's present in the real world in its world as well. They're all true, and each has its own magic.
35	* ''Literature/TheFamiliarOfZero'' played with this, in the fact that humans have one religion, based off on CrystalDragonJesus version of Christianity in the FantasyCounterpartCulture of Vatican, Romalia. However, it is not the ''only'' religion per se, as the [[OurElvesAreDifferent Elvens]] follow a different one. This becomes a plot point in the third season.
36	[[/folder]]
37
38	[[folder:Fan Works]]
39	* In ''Fanfic/EmpathTheLuckiestSmurf'', nature worship with MotherNature as the patron deity of sorts is the religion most Smurfs worship, with Christianity and the religion of the Psyches being minority religions.
40	* In ''Fanfic/RWBYScars'', humans on Remnant worship either the Two Brothers or Dust. [[LittleBitBeastly Faunus]] on the other hand worship the Ishvara pantheon. Some humans worship Ishvara and some Faunus worship either Dust or the Two Brothers, but this is rare.
41	[[/folder]]
42
43	[[folder:Literature]]
44	* Most of the works by Creator/BrandonSanderson avert this trope, by virtue of the author's fascination with religion and divinity.
45	** ''Literature/{{Elantris}}'' includes Shu-Dereth and Shu-Korath, offshoots of the base faith Shu-Keseg in the past. All three religions believe in unity - the unity of the heart (compassion), the unity of purpose (political dominance), or the unity of the mind (meditative clarity). Completely separate is the worship of the [[PhysicalGod Elantrians]] themselves.
46	** The Lord Ruler of ''Literature/{{Mistborn}}'' '''wanted''' to achieve this, but was never quite able, mostly due to the efforts of the Keepers. After [[spoiler:the Lord Ruler is killed,]] the situation shatters completely, with people turning to various faiths, new and old, for support. By the time of ''Literature/WaxAndWayne'', there are two major religions in the Elendel Basin: Pathism, the worship of Harmony; and Survivorism, the worship of Kelsier; however, there are also plenty of minor religions as well, such as Trellism.
47	** ''Literature/{{Warbreaker}}'' continues the trend, with the conservative, stoic worshipers of Austre on one hand and the colorful worshippers of the [[PhysicalGod Returned]] on the other.
48	** Finally, the religions of Roshar in ''Literature/TheStormlightArchive'' are just as varied as the people. The dominant religion in the area we see is Vorinism, where the people worship the Almighty and train to help him to reconquer [[{{Heaven}} the Tranquiline Halls]], but when we encounter a number of slaves, we are introduced to many more religions.
49	* ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'', with its proliferation of {{Physical God}}s. In fact, some gods are actually several different gods at the same time; apparently all it takes to pull that off is a pseudonym and a wig.
50	* ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'': There are so many gods worshiped in many parts of the world, that there's [[Characters/ASongOfIceAndFireDeitiesAndReligions a character subpage]] for religion alone. The following religions are most prominently featured and have had major impacts on the plot:
51	** The nameless, faceless [[NatureSpirit old gods]] that are worshiped in the North and beyond the Wall. There's no organized clergy, so worship is done in front of weirwood trees with faces carved in them.
52	** The [[TheChurch Seven Faced God]], also called the new gods, in the rest of mainland Westeros. The seven aspects of the god are the Father, the Mother, the Warrior, the Maiden, the Smith, the Crone and the Stranger. It's loosely based on the Medieval Roman Catholic Church.
53	** The [[WarGod Drowned God]] in the Iron Islands is a violent god of the sea who charges his followers with pirating the mainland. The Drowned God is opposed by the Storm God.
54	** [[CrystalDragonJesus R'hllor]], also called the Lord of Light, is popular in Essos but only has a few followers in Westeros (House Baratheon of Dragonstone and the Brotherhood without Banners). R'hllor demands HumanSacrifice and (apparently) gives his priests/priestesses various powers. His ArchEnemy is the Great Other.
55	** The Faceless Men of Braavos worship the [[CrossoverCosmology Many-Faced God]], a god of death that all other gods are considered aspects of.
56	* ''Literature/HisDarkMaterials'', even though TheChurch gets all the attention.
57	* ''Literature/TheWickedYears'', most Ozians worship either the pagan fairy goddess Lurline or the CrystalDragonJesus Unnamed God. However, it's also mentioned that other religious beliefs exist. Melena's quadling lover Turtle Heart is from the rural south and has never even heard of the Unnamed God.
58	* In ''Literature/{{Orcs}}'', not only are there several religions (mainly a monotheist and a polytheist one), but they are very important in the plot.
59	* Ender's Saga, where matters of ensuring freedom of religion are plot-significant at some point.
60	* In the Literature/LeftBehind series during the Tribulation, there's the pantheistic mishmash of all world religions called Enigma Babylon One World Faith as the official one-world religion, but there's also Christianity (as defined by the books' authors and the Tribulation Force characters), Judaism, and Islam (which in the book series ends up being a minority religion), which all become illegal to practice even when Enigma Babylon is replaced by the Luciferian-type state religion of Carpathianism around the midway point of the Tribulation. In the Millennial Kingdom, Christianity becomes the official one-world religion, though dissidents are permitted to practice the beliefs of the Other Light despite the fact that (1) it's totally in error when it comes to believing Satan is going to defeat God and Jesus by the end of the Millennium and (2) [[DeathsHourglass those who remain unbelievers in God and Jesus Christ by the time they reach 100 will instantly die and go to Hell]].
61	* The ''Literature/{{Belgariad}}'' has one for every culture. At the end of the series, however, it's stated that [[spoiler:Eriond]] will eventually be the one god of the world, while the other gods move on to start life on other planets.
62	* In ''Literature/ToShapeADragonsBreath'', while the dominant faith is based on Norse Mythology, it's not the only one shown or seen. Indigenous people like Anequs have their own faiths; Liberty states she doesn't bother going to the temple of Fyra on Sundays; and a minor character, Zhina, is Kindah and appears to be the equivalent of Muslim (she wears a headscarf and doesn't eat pork or unclean foods, as well as saying she believes in one god who has multiple prophets). However, the dominant Anglish believe their faith is considered the "true" one, and it guides the national holidays and beliefs in the places they're in charge.
63	[[/folder]]
64
65	[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
66	* ''TabletopGame/{{Exalted}}'': While the Immaculate Order would certainly love to be the OneTrueFaith, the plain fact of the matter is that human nature and the cosmology of the setting works against it. As it is, they only really have this status on the Blessed Isle, and only there because they ruthlessly suppress any hints of non-Immaculate leanings.
67	* ''TabletopGame/BattleTech'': Most 20th-century human religions have survived into the 31st century just fine and the Catholic Church at least has even found itself sprouting a whole new branch -- New Avalon Catholicism --, if somewhat by accident. (A breakdown in communications during the fall of the Star League regarding a temporary transfer of Papal authority away from occupied Earth had something to do with it.)
68	* ''TabletopGame/{{Eberron}}'', contrary to the typical Dungeons and Dragons setting, has comparatively few {{Physical God}}s running around (and most of those are both [[GodOfEvil evil]] and [[SealedEvilInACan currently incarcerated]]), the end result being that there are a vast number of religions in the setting. Some of the biggies include the Sovereign Host (and the related Dark Six), the Church of the Silver Flame, the Blood of Vol, the various Druidic sects, the Undying Court, the Path of Light, the PathOfInspiration, and the dizzying array of [[{{Cult}} Cults of the Dragon Below]]. Furthermore, all of these (with the exception of the PathOfInspiration, which enforces conformity and is controlled by immortal spirits with the kind of pull to make that happen) have further subdivisions within themselves.
69	* While ''TabletopGame/AnimaBeyondFantasy'' has one religion -basically a [[ChristianityIsCatholic Catholic-like Christianity]] mixed with some Old Testament, that turns around a CrystalDragonJesus- that is by far the most extended in human lands, with its church undoubtedly the most (visible and human) powerful organization of the setting, many other cults are present albeit much less extended. It's stated also that there're branches in the game's Christianity but all of them are contained within the same church... for now.
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71
72	[[folder:Video Games]]
73	* ''VideoGame/{{Xenogears}}'' features two distinct major religions, (very) briefly hints at a third in one scene. Most of the beliefs of the organized religions, however, seem to be based upon a similar set of concepts.
74	* ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft'' has multiple religious faiths, many of which are diverse from one another.
75	** In the Alliance, the humans, along with the dwarves and the draenei, practice a CrystalDragonJesus religion known as the Holy Light. The exceptions are the night elves, who worship a moon goddess known as Elune, possibly the Gilnean worgen, former humans who were brought to the Alliance by night elves (though their religious practices are almost unknown), and the gnomes, who have for the most part [[OutgrownSuchSillySuperstitions completely forgone religion in favor of science]].
76	*** It's noted in the tabletop roleplaying game that Elune is the only true actual deity in the game world, though that sounds like Night Elven propaganda to me.
77	*** It should be stated that the Holy Light is non-theistic (that is, it has no godhead) and allows for some degree of syncretism.
78	*** That said, earlier games make references to a more theistic bent, and references to a deity by worshippers of the Holy Light have been seen within World of Warcraft. Given the amount of turmoil that has taken place over the course of the games, it's entirely likely that the Church has undergone theological, philosophical and metaphysical developments.
79	** The Horde is split up for the most part. Orcs, as a whole, have a shamanistic heritage. Almost all trolls worship their multiple Loa spirit gods. The tauren worship their tribal deity known as the Earthmother. Forsaken undead have some sort of religion involving the shadow, themselves and the light(to a lesser extent). Blood elves follow the Holy Light. Its unknown what goblins worship but they can be priests.
80	** The Pandaren (both those on the Wandering Isle and on Pandaria) worship the August Celestials, four [[PhysicalGod Physical Gods]] based on the Four Symbols of Chinese mythology and astrology: Yu'lon the Jade Serpent representing the Azure Dragon, Chi-Ji the Red Crane representing the Vermilion Bird, Xuen the White Tiger representing the White Tiger, and Niuzao the Black Ox representing the Black Turtle.
81	** In addition, there are many other races that worship other deities: members of the [[ReligionOfEvil Cult of the Damned]] worship the [[BigBad Lich King]], many corrupted followers of the [[EldritchAbomination Old Gods]] exist, and there are many others.
82	* ''VideoGame/BreathOfFireII'', which sports the benevolent [[GodsHandsAreTied but mostly impotent]] Dragon God, the minor earth deity Namanda and the [[spoiler: [[GodIsEvil villainous]]]] [[CrystalDragonJesus Church of St. Eva]].
83	** Repeated in ''VideoGame/BreathOfFireIII'', with the God of the Urkans [[spoiler: (actually the Goddess Myria)]] and the Dragon God Ladon, who still has a few shrines as the "god of travelers" and serves as a Master.
84	* ''VideoGame/VagrantStory'', with two
85	* ''VideoGame/LaPucelle'', technically: although the story centers on members of the eponymous church, there is another one who doubles as its theological rival, enemy and ChurchOfEvil.
86	* ''VideoGame/ArcRiseFantasia'' has three, although two (North and South Noireism) are kind of variations of each other.
87	* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyX2'', where the former Yevonites have divided into the Youth League and New Yevon. The major bone of contention is the speed at which technology should be incorporated into daily life.
88	* ''Franchise/MassEffect'' takes place in the future, where humanity has not OutgrownSuchSillySuperstitions--the main religions of today still exist in the future, albeit at a lesser extent. (Most notably, party member Ashley is religious; while she never states ''what'' religion specifically she belongs to, it's generally assumed that she's Christian.) The discovery of Prothean ruins on Mars led to a few new human religions starting up. The alien species also have some diversity among their religions; the asari have both monotheistic Goddess (Athame) worship and a pantheistic religion called "siari". While the latter is more widespread, many asari still invoke the Goddess in casual conversation ([[OhMyGods By the Goddess!]]), similar to how atheists will say "oh my God" despite obviously not believing in one. The drell have a traditional polytheistic religion, but the Thane notes that many young drell are turning away from it, and the Codex says that siari is becoming popular among the drell. The hanar worship the Protheans to the point where it (and being extremely polite {{GrammarNazi}}s) is their [[PlanetofHats hat]]. Aliens are also adopting alien religions; the codex notes that Confucianism and Zen Buddhism are fairly popular among the turians, and a Cerberus Daily News story mentions businesses which provide dextro-amino kosher food for turians and quarians who have converted to Judaism.
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90
91	[[folder:Webcomics]]
92	* ''Webcomic/GetMedieval'', with both earthly religions and alien ones.
93	[[/folder]]
94
95	[[folder:Real Life]]
96	* But of course. Also, nearly every faith is heavily fragmented into several different sects.
97	[[/folder]]
98
99	----
100	!!Subverted: Single Religions With Internal Factions
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102	[[foldercontrol]]
103
104	[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
105	* ''Franchise/StarWars'': Jedi vs. Sith at the very least. The ExpandedUniverse features enough "alternative" religions to make the franchise an aversion, but we're ignoring those for the moment. A number of other Force sects exist as well.
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107
108	[[folder:Literature]]
109	* ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings'', in which certain cultures (or subcultures) place more emphasis on their favorite members of the pantheon.
110	* Omnianism in ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'', going through endless schisms after the last prophet, Brutha in ''Small Gods''
111	* Creator/LoisMcMasterBujold's Literature/{{Chalion}} universe has two closely related religions who are bitter rivals, since they disagree about whether one of the five gods is, or isn't, TheDevil.
112	* David Weber's Literature/{{Safehold}} series is the story of one world's transition from a single monolithic religion to a deeply divided global religion - but it's still the ''same'' religion, just divided. The second and third novels in the series are called ''By Schism Rent Asunder'' and ''By Heresies Distressed'', which are a fairly accurate description of the fate of the Church of God Awaiting.
113	** The reason for the single religion is that it was achieved artificially through massive brain washing and by nuking any opposition from orbit. We do not know what the religious makeup of the original colonists was. Other religions might have popped up over the centuries but they would have been mercilessly wiped out by the Church.
114	* ''Literature/TheWheelOfTime'', like ''Franchise/StarWars'', has one single monolithic belief system for the whole world - but it's dualistic, and the darker side has many adherents, and they're the antagonists. Well, the main antagonists. So that darker side might be considered a schismatic completely separate religion or a part of the same religion with different ways of observing it.
115	** As typical of Robert Jordan, every side also has different factions: for example, the Children of Light and the Aes Sedai both worship the Light and the Creator, but have a very different view of the One Power... Masema's followers also behave like a fanatical cult, putting Rand on the same level as the Creator. Plus he's legitimately TheChosenOne (reincarnated from the previous guy), but many other false claimants arose, making a lot of people skeptical that he's for real.
116	* ''Literature/{{Tasakeru}}'': The [[BeastMan eight sentient species']] cultures all originated from worship of the same three Gods, but each species developed a different set of beliefs over time.
117	* In the ''Literature/HumanxCommonwealth'', there's only one major human and Thranx religion- the Church, which is presented as being something of a mishmash of different belief systems with more of a focus on charity and helping those in need than specific doctrines. Other species, like the [[ScaryDogmaticAliens AAnn]] have their own religions, and Flinx even manages to accidentally trigger the creation of a new cult on a pre-industrial world that he illegally visits.
118	* ''Literature/TailchasersSong'' implies that all cats worship Meerclar Allmother. However, cats are depicted as British instead of African (and they were created as is instead of being domesticated African wildcats) so the religion might change depending on the area.
119	* ''Literature/TheLostFleet'': Both sides in the ForeverWar seem to follow the same rather vaguely-defined religion that combines ancestor-worship with the concept of "The Living Stars", which may or may not be gods in the conventional sense of the word. The faith is openly and quite widely practiced in TheAlliance, and semi-officially frowned upon but tolerated in private by [[OneNationUnderCopyright The Syndicate Worlds]]. What religious practices are common in the various other factions to play a role in the story never really comes up.
120	[[/folder]]
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122	[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
123	* ''Series/DoctorWho'': In the future the army (human army that is) is run by the [[ChurchMilitant Church]] and among the Clerics there are mentions of both Anglican troops and of a Papal mainframe.
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125
126	[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
127	* ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons''
128	* ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}}'' has enough cults of the God Emperor that almost everyone is, indeed, a heretic.
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130
131	[[folder: Video Games]]
132	* In ''VideoGame/StoryOfSeasons'', all the villages and towns worship the Harvest Goddess in a CrystalDragonJesus manner. There are varying Harvest Goddess and most towns have their own specific one. However, it's also shown that Harvest Goddess worship differs from place to place. In ''VideoGame/HarvestMoonSunshineIslands'', Cliff from Mineral Town doesn't have the exact same beliefs as the local priest.
133	[[/folder]]
134
135	[[folder:Western Animation]]
136	* ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'' had a two-parter set in the future where everyone has become an atheist. However, the atheists have split into many factions, fighting wars just as bloody as the religious wars of the past, over [[spoiler:what their name should be]].
137	[[/folder]]
138
139	----
140	!!Played ''Both Ways''
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142	[[foldercontrol]]
143
144	[[folder:Comic Books]]
145	* ''ComicBook/{{Artesia}}'' has multiple religions (the Old Religion of Yhera, the faith of the Divine King, and the mystery cults, among others), but they all fit into the same cosmology, many gods are worshipped in both religions, and the Phoenix Court of the Empire worships the Divine King but also pays respect to the gods of the Old Religion.
146	* ''ComicBook/JudgeDredd'' comics generally assumed that the Church of Grud was a universal replacement for all previous establishment religions (it's even centred in Vatican City), until Creator/PaulCornell's ''Pan-African Judges'' said, "No, the Muslim world is still Muslim."
147	[[/folder]]
148
149	[[folder: Fan Works]]
150	* Played with hard in ''Fanfic/WithStringsAttached.'' When the four first arrive in Ketafa and talk to Stal, they learn that Ketafa had been settled hundreds of years ago by people fleeing the gods, but that recently the conquering Idris “brought the gods back.” However, Stal is in despair both that the religion is very likely fake and that the people took to it so readily. When the four get sent across the ocean to Baravada, they find that ''real'' gods (the Dalns gods) are present there, and that the Ketafan religion merely incorporated their names among many others... but that the Baravadans have no idea what the words “religion” and “worship” mean, and treat the gods pretty much like employers. Moreover, the Dalns gods are prevented from doing anything in Ketafa because of a curse on that continent. Things get even more complicated when, much later in the book, the four travel to the GhostCity of Ehndris and glimpse crumbling temples and statues which are clearly part of some other, lost religion.
151	[[/folder]]
152
153	[[folder:Literature]]
154	* ''Literature/HonorHarrington'': Let's see, we've got the formerly SpaceAmish Church of Humanity Unchained, with its own internal factions, and its extremist splinter The Faithful, the Methodist-descended Third Stellars (which has practically every congregation-or even every person-being their own faction), along with a 2nd Reformation Catholic Church, a new Judaism faction, and passing mentions of most other current major religions.
155	* ''Literature/TheStormlightArchive'': There are numerous religions worshiping the Heralds of the Almighty. Many see them as gods, or see one as a god while all the others are angels, and so on. The audience knows that the Vorin religion is closest to the truth, but they get a number of things wrong--most notably, they are completely unaware of the fact that [[TheOathbreaker the Heralds gave up their oaths]] [[ScrewThisImOuttaHere because they were so tired of the endless fighting]].
156	[[/folder]]
157
158	[[folder:Live Action TV]]
159	* ''Franchise/StarTrek'', which features religious PlanetOfHats (Bajor), OutgrownSuchSillySuperstitions (while Roddenberry was alive) and religious proliferacy (after he'd passed on).
160	* ''Series/BabylonFive'':
161	** In the first-season episode "The Parliament of Dreams" during a cultural exchange week each of the alien races put on some kind of demonstration of their religion. Every alien species only has one religion, but what will the Earth do? Finally it's Earth's turn.
162	--->'''Cmdr. Sinclair:''' ''shaking hands or bowing or giving the appropriate gesture'' This is Mr. Harris. He's an atheist. Father Cresanti, a Roman Catholic. Mr. Hayakawa, a Zen Buddhist. Mr. Rashid, a Moslem. Mr. Rosenthal, an Orthodox Jew. Running Elk, of the Oglala Sioux faith. Father Papapoulous, a Greek Orthodox. Ogigi-ko, of the Ebo tribe. Machukiak, y Yupik Eskimo. Sawa, of the Jivaro tribe. Isnakuma, a Bantu. Ms. Chang, a Taoist. Mr. Blacksmith, an aborigine. Ms. Yamamoto, a Shinto. Ms. Naijo, a Maori. Mr. Gold, a Hindu. Ms.... ''FadeToBlack''
163	** That being said, humans aren't the only species to have more than one religion. The Narn in particular are noted to have a number of different faiths, each with their own beliefs and practices, each of which is named for the religion's founder/prophet and has a scripture named "The Book of [Founder's name]." G'Kar, for instance, is a devotee of the faith of G'Quan. In later episodes, [[spoiler:G'Kar himself becomes a "prophet" after he has a spiritual awakening while imprisoned in the B5 brig and decides to write his memoirs/explication of his transformation. He doesn't mean to become a prophet, but eventually Narns begin to follow him, which at first [[UnwantedFalseFaith frustrates him to no end]]. Eventually, he learns to take it in stride.]]
164	[[/folder]]
165
166	[[folder:Video Games]]
167	* ''Franchise/DragonAge'': More than one religion overall, but you only get one religion per race--there is no sense that any particular person could ever be a different religion from the one they are. The human religion, that of The Maker and the Prophet Andraste has some subdivisions, but these are clearly marked as 'real religion' and 'evil cult' so don't really represent religious diversity. The narrative itself (and the Warden, if you choose) can be read as having a subtle atheistic bias.
168	** Notably averted in Orzammar, where you find a dwarf cleric of Andraste who is genuinely good; should you choose to help him, you see ''why'' there's only one religion per race.
169	** There's also a subversion that gets a bit more attention in ''VideoGame/DragonAgeII'', where the Tevinter Imperium has its own schismatic Chantry that's under the control of the mages, rather than the other way around. Fenris calls it a scam to keep [[TheMagocracy the magisters]] in power, but we don't actually see the Black Divine or any of his people.
170	** Also, if you read the Codex, the reason there's only two versions of the Maker's worship is because the Chantry takes it ''very seriously'', aggressively wiping out variations of the faith. Kind of like the Catholic Church used to, only with more success. It's even part of the religion that the Chant ''must'' be recited ''perfectly'', with no variations. However, despite all of this, the occasional underground offshoot manages to thrive.
171	** Likewise, it's mentioned that when the Chantry decided to lead an Exalted March against the Dales, the "Canticle of Shartan" was stripped from the Chant of Light, [[InternalRetcon removing all reference]] to the ''Dalish'' General of Andraste's army.
172	** It's interesting to note that, apparently as a result of being raised on the surface by exiled nobles from Orzammar, Varric Tethras is ostensibly non-religious, but frequently will invoke both the Dwarven Ancestors ''and'' Andraste's name. It is confirmed in ''VideoGame/DragonAgeInquisition'' that Varric is in fact Andrastian, although he doesn't often bring up the fact that he sincerely believes.
173	** Hawke also appears to show acceptance of multiple, diverse faiths. Despite being nominally Andrastian, Hawke nonetheless aids Merrill in performing several Dalish rituals, in ''Legacy'' offers a Dwarven prayer after recovering the body of Varric's ancestor in the Deep Roads, works with the Qunari on numerous occasions and in ''Mark of the Assassin'', while also mentioning offhand that their family was one of the few that the Chasind Wilders chose to trade with in Lothering. A Snarky!Hawke gives a few hints that s/he is actually more of a NayTheist.
174	** While there's one ''main'' religion per race, there are some minority faiths and a few converts. In addition to the Andrastian dwarf mentioned above, the Chasind and Avvar barbarians are human polytheists, and there are a fair number of converts to the Qunari faith who are human or (especially) elven. Many of the city elves are Andrastian, though they retain some traditions of elven polytheism (such as the vhenadahl, or sacred tree). The Rivaini are pantheists who believe in a Natural Order (and also have a number of Qunari converts).
175	* In ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda'', the Triforce seems to be used universally and everyone seems to adhere to the same legends, yet each race is mainly seen worshipping deities separate from the Golden Goddesses - usually protector spirits like Jabu-Jabu or Valoo, but other ones as well, like the Ocean King or Hylia or the Desert Colossus. It's possible these all form a unified pantheon hierarchy, but that's never been made explicit.
176	* ''Franchise/TheElderScrolls'' plays with it in a number of ways depending on the instance.
177	** Averted in general with the primary religion of most of Tamriel, the religion of the 8 (or 9) Divines, sometimes referred to as the Imperial Cult. It was a compromise religion created by Alessia, the first empress of Cyrodiil, to appease the different races with different religious beliefs who made up her empire. While the main sect of the religion is based out of the Imperial City in Cyrodiil and is fairly uniform, there are other versions of it in different provinces. For example, the Altmer still refer to Akatosh by his Aldmeri name of Auriel, and have some very different beliefs about the motive for the creation of the universe. Further, many Nords still refer to the Divines by their ancient Nord names and still hold Shor (aka Lorkhan) as their top god even if the official version of the religion leaves him out.
178	** That said, every single religion on Tamriel shares a number of consistent elements in their creation stories. It's usually their interpretation of the ''[[TheRashomon motives]]'' of the gods involved that differ.
179	** For some 4000 years, the Dunmer of Morrowind instead worshiped a trio of [[PhysicalGod Physical Gods]] known as the Tribunal, or ALMSIVI, made up of Vivec, Almalexia, and Sotha Sil. The Tribunal Temple was founded which worships them. The friction between the Temple and the Imperial Cult is felt in the main quest of ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIIIMorrowind Morrowind]]''. Then Subverted ''within'' the Tribunal Temple. While they present themselves in this fashion and attempt to suppress all dissent, the Dissident Priests and Nerevarine Cult have split off from the mainstream Tribunal worship. When talking to Vivec, he'll reveal that the Temple isn't entirely right, and that the others aren't completely wrong.
180	** Also Averted when the Dunmer [[NobleSavage Ashlanders]] are considered. They practice ancestor worship (which is still part of Tribunal Temple doctrine, though to a lesser extent,) and also, to a degree, worship (or at least respect) the Daedra. (Particularly Azura, Boethia, Mephala, Sheogorath, Molag Bal, Mehrunes Dagon, and Malacath.) Again, the Daedra are acknowledged by the Tribunal Temple, but are considered subservient to the Tribunal.
181	** Speaking of the Daedra, they are worshiped (usually individually) by many in Tamriel as an alternative to the Aedric Divines.
182	** The Skaal of Solstheim add another to the mix, with their worship of the "All Maker."
183	** While some Argonians may convert to the religion of the Divines, their species as a whole tends to worship the Hist, a race of sentient trees native to their Black Marsh homeland.
184	** The Dark Brotherhood worships Sithis, also known as the "Void" or the primal "[[MindScrew Is Not]]".
185	[[/folder]]

Context Main / OneTrueFaith