[HoE] Tenants of the Radioactive Religion

["Carl L. Congdon" <carlcong@nni.com>]

Since Doomsayers are built around a scientific basis as well as mystic
superstition, they are likely to have an...unusual way of looking at
things. Also, I'm going to put this from the "heretic's" point of view,
since it's pretty obvious that Silas has his own way of looking at
things.

THE MYSTERY OF THE ATOM

To understand how someone could worship something that caused mass
destruction and deformity, you have to understand that to a Doomsayer,
Atom=Change. This Change can be a Good Thing, if you embrace it and work
with it to the best of your ability, or a Bad Thing if you fear it and
try to fight it or run away. Most Doomsayers tend to judge mutants by
their mutations: if the mutations are good, so is the mutant, if the
mutations are for the worse, then the mutant deserved what he/she got.
(Silas isn't as particular, of course. This is one of the things that
caused the schism.) To the Doomsayer, the Revelations of the Atom (ie: a
huge radioactive explosion, or the Mutate! power) is a way of unlocking
the Hidden Potential of the world. By causing Good Change, they can pull
a brand new, better-than-ever humanity out of the ruins and into a
better tomorrow. Don't fight the Change, don't run from it, but *feel*
it, and embrace it for all it's worth! Also, don't look to the past for
answers: it's dead, and you'll be dead too if you get stuck in it.

SCIENTIST-SAINTS

Scientists were the ones who unlocked the Hidden Potential in all
things, even if they didn't look at it that way in the beginning. For
that, they are to be honored. Today, their spiritual descendants (the
Junkers) should also be honored. Although they do not embrace The Atom
in the same way, their vision and technological savvy allow the fear and
ignorance of The Atom to be slowly overcome.

THE APOCALYPSE

Instead of using The Atom as a beacon to The Great Tomorrow, they used
it as a weapon of mass destruction. Instead of showing people how to use
The Atom, they turned it into a bogeyman. Instead of embracing Change,
people ran and hid, or fought it tooth and nail. Is it any wonder The
Atom brought forth our worst fears, and dimininshed so many to what they
are now?
It is up to us, the Embracers of The Atom, to destroy the horrors, the
failed mutants, and remove the fear which engulfs and pollutes the
world. Yes, humanity as we know it will be no more, but why should those
who still live do so under a pall of gloom and terror? When the fear and
ignorance is lifted, then The Evolved shall take their proper place in
The New Tomorrow.

This was just a little something to add meat to those Doomsayers out
there. Also explains why their first power is Tolerance: they embrace
the atom, thus they aren't afraid of it, thus it does far less harm than
it would otherwise. Wouldn't do a damn thing against real radiation, but
this is radiation filtered through ghostrock, so of course it's going to
do things it shouldn't do!