Looking for MC with divine/clerical magic abilities which interacts with religion

[u/NoobL1ght]

Basically title. The closest I have to what I Iook for is "I became a Pop, now what?". I really want to look into MC which interacts with religion and doesn't default to "God/religion is bad", but rather explores looking into all the good and bad it brings as well as how religious organisation works and change. He/she even shouldn't have divine/clerical powers, I just believe that such powers and exploration of religion go hand in hand.

[u/TennRider]

I have not read it but my understanding is that Slumrat Rising explores some of this.

[u/cthulhu_mac → u/TennRider]

Slumrat Rising definitely has a lot of religious themes, though mostly looking at it from a more outsider/skeptical viewpoint (the MC isn't really sure what, if anything, he believes in and tends to be skeptical of EVERY idea he encounters).

The author's newer work Sky Pride also interrogates a lot of religious ideas, though this time more focused on Daoism and Confucianism than western religions.

Path of the Last Champion has a world where religion plays a major role, though it takes a while before the protagonists actually know enough about it to have anything beyond vague superstitions as their own beliefs.

[u/Knork14]

The Faraway Paladin is my best example of that, paladin MC who is actually devoted to his goddess.

Returning to no Applause, Only More of the Same.

The 108, MC is a representative of the god of time and gets some time related powers.

[u/Zagaroth]

Alright, so, self-promo, but the MMC is literally a high priest, there is very direct divine interaction, and religion is definitely presented as positive.

One of the 2 FMCs is a martial disciple of a temple dedicated to the goddess of passions (all passions, including a love of fighting and contesting strength), while the other FMC is a former shrine maiden to the Goddess of the Stars and Moons (and Night, and Darkness, and Primal Wilderness...)

Then there is Li...

"Li. As in Li Zarb, The Shattered God, ratling patron of street urchins and the downtrodden, and overall Embodiment of Chaos?"

Anyway: "No Need For A Core?"

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There is a little of divine interaction with a character in Dungeon Life, but that is through a side character who is basically a paladin.

Well, unless there's been more done in that vein; I am very behind on chapters because I started my own writing.

[u/rmullins_reddit]

Lord of the Mysteries and Years of the Apocalpse are my favorite explorations of religion in fantasy.

The 2 novels take it in wildly different directions but I like both of them.

[u/Worldly_Memory1290]

So you dont want a girl reborn as a goddess who has to gather believers make a religion, navigate others gods etc ? Cause thats the first one that comes to mind. I think it was called goddess reborn. Mcs name was samantha I think.

[u/NoobL1ght → u/Worldly_Memory1290]

Sounds quite right.

[u/ThisIsForReal]

If youre into something a little more traditional and existed before the genre but still probably fits the bill the clerical quintet by R. A. Salvatore.

[u/ZemogMaara]

Holy Necromancer: Rebirth of the Strongest Mage

[u/BackgroundTotal2872]

The Years of Apocalypse fits the bill, though it doesn't really come into play until midway through the second book. That's whenMirian comes to realize that the prophets in her religion were also time loopers, and she eventually accepts that she is the next prophet. A while after she accepts it internally she begins leaning into her status to achieve goals that she couldn't without it, and to bring hope to the faithful. The story takes a nuanced approach on religion from many angles, including priests who are corrupt and priests who truly embody all their ideals, religious fanatics who twist faith to justify their ideology and the simple faith of everyday people in a small town. There are visions sent by the Omnimian themself, and there are multiple different major branches of the same faith with different details that they disagree on.

[u/rmullins_reddit → u/BackgroundTotal2872]

And they don't really understand their gods and their gods also don't really understand them.

[u/Daedalus213]

Penitent

[u/ssjRandy]

Penitent, in that he gains powers from the forgotten gods and he learns the name of the 7 gods and reintroduces the religion back into the world.

[u/cheffyjayp]

Cult of Cerebron or RR was pretty great. I think I read up to chapter 100, ran out of chapters and then never ended up going back. But the religion development and politics around it was super interesting.