another example
a while ago I played an evil dwarven cleric in an Dungeonworld Oneshot dm-ed by @Alrik
there I made up my own religion … and in a way, that my character would be ‘100% supportive’ of the party
The Tenets of Kurgon the Bleak
(by the Dwarf “Björn the Cleric”)History
One day a dwarven home businessman named Kurgon was discussing the trials of sending his hand-crafted Zen meditation workbooks out through the mail and he uttered the words: “Fulfillment is a bitch.” In that moment, he became anti-enlightened and joined the cosmos and was known as Kurgon the Bleak ever since.
Deciding that tranquility and the annihilation of the ego is a load, he formed an antibuddhist faith, which is dedicated to the notion that the essential quality of sapience is conflict and uncertainty. Complacency is the enemy and antagonism is the route to the perfect self (which is, of course, the perfect ego). The followers of this faith try to exacerbate wars, spur conflicts, wreck marriages and pick fights in bars, with varying degrees of success.Anti-Enlightment: Not Stronger - But Easier & Faster
There are many ways to reach spiritial fulfillment. The followers of Kurgon the Bleak just believe that their way is easier and faster.
They do not try to convince others to join their faith. At that moment Kurgon became anti-enlightend and became Kurgon the Bleak, he joined the cosmos. There is no point in denying that.
This is not a religion for everyone. One is born a follower of Kurgon the Bleak. Many worship him, but do not know it. Then, later in their lives when the read the gospels of this dark faith, they find themselves there. It is like looking into a mirror and seeing yourself for the first time. This is the first small step to reach anti-enlightment.
So the priests of Kurgon the Bleak do not actively look out for new members and they do accept other religions, as they are also part of the cosmos and rightful roads to spiritual fulfillment in their own way. Although they are slower and harder than the way of Kurgon the Bleak.Anti-Enlightment: The State Of Unconditional Loathing
By becoming anti-enlightened Kurgon the Bleak reached this divine status. He has gained the ability to loath everyone at the same time, unconditionally - and thus curses everyone at the same time to bring suffering into their lives.
So when your life is miserable, it is not not because of your own actions. It is because Kurgon the Bleak despises and curses you. But as he loaths everyone equally, so that is not something you should feel particularly bad about.
You could never betray Kurgon the Bleak’s trust. You could never fail him. He has reached anti-enightment. He despises you to begin with. For his followers this generates a sense of ease, since they know for sure they did nothing wrong. It is just that Kurgon the Bleak loaths them - unconditionally.Life Of An Acolyte: Life Is Pain
Life is a pain in the ass, but Kurgon the Bleak believes in the divinty of suffering, since he despises and curses everyone unconditionally. As mentioned above complacency is the enemy of the true self (the perfect ego). So suffering is essential to reach anti-enlightment - but it kinda hurts. That is why his followers seek to hasten their own anti-enlightment process by dishing out as much suffering as possible.
So they wander the world hurting people, stealing lunch money and making people cry - basically: They are adventuring.Life Of An Acolyte: Adventuring
Adventuring is seen as a noble cause by this dark faith. Because there is no greater active worship of Kurgon the Bleak, than being in a group of homicidal hobos (people, who do odds jobs, have no fix income, no fix home address and kill a lot of struff).
The adventuring lifestyle basically proves the tenets of Kurgon the Bleak.
A group of this homocidal hobos often starts as weak adventures, but they grow stronger and unlock new abilities in only a very short time.
This is the proof, that suffering and the homicidal hobo way of adventuring is the fast road to anti-enlightment, Kurgon the Bleak preached about.Killing: Denying Penitence
The act of killing someone “evil” is nothing bad, because it robs the evil person the ability to repent. The evil soul will be sucked straight to the lower planes. These souls power the strength of evil divine beings … like the divine being of anti-enlightment Kurgon the Bleak (or these will empower you, if someday you will reach anti-enlightment too). This is why a priest of Kurgon the Bleak will never have a problem to aid an adventuring party to slay evil monsters or kill evil cultists.
Of course, would the evil monsters still exist, they would bring suffering to the world, but since it was defeated by an adventuring party, who most likely (unknowingly) walks the way of anti-enlightment - this is seen as a small but necessary price to pay.Killing: Puppies, Not Heroes
To kill a good person is a sin.
It makes no sense. The person would just go to heaven and would not suffer anymore - thus denying the believers of Kurgon the Bleak the chance to dish out suffering to them, to hasten their own anti-enlightment process.
Kurgon the Bleak emphasised that practice and awakening cannot be separated: So the acolytes of this dark faith try to harm good people indirecly - so that their victims start to struggle with their own believe-system and ask their god, “Why…!”.
Abducting puppies of the elderly … meaningless “accidents” … secretly creating pollution … those are the tools of a follower of this dark faith to show others the spiritual reality of this world, thereby create suffering and thus hasten his own anti-enlightment process.Prayers:
[“The Anti-Enlightment-Code”]
There are no doubts - Only unconditional loathing.
There is no inner struggle - Only endless suffering.
There are no mistakes - Only divine curses.
There is only Anti-Enlightment.[“The Prayer Against Serenity”]
Kurgon the Bleak, All-Divisive Power of the Universe, please give me the courage to destroy everything I can, the cunning to undermine what I can’t destroy outright, and EXPLOSIVES! EXPLOSIVES!!!”