Board Thread:Warhammer 40k General Discussion/@comment-6078851-20140602154731

here's part 2 since there still seems to be life in the discussion.

take christianity as an example of how many variants there are of the cult imperialis: since it's founding, a mere 2000 years ago, there are dozens (maybe even hundreds) of variations, and all on a single planet. some of them differ substantially from the original and some differ minutely, but they're all based on the same god. the cult imperialis has been going for 10,000 years, across the galaxy. and with the inefficiency of travel and communications it's inevitable that there will be a huge number (probably thousands, at least) of variations, but they all stick to the founding principle of emps as god.

however, while people may have the freedom to follow a variation of their choosing, don't mistake that as religious freedom. religious freedom would allow you to not believe, if you so choose. but in the imperium, not believing that emps is god is heresy of the highest magnitude - it would probably be seen as less of a crime to physically spit in emps' eye socket :P - the imperium is very religiously intolerant, "believe what we say you're allowed to believe", or die on fire. as far as i know the only people who are allowed to believe that emps isn't god are astartes, and that's only because the imperium needs them so badly (similar to how emps sold-out his own principles of a secular society by allowing the machine-god belief to continue, because he needed the machines of mars).

dunno how strict the eldar (craftworld, exodites) are in their religious beliefs, but the tau do have genuine religious freedom. as long they've pledged to the greater good they are allowed to believe that emps is god, or not, if they so choose. 