discoursedrome:

argumate:

broke: feminists ruined gaming

woke: feminists ruined christianity

The selling of indulgences was controversial because it allowed casuals to pay to win and much of the classic “hardcore” audience felt it devalued the grinding they had done to achieve their position. However, while there was much gnashing of teeth over the “dumbing down” and monetization of virtue in order to appeal to a market sector they already resented, I would submit that indulgences were a net positive for Christianity, as they enabled people with neither the skill to avoid sin nor the stamina to perform hardcore penance to enjoy the end times content that had become increasingly important over the lifetime of the religion, and because the “pay for play” content was balanced so as not to help with the competitive/pvp elements of virtue, there was really no drawback except some penitents’ wounded pride.

A better criticism that moves beyond hardcore machismo is that tariffed penance ought to have been elaborated into a full credit system, extending the traditional practice of intercession by martyrs and monks to allow anyone in good standing with the Church to earn salable credit via unnecessary penitence. This would have taken the edge off the complaints by ensuring that those with time and skill got a share of the indulgence income while and by tying indulgences to a real-world commodity rather than drawing on the unlimited fiat grace of the Treasury of the Church, it would have ensured that indulgences were sold at a fair value.