Here we go, get ready to eat your words and eat some humble pie … SCAG page 132 below virtues: "MOST Paladins in the forgotten realms, like clerics, are devoted to a particular deity.
Err, I’m sure Niara can and will speak for herself but you might want to rethink your post as your quotes don’t in any way disprove anything she has said and if anything support her argument over what initially appeared to be yours. She has never denied that some, or even most, paladins follow one or more deities, only clarified that not all do and that there is an in-universe explanation of this.
If, however, you are not in fact claiming that every paladin must have a deity then I don’t think there’s any substantive point of difference to be argued about.
"You may call it 'nonsense' if you like, but I've heard nonsense, compared with which that would be as sensible as a dictionary!"
