In essence they can't offend others at the table with their real life ideals on religion. If a person believes in no God, we have that option. 1 God? sure. 15 gods? Why not. We won't let you be offended. So, here have all the options.
How is having deities in a fantasy world an offence? How is fantasy religion in dnd an offence? I really dont get it. If you choose to play a class with divine powers that are given/sponsored by the deities, then thats ones choice. If "offended" by it play a different class, or for tabletop, play in a setting without deities.
I for one wholly support it as it is in the Forgotten Realms.
I have the opposite of an agenda on this, Im a stonewall atheist in real life. I do however love to play cleric or Paladin in D&D, and I always choose a deity for that class. Heck I always choose a preferred deity for any class I play. Why? Because its what makes sense in the setting of Forgotten Realms. The vast majority of in world humanoids follows a deity in particular, whilst also sometimes offering prayers to other deities (before a sea voyage, at the passing of a friend/family member etc etc.). It makes sense in that game world. Whether one is religious/believe in a god/gods or not in RL, should have no bearing whatsoever on your feelings on this subject. Atheists arent really a thing in Forgotten Realms, 99% of its humanoid inhabitants are very much aware that gods exist in one way or another. Hence why I never play a character that is one. Because there is so much evidence for the deities existence and actual history of them written inside the setting (not to be confused with holy books). And those few that are atheists in FR, get a rude awakening in the afterlife. Again in the forgotten realms that is, not speaking of RL. Thats not headcannon or something, Im just explaining forgotten realms settings rules/lore on this one.
Bottomline, one shouldnt compare our real world with that of a fantasy setting when it comes to this and many other subjects. The particular settings "in game" logic, rules, history, cultures etc etc. is what really matters. Not your personal beliefs or political views, that is part of the reason its called Roleplaying. You step into another world, playing a character that is not yourself (well thats the idea anyway).
