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Table of Contents
Major trains of thought
Philosophy
Trainwrecks
Value Judgement
Personal Preference
Nature of Things
Fact of the Universe
Toleration
Ship of Theseus
I'm 14 and this is deep
Words
Claim
Court
Redemption
Theology/
Religion
A Religion is a type of faith that has, over time, become a fully fledged system of worship. A religion is the belief in something around which a spiritual structure has formed.
Religions in the way I think of them come with four features:
- Head of Faith
- Sins & Virtues
- Doctrines
- Holy Scripture
Head of Faith
Religions, as lived out by humans, are inherently “human”, or “earthly” as they will call it. Most religions appoint, through one justification or another, a human head of faith who is in charge of leading the religion to some extent. The exact extent and the position granted to that person vary between religions, however.
| Name | Text | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| God Ruler | / | The chosen head of faith is considered god themselves and has full executive control over the religion. Their will is the will of the religion. |
| Spiritual | The physical world and the spiritual world are not alike. We must ensure the spiritual world has it's own leader, to guide us and to protect our faith from being profaned by physical desires. | The head of faith is a medium to the spiritual. Their word is what god told them, so they have near-executive control over the religion. This is only constrained by how much the religion allows its believers to stray from official doctrine. |
| Temporal | The spiritual and the physical are intrinsically bound together, whole and inseparable. It is foolish to have two different leaders for one realm. | The head of faith does not act in any official capacity of the high god and merely manages human affairs on earth. They take care of human interests on earth (ie. they might administer churches or holy sites), but have no say over the religion. |
| None | It is utter folly to assume that any one person can truly comprehend the will of [High God]. We must follow our own hearts to discover what their plan for us is. | God themselves is the leader. While god might commune with individuals, individuals do not speak for god and gain no extra significance within the religion. The hierarchical structure of this religion has two levels: God, and everyone else. |
Sins & Virtues
Almost all religions come attached with social structures that are followed inside of them. This has weakened over the course of the enlightenment, but was a very significant factor in the past. Regardless, religions still teach these attitudes today and present a defining feature of each religion.
Doctrines
To really define a religion and understand what the religion is like, it is very important to look at its doctrines. These are the main rules of the religion itself and determine how the religion works internally.
Holy Scripture
Many religions have central scriptures from which they potentially derive their authority or legitimacy. If not that, it can also just be the central rulebook of the religion.