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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.
| Category | Name | Text |
|---|---|---|
| Theism | Monotheist | Only one god is worshipped. Other so-called 'gods' are at best empty idols, and at worst attempts by some malign deceiver to tempt the faithful away from proper worship of [High God]. |
| Polytheist | The cosmos is full of powerful deities and spirits. There may be a set of gods established in a clear pantheon, but it may be that the spiritual world is uncountable, pervades everything around us, and does not even have named gods. | |
| View on Gender | Male Dominated | Men are stronger and better equipped to lead us in this harsh and unforgiving world, so we shall entrust them with governing our society. |
| Equal | It is foolish to deny skilled people a role in government purely because of their gender. We shall allow all who are able to govern our society. | |
| Female Dominated | Women have proven time and time again that only they have the wisdom and prudence necessary to properly govern our society. | |
| Religious Attitude | Fundamentalist | Our faith is the one true faith, our word the one true word. Any deviation from the [Religious Text] is inherently blasphemous. |
| Righteous | As mortals we cannot fully comprehend [High God]'s will, but our priests still have a pretty good idea of what is holy and what is profane. | |
| Pluralist | It is utter folly to say that there is only one right interpretation of divine will, and that all the others views are wrong. Each of us has our own way of worshiping [High God]. | |
| Pilgrimage Attitude | Forbidden | The presence of [High God] can be felt everywhere and the notion that certain places are more divine than others is nothing short of heresy. |
| Encouraged | This faith encourages its members to visit earthly locations deemed to be of spiritual significance as a means of demonstrating reverence for [High God]. | |
| Mandatory | It is expected that all able-bodied adherents complete a spiritual journey to a holy place as soon as they are able. Failing to do so represents a failure to submit oneself to [High God]. | |
| Local Rites | Adherents of this faith prefer the comfort and stability of routine rites at local shrines over the hazards and strain of lengthy pilgrimages. | |
| Marriage | Monogamous | Marriage is a sacred bond between two individuals. Attempting to form such a bond with multiple people at once is sacrilege. |
| Polygamous | Since marriage is a holy union, having multiple marriages is clearly more holy than having just a single marriage — so long as each marriage is holy in and of itself. | |
| Consorts & Concubines | Marriage is a sacred bond, but as long as their spouse takes priority one may be permitted to have concubines or consorts to engage with as well. | |
| Divorce | Always Allowed | Marriage is merely a partnership between two people, and like all partnerships, can be ended at will. |
| Must be Approved | While the bonds of marriage should not be taken lightly, extenuating circumstances can sometimes make divorce a necessity.1) | |
| Disallowed | The vows of marriage are final and binding. Only death may do us part. | |
| Bastardry | No Bastards | Blood determines lineage, not marriage. Children born out of wedlock are just as legitimate as any other. |
| Legitimization | Marriage is holy, so children born outside of it must be blessed in another way if they are to be considered legitimate. | |
| No Legitimization | The bonds of marriage are sacrosanct, and children born outside of wedlock will always be illegitimate. |
| Crime | Doctrine | Text |
|---|---|---|
| Same-Sex Relations | Crime | The sinful desires of sodomites are a danger to society itself, so they shall be punished and locked away for their transgressions. |
| Shunned | It is unnatural for two men to engage in sexual relations with one another, regardless of the circumstances. | |
| Accepted | Love transcends physicality into something so profound and wondrous that it cannot be restricted by mere gender. |
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.