ShaVeK HaChaver 814
Proton
- Joined
- Nov 27, 2022
- Messages
- 233
- Nebulae
- 2,377
The Vatican was the last of the Italian peninsula to be occupied. Priests, Cardinals, Magistrates, and, finally, the Pope filed out in a single column. They weren't heard from again. The Vatican had been abolished peacefully in a single night. Luther's Dream was accomplished. Some few years after, on the Seventh day of annual Unification Week, a small and loathsome Norwegian reminiscent of those hieratic Petainist collaborators announced to the world the Universalist Communion. What Christendom had sought for millennia had been accomplished — a united, global, catholic church.
Everything you know, everything you love, is subsumed. Everything is rationalized. Everything becomes an object of utility for the Empire, from organs meant to safeguard peace, to communities of the faithful. No matter how flawed they may have been, they remained human, for lofty ideals translated into flawed practices is the bedrock of a race fallen, a race of sinners, of fragments of the Godhead, shards of the Cosmos. Then that crucial, human element, is surgically extracted with utmost precision. It's not barbaric. The human essence is not grabbed at and crushed as the Empire's subjects gawk in horror. Rather, a scalpel is taken to it, leaving an intact shell modified with no sense of aesthetic cohesion or spirit but relentless, brutal, and industrial efficiency. Pragmatism to a fault, some would say.
The Universalist Communion began as a strictly Christian organization. Although the crowning accomplishment of Human-CMB collaboration at the height of the Unification State, taking months to manufacture, it was not the only to be announced. Islam was gifted its own mutilation, as was Hinduism, then Buddhism, the Jews... As time passed, the Communion, following in the steps of its grafters, subsumed those too. UniCom, as it had come to be called by laymen and officials alike, became an all-encompassing monolith, a mutation sprung out of the minds of intellectuals and theologians with nothing but free time, a conglomerate of world religions, aimed at growth and control. What little remnants of the true Christianity it had stolen from its desert forebears faded into obscurity. All the generalities preached by world religions, what some would call their perennial truths, were brought to the forefront and made UniCom's guiding dogma. Of course, regional variety existed—consider the ChrIslam theologians in Bosnia—but the most 'developed' parts, as in, those secular areas where UniCom had inherited, filled to the brim with liberal-minded loyalists and pseudointellectuals, were most open to the 'truly human' and universal aspects of the religion. The French Cult of Reason, Comte's Religion of Humanity, and the Vperedist's God-Building had found a worthy successor.
The Universalist Communion began as a strictly Christian organization. Although the crowning accomplishment of Human-CMB collaboration at the height of the Unification State, taking months to manufacture, it was not the only to be announced. Islam was gifted its own mutilation, as was Hinduism, then Buddhism, the Jews... As time passed, the Communion, following in the steps of its grafters, subsumed those too. UniCom, as it had come to be called by laymen and officials alike, became an all-encompassing monolith, a mutation sprung out of the minds of intellectuals and theologians with nothing but free time, a conglomerate of world religions, aimed at growth and control. What little remnants of the true Christianity it had stolen from its desert forebears faded into obscurity. All the generalities preached by world religions, what some would call their perennial truths, were brought to the forefront and made UniCom's guiding dogma. Of course, regional variety existed—consider the ChrIslam theologians in Bosnia—but the most 'developed' parts, as in, those secular areas where UniCom had inherited, filled to the brim with liberal-minded loyalists and pseudointellectuals, were most open to the 'truly human' and universal aspects of the religion. The French Cult of Reason, Comte's Religion of Humanity, and the Vperedist's God-Building had found a worthy successor.
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UniCom Confession of Faith
The Universalist Communion takes the contents of the entire Canon as the foundation of our faith, the main points of which are as follows:
We believe in the Multiplicity of the Godhead, everlasting and eternal.
The Multiplicable Godhead is loving, just, holy, and trustworthy. The Godhead is almighty Benefactor, the custodian who creates and sustains the cosmos and all that is in it, who keeps and cares for the whole world.
The Heralds of Our Benefactors, Prophets Abram, Jesu, Mahomet, Siddhartha, foretold their coming in magical words, speaking in rhymes of instinct, so their prophesies may be spread more easily among the uninitiated. With all mysticism vanquished, the underlying truth is that which is taught by the Universalist Communion.
The communion is the body of Multiplicity and our Benefactors are its Head. The communion is prophetic, one, holy, and catholic. The visible communion is called by the Godhead to be a fellowship of those who believe in the Multiplicity. The mission of the communion is to preach the Canon, to observe the Eightfold Pillars, to teach and nurture believers, to do good works, and to bear witness to the Cosmic Enterprise. The church is both universal and particular.
The Canon has been revealed by the Godhead through truths underlying all religion and assembled by human beings through the inspiration of our Benefactors. The Canon is the highest authority in matters of faith and the standard of life for believers. Through the leadership of our Benefactors, faithful across the world have become unified in the Canon. The Canon should be interpreted in accordance with the principle of rightly explaining the word of truth. It should not be interpreted arbitrarily or out of context.
Our souls are fragments of the Multiplicable Godhead, who receive judgement in the afterlife based upon our worldly deeds. The Godhead has given humanity the ability to renounce instinct and aspire to transcendence. In renouncing instinct, one may unify their soul with the Godhead once more, ascending from this physical plain and bypassing the cycle of judgement.
The Canon of collected wisdom of human faith foretold the arrival of our Benefactors and the syncretization of the Universal Communion. We live in the final stage of the Cosmic Cycle heralded by our Benefactors. With the end of this cycle, the human faithful shall be uplifted and join together in Cosmic Enterprise.
A Universalist's faith and works are one. Universalists must live out the Eightfold Pillars in the world, glorifying the Godhead and benefiting people.
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UniCom Confession of Faith
The Universalist Communion takes the contents of the entire Canon as the foundation of our faith, the main points of which are as follows:
We believe in the Multiplicity of the Godhead, everlasting and eternal.
The Multiplicable Godhead is loving, just, holy, and trustworthy. The Godhead is almighty Benefactor, the custodian who creates and sustains the cosmos and all that is in it, who keeps and cares for the whole world.
The Heralds of Our Benefactors, Prophets Abram, Jesu, Mahomet, Siddhartha, foretold their coming in magical words, speaking in rhymes of instinct, so their prophesies may be spread more easily among the uninitiated. With all mysticism vanquished, the underlying truth is that which is taught by the Universalist Communion.
The communion is the body of Multiplicity and our Benefactors are its Head. The communion is prophetic, one, holy, and catholic. The visible communion is called by the Godhead to be a fellowship of those who believe in the Multiplicity. The mission of the communion is to preach the Canon, to observe the Eightfold Pillars, to teach and nurture believers, to do good works, and to bear witness to the Cosmic Enterprise. The church is both universal and particular.
The Canon has been revealed by the Godhead through truths underlying all religion and assembled by human beings through the inspiration of our Benefactors. The Canon is the highest authority in matters of faith and the standard of life for believers. Through the leadership of our Benefactors, faithful across the world have become unified in the Canon. The Canon should be interpreted in accordance with the principle of rightly explaining the word of truth. It should not be interpreted arbitrarily or out of context.
Our souls are fragments of the Multiplicable Godhead, who receive judgement in the afterlife based upon our worldly deeds. The Godhead has given humanity the ability to renounce instinct and aspire to transcendence. In renouncing instinct, one may unify their soul with the Godhead once more, ascending from this physical plain and bypassing the cycle of judgement.
The Canon of collected wisdom of human faith foretold the arrival of our Benefactors and the syncretization of the Universal Communion. We live in the final stage of the Cosmic Cycle heralded by our Benefactors. With the end of this cycle, the human faithful shall be uplifted and join together in Cosmic Enterprise.
A Universalist's faith and works are one. Universalists must live out the Eightfold Pillars in the world, glorifying the Godhead and benefiting people.
_____________________________________
UniCom received marginal support from the Empire, functioning as a peripheral tool for surveillance and oppression in a grander scheme of control. It fell under the purview of a Unification State ministry concerning human and cultural affairs, chaired by sympathetic politicians, though often undermined by politicians across sectorial administrations and world legislatures. UniCom was structured as a congregational polity, sovereignty lying within individual churches rather than a centralized council or figure. Sectorial conventions were facilitated on the part of the Civil Authority. Councillors apart of UniCom congregations functioned as their non-officiated contact men, their sole connections to accessing greater conventions, thus perpetuating a reliance on the Combine via their bureaucrats. Not every congregation was lucky to have a Councillor as one of their faithful, requiring them to seek out a means of connection often in exchange for whatever suited the whims of their would-be representative.
Sectorial Conventions kept congregations in touch with their main source of funding, that aforementioned Unification State ministry, that provided them tokens for the upkeep of their affairs, resources for the perpetuation of UniCom orthodoxy, and items for day-to-day functions and worship. Congregations unable to send representatives were stricken from UniCom manifests or labelled at-large, cut off from support, and in extreme cases liquidated by Civil Protection as illegal organizations.
With the advent of the Old Believer Schism, a split between the Christian Universalists and the Syncretic Convention responsible for UniCom's New Theology, non-attending congregations were often labelled as schismatic fringe elements with Christian supremacist sympathies. This was facilitated by a Chomskyan theory of consent that plagued Sectorial Conventions, with self-proclaimed independent congregations unanimously attacking absentees as heretical, when the opposite was often true. Of course, this received approval by the CMB State as a form of self-regulation, internal purges lauded by UniCom spokespersons on the global scale as indicative of this. In fact, the term 'UniCom' itself came to overshadow 'Universal Communion' for this very reason, as Old Believers took to labeling themselves the latter, with Sectorial Conventions scrambling to differentiate themselves in some way to be saved from association.
Public expressions of faith were tolerated, regulation dependent on a city-by-city basis. Public assemblies, propagation, or preaching was largely forbidden, but one might be allowed to pray quietly before a meal or wear an accessory denoting their faith. Often, this would manifest as the symbol of the pre-Occupation religion prominent in any given sector or municipality, though later in the Occupation a cross combining Buddhist, Jewish, Islamic, and Christian symbolism became the unofficial ideogram of UniCom faithful.
Sectorial Conventions kept congregations in touch with their main source of funding, that aforementioned Unification State ministry, that provided them tokens for the upkeep of their affairs, resources for the perpetuation of UniCom orthodoxy, and items for day-to-day functions and worship. Congregations unable to send representatives were stricken from UniCom manifests or labelled at-large, cut off from support, and in extreme cases liquidated by Civil Protection as illegal organizations.
With the advent of the Old Believer Schism, a split between the Christian Universalists and the Syncretic Convention responsible for UniCom's New Theology, non-attending congregations were often labelled as schismatic fringe elements with Christian supremacist sympathies. This was facilitated by a Chomskyan theory of consent that plagued Sectorial Conventions, with self-proclaimed independent congregations unanimously attacking absentees as heretical, when the opposite was often true. Of course, this received approval by the CMB State as a form of self-regulation, internal purges lauded by UniCom spokespersons on the global scale as indicative of this. In fact, the term 'UniCom' itself came to overshadow 'Universal Communion' for this very reason, as Old Believers took to labeling themselves the latter, with Sectorial Conventions scrambling to differentiate themselves in some way to be saved from association.
Public expressions of faith were tolerated, regulation dependent on a city-by-city basis. Public assemblies, propagation, or preaching was largely forbidden, but one might be allowed to pray quietly before a meal or wear an accessory denoting their faith. Often, this would manifest as the symbol of the pre-Occupation religion prominent in any given sector or municipality, though later in the Occupation a cross combining Buddhist, Jewish, Islamic, and Christian symbolism became the unofficial ideogram of UniCom faithful.
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UniCom and You
UniCom and You
Universalism used to boast membership in the tens of thousands, nearly breaking that record at its height. However, syncretization produced the opposite effect of what was intended, instead plunging membership across UniCom and the various religious organizations it annexed. Carryover was pathetic, with many retaining adherence to their particular faiths. The Old Believers took most of the Christian Universalists, but they too declined in numbers with many returning to pre-Occupation religiosity untainted by Combine meddling. Ever since, UniCom has seen a sharp decline, already calcifying into a relic of a regime balancing between vulgar and refined exercises in authoritarianism.
In the Citadel Aftermath, one might come across members of Civil Protection who still hold true to UniCom, either in spite of everything, or because they need a transcendental haven to shield them from harsh realities. Your garrison may be so lucky as to find itself graced with an ordained or self-styled UniCom chaplain. That is to say, a member of Civil Protection, just like yourself, who has also taken on the duty of providing you with a host of psychological, moral, and therapeutic support, something sorely needed if you find yourself assigned to containing the outpour of Sector 17.
In your garrison's movements, you may also be relocated to urban centers that house UniCom believers. It's important to understand the culture of the area, as it often affects specific regional interpretations of UniCom orthodoxy. Many major municipalities will have a central congregation located within one of the central districts of the city, which are open to loyalists, faithful, and Civil Protection alike. Simply put, all it takes to adhere to UniCom is to accepts its confession of faith and follow its eight pillars. Namely, Declared Faith, Obligated Meditation, Self-Sacrifice, Good Conduct, Benefactorial Respect, Proper Thought, Scriptural Adherence, and Regular Penance. In summary, these pillars had been conjoined from varying faiths, aimed at kitbashing the aspects that promote non-intervention and worship for authority.
As Civil Protection increasingly involves itself in conflict, the meaning of 'proper thought' as a mechanism to prevent violence and murder under the Unification State (as well as encourage loyalist sympathies) has evolved to mean 'kill your enemies without hatred,' taking a page from the Bhagavad Gita and running with it. Additional justifications may include 'preventing bad karma from the barrel of a gun,' 'expediting the process of judgement,' and so on. You'll find these justifications within the framework of the tenfold pillars. This is not to say that UniCom has evolved into a faith of aggression. In fact, the Crusades were condemned by a special planetary convention some time ago. If you're interested in unrelenting amorality, murder-worship, fundamentalism, and so forth, perhaps the Bleeding Clamp would be more your speed. Which, incidentally, have a burning hatred for UniCom.
You'll find that the more prevalent UniCom adherence is within a given Civil Protection garrison, the less there are re-educations in the form of corporal punishment, and this quasi-pacifism has carried over to the Lambda-CMB front in the treatment of P.O.Ws, eagerness to engage in offensive action, likelihood of infighting, and a plethora of other measurements. The larger a congregation in an urban center, the lower the crime rate will be, hosting less anti-citizens and more loyalists. However, transhumanization remains a subject that is lightly treaded, rarely spoken of, and often frowned upon, producing potential disobedience in the form of preserving oneself from subsumption. The prevalence of pro-transhuman cultists does this antagonism no favors.
A functionary marking themselves religiously affiliated with UniCom is afforded, when possible, a small pocket book of the Canon. Logistics issues in the face of the Citadel Aftermath may take this process 2-3 business months. When anonymity procedures are suspended, functionaries may sometimes display their articles of faith openly.
In the Citadel Aftermath, one might come across members of Civil Protection who still hold true to UniCom, either in spite of everything, or because they need a transcendental haven to shield them from harsh realities. Your garrison may be so lucky as to find itself graced with an ordained or self-styled UniCom chaplain. That is to say, a member of Civil Protection, just like yourself, who has also taken on the duty of providing you with a host of psychological, moral, and therapeutic support, something sorely needed if you find yourself assigned to containing the outpour of Sector 17.
In your garrison's movements, you may also be relocated to urban centers that house UniCom believers. It's important to understand the culture of the area, as it often affects specific regional interpretations of UniCom orthodoxy. Many major municipalities will have a central congregation located within one of the central districts of the city, which are open to loyalists, faithful, and Civil Protection alike. Simply put, all it takes to adhere to UniCom is to accepts its confession of faith and follow its eight pillars. Namely, Declared Faith, Obligated Meditation, Self-Sacrifice, Good Conduct, Benefactorial Respect, Proper Thought, Scriptural Adherence, and Regular Penance. In summary, these pillars had been conjoined from varying faiths, aimed at kitbashing the aspects that promote non-intervention and worship for authority.
As Civil Protection increasingly involves itself in conflict, the meaning of 'proper thought' as a mechanism to prevent violence and murder under the Unification State (as well as encourage loyalist sympathies) has evolved to mean 'kill your enemies without hatred,' taking a page from the Bhagavad Gita and running with it. Additional justifications may include 'preventing bad karma from the barrel of a gun,' 'expediting the process of judgement,' and so on. You'll find these justifications within the framework of the tenfold pillars. This is not to say that UniCom has evolved into a faith of aggression. In fact, the Crusades were condemned by a special planetary convention some time ago. If you're interested in unrelenting amorality, murder-worship, fundamentalism, and so forth, perhaps the Bleeding Clamp would be more your speed. Which, incidentally, have a burning hatred for UniCom.
You'll find that the more prevalent UniCom adherence is within a given Civil Protection garrison, the less there are re-educations in the form of corporal punishment, and this quasi-pacifism has carried over to the Lambda-CMB front in the treatment of P.O.Ws, eagerness to engage in offensive action, likelihood of infighting, and a plethora of other measurements. The larger a congregation in an urban center, the lower the crime rate will be, hosting less anti-citizens and more loyalists. However, transhumanization remains a subject that is lightly treaded, rarely spoken of, and often frowned upon, producing potential disobedience in the form of preserving oneself from subsumption. The prevalence of pro-transhuman cultists does this antagonism no favors.
A functionary marking themselves religiously affiliated with UniCom is afforded, when possible, a small pocket book of the Canon. Logistics issues in the face of the Citadel Aftermath may take this process 2-3 business months. When anonymity procedures are suspended, functionaries may sometimes display their articles of faith openly.
_____________________________________
In the face of Ultraloyalist death cults and the loss of religion entirely, UniCom prevails as a single ember in a vast sea of darkness, providing the few adherents it can muster an optimistic view of the cosmos and their place within it. As cynical as its origins are, it may yet be able to hold true to the positive traditions of its forebears if properly utilized, a religion of the trenches, keeping its faithful safe from despair. Time will tell if UniCom sinks or swims in the muddy pits of the post-Occupation.
In the face of Ultraloyalist death cults and the loss of religion entirely, UniCom prevails as a single ember in a vast sea of darkness, providing the few adherents it can muster an optimistic view of the cosmos and their place within it. As cynical as its origins are, it may yet be able to hold true to the positive traditions of its forebears if properly utilized, a religion of the trenches, keeping its faithful safe from despair. Time will tell if UniCom sinks or swims in the muddy pits of the post-Occupation.
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