Mindfire
Istar
Okay wow I just went off on a massive tangent. Sorry about that. Back on target now.
About the belonging/belief/doing thing.
Belief works a little different in my world. Akalesh doesn't typically intervene directly, but there is undeniable evidence of his existence in the form of magical gifts: some people can control fire, others can empathically connect with nature, others can channel lightning, things like that. And one nation, Mavaria, actually possesses an artifact called the Sword of Glass that is used to directly interpret the will of Akalesh. (Old Testament knowledge bonus: it essentially acts like the Urim and Thummim, but in sword form.) But undeniable evidence isn't necessarily "undeniable" per ce. After all the Israelites went back on their agreement with God several times despite witnessing miracles first hand. And there are people who act similarly in my world. People who perhaps think Akalesh is not very attentive or doesn't care, or maybe they've just decided their personal agenda is more important than his. It's an aspect of belief I'm exploring with some of my antagonists. Different religions tend to account for the magical powers exhibited by adherents of other religions by making the gods of other religions into a demon or an impostor in their own. For example, followers of Akalesh think of the Beorgian gods as "ice devils". (Though some doubt their existence entirely as magic in Beorgia is not nearly as common as it is among the believers of Akalesh, mostly because anyone who shows potential with it is immediately abducted into the priesthood. Yes, abducted, not inducted.) Conversely in the Orthodox Cult of Beorgia, Akalesh is referred to as Senclane the Devourer, he who was imprisoned within the sun lest his fires consume the world and destroy all of creation. ...There's an in-world reason for that.
Belonging, in retrospect, is a pretty big part of how religion works in my universe. What faith you adhere to is largely determined by what culture you're born into, though conversions have been known to happen. Even the followers of Akalesh don't necessarily see eye to eye and their perception of him is divided along cultural lines. "Akalesh" is properly the name used by the Mavarians, who view him as a father figure and king who is strongly associated with mountains, fire, the desert, and the sun, and the phoenix. The Mako use the name "Natsarat" and see him as the one who guides their paths, the Keeper of the Balance of nature, and the one who watches over them. They associate him with trees and the wild places, the wind, and with birds, especially the owl, which is a form sometimes taken by his messengers. The Inazuma use the name "Hakadosh" and think of him as a warrior figure, the Avenger who vindicates his people and visits judgment on his enemies. They associate him with storms, especially thunderstorms, lightning, and the whirlwind, but also with metal and smithing, since he taught them to bind the power of the storm into their weapons and armor. He is also associated with mountains and, to a lesser extent, the sea.
Doing is the part I haven't quite fleshed out yet. Different faiths do have different traditions, but I haven't written up a checklist of do's and don'ts for most of them, mostly because the majority of these faiths are primitive in that their not rigidly organized like most modern religions. Most of them don't even have priests per ce. In Mavaria the culture is very family-oriented, so the head of the household is the de facto priest of that household, the head of the clan is the preist of that clan and so on up the totem pole until you get to the patriarchs who are the de facto head priests of their extended familes, clans, and tribes while the king is the priest of the nation as a whole. The Mako have a spiritual authority called the Closest Guide who acts as an intercessor for their people, but each individual can also offer personal prayers for guidance without need of an intermediary. Among the Inazuma, religion is much more communal, so ritual gatherings and praying as a group is emphasized without any real spiritual head. Among these faiths the general guideline essentially seems to be "do what Akalesh says." I haven't worked it out beyond that, though I may later. Other faiths like the religions of the Baynish people and the Kudan focus on what is essentially ancestor worship with some nature spirits thrown in. They don't have a real "creed" per ce, except that the Baynish are focused on what is basically their version of manifest destiny (conquer ALL the land!) while the Kudan are greatly concerned with honor and (to a lesser extent) glory for themselves and their ancestors. The Beorgian religion is kind of a patchwork job of Catholicism and Paganism and the adherents pretty much do whatever the priests tell them to do. Their society is also rigidly stratified so that plays a part as well.
I really need to learn how to write briefer posts. Also, I fear I may have killed the thread...
About the belonging/belief/doing thing.
Belief works a little different in my world. Akalesh doesn't typically intervene directly, but there is undeniable evidence of his existence in the form of magical gifts: some people can control fire, others can empathically connect with nature, others can channel lightning, things like that. And one nation, Mavaria, actually possesses an artifact called the Sword of Glass that is used to directly interpret the will of Akalesh. (Old Testament knowledge bonus: it essentially acts like the Urim and Thummim, but in sword form.) But undeniable evidence isn't necessarily "undeniable" per ce. After all the Israelites went back on their agreement with God several times despite witnessing miracles first hand. And there are people who act similarly in my world. People who perhaps think Akalesh is not very attentive or doesn't care, or maybe they've just decided their personal agenda is more important than his. It's an aspect of belief I'm exploring with some of my antagonists. Different religions tend to account for the magical powers exhibited by adherents of other religions by making the gods of other religions into a demon or an impostor in their own. For example, followers of Akalesh think of the Beorgian gods as "ice devils". (Though some doubt their existence entirely as magic in Beorgia is not nearly as common as it is among the believers of Akalesh, mostly because anyone who shows potential with it is immediately abducted into the priesthood. Yes, abducted, not inducted.) Conversely in the Orthodox Cult of Beorgia, Akalesh is referred to as Senclane the Devourer, he who was imprisoned within the sun lest his fires consume the world and destroy all of creation. ...There's an in-world reason for that.
Belonging, in retrospect, is a pretty big part of how religion works in my universe. What faith you adhere to is largely determined by what culture you're born into, though conversions have been known to happen. Even the followers of Akalesh don't necessarily see eye to eye and their perception of him is divided along cultural lines. "Akalesh" is properly the name used by the Mavarians, who view him as a father figure and king who is strongly associated with mountains, fire, the desert, and the sun, and the phoenix. The Mako use the name "Natsarat" and see him as the one who guides their paths, the Keeper of the Balance of nature, and the one who watches over them. They associate him with trees and the wild places, the wind, and with birds, especially the owl, which is a form sometimes taken by his messengers. The Inazuma use the name "Hakadosh" and think of him as a warrior figure, the Avenger who vindicates his people and visits judgment on his enemies. They associate him with storms, especially thunderstorms, lightning, and the whirlwind, but also with metal and smithing, since he taught them to bind the power of the storm into their weapons and armor. He is also associated with mountains and, to a lesser extent, the sea.
Doing is the part I haven't quite fleshed out yet. Different faiths do have different traditions, but I haven't written up a checklist of do's and don'ts for most of them, mostly because the majority of these faiths are primitive in that their not rigidly organized like most modern religions. Most of them don't even have priests per ce. In Mavaria the culture is very family-oriented, so the head of the household is the de facto priest of that household, the head of the clan is the preist of that clan and so on up the totem pole until you get to the patriarchs who are the de facto head priests of their extended familes, clans, and tribes while the king is the priest of the nation as a whole. The Mako have a spiritual authority called the Closest Guide who acts as an intercessor for their people, but each individual can also offer personal prayers for guidance without need of an intermediary. Among the Inazuma, religion is much more communal, so ritual gatherings and praying as a group is emphasized without any real spiritual head. Among these faiths the general guideline essentially seems to be "do what Akalesh says." I haven't worked it out beyond that, though I may later. Other faiths like the religions of the Baynish people and the Kudan focus on what is essentially ancestor worship with some nature spirits thrown in. They don't have a real "creed" per ce, except that the Baynish are focused on what is basically their version of manifest destiny (conquer ALL the land!) while the Kudan are greatly concerned with honor and (to a lesser extent) glory for themselves and their ancestors. The Beorgian religion is kind of a patchwork job of Catholicism and Paganism and the adherents pretty much do whatever the priests tell them to do. Their society is also rigidly stratified so that plays a part as well.
I really need to learn how to write briefer posts. Also, I fear I may have killed the thread...