Fiction:Aeoneonatrix/Religion

Almost all citizens of the Aeoneonatrix Empire practice the same religion, to the extent that non-believers are virtually unheard of, except in cases where an immigrant imports their own religion, and this is not likely to last long, as there are strong incentives to convert, which strengthen as one stays in the Empire longer.

The religion revolves around an entity called the Cleanser, who is said to be the creator of the Aeoneonatrix, having raised them up from a state of non-sapience. He is said to be dedicated to fighting the evil in the universe and to have created the Aeoneonatrix to act as his agents. He is also said to have written or dictated several books that have been written throughout the Aeoneonatrix’s history.

He is said to command the religion’s practitioners, which extend beyond merely the Aeoneonatrix, in moral behavior, as well as instructing them to pray to him and perform certain rites.

In reality, he is an ascended being and a member of the League of Patrons, more specifically, the Patron of suffering. Unlike other instances where an immortal has been mistaken for a god, the mistake here is mutual between the religion’s practitioners and the Cleanser, who, like many members of the League of Patrons, wrongly considers himself a god.

History
"I was once evil incarnate, part of the most awful of mortal races. But I was rescued, raised, cleansed. I soon found it prudent to raise a race to sapience, to act as my agents."

- The Cleanser

The Cleanser revealed himself to the Aeoneonatrix immediately after raising them to sapience, and has remained in open contact with them since, regularly appearing to them. He often manifests in public places and on planet-wide television broadcasts.

Beliefs
"I have been honest with them in every way I can. I have withheld only one thing, about my past, of which I am too ashamed to tell them about, especially now, that they have seen and fought the evil to which I used to belong."

- The Cleanser

The Aeoneonatrix Empire’s religion teaches that the Aeoneonatrix were created by an entity known as “the Cleanser,” who is said to have granted sapience to a group of feral beasts about 99,000 years ago. He is said to have done this because he desired a species that could act as his agents, and hence, he created the Aeoneonatrix to further his own will.

The Cleanser’s will is said to be the good of all sapient (and to a lesser extent non-sapient) life. He is said to be a being dedicated to fighting the forces of evil in this universe and any others. He is, in fact, said to belong to an organization called the “League of Patrons” which is dedicated to such ends. He is said to himself be the Patron of Suffering, and to be able to turn evil mortals into fighters for good without fully compromising their free will with a process called “cleansing.”

The Cleanser is said to be a god, and hence, a being who it is acceptable to worship. Indeed, he is said to command worship from his followers. In addition, he is said to command a rite called Dedication, in which all Aeoneonatrix, and other followers of the religion, present their souls to the Cleanser as gifts at an extremely young age, making him their rightful owner.

Their holy texts and teachings also contain moral teachings. The ethics of the Aeoneonatrix religion are rather utilitarian in nature, putting preferred results, namely the prosperity of life, over and above moral principles like not killing innocent people, and act that is only said to usually be evil but conceivably justifiable. The same goes with most traditionally immoral acts, such as stealing and kidnapping. This is not to say that they are purely utilitarian, they do show some deontology in that they, for example, do not allow murder unless it is to do a very large good, and does so with sufficient directness, as opposed to merely needing to do more overall good than refraining from the action. At times, exactly what is right to do in a given circumstance is not elaborated upon, meaning that this is left open to debate.

The Religion’s ethics also present a rather simplistic conception of good and evil. People are generally considered to be one or the other. One is either on the side of good in the world or the side of evil. The side of evil is seen as being much more diverse than the side of good, as they are all different deviations from the very narrow standard of good conduct.

Practices
"I have put much thought into my every command. I have ordered them to do what was needed."

- The Cleanser

The Aeoneonatrix religion is not especially restrictive in regards to the everyday lives of the Aeoneonatrix; however, there are still practices it mandates. For example, it demands that followers pray with some regularity, put their children through a rite called dedication, and follow the religion’s moral teachings.

Aeoneonatrix usually begin and end each day with a prayer. In contrast to other species, however, they do not have a special tendency to pray before meals. Worship services do exist, but are not common, and practitioners are not obligated to attend them unless they are commanded otherwise by a religious authority, namely, either the Cleanser himself or the head of faith.

They also give money to the church, but not out of obligation. In fact, the religious fervor of the Aeoneonatrix is sufficient to ensure that very little encouragement is needed to arrange that the temples have a more money than they need to pay their expenses. The excess is usually donated to charity, or used to improve the quality of the temple and other facilities. As a result, the temples are often absolutely beautiful. Because of this, they are often used to house events and gatherings.

Worship
"Mortals love to pray. It makes them feel happy, to submit to something higher than them."

- The Cleanser

Citizens of the Aeoneonatrix Empire usually pray very regularly. Prayer is very personal for them. As a result, it is usually done in private and rarely involves rehearsed or memorized prayers. Prayers often include praise, that is, complements and statements of emotional connection. They also often include requests. Requests are usually not petty, as they are submitted with the expectation that they will be directly and visibly filled. They are occasionally granted, but the Cleanser usually has more important things to do. He is more likely to grant a request if he receives it multiple times, or hears it from a greater number of people.

Prayer in the Aeoneonatrix Empire is similar to prayer in most other religions in its basic elements. The main reason that the Cleanser spawned and has encouraged the practice is to deepen the Aeoneonatrix’s connection with him. He believes that this will help them to be better servants.

The institution of prayer has been effective insofar as it has accomplished its goal of helping the Aeoneonatrix each feel as though they have a more personal relationship with the Cleanser than they would otherwise feel they had.

The Cleanser has also admitted that he feels a deep satisfaction when he is prayed to, and this is also part of the reason he encourages it. The Aeoneonatrix greatly enjoy the prospect of pleasing their master, so this is another great incentive to them.

The Cleanser seems to be able to hear many prayers at once and process them without being distracted. He also seems to receive the information instantly regardless of how far away he is. It has been theorized that he has some sort of special connection with the souls he owns, however it is more likely that this is a function of the expanded awareness all ascended beings have.

Dedication
"I have arranged that they sell their souls to me at the youngest age."

- The Cleanser

Dedication is the most important rite in the Aeoneonatrix religion. It is performed by every child as soon as they are old enough to comprehend what is happening. More specifically, they must understand the idea of a soul (and that they have one), and the idea of a gift. This usually occurs by the time the Aeoneonatrix are 4-5 years old. It is also performed by any older converts to the religion.

In the rite, the person is taken to the temple, where their families and friends will have gathered. They are given a preset prayer, one of only a few, and asked if they understand it and what saying it entails. If they ask any questions, they will be answered. If they cannot understand the statement and what it entails it is concluded that they are too young to perform the rite. Once they confirm that they do, they will say the prayer aloud.

The prayer states that they surrender ownership of their soul to the Cleanser. Once it is said, they are considered by all parties to be the Cleanser’s property, and it is believed that the Cleanser has the right to do anything he pleases with them. Those who have taken the right, however, have little to fear so long as they remain on good moral terms with the religion.

The purpose of this is said to be that they can now more easily be used by the Cleanser to advance his ends, and be more easily corrected if they fall away from what is considered a moral lifestyle. It has been confirmed that cleansings have been performed on Aeoneonatrix whose souls had been acquired during the rite of dedication, though it seems that not every Aeoneonatrix who lives an immoral lifestyle by the standards of the religion is cleansed. This may be merely due to constraints on the Cleanser’s time, though that cannot be stated with certainty.

In theory, the rite is voluntary and the child can refuse it. In practice, the social pressure is so strong as to make it only nominally optional. A person who has refused the rite will either hide it, or be functionally unable to gain any elected office, be ridiculed and made a social outcast. In addition, there are high-up positions in the government and military that cannot be held by a person who has not taken the rite, for example, Lingur Wildlight’s position as the head of the Aeoneonatrix military or the position of president. As a result, almost all children take the rite as soon as possible.

The pressure is not quite as heavy on immigrants, but is still existent, and gets worse and worse as the immigrant has been in the empire for longer and longer. The same legal restrictions also apply to undedicated immigrants.

The Cleanser
"I am the Patron of Suffering. I will barter for your soul and torture you, and you will kneel down in prayerful thanks."

- The Cleanser

The Cleanser is the central deity of the Aeoneonatrix’s religion. He is said to be the “Patron of Suffering,” and to have created the Aeoneonatrix. In the mind of the Aeoneonatrix, they are first and foremost his servants, with all else being secondary to this.

In reality, the Cleanser is an ascended being and a member of the League of Patrons.

Personality
"Yes, mortal, I DO have a God complex. This is because I ACTUALLY AM A GOD."

- The Cleanser

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Cleansing
"I will take your soul, and torment it. I will put you through countless agonies and trials. I will make you curse the day of your coming into being. I will not do so out of sadism, however, for each pain you feel is carefully crafted, each agony selected with utmost precision, for the end, of cleansing you of your faults, and making you into a better mortal."

- The Cleanser

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Creation of the Aeoneonatrix
"I took mere beasts and crafted them into my servants."

- The Cleanser

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