Fiction:Spodism/Four Truths



"Faith in Spode quiets all doubt. Spode tells you why you exist, assures you that you have a purpose, tells you how to behave, and assures you of eternal happiness. Those opposed to Spode say that there is no evidence for any of these assertions. But what evidence is needed, beyond the joy in the hearts of those who follow Spode?"

- Scrolls of Faith

As Spodism is a widespread and diverse place, few beliefs and practices are truly universal in it. Many doctrines and tenets are rejected by one branch of the faith or the other, and even those which are accepted by all may be interpreted in completely different ways. The same rite that is performed on Crepusculum in the complete silence of ritual meditation may be accompanied by music, dancing and chanting on, meant to put the faithful into ecstatic trance. However, there exist certain doctrines which have remained, relatively unchanged, in almost all Spodist sects. Spodist mystics call them the Four Truths, associating them with the four aspects of Spode, and revere them by reciting the Four Holy Mantras.

Connection: Fate and free will
"All is one, one is all."

- The First Holy Mantra

Perhaps the most important tenet of Spodism is the doctrine of connection (Radessic araqshema, lit. interwovenity). In Spodist context, it means the idea that all living and non-living things in existence, from the tiniest quark to the largest galaxy, are intrinsically connected through one common denominator: Spode itself. Everything is not just interconnected; it is part of a single mechanism, and just like cells and organs constitute an organism, so too do stars, planets, life and constitute Spode.

From this main doctrine, a number of other important tenets of Spodism are derived. The most important of these is the idea of collective determinism. For a Spodist, the independent self simply does not exist. Since all things are connected, noone exists in a vacuum: from birth and to the very grave, one is influenced by those around them, those who came before them, and many other external factors that one cannot influence. All the actions that one may undertake will, one way or another, be a reaction to these external factors. One may hide from a desert storm in a yurt, stride through it defiantly, or avoid it by looking for another route: but one way or another, the storm will affect their decisions. Everything that transpires does so in accordance to Spode's grand design.

Yet despite this seeminly fatalist philosophy, Spodist connection does not deny the existence of free will; in fact, it presupposes it. Since all things are part of Spode, including sapient life, all its thoughts are thoughts of Spode itself, their faint but still recognisable echoes. As such, though one's personal will is limited by the will of Spode, one is capable of shaping that will, if only to a miniscule amount, into one direction or another. What actions are free and what are predetermined, where is Spode's will and where is their own, one cannot know; one can only strive to make the two indistinguishable, to do only what Spode intends them to do. From this idea, the two other important doctrines of Spodism are derived: harmony and commnuity.

Harmony: Morality and inner peace
"I am at peace, for my heart desires the right."

- The Second Holy Mantra

The Spodist idea of harmony (Radessic nethasha, soul-peace) is the state of perfect alignment with the cosmos, when one's will perfectly coincides with the will of Spode. Psychologically, it manifests as the feeling of inner peace and sureness: the calm that fills the meditating monk, the righteous wrath of a crusader on a holy war, or the ecstatic fire of a proselytising missionary. Full harmony with Spode cannot be achieved ordinarily, at least when one is alive, for personal desires will always steer one away from it. Yet the faithful must always strive to be closer to that unreachable acme of purity, through constant meditation and prayer, as well as through acts of virtue.

The notion of harmony lies at the heart of Spodist moral system: a harmonious person, who is at peace with themselves and with the universe, is a moral person. Thus, in order to do no evil, one must always keep the will of Spode in mind and act accordingly. Through the wisdom of the Scrolls of Faith and the life stories of prophets and Divines, one can learn to do so, and the reward is the kind of peace and joy that no worldly pursuits can give. Wealth, pleasure and power are fleeting, and pursuing them will never give one true satisfaction: yet a harmonious person, who views them only as means to an end, will want for nothing, and will thus be more fulfilled than the wealthiest man in the universe.

Harmony also plays a large role in the Spodist concept of the afterlife, the Eternal Cycle. According to the Scrolls of Faith, those who have maintained inner harmony throughout their lives and kept their souls in tune with Spode's will may eventually reach such an elevated state that their selves would simply dissolve in Spode upon their deaths. They would ascend to the highest of spiritual planes and become everything, their souls dispersed in the thoughts of all living things. However, this fate is only preserved for the most virtuous of the faithful, while all others, as well as the unbelievers, would remain in this world instead, their souls simply reincarnating in new bodies.

Community: Individual and social needs
"We comes from the heavenly, I comes from the demonic."

- The Third Holy Mantra

If achieving harmony is required for bringing the individual close to Spode, then community (Radessic orthesh'nath, great order) is meant to extend that closeness to the entire society. This word, in Spodist context, refers to the particular idea of social order (usually applied to states, but also to other forms of organisation such as families or companies) that conforms with Spode's will and facilitates virtue. In such a society, the works and aspirations of every individual are directed towards the common good, while its leaders direct it so that this common good serves Spode's design. It would be like the cosmos itself: organised, all-encompassing, its laws as final and unbending as the laws of reality.

One of the main principles of a society in community is collectivism. It is the duty of every individual to sacrifice their own goals for the service of society as a whole, and although society is meant to serve the individual in return, it should never give too much, so that the faithful would not fall to sin and sloth from the luxury of easy life. Unlike the similar schools of thought on Earth, however, Spodist collectivism does not necessitate equality. A common saying amongst Spodists is "all have a role to play": though all faithful are equal in the eyes of Spode and under the law, different people have different duties, like cells and organs in a living organism, and while some are destined to lead, others must serve. In that regard, a society in community can be called integralist.

Although the principle of community is omnipresent in Spodism, its application can vary from denomination to denomination. Some believe in a more encompassing, even totalitarian interpretation of it, calling for the state to control every action of its citizens - for their own sake, so that they would never stray from the will of Spode. Such radical ideas were realised, for example, by the Theorationalist technocratic government of. Other Spodists believe that such enforced community would inevitably become corrupt, for such power cannot be given even to the most virtuous. They feel that the duty to create a society in community lies more with individual citizens, who must organise themselves rather then be organised by an outside force. This school of thought is popular in the more democratic Spodist nations, such as the ironically unreligious.

Action: Prayers and holy wars
"Faith is empty without action, action empty without faith."

- The Fourth Holy Mantra

The Spodist concept of action (Radessic mehri) is multifaceted. In the oldest sacred texts, it refers to the mental techniques that helped strengthen the souls of ancient s and shield them from the. Later, the meaning of that term has broadened to refer to every action that is seen as propagating the will of Spode, from prayer to missionary work. It can also be understood in a more abstract sense as the overall belief of Spodists that faith, while important, is powerless in itself, and must be accompanied with deeds for the faithful to be considered virtuous.

Spodist theology makes a distinction between inner action, which facilitates personal harmony and focuses on the self, and outer action, which extends outwards towards others. Balance between the two is key: one who is too immersed in worship of Spode that they forget to help their neighbour in need is no Spodist, and neither is the hypocrite who spreads the will of Spode far and wide but forgets to purify their own soul in the process. Inner action, in most Spodist sects, includes meditation, prayer, mantra chanting, and the ritual recitation of the Scrolls of Faith. The more heterodox branches of the faith may practice more exotic forms of worship, from yoga-like gymnastics (long practiced by the Dei'Ar Order), to self-flaggelation or even sensual tantric techniques, but such practises are looked down by most religious authorities, and are very uncommon.

What constitutes outer action is much more vague, and is in fact a hotly debated topic amongst Spodist theologians. Most favour a consequentialist approach: essentially, everything that would result in preserving and strengthening Spodism is outer action and thus virtuous. However, this idea inevitably opens up the Pandora's box of extremism: which actions that strengthen Spodism are morally acceptable, and which aren't? Many Spodists, such as Jaharan's Ferrics or the assassins of the Nel'phanar, have believed that the end justifies the means in all cases: it does not matter how many innocents die, so long as the faithful prevail in the end. This doctrine has led to the justification of many bloody holy wars and atrocities throughout history. It is for this reason that the more moderate Spodists believe that certain acts, such as aggressive war, cannot be justified by the idea of greater good. Such acts are so sinful, it is said, that they take the souls of believers out of balance, and can only be undertaken after great consideration and with the approval of the higher clergy.