The Church of God

History

The Church of God was a religion founded by the Cosmid corporation as part of a mind control experiment on the planet Midori.  Either despite, or because of this, it ended up as one of the founding institutions of the Holy Empire of Man, and conquered much of the galaxy.  The Church of God combined elements from Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.

After its founding, the Church added much support to the independence movement on Midori, and from there spread like wildfire among the frontier worlds on the galaxy's eastern limb.  This rapid spread was helped along greatly by a strong force of idealistic missionaries, led in large part by Saint Valgar, who set the standard for making conversions and crushing heresies.

A major turning point occurred when one faction of the Church encountered an ambitious young general from the Planetary League, one Potus Clarke, who was a rising star in the military, and quickly became one in the church as well. 

When the Planetary League made contact with the Empire of 1,000,000 Suns, Clarke took a dominant leadership position in pushing the Church's agenda in public.  Behind closed doors, Clarke's influence grew rapidly as well, as he was able to raise funds and support from his business and military contacts.  Then, on the Church's highest holy day, the Feast of the Patriarchs, the three heads of the Church (the Ayatollah-maximus, the Supreme Rabbi, and the Uber-Pope) crowned Clarke as Emperor of all Mankind. (A claim that would be asserted through countless years of bloody warfare, known as the Great Reckoning).

Later, at the close of the War of the Empires, Clarke would be elevated to godhood, (officially being declared to be the Manifestation of God in the Galaxy). 

The orthodox (imperial) branch of the Church would not survive the War of Galactic Unification in any recognizable form, although a few obscure sects did remain.

Cosmology

The Church of God believes in a hierarchical universe, generally consisting of nine levels.

1. God (later including the Emperor)

2. The four Patriarchs (the Emperor became the fifth Patriarch after the Great Reckoning)

3. The Angels and the Saints

4. The Church of God

5. *Man* (an idealized vision of the human race)

6. Any mortal being considered to be "the Other" (heretics, aliens, cyborgs, etc., basically any real being)

7. Demons and Apostates

8. The "Lords of Hell" (the most powerful Daemons, demigods and other supernatural beings)

9. The Devil (a single entity embodying evil, its self)

 

Church Hierarchy

The Imperial version of the Church of God operated under a top-heavy, and cumbersome hierarchy led by the Emperor, himself.  Directly under the Emperor were the three original heads of the Church. 

The Ayatollah-Maximus was in charge of the Church's military operations, and acted as the Commander in Chief of the Empire's armed forces.  One of the most feared elements of this Imperial war machine was the Purification Fleet.

The Supreme Rabbi headed the Church's economic systems, and acted as the leader of the Empire's command economy.  The Imperial Commerce Guild was the main agency to enforce the Supreme Rabbi's will.

The Uber-Pope was the leader of the cultural/religious operations of the Church, and oversaw the spiritual lives and inner thoughts of all imperial subjects.  The Uber-Pope's enforcement arm was known as the Hamsa.

Each of these leaders commanded an extensive bureaucracy of priests, monks, nuns, deacons, imams, rabbis, and other officials who controlled the lives and thoughts of everyone in the Church.  The rules were strict, and the punishments for breaking them were horrific.  Discipline was imperative.

Holidays

The Church observed five major holidays each year.  One feast day was set aside for each of the original four patriarchs (Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and Muhammad), plus the most important holiday, the Feast of the Patriarchs, which celebrated all of them together.  After the Emperor became an official patriarch, the Feast of the Patriarchs was renamed "The Feast of the Emperor".  There were also a slew of minor feasts and festivals observed throughout the year, many celebrating some Saint or commemorating a historical event.  Many local branches of the Church had their own local holidays as well.

Emblem

The emblem of the Church of God is a set of concentric circles.  The innermost white circle represents God, ringed by a black space representing the space between the divine and the mortal realm.  The middle white circle represents the Church, surrounded by a black space representing "the world".  The outermost white circle represents "creation", or the universe.

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The Holy Empire of Man

Cultural Outline

Architecture:

Official buildings and apartment blocks tend to be in the brutalist style, designed solely for functionality.  Churches, and the homes of the nobility tend to be more ornate, and designed to glorify the Empire with elaborate sculptural details.  The poorest live in simple shacks and improvised shelters.  The larger cities are arcologies that house the elite in the lap of luxury on the upper floors, while the poor live below in a state of squalor.  

Art and Literature:

Imperial art is focused on two main themes:  war and religion.  War stories tend to focus on the deeds of war heroes, and the glory of the empire.  

Religious literature tends to focus on attaining salvation through service to the Empire. Apart from the holy texts of the Church of God, the best selling, and most widely read book in the empire is the Ranks of Man, a comprehensive guide to the structure of the imperial hierarchy.  

Music tends to be emotionally charged.  The most popular styles of music are a heavy metal/rock-like style for rallying people to fight, and a religious style that focuses on devotion to, and sacrifice for the Empire.  

Calendar

The calendar of the Holy Empire of Man begins in the year Potus Clarke was born (GSC 915).  Years counted up from this date are called Year of the Emperor (Y.E.).  Years before are Before the Emperor (B.E.).  The calendar is a traditional Earth calendar with 365 days + leap years, 12 months, and four seasons.  This goes back to the roots of the Church of God in Abrahamic religion, and centers around the dates of religious holidays.

Clothing and Fashion:

Clothing styles tend to fall into two categories.  For the lower classes, clothing tends to be simple and functional.  The poorest have little more than rags, but most wear basic garments designed for working, and usually a simple, more elegant garment for formal occasions.  For the nobility and the priesthood, clothing tends to be ornate to the point of becoming baroque.  The higher the status of the wearer, the fancier the attire, often incorporating all manner of high tech and exotic materials. 

Currency

The unit of money used in the Empire is the Imperial Credit. It is worth about a penny.  Most transactions are carried out in multiples of 100 Credits.  Most banking takes place electronically, but hard currency is still in use.  Coins come in 1, 5, 10, 50, and 100 Credit denominations.  Bills are denoted as 100, 500, 1000, 5000, 10000, 50000, and 100000 -Credits.

Emblem

The Emblem of the Holy Empire of Man (known as "the Heart of the Eagle") is based on the emblem of the Church of God.  The outer red ring represents the universe.  The inner red circle represents the empire.  The black triangle represents the triad of religious, economic, and military power that drives the empire, and the red triangle represents the Emperor/ God.

Language:  

Standard is the official language.  It is broken into three distinct dialects.  "Low Standard"  is the language of the common people.  It consists of a relatively small vocabulary of mostly simple words.  "High Standard" is the language of the aristocracy and the priesthood.  It consists of Low Standard plus an additional layer of technical language relating to technology and administration.  It also includes specialized language for propaganda.  "Imperial Standard" also includes specialized language dealing with macroeconomics and strategy on the grandest scales, as well as ornate, poetic language.  It is spoken by the Imperial Court, and high-ranking nobles.

Law and Order:

Laws are enforced by both a secular police force, and the religious police, known as the Hamsa.  Certain crime categories (disobedience or contradiction of the will of the church-state complex) are considered especially heinous.  Any subject convicted of a minor sedition or heresy offense has their name changed to Exworth.  The name Exworth is also applied to the rest of the family of the convicted as well.  Exworths are subject to extra scrutiny, harsher punishment, and general harassment by the empire and its agents.  Any subject with a more serious offense in these areas (along with their families) has their name changed to Unman, and things are quite bad for them as they are considered enemies of the state. 

Military:

War and the military is at the very heart of the Holy Empire of Man. As a conquering empire, the role of the military is central to the ethos of imperial culture. Some notable segments of the imperial military include:

The Purification Fleet: a large fleet of ships deigned to rain destruction on a planet after its defenses have been stripped away.

The Zodiac Guard are a huge force of genetically engineered super-soldiers, officially tasked with defending the Earth, but employed across the galaxy. They are the most elite soldiers in the imperial military.

Religion:

The Holy Empire of Man has only one official state religion: the Church of God.  The Church of God combines elements from the Abrahamic faiths (Judaism, Christianity, and Islam), and celebrates the "Four Patriarchs" (Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and Mohammed).  The Emperor officially became the Fifth Patriarch after the conclusion of the Great Reckoning, and after the War of the Empires was elevated directly to Godhood.  The Church of God is a very strict, hierarchical religion, and the values of purity and loyalty are paramount.  All other religions and philosophies are seen as heretical and are not tolerated.