World Religions

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World Religions

Post by Ace Trainer » Tue Feb 23, 2021 12:52 pm

Religion In the world of Saigen, there are 5 major religions. There are many small sects and beliefs throughout the world, but 5 religions rule most of the land, comprising the greatest number of followers. Below are details of the 5 religions, their belief systems, and traditions.

Yuumagure

Yuumagure is a heliocentric religion that is followed most largely in the West, though it has followers throughout the world. Yuumagure is most well-known for being the religion of Sungakure no Sato, followed by almost all of it's residents, and centered around the Kazekage. While there are various sects with different sets of beliefs, and varying chosen disciples, all followers of Yuumagure believe in a Holy Duo, The Sun and Her Light. Yuumagure teaches that the Sun gave birth to the world, and that all that is created comes from Her Light. A sects of Yuumagure also believe in a Chosen Disciple of the Sun, while Sunagakure's Chosen Disciple is the standing Kazekage, some believe in historical figures, while others believe he's yet to come. For the followers of Yuumagure, they are referred to as Children of the Sun, and a follower would call themselves "One Guided By Her Light."

While there are varying levels of devotion within the Children of the Sun, many would say that the Children of the Sun are the most universally devout, most tending to live their lives under the guidance of Her Light. There are three tenants taught in Yuumagure, the first of which teach that anything that Her Light may touch is blessed, and anything surrounded by darkness has not been blessed, and as such, is unholy. As a result of this, many believe that all life is blessed, guiding most Children of the Sun to live vegetarian lifestyles. Nocturnal animals such as a bats, owls, and coyotes, are considered omens. Dark places, such as forests with thick canopies and caverns are often equated with temptations, and are adorned with as much light as possible. All Children of the Sun throughout the world morally oppose slavery which demands a lack of equity between man.

The second tenant of Yuumagure teaches that Her Light is pure, and blesses purity on all it touches. Thus purity is demanded of her followers. How purity is defined varies from sect to sect, but most agree that mind altering concoctions, such as liquor, drugs, and potions are impure, as is embracing a life of thievery, deception, or promiscuity.

The third tenant of Yuumagure teaches that all that is was created by the Sun, and all that is will return to Her Light. All followers of Yuumagure believe in life after death, becoming one with Her Light and ascending to become part of Her Light. All Children of the Sun believe in cremation, and that their ancestors still watch as a part of Her Light. The greatest disrespect you can give One Guided By Her Light is to bury their body, forever surrounded in darkness, never again to join Her Light.

Jashin
Pious in pain.
Holiness in death.
These are the words of Jashin
And Jashin the Law of the Land


Considered one of the more secretive religions of the world, Jashin is thought to be a dying religion by most, but actually has a large number of followers practicing individually throughout the world. Followers of Jashin believe in one true God, the namesake for their religious beliefs, Jashin, the God of Life, the God of Death. the God of All. Believers of Jashin follow the teachings that the world is in decay, and they have been chosen by Jashin to return the world to their God, being promised authority in the next life in doing so.

As such, followers of Jashin have two missions they are expected to commit to for their entirety of their lives: To cause pain, both physical and emotional, and to grant freedom both spiritual and material. As expected, this makes Jashinist difficult to get along with in most cultures and societies, and often causes them to be ostracized. For most, this is no issue, as Jashinists are notoriously solitary, devout followers with a complex array of rituals and prayers they abide by in their day to day lives.

Every individual Jashinist will have his own variation of how he follows the word of Jashin, based on who they learned their beliefs from. Because Jashinists are to believe only in destruction, they reject material gains, which means there is no church of Jashin, no gospel to learn from, nor any religious sites or structures. As such, there is a huge variety of what the Jashinists do and believe in, though they all have core beliefs that are shared universally.

First off, no Jashinist believes in material belongings. The central belief system revolves around destruction, and maintaining material belongings only contradicts that belief. Few Jashinists have homes of their own, and those who do often have little or no furniture within it. Jashinists do not borrow from others, and indulge in the use of currency only when required by modern conventions. There is no moral code in Jashinism, so its very common for Jashinists to be thieves and extortionists, who manipulate and steal to get what they need or want.

Second off, within Jashin, pain is considered pious. Pain is chaos, pain is symbolic of what the world is experiencing. As such, Jashinists believe in giving out, and receiving, as much pain as possible. Many Jashinists are sadomasochists, and genuinely enjoy the pain they receive, and inflict, on others. It is not uncommon for Jashinists to be covered in scars and/or tattoos, as a way to commit to the pain in their body and show Jashin their commitment. The more pain you experience, the closer you are to Jashin, and the more pain you invoke, the greater you please him.

While Murder is not mandated by the principles of Jashin, most believe that to kill is to give to Jashin, to continue his mission, and to please him. As such, almost all followers of Jashin have rituals they follow when interacting with death to varying degrees, may it be as simple as eating meat, to as brutal as mass murder. Many Jashinists will dispute whether the word of Jashin, which asks for spiritual freedom, means killing people in order to give their spirit to Jashin, or simply converting them to Jashinism (giving him another follower) and killing if they refuse. These means some Jashinists can live rather peaceful lives, while others will have a kill count higher than most shinobi.

Jashin is a religion of blood, death, and most importantly, chaos.

Vrashni

Vrashni is a religion based around the four cardinal directions, and of the heavenly spheres. They believe that each direction is associated with something, and that fervent worship and devotion to each of the deities will grant them all that they desire in life.

North is associated with Father Sky. Father Sky is the protector. He watches over his children in the night and in the day. When loved ones go to war, Vrashni practitioners turn to the north to pray to Father Sky for protection. It is considered the proper form of worship to face North, with one knee on the ground. Incense is often used to help practitioners connect with Father Sky

East is associated with new things, and with the birth of the sun each day. With the birth of the sun comes a new day filled with new opportunities. When searching for prosperity and riches, one should turn to the East to pray. Additionally, if someone has turned away from the true path, they will be encouraged to pray to the East for a new opportunity. It is considered the proper form of worship to stand tall, arms stretched wide, facing East as the sun rises, and perform deep breathing while beholding the sunrise. This worship can be performed at any time, but the purest form is at sunrise.

South is associated with Mother Earth, the provider of all good things. The Earth raises animals and crops, tending to its own. Vrashni practitioners believe that mankind has fallen away from the natural pattern the Mother Earth, and when praying to The South, they will seek to become one with the Earth, seeking nature and solitude. It is considered the proper form of worship to lie in nature naked, with ones head facing south, and simply commune with nature.

West is associated with the passing away of old things so that new things can begin. The setting of the sun represents death as well as rest, but ultimately, it represents transition. When a loved one is close to death, or if someone is leading a bad lifestyle, practitioners will pray to the West for a favorable transition: that death would be peaceful, and that bad lifestyles will be changed. It is considered the proper form of worship to face the West at sunset, kneeling prostrate and hiding ones eyes from the sun. The hands reach back and grab the heels, transforming even proud men and women into mere lumps of flesh before the setting sun. This represents complete submission to Wisdom of The West.

Vrashni is generally a peaceful religion, but it is by no means pacifist. Members are encouraged to train their minds, bodies, and souls to be an extension of the Cardinal Will. Through prayer to each of the four deities, practitioners will the find direction and guidance that helps them lead their lives in a way that conforms to the greater understanding of the deities.


Buramagura

An incredibly complex and specific ritualistic religion based around demonology, Buramagura is a following derived from mysticism and spiritualism. Originating from the islands in the south, Buramagura is incredibly popular in the far south, and far east, and has a very large following throughout Sea and Water country. Followers of Buramagura, known as Agura are typically very easy to spot, and will rarely hesitate to speak of their belief. Despite being based around demons, Buramagura is not necessarily a religion of "evil" but rather focuses around the balance of energy, taking from evil to fuel good.

Buramagura is based around the core belief that humanity is the sole "good" force in existence. Agura say that our consciousness, and ability to be self aware, allows us to depart from our natural inclinations towards evil. In that same line of thought, everything else in the world is said to be inherently evil, possessed by demons, both lesser and greater, which produce evil energy. Followers of Buramagura teach that we must take this energy from evil, and use it for ourselves, to create good energy.

Despite still collecting a large following in the modern era, Buramagura finds it roots in ancient societies, outdating any written form of historical texts. As such, Agura are taught the language that Buramagura was originally spoken in. Extremely devout are entirely fluent in the ancient language, referred to as Bur, but even the most casual of Agura know many important terms from Bur, as it is believed that good energy is best channeled through speaking Bur.

Bur replaces many common words in the modern tongue. Agura rarely refer to the energy of the world as chakra, as Buramagura does not officially recognize the "spiritual and body" makeup of chakra, but instead calls it Rama. Additionally, while shinobi are traditionally recognized as the sole active manipulators of chakra, Agura recognize shinobi as a subsection of Buragurama, which is anyone who speaks Bur, those can utilize Rama. Spirits are recognized as the evil demons that possess much of the world, not as individual entities from another plane of existence. They are referred to as Burdei, and are feared, respected, loathed, and worshiped. Buramagura teaches that Burdei are selfish and desire nothing but more Bur for themselves, as they are unable to recognize that Bur from a human actually weakens them. As such, sects of Buramagura vary from focusing on single greater Burdei, weakening them as a whole, or focusing on multiple lesser Burdei, weakening the Burdei's hold on the world overall.

It is believed that Rama naturally cycles over 7 day periods, which Agura argue is the source of the modern seven day calendar cycle. As such, every week in the Buramagura calendar is dedicated to a different ritual. While casual observers of Buramagura may only be tangently aware of these rituals and cycles, devout Agura plan their entire lives around the cycles of Rama and the rituals used to best tap into them. Rituals often involve complex face and body paints, with very specific designs that modern scholars recognize to mimic the flow chakra in the body. Different rituals require different color paints, different designs, focus on different body parts, and every ritual has a poem in Bur to be recited.

Many Agura believe that following these rituals empowers them, filling them with positive Rama and strengthening their ability to resist the evils of Burdei. Shinobi Agura will often recite these rituals prior to combat, before missions, or when other trials are awaiting them. Some rituals require the use of totems, idols, or other objects for symbology, depending on the sect of Buramagura being practiced.
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