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Religions, Social Organizations, & Beliefs
Most churches in Midian are moral belief structures & guidelines rather than a system that contains a deific figurehead (or many such) and an afterlife. The belief in an eternal soul is not widely held. It is interesting to note that the Elves have no religion of their own (just ‘The Way’), as they do not recognise any deity-hood. It is also interesting to note that the Dwarves had no religion prior to being influenced by other races (particularly Humans), and practiced a form of ancestor-reverence—grandparents & great-grandparents are still highly regarded in Dwarven society.
[Designer's Note: (This is as close to a disclaimer as the Midian Game will probably ever have) Religion is an especially sticky subject, and nothing listed on this page (with one exception--the Black Church) is meant to represent any real-world religion. The Lost Souls, and Lost Souls Publishing, have members of quite a few faiths. For example, we have one Catholic writer, a Jewish editor, atheist consultants, and Cardinal Kinslayer's response to the question of his faith is a mean stare & a "never ask me again."]
Main Faiths (those with a large following)
Bhahi (ba-hee'): This is undoubtedly the most widespread religion, having followers in nearly every country. This is not a very populous faith, having few members in spite of their geographic dispersal. They believe that all religions have the same source and that all men are equal before God. They believe in peace and an end to Prejudice. This church teaches that Humanity is one race and that all religions are from the same source. Everyone should be equal regardless of colour, gender, language, economic conditions, or origin. They also believe that personal growth is spiritual growth--they are big on education. The unification of religion involves teaching that all personifications of dietyhood are simply the facets of an all-powerful, ultimate 'good' god that Humanity cannot truly understand. In a nutshell, this is a "can't we all just get along?" type of faith.
Some that follow this faith have a very humanocentric view. In other words, there are a number of Human supremacists within the Bhahi church. They are a small, but often violent, minority. This is one of the oldest Human faiths, dating back to before Humanity arrived in the middle-lands. The tennents of the faith, as written, do not cover whether or not other sentient species should be included in the unity of mankind. This is what the Human supremacists use for their arguments. The teachings of the faith, in spirit rather than by twisting any litteral meaning, are opposed to any sort of hate crime. The antisocial nature of many of these Human supremacists, and their hate crimes, banish many of their less than savoury acts to nighttime secrecy.
Church of the Red God: This is a warrior’s faith. Practiced primarily in the Heldannic Confederation and the Killian Empire. This is possibly the most dominant true religion, but has little influence. The Red God is rage personified, and is revered as an ideal rather than worshipped. The priesthood is effectively an order similar to the Knights Hospitaller. Many sages have connected this ‘god’ to the Dragon Chao Kung Ming, which may be the deity’s true identity.
Stryfe (strife): Also called Chaos-bringer and Flame-spider (due to his symbol—a red 8-pointed star). This is a relative newcomer to the faiths of Midian, being less than 80 years old. This would probably be considered a demon cult if not for the rapid rise of this church’s influences. There is no central temple for this religion, but is most commonly found in southern Formour.
The Church of Melchom (mel'-kom): This is the merchants’ friend. This god of wealth and commerce is believed to be non-sentient, but is instead an unknowable mathematical concept. This is the closest that the Bizzant Empire has to an official religion, and is commonly believed to be practiced by the Emperor. The Pope is a common visitor to the Imperial palace.
The Temple of Light: Followers of the Prophet Mammon, this is the official state religion of the Kingdom of Formour & is the religion practiced by its royal family. The evangelical (and often fanatic) followers of this belief structure have a large following with socially powerful members. This is not a true religion as there is no godhead, but is instead a moral belief system. Having great support, there is a degree of corruption in this church’s establishment. The Cardinal of Assisi in particular has great power and is feared by those under his fist. This religion follows ‘The Book of the Cannon,’ from which many of Formour’s laws are taken. General temperament is that of Catholic Spain prior to the Inquisition. This church also has quite a few members in the Bizzant Empire.
Cults (those with a smaller--or hidden--following)
Eco-druids: While not a common church, the followers are quite vocal and often violent in their beliefs. This is more of an informal ecological terrorist organization with religious overtones than an actual church. They are willing to ‘sacrifice to the world-mother’ those that they consider to defile the land.
Revenants: Worships the death-lord Bhaal. These drug-enhanced assassins & terrorists feel that to die for their faith ensures a blissful afterlife.
The Black Church: More of an anti-church than a religion, the followers of this faith believe only in themselves and their own abilities. This faith is often considered to be a demon cult, but nothing could be further from the truth. Allying themselves with a diabolical force goes against their core beliefs of self-reliance and survival of the fittest.