Religion in Themiclesia

Religion in Themiclesia played a major role in the conservation and development of culture, the fine arts, music, and philosophy.

Major religious groups include the state cult, Buddhism, Chŏndoism, Shahidism, and Christianity.

State cult

The state cult of Themiclesia is inherited from the analogous Menghean cultural practices, as the first recorded settlers in Themiclesia were from the Menggok region of Menghe. It is a religion highly integrated with the early state and social practice; however, it is not an organized religion and has no religious texts advocating a particular objective in life. The physical manifestation of this religion is purely in its ceremonies and places of worship, with comparatively little philosophical and intellectual content attached to them. Spiritual entities of this tradition are typically classified into three groups: gods of heaven, spirits of earth, and ghosts of men. Gods of heaven primarily consist of the High God (上帝), alternately called Zenith (天), and his retinue, who represent celestial bodies, like the Sun and Moon, and natural phenomena, such as wind and lightning. Spirits of the land include deified terrestrial features, such as mountains, rivers, and soil. Ghosts of men represent the human dead. The worship of the deities of heaven and earth is monopolized by the state, with the emperor as priest, while every household (including the imperial house) venerates its own ancestors. As the only activity traditionally permitted to private households is ancestral worship, the state cult is also known as "Themiclesian ancestral worship" in academic parlance. The term "Themiclesian animism" is also occasionally seen, though the state cult does not promote the idea that "everything has a spirit".

However, a major contribution of the state cult to the political tradition of Themiclesia is the concept of the Mandate of Heaven, which was claimed by Themiclesian monarchs as the source of their political legitimacy. By the Mandate it is claimed that the High God selects a ruler for the country, who is distinguished by his virtue. As this relationship between the High God and the emperor was widely publicized to secure the political status of the dynasty, the deity of Heaven became highly abstracted and encompassed the general concept of good, shedding almost all its mystical and anthropomorphic aspects, which is only formally maintained by an annual supplication conducted by the state, which is not open to the public. This connection with heaven has given rise to the title of "Son of Heaven" (天子), a style of the Themiclesian monarch, though some scholars have pointed out that this translation is misleading and disproportionably emphasizes the anthropomorphic nature of deified sky; they suggest that a better translation is the "Zenith Person", which denotes the Emperor as a human being with a human rather than a divinity.

Edifices

In the Miuanh Nen district of Kien-k'ang, there are two adjoining complexes dedicated to the worship of heaven and earth. Formerly, unauthorized entry into these places was a severe offence, though now for most of the year, when no official ceremonies are held there, they are open to tourism. Visitors are not required to behave in any particular way at the site, though the area is thoroughly cleaned and renovated each time it is used. It was once common to find shrines to ancestors in households of officials, and this was a coveted privilege of the bureaucratic class to have such an establishment; due to the rising premium on land, it is no longer common to see shrines as separate buildings in a residence, though an altar may be erected in the main dwelling as an alternative.

Confucianism

The teachings of Confucius (Gongja in Menghean) has served to add a philosophical foundation for the state cult, developing a set of expressed virtues that define the general concept of good that the state cult claims as the embodiment of Heaven. Later expanded by his followers, in particular Mencius. These tenets, called the "Four Rectitudes", are highly congruous with those found in Chŏndoism, though they represent an older strata of understanding of Confucian thoeries.

• 仁 (njin)—empathy
• 義 (ngriuex)—morality
• 禮 (leei2)—decorum
• 智 (trriuex)—wisdom

Buddhism

Buddhism in Themiclesia may have been introduced in the 2nd Century from Maverica. As with its Maverican antecedent, Buddhism in Themiclesia purports that all life is subject to reincarnation and its sufferings in eternity until it achieves nirvana, "enlightenment"; different strands of Buddhism prescribe different measures to obtain nirvana. Though this objective is shared with the native Maverican religion, Buddhism states that nirvana is achievable during one lifetime and in any reincarnated shape, while the Maverican faith states that only those who have reincarnated as bhrahim may achieve it. Initially, this has caused Buddhism to flourish in Maverica, though there it has declined but thrives still in Themiclesia.

Buddhist traditions are doctrinally divided into two main categories, Theravada (上座部) and Mahayana (大乘). Both categories also possess variants called Vajrayana Buddhism (密宗), though some scholars classify it as a third main category.

Theravada Buddhism

Theravada Buddhism is the first school of Buddhism to propagate into Themiclesia. Emphasizing the study of philosophy and its discussion, Theravada institutions believe that the correct way to achieve nirvana is through the acquisition and deduction of knowledge, according to the directions provided by the Buddha.

Mahayana Buddhism

Following the introduction of Theravada Buddhism to Themiclesia, Mahayana Buddhism was imported from Maverica around the 4th Century. Mahayana Buddhists state that the reliance on empirical senses and intellectual deduction, the wisdom that the Theravada adherent has acquired can, at most, liberate himself from reincarnation; due to this limitation, Mayahana Buddhists also call Theravada as Hinayana, meaning "small vehicle", as it is only sufficient to deliver the adherent. Mayahana means "large vehicle", describing the school's teleological doctrine of the liberation of all life from reincarnation, as opposed to the liberation of the self. To this end, Mayahana adherents identify two ways ("vehicles"), with didactic and intuitive learning as the lower grade, and the spreading of wisdom as the higher. These three "vehicles" are not exclusive of each other; those who pursue Mahayana Buddhism also believe that they acquire the same knowledge and wisdom as Theravada, but additionally bear the burden of enlightening all life as part of their practice.

Mahayana Buddhism has given rise to eight separate schools of Buddhist thought, each of which focuses on a particular part of the corpora of scriptures imported from Maverica, translated from Sanskrit, though the aim towards mass nirvana is common.

Zen Buddhism

Zen monk

Zen Buddhism is a school of Mahayana, emphasizing the discovery and contemplation of Buddhist doctrine as they appear in daily life, as opposed to learning them from scriptures and debating them to deduce their philosophical ratio. They claim that nirvana is achievable instanteously. Zen has become a dominant form of Buddhism within the Mahayana tradition, due to the ease of its acquisition and accessibility.

Vajrayana Buddhism

Vajrayana Buddhism emphasizes the use of mystical, closed ceremonies ("mantra") as a means to achieve the same enlightenment that Theravada and Mahayana Buddhists pursue. Vajrayana Buddhists claim that the Buddha taught the mantras as secret, fast-acting methods to grant the adherent nirvana, revealed only to his most capable followers. As such, Vajrayana teachers ("gurus") do not publicly teach their theories, only revealing them to select followers with the aid of private ceremonies and substances, even though Vajrayana also claims that they share the objective of world enlightenment with Mahayana Buddhists. There are two distinct sources of Vajrayana tradition that contributed to its presence in Themiclesia—the Southern School, which came directly from Maverica in the 8th Century, and the Northern School, arriving from Dzhungestan in the 13th.

As opposed to Theravada and Mahayana Buddhism, Vajrayana was deemed unorthodox and refused official recognition and patronage for a fairly long time after it was introduced to Themiclesia in the 8th Century. One of the primary reasons the state did not support Vajrayana Buddhism is that they refused to reveal their doctrine to the public, which solicited suspicion of illicit activities and, at times, treason. Thought the state did not persecute Vajrayana Buddhism, its temples and property of monks were not given special status as those of Theravada and Mahayana, whose lands and harvests were taxed at half rate.

Chŏndoism

Chŏndoism spread to Themiclesia during the 13th century. Then konwn as the "School of mSkljul" (崔學, mskljul-gruk), after its Menghean founder mSkljul Tsêh-ngwja (崔濟愚, Menghean Choe Je-u), it was received favourably when it first reached Themiclesia; the emperor Tek-tsung established it as an official subject in the Academia of Children of the State, the school for the sons of a privileged class of officials. Initially viewed as a curiosity by most and as a cult by the existing political-philosophical schools, it gained standing as time progressed, though its proselytization, a defining feature of the religion in Menghe, was largely displaced by distribution of printed literature in Themiclesia. Accordingly, it did not develop into a religion in the strictest sense at this time, but as an alternative paradigm of the dominant Mencian School (孟學, Mrangh-gruk), which focused on the conduct of the ruler as the medium and fount of rectitude.

天道夷且簡，人道險亦難。休咎相乘躡，翻覆若波瀾。

L‘in-du‘-lil-ts’jaʔ-krên njing-du’-grjêm-ljak-nal hju-gju-sjang-drjeng-njep pjal-p’juk-njakw-par-ran

When Drjaw’ Mrjangh-ngjon (趙命元, Menghean Cho Myŏng-wŏn) forcefully re-opened the Themiclesian-Menghean trade route, the influx of Chŏndo preachers greatly angered the Themiclesian scholarly elite, inciting the "Destroy mSkljul" (毀崔, hwjê-mskljul) movement within academic circles, often cited as an example of the politicization of academia in Themiclesia. At least 30,000 separate articles were written within the space of four years by not only scholars, but also merchants and other literate persons, denigrating Chŏndoism as heresy and a corruption of political order; however, ironically, in order to argue against Chŏndoism more persuasively, many scholars previously uninterested in Chŏndoism acquired a deeper understanding of it. In 1402, the imperial court ordered that Chŏndo preachers be escorted to the capital at Kien-k'ang, where they were placed under house arrest. Around 1420, they were released after almost two decades of imprisonment, during which the court neglected them; they continued to spread Chŏndoism, though only finding resonance in rural communities, where scholarly refutation was not as common.

Persecution of Sudŏk Chŏndo

Sudŏk Chŏndo (肅德天道, Sikw-tek-l'in-du’) was subject to official censure several times in Themiclesian history, the first in 1645, then in 1670, again in 1682, and finally in 1740. The official charge against Sudŏk Chŏndo was lèse-majesté (大不敬, dadh-pje-krêngh)—then punishable by death. The Sudŏk sect believed that Heaven was an anthropomorphic deity directly interacting with Sudŏk practitioners, while this ability is traditionally an imperial prerogative in Themiclesia; it is through this monopoly that the Themiclesian monarchy claimed its formal legitimacy, and the government was highly concerned that Sudŏk's idea that anyone could communicate with Heaven was politically dangerous. While the reaction on ordinary Chŏndoism was temporary and specific to the Menghean invasion, the court did not condone Sudŏk at any time, and open practice was always punished if reported. Official censures were periods of heightened, intensified search of Sudŏk sites and groups and punishing those associated. Yet, perhaps due to the scale of its practice in the less literate regions of the east, the charge of lèse-majesté was not applied to all practitioners indiscriminately; only ring-leaders received the charge, and of those that did, few were sentenced to die. Severe caning sentences were meted out to recidivists, whose sentences were publicly carried out.

若肅德道之類，號肅德，實淫亂。擅祀天地，僭行天子之禮，姑不視之褻瀆上蒼，貳心、異志昭矣。不論以謀反之罪，三族之誅，仁之至矣。

And as to the likes of Sudŏk, they are called "purity-morality", but in reality they are licentious and immoral. They worship heaven and earth, practicing the Son of Heaven's rites without authorization, even if their desecration of the above is ignored, their treasonous intention are clear. Having not prosecuted them for treason and punished them by the eradication of their kin, it is already the utmost in empathy.

Christianity

Southern Church

Christianity was brought to Themiclesia first by Casaterran traders and, soon afterwards, missionaries. The first recorded church was in existence by 1379 at the latest, promoting Sylvan Catholicism; however, its first clergy apparently were washed up in Themiclesia after a wreck on a voyage bound for Erquin, and, believing that they would never be in contact with their metropolitan church again, they established an independent church—the Church of Shinasthana—in the port city of Tuan-ning. To establish legitimacy with the largely-Buddhist populace at the time, the Holy Trinity were given Buddhist titles, such as Buddha for the Christian god. However, when it gained the attention of some local officials, the matter was relayed to the capital city, which soon forbade the worship of the new "Buddha" by unregistered monks (Buddhist monks could only enter monastic life with government permission). However, once they did register, which is what their first historical record is, they were permitted to start practicing again.

Though superficial differences from Christianity of the Sylvan Rite were striking and numerous, the Shinasthana Rite preserved most elements of the Sylvan Rite under the cover of Buddhist terminology and practices. The weekly mass was altered to a five-daily service, which better reflected the Themiclesian habit of resting every fifth day. Since neither of the first two priests were capable of religious music, it was borrowed from nearby Buddhist institutions, who played music under the impression that their activities were Buddhist. The Bible was translated into Shinasthana, using classical diction.

如是我聞。先是，佛作天地。而地既無形虛空，淵亦暗矣。佛靈往水上。佛曰要光，則有光焉。(Gen. I, 1~3

In the 1400s, Christianity was referred to as the "One Scripture School" of the Buddhist religion, referencing the use of no scripture other than the Bible. It is not clear how much of a following this small church had during the 15th Century, but it was sufficiently large that it received some public attention and small that it was not invited to the annual Buddhist congregation in the capital city until 1483, after many priests from Casaterra had arrived, with assistance from Themiclesian merchants trading on the coast of the Organized States to take the places of the two original ones, who died in the early 1400s. The most important item in the annual congregation was the debate of scripture, a mainstay of Themiclesian Buddhism, which placed premium of knowledge gained from argument and deduction. The "One Scripture School" did not achieve any rankings within the Buddhist community, but neither were their theories considered heretical.

Northern Church

The Northern Church was based on Tyrannian missionaries who sailed across the Halu'an Sea from Tyrannian colonies on the east coast of the Organized States. Like the Southern Church, they also landed in the port of Tuan-ning and began evangelical work there, probably some time in the late 1500s. Very soon, they were in dispute with the Southern Church and engaged them in several legal actions between 1598 and 1622, which represents their earliest record as an organized body. Both churches accused each other of heresy, having learnt that the Northern Church was founded on the Church of Tyran, which had by this point broke with the Sylvan Catholic Church. The Magistrate of Tuan-ning decided the case by ordering the leaders of both churches to be spanked 150 times each, with the following judgment—

釋道相低論，比如雞犬爭。便來提相告，兩造俱非人。釋子歸沙門，道士回道觀。自讀閉門經，休得妄相關。

When Buddhists and Taoists begin to denigrate each others' philosophies, it is similar to chickens and dogs fighting. Even if they raise a suit here, neither are becoming. Let the Buddhist return to his temple, and let the Taoist revert to his shrine. Let them read their scriptures in private, for another is not theirs to mind.