Breheimian Universal Church
| File:Cultofkvitekrist.png | |
| Coat of Arms of the Universal Church | |
| Type of religion | |
| Monotheist | |
| Head | |
| Pope Holmgar II | |
| Countries by adherents | |
 Malgrave
|
~1,615,000 |
 Breheim
|
~575,500 |
| File:VenadiaFlag.jpg Venadia | ~100,000 |
| Template:Country data Vesan Union | ~10,000 |
| Founded | |
| After schism with the Roman Catholic Church in 1813 | |
| Deities | |
| White-Christ | |
| Scriptures | |
| Most Sacred Bible of White-Christ | |
The Breheimian Universal Church (Breheimian: Den Bremske Universielle Kirke), also known as the Breheimian Catholic Church and the Cult of Kvitekrist, the latter being the one officially used by the government of the Republic of Breheim, is a Christian denomination existing mainly within the Republic of Breheim. The Breheimian Universal Church formally split from the Roman Catholic Church in 1813 due to doctrinal and theological differences, as the Breheimian Universal Church held on to several aspects reminiscent of Norse Paganism. Both the Breheimian Universal Church and the Roman Catholic Church within Breheim claim to be the true Church of Saint Peter.
Beliefs
The Most Sacred Bible of White-Christ (Breheimian: Kvitekrists' Helligste Bibel) outlines the chief beliefs, rituals and morals of the church. It holds that White-Christ created the world after slaying the great fire-beast Lucifer and from its body created the world, the heavens and hell. White-Christ later created mankind and other races, and gave some sapience. A select few men were uplifted as Saints, including Saint Vodan, Saint Heimdall, Saint Tor, Saint Peter, Saint Mikkel and Saint Jon, and gave each dominion over an aspect of nature or life and the power to uphold it.
During the age of the Roman Empire, White-Christ made a bet with a still-living aspect of Lucifer named Satan that he could endure a life as a mortal man, and was born from a woman named Mary. If White-Christ were to lose the bet, by abandoning the earth before the death of his mortal form, Satan would gain dominion of the world, but if he lost him and all other aspects of Lucifer would be flung into the pits of hell. Even in mortal form, White-Christ possessed great power, and was concerned than the sapient creatures of the earth had lost their faith in him and performed many great miracles to prove his divinity, and many great trials against Romans and minions of Satan. The White-Christ's deeds brought on the ire of the Roman Empire, and managed to capture the White-Christ and his followers following a great battle and executed him by beheading. Having won the bet, the White-Christ returned in his divine form three days later in a mighty chariot pulled by fifty horses and wrought havoc on the Romans of Jorsala, slaying thousands of their soldiers and liberating oppressed people. His mortal followers' faith was now assured, and they spread the words of the one true God to all lands.
Satan and his minions were condemned to the icy pits of Hell, were all those unworthy of the grace of the White-Christ were condemned. However, from there Satan is gathering his strength for an attempt to wrest control of the earth from the White-Christ and his Saints by force, which will come about in the great battles of Armageddon. All worthy men who died in battle will fight for the White-Christ against Satan and his minions, men who died in dishonor, and the world will be torn apart in great fires and blizzards.
Morals
The morals preached by the White-Christ was given to men by Saint Moss. These nine commandments are as follows:
1. You shall have no others Gods but me.
2. You shall honor your ancestors.
3. You shall not suffer the insolence of heretics.
4. You shall not kill a man whose back is turned.
5. You shall not commit adultery with a married woman.
6. You shall invite a traveler in need to your home.
7. You shall not turn away from honorable battle.
8. You shall not steal.
9. You shall not lie to a man who has been honest with you.
Afterlife
The Universal Church holds that there are three separate afterlives. There is the icy realms of Hell, where all who have gained the ire of the White-Christ is sent. This include murderers of children, frauds, protestants, cowards and more. The second afterlife is the outer realms of Heaven, where those who led a good life are sent but who were not themselves warriors, which is very much like life on earth. The inner realms of Heaven are for those who fell in battle, and are made angels by the White-Christ so that they may fight the forces of Satan in Armageddon. There the souls of the fallen are feasting and fighting each other to be purified into Angels, the Warriors of the White-Christ.
Sin
The BUC holds that there is no such thing as original sin, as they do not believe in the story of Adam and Eve (in fact, most Old Testament tales upheld by other Christian denominations are absent in the BUC). Sin is something an individual accrues over his own life, through a lack of faith and misdeeds against their fellows. Sin can be forgiven through sacrifice, which is the purpose of the ritual blots the Universal Church performs. The White-Christ does not forgive sins through mere repentance, but also demands that repentance requires sacrifice, with graver sins requiring greater sacrifices (in the most extreme cases, even the self-sacrifice of the individual in question).
Immaculate Conception and the Role of Mary
The Universal Church's dogma regarding the conception of the White-Christ's mortal body is that Mary was not a virgin. The White-Christ himself had descended personally and impregnated her, and thus his mortal form was born through his own seed. Mary is an important figure in the Breheimian Catholic Church, as she is both the wife (or at least, one-night stand) and mother of the White-Christ, and is above all but the White-Christ himself. Mary is believed to be able to grant relieve from ailments, and can intercede on behalf of mortals when they die for more lenience with regards to which afterlife they go to (especially in the case of individuals who do not die in battle).
The Trinity
The Universal Church rejects the trinity, and claims that the White-Christ is one. There is no concept of Holy Spirit in the Breheimian Universal Church, and the Father and Son are held to be one and the same; the 'Son' or Mortal Form of the White-Christ was merely a vessel used to live a mortal life.
Worship and Church Organization
Worship of the White-Christ is structured around independent churches structured around temples, all nominally led by the Pope. Each temple is headed by a priest who undertakes the rituals and sermons of the Church. The primary ritual is the blot, a ritual offering to White-Christ or individual Saints, usually in the form of animals. Human sacrifice to the White-Christ, while not banned, is illegal in most countries where the Breheimian Universal Church exists. In addition to blots, individuals may confess their sins to the Priest of their Church, who may grant forgiveness in return for an adequate sacrifice.
In addition to the Churches, the Breheimian Universal Church maintains militant orders. In the modern era, most of these functions either as security workers in the temples, or as private military companies operating abroad. These consist predominantly of young men eager to die in battle, as it is only through death in honorable battle that a man may hope to become an angel in the halls of White-Christ. A tenth of the income the militant orders gain from military service abroad goes to the Church, while the rest is kept by the orders themselves.
Brotherhoods
The Universal Church maintains a total of fifteen 'Brotherhoods', of which eleven are 'Brotherhoods Militant'. The Brotherhoods Militant are the military wing of the Church, and since the mid-19th century have operated as private military contractors. The size of the respective Brotherhoods Militant vary, but in total it is estimated that the Universal Church has an armed force of roughly 30,000 men (making the Universal Church the single-largest private military contractor in the Republic of Breheim, although a significant number of their recruits come from abroad). The non-militant Brotherhoods are largely involved in charity work and missionary posts abroad.
Relationship with the Roman Catholic Church
The Breheimian Universal Church claims that it is the true Church of Saint Peter, and that the Roman Catholic Church have descended into protestantism. The Roman Catholic Church within Breheim have denounced the Breheimian Universal Church as heathens who are not Christians in even the loosest sense of the term. One of the stated goals of the Breheimian Universal Church has for centuries been to 'reclaim' the Diocese of Rome on behalf of the Church of Saint Peter.
However, this was not always the case; the formal split between the Breheimian Universal Church and the Roman Catholic Church is relatively recent. The 'local customs' of the Catholic Church in Breheim had long been tolerated by the Roman Catholic Church due to the isolation of the country, and was content with collecting tithes from the Catholics of the country. In 1809 however, the Archbishop of the Catholic Church in Breheim decided to root out prevailing 'heathen remnants' among the nations' Catholics. This prompted immediate reaction from many, and in 1813 the majority of Breheim's Catholics, accompanied by the majority of priests and a minority of bishops, denounced the Bishop of Rome and elected their own Pope, Pope Leo XII (formerly Bishop Ragnar). Initially, conflict between the 'Old Believers' (the followers of Pope Leo XII) and the 'New Believers' (followers of the actual Roman Catholic Church) was violent until President Sjøfarer personally intervened and ordered the arrest of both the Pope and the Archbishop. While neither were sentenced to death nor prison, the forced mediation ended with the Old Believers adopting the name of Breheimian Universal Church, and former Catholic properties in the country was divided.
The Breheimian Universal Church was formally excommunicated by the Roman Catholic Church only in 1829, due to the isolation of Breheim itself it took a while for the Pope to react to the events. The Breheimian Universal Church still maintain to be the true Church of Saint Peter, and in turn have excommunicated all Roman Catholic Pope since 1813. Relations remain frosty between the two Churches, despite some attempts at reconciliation at various points. Conflict have sparked up since the election of Holmgar II as Pope of the Breheimian Universal Church, as he have reinvigorated the BUCs missionary missions both within Breheim and around the world.