Spiritual Society of Companions

Spiritual Society of Companions
Societate Spiritual del Companiones
The "Lamenter Star", a symbol commonly used by many groups of Companions
Classification	Protestant
Polity	Congregationalist
Founder	Jon Vulpe
Branched from	Parishism
Other name(s)	Lamenters

The Spiritual Society of Companions (Ebrarese: Societate Spiritual del Companiones) is a Protestant Christian denomination known colloquially as the Lamenters (Ebrarese: Lamenteros). The Companions were expelled from the Parishist movement in Ebrary in 1570, during the early years of King Gustav II's reign, and formed their own congregations. Companions doctrine stresses the priesthood of all believers, following an egalitarian "non-pastoral" mode of worship where all members of the congregation are allowed to speak during the church service. Companions are united in a belief that each human being can experience and access the "mysteries in one's own soul" or experience God in everyone. Companions do not practice any sacraments, do not take oaths, and reject the usage of religious icons. The movement stresses dressing in plain clothes, abstaining from the consumption of alcohol or tobacco products, avoiding most forms of political participation, and avoiding participation in military conflict and interpersonal violence including violent sports such as boxing.

Name

The prominent early Companion Jon Vulpe coined the term "Spiritual Society of Companions" to describe the movement, and the members of it tended to refer to each other as "companions". However non-members generated the epithet Lamenters early on to describe them due to the emotional church meetings the Companions had. Though initially viewed as a derisive term, eventually the moniker of Lamenter became so ubiquitous the movement itself embraced it to a certain extent. The most notable usage of the term is the titling of the weekly newsletter of the General Companions Conferences as "The Lamenter".

History

The Companions have their origins in a small number of congregations in Ebrary near the border with Vorstland which were expelled from the Parishist movement in 1570, during the early years of King Gustav II's reign, and formed a loose association. These congregations rejected the sacrament of the Lord's Supper completely, causing a break with the Parishists who viewed them as heretics. The preacher Jon Vulpe rose to prominence in their community after this, wrote many influential epistles and letters from the Companion viewpoint, and is credited as the father of the Companions.

Under the leadership of Vulpe, the Companions would be led to reject all sacraments, alcohol, and violence, and be led to adopt iconoclasm. The bulk of modern theology of the Companions is heavily drawn upon the writings of Vulpe, although Companions do not hold his writings to be on the same level of authority as the Bible. The Companions were highly evangelistic under the influence of Jon Vulpe and his immediate successors, with a large minority of villagers in the Ebrary-Vorstland borderlands being converted. To this day, this area is still the stronghold of the Companions.

By 1600, the Vorstish and Ebrarian Companions had formed their own separate associations of churches. Although tolerance for most Christians in Ebrary was extended by King Gustav II in 1570, the Companions still suffered discrimination and could not legally participate in many trades and guilds. Companions generally could only be farmers or merchants. Jon Vulpe died in 1604, having travelled across Ebrary to evangelize for the Companions.

By the early 20th century, there were two major groups of Companions churches, the Vorstland Companions Association (with congregations largely in Vorstland) and the General Companions Conference (with congregations in most of the rest of Ebrary). In 1911, the National Companions Association split from the General Companions Conference over the issue of voting for elected government officials. The General Companions Conference had adopted a resolution in support of allowing members to vote in elections (but not to campaign politically or hold political office). The National Companions Association opposed voting as unacceptable political participation forbidden by their consciences. In 1922, the General Companions Conference and the Vorstland Companions Association merged to form the All Ebrary Companions Association, which is the largest group of Companions to this day.

Due to their rejection of military service, peculiar dress, and participation in politics, the Companions found themselves the victims of discrimination in Ebrarian society. Many Companions found themselves the subject of imprisonment and execution for their refusal to participate in both sides of the Ebrarian Civil War.

The current Christian regime in Ebrary allows Companions more liberties than the previous regime, including the ability to serve their terms of national service in a civilian capacity. Although no Companion denomination appoints any members to the High Ecumenical Council, the All Ebrary Companions Association is an observer in the Ebrarian Christian Congress.

Theology

Companions place their trust in the immediate guidance of the Holy Spirit. They reject all forms of religious symbolism or iconography, being firmly iconoclastic in stance. Companions do not believe in relying upon the practice of outward rites and sacraments their worship of God such as the Lord's Supper and baptism.

Main Points of Lamenterism

The main points of Companions belief, as outlined in the collected Epistles of Jon Vulpe, are as follows:

• Simplicity
• Nonviolence
• Truthfulness
• Sobriety
• Community

Worship

Like most Christians, Companions gather weekly on Sunday at their churches to attend religious services. However, they do not employ pastors or priests in their services, but follow an egalitarian "non-pastoral" mode of worship where all members of the congregation are allowed to speak during the church service, including women and older children. While they do not have preachers, Companions elect deacons, elders, and clerks as individuals who take care of the day-to-day business of upkeep in the local church, and oversee any endeavors the church may undertake. Deacons or elders must be married men who are viewed as having good moral character.

Companions believe that the Holy Spirit will lead people to speak and say what God wants to be said. What is said, or who will speak, is not planned, and prepared messages are generally prohibited. Companions gather in silence until someone feels the need to speak, and then are again silent after that individual speaks until another person speaks. Church services can last hours until elders or deacons feel that they need to end.

Way of life

Moral practices

Since the time of Jon Vulpe, Companions have prohibited the consumption or production of tobacco and alcohol. In modern times, these prohibitions have been interpreted to forbid other harmful and addictive substances and practices, such as the use of addictive or mind altering drugs (both illegal and prescription) recreationally. Companions also oppose the viewing and production of pornography, as well as gambling.

Nonconformity to the world

Companions refrain from military service and other forms of violence, interpreting the teachings of Jesus to forbid such interactions with others. The religion forbids members from holding political office or participating in political campaigns, although the largest Companions denomination (All Ebrary Companions Association) allows members to vote. Companions also practice nonresistance to authority, refuse to take oaths, and the avoidance of lawsuits (Matthew 5:34).

Dress

As part of their practice of nonconformity, Companions are noted for their simple attire. Companions dress in traditional clothes of modest design, subdued colors, and sturdy material. Women wear a head covering and long dresses or skirts, while men wear modest shirts and refrain from wearing short pants. Traditionally, Companion men wore broad-brimmed hats, but this requirement has fallen out of favor in the latter-half of the 20th century.

Organization

Companions follow a decentralized congregationalist church structure, with each Companions church governed independently but joining regional and national associations. Currently the largest national association of Companions congregations in Ebrary is the All Ebrary Companions Association (Association Companiones Ebraria Omne), with approximately 85% of Companion churches belonging to it. The second largest, the National Companions Association, comprises around 9%. The National Companions Association (Association Companiones National) split from the General Companions Conference (now part of All Ebrary Companions Association)in 1911.