Nexarnism
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| Nexarnism | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Type | Universal religion (historically a ethnic religion) |
| Classification | Nexarnean |
| Scripture | Empaxilerece |
| Theology | Monotheistic |
| Leader | Ixarene |
| Region | Worldwide |
| Language | Ignesian and native languages |
| Founder | Vimicius |
| Origin | 1st century BE Ignesia |
| Separated from | Nexarnamiste |
| Number of followers | c. 3.2 billion |
Nexarnism ([ˈnɛksarnism]) is a Nexarnean duotheist religion based on the teachings of the prophet Nexarnam and upheld by the Rexical Seceter of Nexarnam, founded in 113 BE by Vimicius. Adherents, often called Nexarnists, number to about 3.2 billion globally, the largest religion in the world, and a vast majority of which are Ignesian. Nexarnism is centered around the idea that Vimicius is the incarnation of Igneis, returning after concealment from the world after writing the Khenaxelerece (Fifty Scriptures), who is the firstborn son of Ixar and the goddess Nafesa, the two main deities of the Nexarnean faiths.
The Nexarnean family of faiths follow the beliefs of Nexarnam (dated around 1100 BE), who believed that the sun was a manifestation of the eye of Nafesa, a goddess of the sun in the Nexarnean faiths. The firstborn son of Nafesa, Ixar, the first human and the moon god, Igneis, emerged victorius against his forty-nine siblings for dominion of the world and wrote the Khenaxelerece ('Fifty Scriptures'), interpreted as a set of guidelines for mankind to do good deed, avoid the mistakes of his adversaries, and obtain Pxeneme (fulfillment). When Nexarnam reached the age of 50, the goddess Nafesa trusted him with the Empaxilerece ('Great Scripture') through Igneis' mesagelumo, or 'messenger birds of flames', a collection of scriptures considered the word of Igneis himself, which Nexarnam believed was concealed from the world and would return to bring dominion of the world to the 'rightful people'. His daughter, Veshexer, expanded the Empaxilerece, with the supposed guidance of Mesagelumo, and established the concept of Solisxer, which would be brought into the world if it is purified by the righteous, in which Nafesa would overcome Savrex, the god of darkness interpreted as the creator of the universe and later adversary of Nafesa, and bring about a 'world of light for all the peoples'.
The first Nexarnean faith, the now extinct Nexarnamiste, preached the word of Nexarnam. It quickly spread to become the majority religion of Igneva and its successors, and would also gain followers in the other states of Ganderna and Vernero. The Nexarnist faith would arise after Vimicius' conquest of most of the continent, in which he convened the Council of Primae of 92 B.E., officially declaring Nexarnism to end its ties to the Igneiser, the patriachate of Nexarnamiste, and the proclaimation of Vimicius as the Ixarene, or 'the rightful descendant of Ixar', showing his claim as the manifestation of Igneis emerging from concealment. After his death, the Nexarnist head of faith became directly tied to the title of Axemparex of Ignesia, which would remain so in the present. The faith would rapidly spread across the continent of Vimicia, but would split in 392 AE in the Xernesian Schism, when the issue of the succession of the Ixarene of Nexarnism arose between Xernos, brother of Uvyldua, the previous Axemparex, and Vishter, the firstborn son of Uvyldua. This event would lead to followers of Vishter splitting off, forming the Nexarnavishten faith. After contact with the Avanere, the religion would spread to many other nations, mostly notably Zheynes and Hysante.
Most of the Nexarnist population reside in Ignesia, with around 3.1 billion living in it. In Ignesia resides the five holiest sites of Nexarnism, being the Ixarene Seceter in Vrezar Vimicia, the Seceter of Xernes in Vrezar Xernesia, the Iopolex of Nexarnam in Uvylneus, considered as Nexarnam's final resting place, the Veseher Empaxi in Jaieva, and the the Iopolex Magnea, the final resting place of Vimicius. Nexarnists believe that one must complete a pilgrimage across these sites, or at the least visit, in order to further achieve Pxeneme. Another 63 million live in Zheynes, another 21 and 15 million live in Hysante and Nieskerden respectively, and 4 million live in other countries, compared to the Nexarvishten faith, as 80 million live in Ignesia, and 9 million live in other nations.
Etymology
The name "Nexarnism" was only first used by the Niesker man Yurulvanne in 1574, meaning "religion of Nexarnam", as by then the Nexarnamiste was extinct, and the Nexarvishten were widely persecuted and their followers were more remote. Before that, many Nexarnists were simply called 'Mondicals' by both its believers and non-believers. In the version of the Empaxilerece used by the Rexical Seceter of Nexarnam, the fifth and final book of scriptures, the Kvineco, refers to followers of Nexarnism as:
"The peoples who follow the rightful incarnation of the son of Ixar as the great man Vimicius, after an occultation of the self, who has brought freeness to the peoples of the world, these followers of the Rexical shall take the mantle as the rightful peoples."
Teachings and beliefs
Gods
The worshipped god of the Nexarnean family of religions, and by extension Nexarnism, is the deity Nafesa. Monotheistic with dualistic aspects, the Nexarnean faiths see Nafesa as 'imperfect and benevolent', created out of the incomplete first human made by Savrex. The imperfection of Nafesa is very important in Nexarnean thought, as it also signifies the free will of the soul, and the antithesis to the 'perfection and completeness' of Savrex. It is through the obtainment of Pxeneme, that one's will and soul become stronger in both the present and the afterlife. She is perceived as omnispective to an extent, as the sun is regarded her eye and witness through light, but not omnipotent or omnipresent.
The moon is the manifestation of the eye of Ixar, the first complete human created by Nafesa. The god of is the primordial messenger of the word of Nafesa and Igneis (although Igneis' inclusion is omitted by the Rexical Seceter) and whom the mesagelumo who gave Nexarnam the Empaxilerece belong to. In Nexarnism, his firstborn son, Igneis, is in union with Vimicius, and Vimicius was anointed as the savior of the Ignevan peoples, and the bringer of righteousness to his worshippers. The worship and recognition of Vimicius as the incarnation of Igneis after concealment is core to a Nexarnist's beliefs. The god, Savrex, is perceived as the omnipresent god of darkness and main adversary to Nafesa and her believers. In Nexarnean thought, he is the source of all suffering, and only through Pxeneme can one commit against him.
Scriptures
There are two major holy scriptures in the Nexarnean religions, the Empaxilerece ('Great Scripture') and the Khenaxelerece ('Fifty Scriptures'). The former was bestowed upon Nexarnam in the Veseher Empaxi mountains, by a group of mesagelumo belonging to Igneis', and was fully completed under her daughter Veshexer. The latter, the [i]Khenaxelerece[/i], was also bestowed upon Veshexer after the completion of the Empaxilerece, also in the Veseher Magnea mountains named after her. These two sacred texts serve different purposes for Nexarnists. The Scripamagnae outlines the cosmology, thanatology, the life of Nexarnam and his followers, and the features that make up Nexarnism, while the Khenaxelerece was made as a guide for Nexarnists to achieve Pxeneme and stray away from sins.
Later on, the Vimicelerece, the text about the life of Vimicius, his teachings, and his claim as the rightful manifestation of Igneis, was included as a holy text by the Rexical Seceter of Nexarnam, but was rejected by the Nexarnamiste Igneiser and is still rejected by the Nexarnavishten. When referring to the sacred texts of Nexarnism, many simply label the group of books as the Trienide ('Trinity'), or the Trie ('Three').
Cosmology
In the principal creation myth of Nexarnan religion, Savrex was created by darkness into a singular being. Through him, the world was created, and gave it the essentials for life. When the first animals emerged, Savrex was outraged that these animals were erratic, and only sometimes followed his command. He sought to create a lifeform that was indistinguishable to him in all but name and authority, loyal to him, setting off to create the first human. Soon, he realized that his first creation may not have been what he has sought for, and instead made her his servant, Nafesa, and delegated to her the creation of humanity. She then created the first human, named Ixar, and bore fifty children with him.
Soon, the sons and daughters of Ixar fought over the lands of their father, and a bloody war where brutality, deceit, and sin reigned rampant. Soon, the firstborn son, Igneis, achieved victory and established the Khenaxelerece, made to urge humanity to avoid the mistakes of his kin. He then retired and concealed himself in an unknown location. When Igneis created the Khenaxelerece, Savrex interpreted it as a violation of his authority that it, not himself, is the one that guides humanity. Ever since then, Nafesa has been at almost eternal conflict with Savrex, and its end will either lead to Solisxer or Verusteace. According to Nexarnist belief, Igneis later on emerged as Vimicius.
Solisxer and thanatology
Solisxer, the eschatology of the Nexarnean family of faiths, is the belief that if humanity commits enough for Nafesa and against Savrex through Pxeneme and good deed, then the world will proceed to be purified from darkness and the sins, through the end of disasters and the return of Ixar and Igneis, or Vimicius, to the physical world, and rule over. When a month has passed, Nafesa will reveal himself amongst the rightful and diligent, and bless them as her equals, and subsume the world and herself in it in light. In the light will birth a new world, ruled by the just and truthful, who will reunite the dead with the alive.
Later in around the 17th century, after contact with the Avanere, another thanatology would be established. The opposite of Solisxer, the Verusteace is the belief that if humanity fails to commit their souls against Savrex, the world would slowly rot from the outside, with its peoples believing that Nafesa is but a vessel of sin, and its imperfection criticized. A person by the name of Xaresn would proclaim himself to be Ixar returning to the physical world, in a manner like in the Solisxer, but would only erode the free will of man further and further, until sin consumes the world, and returns to darkness. Another being of darkness would emerge, and the cosmology would not differ, leading to a cycle of Verusteace, until Solisxer would eventually be brought to the world. The idea of Verusteace is, according to historians, the product of syncretism between the Avanere faiths such as Khrusene, and Nexarnism. Although, the Rexical Seceter of Nexarnam, the Seceter which upholds Nexarnism, does not formally endorse or acknowledge the Verusteace, it is endorsed in Nexarnavishten, and is common amongst both religions' followers.
In the Nexarnist belief of an afterlife, the dead are judged by the prophet Nexarnam and Vimicius, and are judged by their good deeds and faith to the word, and given positions based on them; the most devoted become advisers to Vimicius, the defenders of Nexarnism become generals of the goddess' army, and so on and so forth, with the sinful reeducated and acquiant themselves with the word of Nexarnam. The souls in the afterlife would be reunited with the mortal world once Solisxer sets in.
Nexarnam and Vimicius
The two major prophets of Nexarnism include Nexarnam and Vimicius, but may also include Veshexer as well. The natures of Nexarnam and Veshexer are considered human, as they only communicate the word of Nafesa, but Vimicius is considered divine in nature, as the incarnation of Igneis. This is a central doctrine in the Nexarnist and Nexarnavishten faiths, in the belief that Vimicius is a being of veneration and a paragon of divinity, and his life is followed as a guide by Nexarnists through the Vimiceven, the account on his life, teachings, characteristics, and events.
There is controversy between the true divine nature of Vimicius. The Seceter of Nexarnism upholds the idea of Vimicius in union with Igneis, as the same person, whilst many historical theologians questioned this concept, and argued that Vimicius is but a vessel of Igneis, which a fringe minority believe, although it is much more prevalent in Nexarnavishten.
Worship and values
Pxeneme
Pxeneme, the fulfillment of one's duties to Nafesa and Igneis/Vimicius, is a central topic in Nexarnism, and relates to the completion of the Khena, or the Five, which are actions that one must partake in their lifetime to commit their soul to serve Nafesa in the afterlife. These Khena, written down as the first five scriptures in the Khenaxelerece, are paramount in Nexarnism, and are required for one to join the secntierial clergy of the Rexical Seceter. One who has completed the Khena is referred to as a Vustuxus ('Righteous one'), and is given a special Iopolex in the crypts of the Ixarene Seceter, the headquarters of the Rexical Seceter of Nexarnam. These Khena include:
Nuxuram
The Nuxuram ('just worship') is the initiation of prayer at every sunrise and at every sundown in the Seceter, and is the first and considered one of the most essential of the Khena. The prayers themselves have different intentions depending on the time of day. Both prayers start with "Illories est las diino, illories est las tavurix, illories est las imacpater" or "Glorious be the goddess, glorious be the messenger, glorious be the liberator", relating to the goddess Nafesa, Nexarnam, and Vimicius respectively. The prayer at dawn is intended for blessing and promises to the goddess, whilst the prayer at dusk is intended for protection against obstacles and specifically wishing for the blessing of wisdom. A core tenet of Nexarnist society, it is done in a select place in the Seceter, away from the place of senctieral service.
Xestemen
Xestemen ('communial') is a tradition rooted in pre-Ignesian society, specifically from the Vernero, and was adopted by Nexarnam to become a central tenet of the religion. The second of the Khena, it was called the Xievestmeni by the Vernero, and has since been a staple of Nexarnist charity, and is an influential practice that has also spread to many other religions outside Vimicia. It is required that one must volunteer in a Xestemen on a regular basis as part of the Khena.
Upheld and sustained by the local Seceter, the Xestemen is a place where the Seceter and volunteers take in the poor, serving food free of charge, and care for sick people, regardless of their social standing, religion, ethnicity, and financial standing. Almost all senctiers have a version of a Xestemen, and are mostly staffed by senctieral staff, some volunteers, and even the clergy themselves. Many figures, such as heads of state, influential people, as well as religious leaders have visited and even volunteered in the services. There are also some accounts of the Ignesian armed forces regularly visiting many Xestemen.
Eravene
Eravene ('memorization') relates to the memorization of the Khenaxelerece, showing understanding of its values, and the recitation of the scripture in a Seceter. The third of the Khena, it is considered virtuous to memorize it, and is honoured greatly within the religion. In legend, the Khenaxelerece was originally given orally to Veshexer, Nexarnam's daughter, and was only written down some decades before Vimicius' reign, although this claim has been invalidated by the Rexical Seceter of Nexarnam. Unlike other faiths that have a practice of memorizing their holy scripture/s, Eravene is not as much disclipined by pronunciation, elisions, and the like.
Romese
Romese ('mastery') is a discipline relating to the body and intellectuality, and it is the fourth of the Khena. There are two types of Romese, bodily Romese, and intellectual Romese. The former relates to the body's capabilities, and skill with the weapon. One who aspires bodily Romese is expected to keep their body fit at a bare minimum. It is virtuous if one masters a 'weapon of war', which include weapons wielded through hand. In the second book of the Khenaxelerece, one of the verses read out:
"The truest, fairest, and most-well equipped servant of the goddess serves as both a vehicle for the word and a vehicle for the sword. A mind fit for spiritual revelation and self-improvement is a just mind; A body fit for the obstacles of life and conflict is a body fit for a just mind."
The latter, on the other hand, relates to the mind's capabilities, and can include the understanding of philosophy, works, art, or any other notable skill. Frequently translated to just "excellence", it is described directly in the Khenaxelerece as "The power over one's potential and path. It is only through the open-mindedness of a true and faithful man of Nexarnam that one embodies the spirit of the freedom of will." Despite being one of the Khena, Romese is not de facto required for clergymen for the Rexical Seceter of Nexarnam in the present day, and is more so interpreted as guidelines by Nexarnists.
Voxoperan
Voxoperan ('truth's path') is a pilgrimage done once a decade by Nexarnists, recounting the travel of Vimicius' body to his Iopolex. Virtuous and one of the most central tenets of the Nexarnean faiths as a whole, it is done during the spring-summer period of the calendar year and includes five sites; starting from the Veseher Magnea in Jaieva, where one tries to emulate the spiritual experiences of Nexarnam and Veshexer, to the Iopolex of Nexarnam in Uvylneus, giving respect to the prophet and reciting the Empaxilerece and the Khenaxelerece, to the Ixarene Seceter in Vrezar Vimicia, where the Ixarene themself will, on the first day of each month in the Voxovere period, organize a parade in honor of Vimicius, to the Seceter of Xernos in Vrezar Xernesia, a revered place where the largest library in the world, the Great Xernesian Library, is located, to the final point, the Iopolex of Vimicius. One can withdraw from participating in the Voxovere if one is confirmed to be either injured/sick for the entire duration of the period, bearing a child, or in military duty
Varexanfeser
The concept of Varexanfeser, meaning "freedom of the soul", relates to the free will of humanity, inherited from Nafesa and is one of, if not the central belief of Nexarnean religion. The belief stems from the imperfection of Nafesa and by extension man, and is correlated with it. Nexarnean religion rejects predestination, believing one can choose to either put their faith in the goddess and obtain Pxeneme, simply do good, or abstain and even reject the message of Nexarnam. The sinful are instead taught on their ways and learn for their crimes from the mortal world accordingly while the pious serve Nafesa in the afterlife.
Nafesa created the first completed human in her image, which was by extension in Savrex' image to an extent, and through this humanity is considered evil in nature, which is counterbalanced by the blessings of Nafesa. It is only through good deed and faith in Nexarnam's word that one tips the scales into good. Nexarnists do not believe in salvation, as sin cannot be fully rid from even the most devoted and faithful person in Nexarnist belief, instead believing that the duty of Nexarnists is to bring the world to the Solisxer through their actions and prepare for it.
Seceter
The Vendical Seceter of Nexarnam, the patron religious organization of Nexarnism, operates as an ecclesiastical polity led by the Ixarene, who heads as the primacy the hierarchy of the Seceter. There are three divisions within the hierarchy, from the national, intrastate, and provincial levels. The Ixarene, ordained as the heir to Ixar and the descendant of Vimicius, is formally absolute in authority and acts also as Axemparex of Ignesia.