Mother Church of Ororr (Therism)

The Mother Church is the state religion of Ororr, which combines both religion and government in one institution. It is based on the teachings of the Great Prophet Therion, who in the early decades of the modern era raised an army that conquered much of northwestern Anásthiasplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigAnásthias

Anásthias [a-NAS-thee-ass / ænæsθiːæs], or [an-ass-THEE-as] is an equatorial island continent, heart of the Civilised World. The north straddles the equator and is hot and humid, while most of the equatorial centre is an upland plateau with fertile river valleys, and stretches of arid plains and desert in the shadow of the mountains. The south is temperate but more wild, separated from the civilisations of the north by the almost impassable Harthera, forging a new nation. Within Ororrplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigOrorr

Ororr [o-ROARR, ɒ̝rɔ'ɾ], also called the Holy Motherland of Ororr, is a theocratic nation in Anásthias, one of the world's great powers. It the largest nation in the world, perhaps the largest empire in history, occupying the entire northwest of the continent between the mountains and the sea. Ororrviridlanguagelanguagelanguage it is called “The Faith” or “The Faith of the Mother”. Outside Ororr it is widely known as Therism. This name is never used within Ororr, where it is considered disrespectful to refer to the Prophet by name.

The Vetthi Republic converted to Therism three centuries ago, though it resisted assimilation into the nation of Ororr. There are also many Therist communities outside of Ororr, particularly in Torthien and Munatan, the product of aggressive missionary work by the Ororran state. Therism is officially banned in Harthera, the result of, and the cause of, many tensions between the two great powers.

The history of the church is inexorably bound with the history of Ororr.

Little is known about the early life of the Prophet, but the foundation of the Mother Army is recorded as 29 ME.  The Army unified the old tribal states of Mordant, conquerred the cities of the River Narl, and crossed the mountains to conquer Siltorn in 38 MEplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigModern Epoch (ME)

The Modern Calendar is a dating system acknowledged throughout the Civilised World. It numbers years from the Modern Epoch, abbreviated ME and BME (Before Modern Epoch). It is also called the Modern Era.

Calendar

This is in a series of articles about calendars and dating systems.OrorrHartheraHMOrorrHartheraOrorrOrorrHMHartheraHMHartheraOrorr. In 42 ME the Prophet laid siege to the city of Remel, beginning the long campaign which finally broke the old Empire of Dor-en-Sann, converting the people to his new cause.

Following the siege of Toborr and the conquest of Seqal which secured the River Wiyel, the heart and life blood of the empire, the Prophet left his Army to continue the campaign while he journeyed into the deserts of Mangasor, where he built a tower at Foratuna. There he communed with the Mother and wrote the Principles, which codified both the religion and the foundations of a new holy state.

The new church-nation-state of Ororr was declared in 52 ME, though the old empire did not entirely fall until 59 ME. Ten years later, the Prophet announced his “Retreat”, his body preserved in the arms of the Mother while their minds communed in spirit.

The Mother State of Ororr continues to be ruled, administered and defended according to His Holy Principles.

The chief work of history, spirituality and mysticism is the Journey of the Prophet, often simply called the Journey (also meaning “discovery” in Doroun).

The Just Realm is a political and philosophical treatise describing the principles of a just state, the basis of the laws and government of Ororr.

The Analect of Just Works is a collection of works predating the Prophet.

The Dialogues contains testimonies of conversations with the Prophet and various disciples, as well as aphorisms and statements attributed to him.

The Prophet's intent was to eradicate the hierachy and complexity of the old imperial religion, with its many “aspects”, its tithes, taxes and corruption. The multiplicity of gods was reduced to one: the Mother, who is the physical embodiment of the earth and of all life.

1. All earth is sacred, the Mother of all: it is She who gives all things life, and to whom we return at the end.
2. All life is sacred, the creation of the Mother.
3. The Mother is the One True Deity.  There are no gods but Herplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigHerbs
   
   Herbs are usually green plants cultivated and used for use in medicine, cooking or for other purposes.
   
   Herblore is the traditional practice of making decoctions, extracts, powders and other preparations from the roots, leaves, seeds, bark and fruit of plants found across the world.greengreenAnásthiasAnásthiasgreenMunatangreengreen.  [There are spirits in the world, but they are base, mindless creatures, lower than animals, that tricksters enslave to use in false illusions.  ]
4. The only true miracles are the works of the Mother through the Intercession of Her Church.
5. Man, alone among the beasts, is Her steward and companion, bound to respect and nurture life, as she nurtures us in return.
6. Only false gods and prophets demand worship through statues and images.  The Mother needs no icons: herplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigHerbs
   
   Herbs are usually green plants cultivated and used for use in medicine, cooking or for other purposes.
   
   Herblore is the traditional practice of making decoctions, extracts, powders and other preparations from the roots, leaves, seeds, bark and fruit of plants found across the world.greengreenAnásthiasAnásthiasgreenMunatangreengreen glory is the beauty of Her creation, for all to see.
7. Therionplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigTherion
   
   The Great Prophet Therion, founder of the Church of the Mother. is Her One True Prophet, and these are Her Revelations through His Communion with Her.
8. The Prophet is mortal, He is Man, not God.
9. He has retreated from the waking world to commune with Her, and will return when the Mother Church has brought His Word to the world.

• Respect the Mother and the Word of Her Prophet. 
• Pray and meditate daily.  Give thanks to for Her bounty.
• Put Community before Self.  Sins of selfishness must be paid for by contribution to the Community, through isolation, labour and prayer.
• Excess and indulgence are acts of selfishness.  Wealth is a mark of success, but it opens the gate to the path of sin.
• The body is the divine gift of the Mother, it must not be abused.  Good health through moderation and exercise is the duty of all.

• All people of good character, man and woman of every race, are free and equal before the Mother.
• The Mother may not be possessed.  Land may not be owned, but humanity must nurture the bounty of the Mother to provide the basic needs of all: food, clothing and shelter. 
• The surplus must be used to glorify the Mother, to enrich the world with all the skills and arts She has bestowed upon humanity.
• The world must be enriched through learning and teaching, to spread civilisation, culture and enlightenment.
• Wealth and power are corrupting.  Leaders must be simple, wise, humble and strong.
• It is the duty of the state to protect the poor and heal the sick.
• The Community must punish crime according to its severity.  There are three crimes: 
  • Selfishness against the Community (including theft)
  • Crimes against the Mother:  perversion of the Word [heresy], desecration of the Mother [violation of holy sites, illegal exploitation of resources, corruption, environmental damage], Betrayal of the Holy Church [treason].
  • Crimes of Inhumanity.  The Mother created Man as rational beings, her Stewards and Companions.  Those who act with savagery are less than human and should be treated as such.  [This includes crimes of violence and murder.  Those ‘dehumanised’ by their acts are considered no longer part of the Goddess, worse than animals, and may be killed or worked to death.]
  • It is the duty of the Holy State to make such laws for the times, according to the guiding principles of the Prophet.

The Church is both religion and organ of state.  There is no separation of powers between the military, the priesthood and the civil administration.  However, within the church there are a number of Arms, or organisations with particular responsibilities.  (In early times the church was represented as a woman with many arms, but the image was declared heretical.):

Priests-militant are the backbone of the church-state.  Both men and women join the Priesthood, but women are in the minority in higher ranks of government.  A Priest-militant’s role is to be:

• leader of the local Community
• personal and spiritual adviser
• judge in cases of petty crimes
• supervisor of education of the young
• officiant at public ceremonies
• leader in matters of defence and law enforcement
• chairman of debates about local public policy
• facilitator of health care
• provider of succour for the dying

In villages communities there is typically a chief priest and priestess, who are usually married and share the responsibilities.  Larger communities are administered and ministered to by a number of other priests-militant with different local responsibilities, usually with a single Prelate in a supervisory role.

Priests are educated from childhood, often apprenticed to a local priest and then sent to a seminary in a larger town for further education.  They then either return to being a low-ranking community priest, or if they are more able, they are put forward to join one of the greater Arms of the Church.

The Kritarchy, also called the Fathers (or rather ‘Parents’ in Ororran for they may be of either sex)), are the prime legislative and policy-making body of the Church.  They are all former members of the Nine.  Membership of the Nine is therefore a kind of testing ground for membership of the legislature, for their subsequent seniority depends on how many positions they have held within the Nine, and the reputation they achieved whilst in office.  All get one legislative vote, but only a good reputation guarantees a good position thereafter.

As well as legislators, Fathers are still Priests-Militant and become the heads of large temple communities, city and provincial administrators, judicial officials and high-ranking members of the various Arms of the Church.  They meet in Conclave several times a year, but they often have smaller regional gatherings deciding policy.  ‘Declarations of the Fathers’ – laws and public policy documents - can only be over-ruled by a majority decision of the Meissin, and only in matters of theological conflict.  In reality the Meissin only very rarely intervene in temporal affairs.

Conclaves are held in person, but they are also held remotely using the Fathers’ secret gift: a device that projects their presence into the Hall of the Holy Fathers in Tororr, wherever they may be.

As well as priests-militant, there is a separate order of priesthood which resides exclusively at the site of the Sacred Heart of the Mother, at Foratuna in the Maresh Hills, south of Seqal.  Their role is exclusively spiritual, but they are very powerful.  They administer the site of pilgrimage, and take care of the Temple and Tower in preparation for the Prophet’s return.  They do occasionally advise the civil executive - The Fathers and The Nine - officiate at Investiture ceremonies, and have theoretical powers of veto although they are rarely used.

The Mesekk are collectively the priests and priestesses of the Mother at Foratuna.  They run and administer the temple, perform the rituals and holy dances, and officiate ceremonies for pilgrims during the Shouft.  They are also responsible for manufacturing religious devices, objects of holy magicplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigMagic

In common terms, magic is the art of producing a desired outcome through occult means. Various arts are described as magical, from common street illusionists, village herbalists, and rituals for the intercession of deities. However, true magic is the art and science of elemental mastery, harnessing elemental creatures and instructing them to perform simple or complex tasks.. 

Mesekk are all raised at Foratuna from childhood, either as the offspring of temple priests, or given to the temple as orphans.  They initially serve as acolytes, free to leave Foratuna when they come of age, if they so choose. Mesekk have a “closed rank”, meaning they are all of equal status to outsiders, but throughout their lives they go through a series of physical, spiritual and intellectual tests.  Only once they reach a qualifying rank are they seen outside the temple enclosures, where they are addressed as Holy One, even by high-ranking priests militant.  Middle and low ranking Mesekk are required to be sexually celibate for most of the year, and live in gender-separated cloisters.  Their sexual energy is released during rituals of fertility, performed privately in the Temple enclosure.  Most Mesekk are the children of such holy sexual unions.  The most senior know something about direct communication with the Goddess, and may choose to become candidates for the Meisinn.  Those who have passed the highest (very dangerous) tests are automatically placed in line for appointment to the Meissin, according to their time of passing the test.  To ascend they must pass a final, and most dangerous, test of initiation, although many waive this and remain at the highest rank of Mesekk.  There is seen to be no shame in not taking the final test.

The Meisinn - or ‘The Twelve’ - are the twelve hierarchs at Foratuna who are in supreme, direct communion with the Mother.  The Meisinn are the source of supreme religious authority in the land.  They are addressed as “Most Holy” and are appointed for life after passing a dangerous trial of initiation, involving spiritual devotion, courage, knowledge and faith.  They are the ultimate point of appeal in religious trials, and may veto laws passed by the Fathers, although in practice these powers are very seldom used.  In truth they are theosophists: theo-sorcerors with knowledge of the true nature of magick and deity.  Each of them has a ‘Chorus’ - a host of Mother-bound sylphs who are pre-educated with a set of ritual responses, as well as being able to carry out ‘sequents’, complex chains of commands.  The Mesekk make all the miraculous devices used by the church – amulets, charms, weapons and so on – but it is the Twelve give the devices power, in rituals performed in the Tower.  The Twelve are responsible for the ritual of the Investiture of the Nine, an annual ceremony held in the High Sanctum, the highest formal chamber of the Tower.  The Nine, as well as being the supreme civil executive of the Church-State, are the holders of the keys to the nine seals, between the Goddess-stone and the sky.  This is a deliberate separation of powers enshrined in tradition by the Prophept:  the Meisinn cannot access the full power of the Goddess without the agreement of the Nine who hold the keys, and vice versa.

One of the Arms of the church, they are all women specialising in healing, herbalism and the system of exercise and healthy eating called the Kourvay.  Most towns and villages have formal members of this Arm, who organise and encourage the women of the community.

One of the Military Arms of the church, the Brotherhood is an elite division trained by the Mesekk in using special magickal devices.  Their training allows them to aid regular troops during battle.

The Kourvay

Epiclesis - calling down spirit Viaticum - healing the sick Ektenia - prayer, invocation of the divine Eudemonia - human flourishing

Apeiron - the cosmos Echthroi - the Enemy

Priest training

Human behavioural psychology

Security and self defence Human anatomy Hygiene and germ theory First aid and primary healthcare History Basic numeracy

Therists believe the essence of the person leaves the body on death and dissipates into the Dream of the Mother. The body is just a shell that remains. As such there is no special reverence for the body, which can be buried or cremated depending on family wishes and local custom. Bodies are typically interred in communal graveyards or pits.

After death many Therist families erect a memorial to the memory of the loved one in the memory garden of the local pandata. This takes the form of a humanoid obelisk called a “fading stone”, roughly human height, made of local dried clay and painted in bright colours. The family assemble at the memorial and leave offerings of flowers and pray and meditate on their loss. Being made of clay and exposed to the elements, the memorial gradually softens and erodes, the colour washing away and the clay washing away to nothing in time.