The Servants of God
Someone dared me to include something very controversial in my worldbuilding and books... so I decided to add this thing that I've kind of always wanted to include in the world-anvil (it was always gonna be in the books) and watch as my already-small popularity decreases on this platform for my indirect roasting of Jehovah's Witnesses.
Structure
God's Left Hand (basically a pope but if the title was passed from parent to child) -> The Left Fingers (a council of 6 in which the Left Hand is in charge) -> Priests (also in charge of a gated community each) -> Sheep (no, seriously: that's what they call themselves).
Public Agenda
(*coughs* getting as many members as possible while taking the money of said members *coughs*) "Spreading the truth of God and ensuring his will is carried out."
Assets
Lots of estates and followers who give their entire wages to the religion. Lots of money from those wages - the cost of buying new gated communities and feeding their members. They also own lots of small businesses, which are great for both income and as fronts to convert people. Unemployed followers get used as volunteer workers in those small businesses.
History
Jared Konning started the religion 70 years prior to the suicide of Elmir Solovan (which resulted in the cult getting a lot of bad publicity and many members leaving) and was still alive then. Before then, he was a preacher of the The Church of Blades who gained his own personal following of 200 people or so and collected money from them to keep preaching as he was unemployed. He used this money to make gated communities, into which he relocated his followers, before making a reformed version of the religion that re-wrote the Bible... again.
Disbandment
Hasn't quite disbanded but has been declining in number ever since the suicide of Elmir Solovan .
Mythology & Lore
They've got their own "Re-Written For Truth" Bible that has major differences with the original but let's-a-go!:
So God made the Universe and yadi-yada let's skip to Adam and Eve yeah that goes down as normal but with Lilith being a far more official character and Satan officially being the snake. The Garden of Eden was meant to be every habitable or potentially terraformable planet in the galaxy.
Intelligent species other than humans are meant to be made by Satan, his demons and Lilith, usually through them boinking one another (demons are meant to be the offspring of Satan and Lilith so that means when they boink with Satan, Lilith or other demons... ewwww) or animals already in existence. This apparently means that every other intelligent species should be wiped out but by God instead of humans because the end of the world(s) is apparently coming anytime now and it will be then that God's angels come and kill the aliens.
Cosmological Views
They believe that God did the Big Bang specifically to create humans, even deliberately influencing evolution to create them, but that the other intelligent races are made by Satan to try and stop the success of humanity.
Tenets of Faith
Basics out the way before you start getting your paddles out for a paddlin': no theft, no... wait, lying is okay if it's to slander those who oppose/leave/aren't part of the religion?.
No violence except against those "who owe you their obedience" to ensure said obedience. Basically priests beating people up and parents beating their kids is okay, but self-defense isn't, unless it's against someone "who owes you their obedience". Bruh. This includes suicide. Wives are considered to owe their obedience to their husbands (if you ask a member if that's sexist, they'll say yes and try to say that sexism is okay). Violence is also okay if you're carrying it out on behalf of someone who you owe obedience ie: a priest telling you to beat the crap out of Little Timmy.
No sex outside of marriage, with getting raped or committing rape being considered the same as willingly cheating/partaking in non-marital sex - assuming it's someone you're not married to it happens with. Rape within marriage is apparently okay for either party: and it's definitely rape because
Marriages are to be arranged by the priests of the gated communities and priests are encouraged not to take things like "dude they hate each-other" or "bruh there's a 20-year age gap WTF" into account. Those that children are to marry is generally planned before they even hit puberty. Homosexual marriage isn't allowed and those who are incapable of having children will only get a spouse in the form of being the "leftovers" that get a spouse to keep their spouse from infidelity rather than them themselves from experiencing loneliness. Priests can also divorce couples at any time, but are only meant to do this for the sake of increasing the number of children produced rather than things like unhappy couples or to prevent domestic abuse.
Taking drugs of any kind is banned, except if they're given to you by your priest for the purpose of "strengthening your faith". This is generally anti-depressants and pain-killers for those suffering domestic abuse from family members/spouses and critical-thinking-dulling happy-drugs for anyone who comes to the priest saying they're having doubts about the faith.
You can join but you can't leave (except CHG law prevents them from effectively enforcing this). Anyone who leaves or is kicked out (for taking drugs, any acts of violence, etc) is subject to all their personal info being put up on the social media circles of the religion, resulting in their inboxes being spammed with "you're going to hell" etc and possible real-life harassment in the streets. If their new residence is discovered (anyone who leaves the faith has to leave the gated community) then they're more than likely to be subject to their homes and property being vandalized and it's likely that any new friends/spouses/even kids they have will be told lies about terrible things the person did. For people who leave this is to force them into returning as they're unable to have a life outside of the faith and for those who are kicked out it's so that they beg to be let back in, which they usually are.
Every day in which one isn't working is to be spent trying to convert more people to the religion. For children learning more about the religion is considered the same as work.
Annnndd Finally: all your money has to go to the faith. You cannot own things, only borrow them from the religion that has bought them with your money. If you don't have a job, you'll either be made to work as a volunteer at one of their front businesses. Members of the religion are expected to avoid education and joining the military as those that have done either in the past have had a thing for leaving the religion.
Worship
Close the eyes, press flat hands together above your head, press your face against the ground (yes, literally and even if there's a turd right where your face happens to be about to be) while on your knees and with your butt touching the back of your feet. Do so in utter silence.
They do this before and after every meal, upon waking up, before going to sleep, before and after having sex (supposedly to increase the odds of the couple being blessed with a child), before and after going out to convert others and before and after work/school.
Priesthood
Every Summer Holiday (they currently only have a presence in a single ring of planets which has the same school holidays) children go to what is basically a boarding school where they're taught about the religion. It's here that candidates for priesthood are tested and chosen. It's also here that, according to reports by news outlets the religion makes its members boycott, children are often [REDACTED].
Granted Divine Powers
The mental gymnastics are strong in them.
Political Influence & Intrigue
It hasn't got enough members to really influence anything but got a tonne of hate after the suicide of Elmir Solovan .
Sects
They're currently too small to go dividing and luckily are unlikely to ever get big enough.
DISBANDED/DISSOLVED
"God's will is absolute."
Founding Date
2798
Type
Religious, Organised Religion
Alternative Names
Contradictory Cult (although that's used for a lot of religions/cults), Isolators (also used in reference to many groups), Self-Slavers (the general populace of the CHG doesn't have a particularly positive view of cults)
Demonym
God's Servants
Location
Notable Members
Comments