Despite (or maybe because of) man’s
technological achievements, a majority of folk in
the ‘Verse still follow the tenets of one religion or
another to some degree.
Buddhism—usually of the Mahayana tradition—
is the dominant religion throughout the system,
particularly on the Core planets. Christianity ranks
second, with larger concentrations on the outer
worlds, as Christians migrated away from the centers
of Buddhism. Most Christians in the ‘Verse follow a
Protestant tradition hailing back to Earth-That-Was.
Catholicism still exists, though the exodus of long
ago ended its original structure.
One group of Christian missionaries, the Order
of Shepherds, still follows the monastic tradition.
These men and woman take vows of poverty and
chastity similar to those of a priest or monk of old.
They may live and work in an abbey or travel the
Black to find a flock in
need of a Shepherd. Their
peaceful order is generally
respected throughout the
system. Shepherds look to
Christian scripture as their
faith’s grounding. They do
not claim to have all the
answers, but are here to
help spread the word to
those that need it told to.
There are many other
religious groups in the
‘Verse, including Muslims,
Jews, and Hindus, who
tend to form their own
communities where
they can worship in a
body, follow their own
traditions, and bring up
their children in their own
culture.
Out on the Rim, one
can find any number
of faith healers and
wandering preachers
who have founded their
own churches or, in some instances, established
entire communities. Some of these people are
well-meaning and do lots of good, but others are
swindlers, who use what they call religion to bilk the
innocent out of their hard earned.
Comments