The Logician’s Association
“Allow me to remind you of Eterna’s founding words: “Enoreth bless thee, and forevermore, Excelsior.” Tell me what is wrong with those words. Does it not appall you that the spirit of our province drips in hypocrisy? It is an oxymoron, this phrase; the assumption that we as a people can advance -- ‘Excelsior’, as they say-- whilst simultaneously paying lip service to a fictitious entity that has no grounding nor place in the very world we wish to strive for!”-- Lubash Branagan, Logician Chairman
In a society dominated by technological progression and the flourishing of science, religion has taken a smaller role in most people’s lives. Temples, ceremonies and regular prayer have shifted from the daily routine of the common man to the sacred rituals of the piously aligned. Despite this, worship of the varied pantheons of Galoria -- albeit in a diminished form -- is still a widespread cornerstone of mortal culture. Though people may abstain or reject worship of the gods for their own reasons, most will not deny their existence. Not these people. What began as a small policlub founded by a few radical thinkers of the Veritas University Political Sciences department quickly blossomed into a full-blown movement, centered on one fundamental idea: the gods do not, and have never, existed.
What began as a small policlub founded by a few radical thinkers of the Veritas University Political Sciences department quickly blossomed into a full-blown movement, centered on one fundamental idea: the gods do not, and have never, existed. Atheism is not a new concept by any means, but the Logician’s Association is the first group to fully embrace and preach these ideals. Logicians do not simply refuse worship or ignore religious doctrine, their belief is that deities in general are fictitious entities and that aligning oneself to such gods is akin to delusion. Each Logician’s perception of the world and interpretation of atheism varies, but the general concepts most agree on are as follows:
- Gods do not exist. They didn’t vanish, or disappear, or are in hiding-- they have never existed at all, at any point. Belief in deities began in ancient times to explain the inexplicable. Now that science and magical study has the potential to answer these ‘impossible’ questions about the universe, religion is now an outdated concept that must be abandoned in order for mortal society to advance.
- In other words, gods are a social construct used to help define a society in its early days and pigeonhole mortals into acceptable cultural roles-- akin to similar roles placed on class, background and gender. To truly call itself progressive, a society must take steps to abolish religious belief and dismantle the systems that support it.
- Divine magic is arcane magic warped by belief. When a cleric calls on a healing spell from their deity, there is no higher power sending them aid. It is simply the cleric casting a spell like any other wizard, they just think some god is helping them. Alleged ‘miracles’ and freak natural phenomena are all products of natural and magical laws. These laws are the be-all-end-all fundamentals of the universe.
- A mortal witnessing a god (i.e. in a vision, dream, or being spoken to) is witnessing magical effects or spells. Visions of a deity are simply the mortal brain struggling to comprehend extreme magical stress, the mind substituting ‘incomprehensible’ with an appropriate hallucinatory image.
Structure
Members of the Association are not ranked by membership length or notability; members choose roles according to their interests and activities. Most members are invited to routine meetings and debates, whilst more active members may take on responsibilities such as arranging marches or public speeches. Management positions are usually taken by interested or long-time members, and in turn they report to a loose collective of leaders. The Association has a chairman, the half-orc Lubash Branagan, but Branagan has made it clear that his role is mostly a speaking figurehead-- he refuses to be authoritarian in defiance of similar models of organization (primarily the monarchy and church.)
Public Agenda
The Association has increased its numbers in recent years, especially in Eterna Province. This is likely due to a growing trend of disillusionment with the current monarchy. In the wake of the Grey Plague and the Eterna Civil War which claimed the lives of the King and Queen respectively, the Academic Order has been acting as government until the heiress is of age. Members of the Association tend to prefer the current system, arguing that a collaboration between various members of opinion to reach governing solutions is better than allowing a single viewpoint to make choices with undisputed power. Others have used as the deaths of the King and Queen as a driving point to their atheist arguments: if the royal bloodline is a divine right bestowed by an all-mighty god, why did they die? Wouldn’t such a god have saved their chosen ones?
The current agenda of the Eterna-based Logicians revolves around the monarchy. As the Princess’ coronation draws closer, Logicians have increased pressure for the Princess to renounce her divine heritage and abdicate the throne, paving the way for a government restructure through the Academic Council. Presumably this would be followed by the the separation of church and state in Eterna Province, followed by gradual secularization of the entire Galoria Alliance. As such, the Logician’s Association has gradually evolved in recent years to become more of a Logician’s Movement, with activities such as political rallies and protests defining the Logicians as less of a collective debunking of religion and more a voice for societal reform.
Ironically, the more the Logicians push their agenda to preach and spread their faith, the more their movement resembles the very same churches and religions they try to reject.
These People Know Their Stuff!
What makes the Logician’s Association more than a ragtag group of faithless thinkers is their scope and reach. Notable scholars and accomplished politicians make up members of the Association, backing up their fellow Logicians’ claims with scientific research and social analyses and using their influence to reach out to new members. A Logician could be anyone from a dissatisfied youth jumping the gun on a social movement to a well-traveled and respectable member of academia proposing a new school of thought.Remove these ads. Join the Worldbuilders Guild
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