Equilisim
Birth begets death. Peace begets war. Death begets birth. War begets peace. Light begets dark. Dark begets light. Such is the cycle. Such is the law of the universe.
Public Agenda
- To keep the balance of the universe in all things
- To make sure all debts are repaid in full
History
The official religion of the Avi Empire, Equalism is still a very popular religion among the inhabitants of Setareh even after the fall of the Empires. With about 20 percent of the galaxy following it, Equalism is the second most popular religion behind Agnosticism at 25 percent. Theories about why vary, but the main reason cited is that because it was an Imperial religion and because its doctrine encompasses the whole galaxy, not just one species.
Cosmological Views
For Equilists, every opposite force in the universe is at constant war with each other. Light and dark, war and peace, positive and negative, etc. etc. Each of these forces is kept in balance by the Six Judges. To do this, the Six Judges make informal contracts, in which they may give something valuable, but they must take something away of equal value. Just as the universe began, it will eventually end. However, the more unbalanced the universe is, the quicker the end comes. So the Judges keep it in balance to delay this. The Equilists formalized the contract process in the hopes of having some control over the outcome.
Tenets of Faith
- The world is preserved by being kept in balance
- Accept the bad with the good, for both are connected
- Do not break a contract
- Repay all your debts in full
- Do not expect good things to last forever
Worship
For Equalists, there is no worship in the traditional sense. There are no services, hymns, or holidays in their religion. Their form of worship is having respect for the Judges as well as making and fulfilling contracts. Making contracts is sort of a form of prayer. When an Equilist wishes for something to happen (a healthy birth, the end of a war, a good harvest, etc.), they go to a Contracter, who will attempt to contact one of the Judges to draw up a contract and decide payment. The type of payment varies, from money to an animal sacrifice to a few years off someone's life, but it is always something in equal measure. The petitioner and the Contractor (acting as a proxy for the Judge) both sign and the contract is sealed.
If the petitioner does not make the appropriate payment after the Judge fulfills their end of the bargain, the Contracter or someone hired by them has permission to take payment by force (this has led to more then one scrape with the law). However, if the Judge does not follow through with their promise, the contract is voided and no payment need be made.
Priesthood
The Equilist priests (also known as Contracters) are in charge of drawing up contracts between the judges and the worshipers, as well as enforcing them. For this reason, they rigorously study contract law, and you can find them alongside lawyers in schools of law. Most lawyers give them a wide berth, however, as supernatural laws tend to be seen by the rest of the universe as flaky and ever changing.
Light begets dark. Dark begets light. Such is the law of the universe.
Founding Date
400 BKC
Type
Religious, Organised Religion
Alternative Names
The Contract Makers
Demonym
Equilists
Government System
Monarchy, Elective
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A relatively simple idea: a sort of belief of balance, where for everything you desire to have you must pay a price equal or higher to it. Though at the same time, it does feel depressing in terms of people essentially being told "The world's going to die." How exploitable is this system though? Could one beg for the Six Judges to find different trades of equal "value". Have there been any people who lost loved ones due to this equal trade system? Or tyrants willing to sacrifise entire planets for other worlds?
Well, most equilists tend to try and stay on the right side of the law if only to avoid trouble, but you can always find someone willing to make a deal, lets put it that way.