The Simultist Sect
The Simultist Sect is one of the four major Human factions based out of the Sol Sector. This faction was founded in humanity's first age of space expansion by a christian extremist group known as the Simultists. The Simultists believe that the second coming of their savior as well as the prophecies foretold in the christian bible are not going to happen on earth due to humankind's mistakes and unfaithfulness. Instead, they believe that they must 'redo' the story of mankind and Christianity on fresh, untainted planets in order to reach their version of the rapture. The Simultists cultivate and live on extremely specific planets that meet the criteria needed for their religious stories. Because of this, their territory is found sporadically around the sector instead of all in one place. Today, the Simultists are known for not only their zealotry but their recent commitment to pacifism and outreach when it comes to living near and helping out their galactic neighbors. This has earned them a lot of goodwill with the other factions despite previous conflicts.
Taking the lord's name in vain
Physical violence
Speaking ill of religious leaders
Missing church without an excuse
Speaking of the simultist's most sacred rituals to outsiders
Interrupting key ceremonies
Faith
Generosity
Obedience
Cooperation
Compassion
Humbleness
Government and Policy
The Simultist Sect is a theocracy and is led by the Archbishop of the Eternal Spirit, John-Martin Calvin Smith. The Archbishop does not live on any of the settled holy planets, but lives in a grandiose space station that can travel between them. His role is not only as head executive, but as a spiritual guide and father figure to the rest of the faction. The role of Archbishop of The Eternal Spirit is passed on to a chosen, blessed individual by the previous archbishop at the end of his life. On each planet, a designated prophet helps to guide and lead the colony in their goals and spiritual development. Each prophet is given a list of rules and opinions they are intended to have, so each Simultist planet is run in a very similar fashion.Law Enforcement
The Simultists' recent dedication to pacifism has had a direct impact on the way in which they enforce their laws. Rule breakers are typically held in captivity and put through re-education and repentance courses until it is deemed that they might be forgiven. No physical torture or punishment is allowed within the sect, so they rely instead on words, emotion, and social pressure to get their point across. After all, they can't allow the unfaithful tot aint their fresh, holy planets. Examples of things that require repentance among the Simultists are:Demographics
The Simultists are overwhelmingly human, and consider most other galactic species as unfit for their belief system. Exceptions have been made for the Chi'Suut due to the simultists interpreting the Chi'suut creationist mythos as a 'misunderstanding' of the christian god's influence on their lives. Opinions are divided among the simultist planets on if the jalgar should be included in their version of god's grace. Ethnically, the simultists are varied. Some planets, though, may have different strong ethnic leanings depending on who exactly settled them.Culture
The people of the Simultist Sect are extremely devout in their faith. Simultists tend to look down on those of other faiths, but rarely move to act on those feelings. Having their own planets as their gate to heaven, they usually see outsiders as simply unfortunate for not being a part of their club and feel bad for them. They are community-minded and have built up an image of being extremely generous and considerate for others outside of their faction. They eagerly seek to aid those in need no matter the distance and rarely ask the other factions for favors. Conversely, they are quite protective of their systems and very rarely allow outsiders in. Even in the event of disasters on their own planets, they only ever accept help that can be given remotely. This duality of open compassion and secrecy rubs some people the wrong way, but more and more of the other factions have come to respect the simultists as an ally they can rely on. This community-oriented mindset extends to their own, as the simultists are known for operating in a more socialist manor than other factions. They rarely use currency, instead using social favor and generosity as staples for their livelihoods. This can make it hard for those who wish to leave their planet to visit other factions, as most people do not own formal currency. The government typically gives allowances of currency to those seeking to leave, as long as they do so with the government's favor. Traits that the Simultists hold up as good and pure are:Remaking History
The simultist's goal is to recreate the events of the bible on a new planet in order to restart their religious journey. This limits the planets they can settle on, as liquid surface water and the correct color of sky is important to them. In order to accomplish the redo of their faith, the simultists select specific members of a new colony to represent important biblical figures and act out their lives in a manner that hits all of the milestones that the simultists deem important. These individuals may be called by their leaders, or called by their spirit and request the role for themselves. Those who wish to claim a role as matching their spirit must get approved by their prophet. If it happens that two or more people claim right to a role, the extras will either be rejected, reassigned, or given the task to organize their own planet in order to meet their calling.History
The simultists started as a christian fringe group on earth, but gained power as humanity's space-bound effort challenged the faith and beliefs of many on earth. In the initial wave of settlements, the simultists gathered many people to their cause by declaring that Earth was spiritually dead and the humanity needed to start anew on a new planet. With this as their core goal, the simultists sailed away to settle their first planet: Eden. Many more would be founded over time until the simultists became a sizeable faction dotted around the sector. At the beginning, the simultists were militant about the planets they wanted and about their faith. This brought them into conflict with Seven Star, and a war was fought over who would have dominion over a specific planet (now named revelation). This war caused some concern from within and without the two factions. The Simultist leaders decided that they shall not take to arms again in such a manner as to maintain the image of peace among their people. Today, the simultists make concerted efforts to be on friendly terms with everyone.Uncertain Allies
The Simultists have offered generously to aid the Gardeners in terraforming their planet, but the offer is typically refused by the Trallyr due to pride. There is no bad blood, but the Trallyr dislike being asked repeatedly.
Allied
The Simultists have been reasonable allies to the authority since their dedication to pacifism.
Friendly
The Simultists find the Chi'suut to be one of the only other aliens suitable for their belief system. Many devout Chi'suut are offput by this, but they have no reason to fight.
Allied
Once engaged in a holy war over Seven Star's idolatry of Pressely Pleiades and competing desires for the same planet, these two factions have been at peace since the Simultists began their pacifist agenda.
Allied
While there is no history of conflict between the two, the largely atheist ESRA population do not approve of the Simultist's priorities. This isn't enough to prevent polite trade and relations, however.
