Church of France

The Church of France is the general term for the entire organization that controls the worship of the six deities of France as well as various associated saints. The Church of France is controlled by a council made up of six pontiffs, one for each of the gods in the pantheon: Jehova, Sophia, Jesus, Magdalene, Sarah, and Gebuya (listed in order of creation/birth). All members of the French clergy are a part of the Church of France through one branch or other. Generally, when referring to anyone who worships the deities of France, one can be said to a part of the Church of France.
For details on the six deities in the pantheon or any of the associated saints, see their individual pages.

Structure

Each of the six main Church structures in France has its own individual hierarchy (see their pages for details). The Church of France is, instead, is led by a council of the pontiffs of each of the six religions who meet in council to discuss and vote on matters that concern the religious needs of the nation.

Mythology & Lore

According to the Bible of France, after the Resurrection, Jesus taught to his followers for one additional month before ascending to heaven. It was the intent of Jesus that his wife, Marie Magdalene, lead his church. However, Magdalene was betrayed by the disciple Pierre who was jealous of Magdalene and desired to control the church himself. He took control of the fledgling Christian religion, forcing Magdalene and her family to flee.
At the time, Magdalene was with child. Fearing for her life, she fled Jerusalem with her brother Lazarus, her sister Bethany, and her daughter Sarah. The four made their way to Gaul where Magdalene gave birth to her second child, Gebuya, the son of Jesus. She and her siblings began to preach Christianity, but it was different from the Christianity taught by Pierre for Magdalene had been privy to much that Jesus had kept from the other disciples. She understood the Gospel in a way that none of the other Disciples did, and she shared that understanding throughout Gaul, creating the basis for the Church of France.
Time passed. Sarah and Gebuya grew from children into young adults. Sarah had the worst of it, for she remembered her father dying on the cross - she knew what happened to those who failed to take power. So, as she grew, she leveraged every skill and ability she had to gain power so that she might make Gaul safe for her family.
Gebuya, meanwhile, never knew a land other than Gaul. He reveled in the rough freedom of the wild land, spending more time training in the field with the pagan warriors than listening to his mother's sermons. He grew into a fierce warrior, conquering lands and bringing his mother's Gospel to the far reaches of Gaul at the point of a sword. Fortunately, his mother's word was far more gentle and loving and quickly captured the people's hearts even while Gebuya earned their respect. And, as ever, Sarah moved behind the scenes, bringing new allies into the fold and silencing those who spoke against her brother.
In time, Gebuya became something akin to a king in Gaul. He took a wife, had children, and passed onto them the mantle of the Christi - the anointed one - using a vial of oil that Magdalene had brought with her - the same oil she used to anoint Jesus when she buried him. Sarah, wed to a warlord in her brother's service, taught her children the lessons she'd learned and groomed them to keep protecting the family.
And thus did Magdalene and Sarah and Gebuya pass from this mortal realm into the realm of Heaven. Their descendants passed the oil down, from generation to generation, using it to anoint each king in turn so that he, too, might be a Christi. And, form on high, Jesus and his family watched over their scions, guiding them and granting them strength in times of need.

Ethics

One of the main differences between Pierre's Church (the Catholic church) and the Church of France revolves around sexuality.
Magdalene did not believe sex was a sin - far from it. Love, she preached, is a sacrament, not a sin. She instead spoke of ethical love-making, of birth-control, and the power of mutual pleasure.
This philosophy went over well in Gaul. Furthermore, after her ascension to heaven, Magdalene granted her worshipers the ability to ward themselves against pregnancy and to cure the diseases spread by sharing multiple partners. With these safeguards in place and the philosophy of love upon their lips, the freedom to love flourished throughout what would become France.
The idea of preserving one's virginity became quaint and antiquated, as did any stigma attached to same-sex sexual acts. While marriage remained limited to one man and one woman, polyamory became nearly the norm. In a matter of generations, bisexuality became the expected norm in France.

Priesthood

See the individual churches for details on priesthoods.

Founding Date

328 CE

Type

Religious, Organised Religion

Subsidiary Organizations

• Church of Magdalene

Deities

• Gebuya la Christi
• Jehovah
• Jesus la Christi
• Marie Magdalene la Christi
• Sarah la Christi
• Sophia