Patronism

Patronism is an ancient and strict monotheistic religion based on the worship of Baylen from the Taigan people of Rathnir. An ancient religion that rose before the times of Sun and Moon gods came into play. The Taigan people once followed the religion before migrating to new lands either after the Ascending or for new opportunities to hold as the rise of power and empires birth a new age of exploration.
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== History ==
When the world of Rathnir was still young, a group of people named The Taigans travelled together moving into lands where they can find a place to live and grow as a community. In the first few days, it was difficult to find a land to settle in due to the fear of bandits, and the hardship of joining a nation for they were not welcoming at the time. It was an every group's journey to survive the harsh world. As travelling through mountainous areas of winter and sea they discovered a sight to behold. A peculiar sign that they have not expect to see.
A crater filled with lush greens and waters was on their sight in front of them. Neither the land was too cold or too warm, it was the perfect condition to build a community. While exploring their new founded home, they discovered a mountain where it had a hollow carving so huge that is even bigger than the buildings they have seen while travelling. A strange light blossom through the holes and danced with joy, it seemed to welcome the group. One of the members suddenly heard a voice, a calm yet powerful voice that can inspire a man to listen carefully. 
None of the members can hear the voice other than that one member among them. He then returned to the group and said.
"We have been given a sign from a being filled with light and gentleness! His light is full of power. He has introduced me to Himself as the supreme creator. We must thank him for this gift, that He has saved us from the factions above the crater, and filled it with greens and waters by settling in this land and build for him a temple for His name alone."
The group then submitted themselves to this deity and their new found prophet. They built a small thriving community where they can worship the creator in peace without the harm of other nations and live in goodness. Yet as time becomes years, the community started to become fed up of the safety they were in. They started to complain saying they wanted to fight like how the armies above use to do, or to rule lands and expand further. They got tired of the goodness that the creator has gifted them. Their prophet tried their best to guide them back and reminding them of the blessings of the creator upon them, but their minds were filled with ingratitude and one by one they left. Among them saying this towards their prophet and creator.
"Why are we ungrateful? We just wanted some action and to rule just like the ones above, why do you have to be so strict? It is not fair! They got to conquer and enjoy the battles, the built castles and gotten rich? And yet where are we? In a crummy old crater that nobody knows we exist! Who cares about safety when power and dominance is the trend. So stay in what you believe and let us go and do our own thing. For now on, we will forget you and your stingy god!"
The community split and moved to lands where they then forgot the teaching of the creator and his prophet. Only a handful is left remaining, still showing gratitude towards the creator and following the prophet. The land become very quiet. And soon started to cry as the prophet was about to pass his last breath in the world of Rathnir. He reminded the followers and gave them instructions from the creator:
"Do not be sad from the absence of your brethren who left the faith. Know that Baylen is with you. Keep the teachings and stay firm. Do not let the dark entity take over you or lead your away from the religion. Know that Baylen keeps sending prophets to many people to guide them and you are not the only believer. They will call Him by many names yet they all worship the same god. Move away from the land and start a new, for this place is not a place where His name can be remembered."
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== Belief System ==
=== Deity ===
Baylen is the only being that this religion worships. He is the creator of all things and decides everything in the universe per his wisdom and will. A creator being worshipped by many while calling Him in many names and titles. Baylen is known for his attributes, for who he is, and for what he has done for the people of the world. He is very patient when in comes to the evils of man, always inviting them to repent while keeping his generosity open in many ways that man can never see.
He has two main attributes that governs the way he wishes. 
Mastery is His powerful and dominating attribute. He shows his power, dominance, and his strength to protect his creation. He is the deciding factor to many events and has control over all things.
Generosity is His gentle attributes. He shows his kindness, mercy, and his good will to all of creation yet man can never pay back to kindness He gave to them. He continuous to give and to be very kind despite everything man has done in terms of wrong.
=== Ascendings ===
These are events when Baylen sees fit to destroy the world in order to bring balance and purity once more. It is said that there have been multiple ascendings because of evil and corruption being practiced in the land. One way to prevent this is to follow the teachings of Baylen and to worship Him, to be good and show goodness in the land, and to not practice any forms of evil or corruption.
=== Worship ===
The followers of Patronism worship Baylen in a number of ways. One is by being grateful and to show gratitude for the blessings He has gifted. If any worshipper dislikes those gifts and to see them as a form of bad towards them, they shall be punished by Baylen with a heavy punishment. Building small shrines in places that can be converted to places of worship or in homes. Prayers are done in silence and never with loud voices. A worshipper can make any prayer as they wish so long as gratitude is incorporated in the prayer. Having good values/good manners and practicing them is a form of worship and being grateful to Baylen.
There are no official ceremonies or rituals that is universally to be practiced in the religion. Patronism does not have any priests or monks in the religion for it is a sign of stinginess, arrogance, and ingratitude towards Baylen due to the fact that they have more access to Baylen than the common folk. Worshipping Baylen is for every everyone to reach and never reserved for those in power or status. The religion instead have scholars, people who study and teaches the religion.
=== The Entity ===
The Entity is a being of darkness that loves to deceive people away from the love of Baylen towards His anger. He tricks, lies, and makes people ungrateful to what Baylen has given them. The people of Rathnir says that this entity is locked up and only those who sees the entity as a god can reopen the chamber he is in, to once again misguide the people of Rathnir away from Baylen.
=== Hereafter and Salvation ===
Patronism believes in a hereafter. The good and righteous are rewarded with an internal heaven while the evil and wicked are punished with the fire's of hell. When a worshipper dedicates their lives in doing good, worshipping Baylen, and abstaining the evil they shall be reward by the creator plentifully. One does not need to become a monk or a priest or an ascetic to reach the state of righteousness. Another way of attaining heaven is by believing in Baylen and having good manners, repeating the act of gratitude and seeking of forgiveness constantly, this raises one's level of closeness with Baylen and in earning His love, and the sweeter the reward may be.
Yet when a worshipper is sinful and never wishes to turn back to Baylen, disregarding His commands and commiting every sin in the book, His doors of forgiveness is still wide open until the person still rejects Him upon death. They shall be swallowed by the anger of Baylen and He Himself shall cast the disbelieving worshipper down to the fire. They way Baylen was rejected by the worshipper, he shall be rejected by The Most Kind. But how can a worshipper reject Him? Is when his heart is locked by darkness so he doesn't want to repent.
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=== Holy Books ===
The followers of the religion believe in the holy books that have been sent down to the people by Baylen in order to be guided. Prophets were tasks to bring this message to guide the people to The Oneness of Baylen alone. If a holy book from another religion confirms monotheism and other factors will be considered a holy book from Baylen. Currently, there is one book known from the religion which was sent down by Baylen, The Sivkon, or The Poems.
=== View on other Religions ===
Patronist believe that if any religion has the same concept as theirs is but the same religion they follow and the same god the worship. The main criteria amongst many is that if it is monotheistic, the deity is worshipped alone, their morals and values are good, and if gratitude in apart of their lives. Any belief that is close to the religion is considered the same religion. Among the teachings of Patronism is to accept a religion that is similar to itself by either converting to the faith or just by acknowledging it's status as another religion sent by Baylen Himself to guide the people. 
Conversion to a similar religion is not encourage but allowed. A Patronist must keep the values that has been taught to them by the prophet and Baylen. Yet there is no harm in moving into another said religion by Baylen as long as they are similar and confirmed that it is a religion from Baylen. 
=== View on Life ===
Patronist believe that life is but a test of faith. Baylen wishes to see whether one of His worshippers are either doing good or bad, being grateful or ungrateful, and to see who is a true believer or not. When a worshipper passes the test, they will be rewarded in the hereafter, if one cannot passes it, there is another gift and reward that is gifted to them by Baylen and that is repentance, they will get even more rewards just by trying or doing their best. But if they do not care about Baylen whether or not He will test them, then He will punish them for badly in the hereafter.
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== Articles of Faith ==
Patronism has seven articles of faith that every worshipper must follow in order to have faith.
* To believe in one creator being.
* To believe in the holy books.
* To believe in the prophets.
* To believe in the heavenly creatures.
* To believe in the Ascendings.
* To believe that everything is from Baylen alone, whether good or bad.
* To believe in the hereafter.
*To denounce any falsehood against the creator or his prophets.
Many religions are said to be from Baylen and many Patronist can confirm to that. Yet, the followers agree that there are some aspects that can contradict to the belief of pristine monotheism and may either be rendered a corrupted form of the religion. Patronist do not believe that Baylen has left His worshippers because of darkness, rather He has always been near and has always been sending guidance to His creation even until the point of death.
Another contradiction is that Baylen is evil and takes pleasure in the suffering of His creation. Patronist denies that evil doctrine and renders it false. Most religions sent by Baylen may have the creator having two or more aspects.
Pristine Monotheism or Perfect Monotheism is the main pillar of the religion. Glorifying that Baylen is above all what man has made about Him that was never taught by Him. A worshipper of Baylen can never be one if he does not believe that He is one. Anyone who has the same religion confirmed or perhaps believing in one supreme deity is called a monotheist, a fellow believer.
The worst sins in Patronism are sins that if a person dies without repenting will be in the fire for eternity and will never be forgiven.
* Bad Manners
* Jealousy
* Arrogance
* Ingratitude
== Laws ==
Patronist are taught to be good and to spread goodness else where. They are forbidden to forcibly convert others to the faith and must teach them in the best of manners with goodness. One must stay away from things that is displeasing to Baylen and to prefer what He adores. 
Saying one is going to hell will cause Baylen to cast the one saying it into hell. For His mercy and kindness is great and never restricted, and due to the fact that Baylen can only judge and we have no authority. 
Goodness are anything that brings you closer to Baylen and is pure and good. Being kind to your neighbor, being grateful, being humble, housing the homless, staying away from evil things, being just, up holding the right of someone, and most importantly having good manners (good manners are important because this will signify whether Baylen will treat you good and bad, if you have been good Baylen will be good to you. Yet if you have been bad then Baylen will treat you bad as well. These will also be the deciding factors whether The Creator Baylen will give you heaven or hell. Because why would Baylen give heaven to an arrogant and ill-mannered worshipper?)
Impure things are anything that displeases Baylen. Bad manners with everyone and to Baylen, arrogance, jealousy, ingratitude, stealing, murder, lies, deneying the rights of a person, loving someone who you are not married too, drinking alcohol, and denying Baylen. These things will poison the heart and as a result will earn a person the wrath of Baylen.
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== Downfall and Birth ==
As last of the last of the members of this religion move to different lands. Either they have converted to new faiths or have forgotten the old ways that was taught to them before. One of the last of it's followers have converted to a religion similar to what they have believed in, this religions was already a dead religion.
On one very cold day, in a small abandoned town in the Uraki Empire, that one very last worshipper, who had converted to another religion, still believed in the old teachings of his ancestors despite in a new faith, was granted a small inspiration coming from the divine to return back to the old faith and to re-establish Baylen's religion in that town. With new revisions coming from the divine to suit the religion in the present days of the world and to be a comfort to anyone seeking the faith.
The religion of Patronism has now a sister religion to move on after it's departure. The Vasion faith was born.
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== Notes ==
* One of the ancient Divine names of Baylen was Hesto. Vasion takes hold of this name to mark the new age of the religion.
* Vasites and Patronists are the same. Its just that Patronists are the ancestors of the Vasites.
* Vasion has some of it's teachings coming from Patronism, as the two religions are sister faiths.
Category:Religions
Category:Traveler's Era