Lenvani

Lenvani - also known as the Creator or as the the Divine - is the deity central to the faith of the Church of Lumini. His name in the ancient tongue means "Infinite Light".
Lenvani is considered the omnipotent, omnipresent, omniscient and benevolent deity responsible for the creation of the everything and beyond whose collective will guides and controls all things. During the Century of Tumult, he appeared to several men and women. His universal symbol is a golden sun or a burst of light rays known as the Divine Solar.
He is also referred to as His Brilliance or as the Maker. Followers of the faith are known as Luminians.
==Divinity==
====Rationalization====
"How then can a relation be represented between the Divine and what is other than the Divine when there is no notion comprising in any respect both of the two, inasmuch as existence is, in our opinion, affirmed of Him, may He be exalted, and of what is other than He merely by way of absolute equivocation. There is, in truth, no relation in any respect between the Divine and any of His creatures." - Proctor E. Hithire, 1117
According to official Church doctrine, the only aspect of the Divine which can be predicated is that He exists. Beyond this, it is impossible to comprehend His infinite nature.
====One Voice, One Divine, One Law====
Luminianism is based on a strict interpretation of the scrolls. This doctrine expresses the belief in a natural order warded by the power and grace of the Divine. The statement par excellence in terms of defining the Creator is within the Codex Divinicus -
"Hear O Creation, for His Brilliance is our Divine Guide, for He stands unique and alone".
Lenvani is conceived of as eternal, with no beginning or end. He is the creator of the universe, who shaped its laws and its orderly design, and the source of morality. He has the power to intervene in the world. His name thus corresponds to an actual ontological reality, and is not merely a projection of the mortal psyche. A scholar in the Tenth Century once described Lenvani in this fashion: "The foundation of all foundations and the pillar of wisdom is to know that there is a Divine who brought into being all existence. All the beings of the heavens, the earth, and what is between them came into existence only from the truth of His Being."
Since all of existence emanates from Lenvani, whose ultimate existence is not dependent on anything else, some Luminian sages perceive Him as interpenetrating the universe, which itself has been thought to be a manifestation of His existence. The Codex Divinicus and classical prelacy literature affirm theism and reject deism.
====Omnipotence====
The belief in Lenvani's omnipotence is rooted in the Codex Divinicus - 
* "Why did she laugh, and say 'Shall I indeed bear a child now that I am old?' Is anything too hard for the Divine?"
* “Attribute to the Divine all glory and power."
And, in a poignant expression of His eternal Presence, as went the discussion between the grieving Saint Octieve and the Creator at their first meeting,
* "Why now....why not earlier? All this time....where have you been...? '"
* "I have always been here..."
Most apostolic works also present Lenvani as having the properties of omnipotence, omniscience and omnibenevolence. This is the primary way that Luminians view the Divine and His state of Being.
====Interrelation w/ Mortals====
Most classical philosophers view the Creator as personal, meaning that people have a relationship with the Divine and vice versa. Several of the prayers in the Directorium portrays the Divine as caring about mortals in much the same way that mortals care about the Divine.
According to the teachings of the faith, people's actions do not have the ability to affect the Divine positively or negatively. The Codex Divinicus states - 
"Gaze at the heavens and see, and view the skies, which are higher than you. Were you to sin, how do you harm His Brilliance, and if your transgressions are many, what do you do to Him? If you are righteous, what do you give Him? Or what does He take from your hand? Your wickedness affects a person like yourself, and your righteousness a child of humanity."
Any belief that an intermediary between humanity and the Divine could be used, whether necessary or even optional, has always been considered heretical. The scholar wrote further that "The Creator is the only one we may serve and praise....We may not act in this way toward anything beneath His Brilliance, whether it be an angel, a star, or one of the elements.....There are no intermediaries between us and the Divine. All our prayers should be directed towards Him; nothing else should even be considered."
====Nature====
Lenvani is non-physical, non-corporeal, and eternal. A corollary belief is that He is utterly unlike mortals, and can in no way be considered anthropomorphic. All statements in the Codex Divinicus and in scholastic literature which use anthropomorphism are held to be linguistic conceits or metaphors, as it would otherwise have been impossible to talk about the Creator at all.
It was not until the dark period in history remembered as the Century of Tumult that the Creator appeared on this plane, as an ageless, powerful and youthful man clad in magnificent armor of divine perfection, whose presence brought with it "its own natural sunlight and moonlight, as if the magnificence of the heavens were focused on this individual and yet continued as normal". This image represents him in the statuary used in Luminian chapels and private sanctuaries. His appearance during these visits is believed to have been because of the necessity of giving mortals something their minds would understand, as to look upon the true Presence of Divinity would be to submit to instantaneous judgment and death, but also to demonstrate the glory at His command.
==Appearance==
When the Creator reached out to the Prophets during the Century of Tumult, he appeared in the form the faith now ascribes him. The form of this manifestation was described thus by Saint Praxis -
"His manifestation was that of a towering, powerfully built and majestic man who appeared perhaps mid-30s in age, clad in burnished golden armor that gleamed with a soft light that had no source. His helmet concealed His features when donned, but He removed it to reveal a face that was strong but patient in its visage. His hair was short but thick, and a flawless white. His eyes were brilliant golden-white and glowed with a depth that defied the infinite. He had two great wings of pure divine flame, and spoke with a voice that followed its echo, instead of the opposite.
I was at once terrified and in awe, felt grossly unworthy beyond words and yet felt safe beyond description. The light which came from Him surrounded me, suffused me, gave me comfort in its terrible power. I could but be silent and tremble in the awesome Presence before me. For I knew...
...that I stood in the Presence of the Master of all Creation."
Category:Miscellaneous