Lestinism

**Lestinism** is a religion, or, "way of life", that is primarily practiced in the Republic of Mockingtopia. It is the only non-Abrahamic religion largely practiced in Asmatys, and Mockingtopia is one of the four non-Christianized Asmatic countries, along with Adoriam, Consensum, and Pesa. It is unknown who founded Lestinism, but it was popularized by scholar Landak the Wise in the 5th century BC.

The main sacred Lestinist text is the *Ab Ra*. The *Ab Ra*, which translates literally from Mockingtopian as "*Book of Life*", is a collection of poems, prayers, and short stories written down throughout the 5th century BC by Landak the Wise and his followers.

Prominent themes in Lestinist texts are the five pillars of Lestinism: Muku (Love), Past (Peace), Jav (Work), Blin (Action), and Røm (Rebirth). The goal of Lestinists is to be continuously reborn until being the best person you can be, and then achieving Røm and being able to live in the afterlife with the Gods.

Lestinism is the third most-practiced religion in Asmatys, following Christianity and Islam, and has over 1 million adherents. The large majority of Lestinists reside in Mockingtopia.

## Beliefs

### Afterlife

A major tenant of the Lestinist faith is their belief in reincarnation. Lestinists believe that after death, people are reincarnated into a brand new body, and live another life. Reincarnation makes up the fifth and final pillar of Lestinism, Røm, or "rebirth". Lestinists also believe that after reincarnating several times, completing the five pillars completely, and living their best life possible, they are able to reach Plöt. Plöt is where the Lestinist Gods and Goddesses reside and the Lestinist eternal paradise. The Lestinist religion believes that very few humans have actually made it to Plöt, so far.

### Festivals

Several festivals are held per year in the Lestinist faith. The main festivals are the ten feast days of the Big 10 gods, with one held each month (besides July and August). During these feast days, people gather with their family members and eat food associated with that particular god, and do activities also associated with that god. In the past, people would sacrifice certain animals on certain gods' feast days, however this practice is now considered barbaric and unacceptable by modern-day Lestinists.

While only the feast days of the Big 10 gods are celebrated by all Lestinsts, every god in the religion has its own feast day, with many overlapping due to the abundance of gods in the religion. Lestinists consider themselves to have two birthdays; their actual day of birth, and the feast day of their namesake god. Both of these days are celebrated by Lestinists, with their day of birth being called their "birthday" and their feast day being called their "god day". A saying in Mockingtopia is that "On your birthday you're one year older, on your god day you're one year wiser".

### Five Pillars

The five pillars of Lestinism are five major principles of the Lestinist religion that a Lestinist must follow in order to achieve Plöt. The first pillar is Muku, or "love". Muku revolves around the principle of loving unconditionally, and learning to forgive those who have crossed you. The second pillar is Past, or "peace". Lestinism is a pacifist religion and Lestinists are expected to keep this up in their everyday lives.

The third pillar is Jav, or "work". Lestinists are required to regularly perform their civil duties, such as working, voting in elections, and praying to the Gods. The fourth pillar is Blin, commonly translated as "action" or "intent". This pillar revolves around the principle of doing good deeds and doing to others what you'd want for yourself. The fifth and final pillar is Røm, or "rebirth". Røm can only be achieved at the end of one's life, and is when they die and are reincarnated into another life.

## Practices

### Ceremonies

Lestinist religious ceremonies typically occur weekly at temples. They are led by a priest or priestess, and organized by a high priestess. Saturday is considered to be the holy day in the Lestinist faith, and the majority of weekly ceremonies occur on that day. Inside of temples, there are several shrines devoted to varying gods and goddesses. Every temple has shrines to the Big 10 gods, and normally smaller shrines to about 20 minor gods or goddesses.

### Naming

Names in the Lestinist faith differ greatly from other naming systems. The Lestinist naming system largely goes hand-in-hand with the naming system of Mockingtopia, as well.

A Lestinist has two given names and no surname. Surnames have never been introduced in Mockingtopia, in all of Mockingtopian history, and they are one of the only nations never to introduce them. The first given name is typically an adjective in the Mockingtopian language, describing the newborn child's personality or wishes for their future. The second given name is the name of a Lestinist god or goddess, but under no circumstances can it be one of the Big 10. Naming a child after a Big 10 god or goddess is illegal under Mockingtopian law, and shameful in the Lestinist community.

Throughout their lives, people are addressed by both their given names, and are listed as such in the phonebook. This can be confusing for those not familiar with Lestinist or Mockingtopian traditions, as family members rarely share any sort of name.

### Rites of Passage

There are several rites of passages in the Lestinist faith, that all Lestinists must complete in their lifetimes. For males, there are eight, and for females, there are nine. While it is required to complete all rites of passages for their gender in order to reach Plöt, very few Lestinists do.

The first rite of passage that both genders complete is Bak Sho. Bak Sho occurs when a child turns one-year-old. The child is taken by their parents, other family members, and close friends of the family to a shrine of their namesake god or goddess. The child is baptized by a high priestess in the holy waters of the god or goddess. The second rite of passage for both boys and girls is Kam Ka, when the child is five years old and beginning school. The child is blessed by a high priestess and sings a variety of Lestinist songs with their school class in their school temple.

The next rite of passage is only for females, and occurs when a child is eight years old. The ceremony, titled La Blö, is held for a group of five to ten girls who are close friends. They sing songs together at their temple and then drink ceremonial nectar. The ceremony is then followed by a large celebration for the friends and family of the girls. Girls then go through another rite of passage after their first menstrual period, called Mon Man, which will normally occur between ages 10 and 15. The girl must walk in a white dress adorned by a flower crown through her temple, watched by family and friends, and recite a Lestinist prayer of her choice. Following the ceremony, the whole hometown of the girl throws a large celebration for her. In cases of the girl living in a large city, normally the residents of the street she lives on throws her a party.

Boys go through their own rite of passage as well. Around the age of 13, boys engage in the rite of passage called Flö. During Flö, boys must recite a Lestinist prayer of their choice before jumping off a cliff into the Northern Sea, along the coasts of Mockingtopia, while watched by all their family and friends.

When a boy or girl turns 16, they engage in the rite of passage known as Bash Ti Jak. This is arguably the most important rite of passage, and while not every child goes through every Lestinist rite of passage, nearly every Lestinist child goes through Bash Ti Jak. On the morning of their sixteenth birthday, a girl is kidnapped by her male family members, while a boy is kidnapped by his female family members. They take them to a shrine of their namesake god, where the rest of their family and friends are waiting. They say a prayer to their namesake god, and the Big 10 gods, and then that night, have a large celebration with all their family and friends. Following the completion of a Bash Ti Jak, a child is largely considered to be an adult, and can legally drink alcohol, drive a car, and vote.

The other sacred rites of passages in Lestinism are Gög Ka ("marriage"), Han Sa ("priesthood"), and Røm Ak ("the rebirth"). While a majority of Lestinists complete Gög Ka, very few complete Han Sa.

## Deities

Lestinism is a polytheistic religion, and there are thousands of gods and goddesses worshipped in the faith. The "Big 10" are the main ten gods and goddesses who reside in Vasha, a large castle located in Plöt. These gods are treasured by Lestinists and the main subject of their prayers. It is illegal to name your child after one of the Big 10 gods in Mockingtopia.

### Big 10

*See also: List of Lestinist deities.*

 Sla | Goddess of the sea, marine life, weather, and fishermen

## Conversion

Conversion to and from Lestinism is somewhat of a controversial topic in the Lestinist faith. While it is common for non-Lestinists to convert to the religion after moving to Mockingtopia and marrying a Lestinist, other forms of conversion are much rarer, and somewhat looked down upon.

The first pillar of Lestinism is Muku, which calls for Lestinists to love others unconditionally, disregarding categorizations such as religion, gender, sexual orientation, and others. Muku is the main source of controversy regarding conversion to and from the religion. The pillar requires Lestinists to not discriminate others based on their religion, which gives Lestinists a reason not to convert others to Lestinism. However, in the Lestinist faith, only those who practice the five pillars can reach Plöt, which is the Lestinist form of heaven. Since non-Lestinists largely don't follow the pillars, many Lestinists want their loved ones to convert in order so they can reach Plöt.

This has caused a dilemma within the Lestinist faith on whether it's ethical to convert others to Lestinism or not, as doing either would infringe on the first pillar of the religion. The higher bodies of the Lestinist faith have avoided speaking about the issue, and it is generally agreed upon within the community that conversion is unacceptable unless by request of the one wishing to convert.