Garudanism

**Garudanism**, in short, is a religion founded by the engimatic prophet called Malachi that preached adherence to the so-called Four Covenants: the reverence of the human past, the reverence of all human creations, the reverence of the purity of the unaltered baseline human form, and the reverence of the divinely annointed Imperator. The name of the religion stems from the Garuda which is a phoenix-like creature found in the old Earth religions of Hinduism and Buddhism. The correlation is drawn that humanity, after the Venkath Onslaught is a phoenix that will rise again and be much more glorious than before. On a base level, Garudanism is a state religion supported by the Aurelian Dominion that cultivates converts in order to support the political apparatus.

The faith itself had largely been obscure over the generations since the colonization of the Human Sphere, with believers waxing and waning as humanity developed the various genemods and cybernetics many people use today. In the long 700 year expanse of time since it's founding and the rise of the Dominion, the Garudan Order accrewed wealth and waited for a leader like Malachi to arrise and take up the mantle. Isaac Wolfe became this figure during the Onslaught, with the Order throwing it's bounty in a bid for widespread recognition. Their gambit paid off with the Order crowning an Imperator, directing policy, and becoming the enforced state religion throughout the Dominion. On a historical standpoint, Garudanism is one of the most successfully prosleytized religions in human history with billions of converts and religious missions across the Human Sphere to gather even more.

## Four Covenants

Laid out in the Celestial Codex, the holy text of Garudanism written by Malachi and his apostles, the Four Covenants are the cornerstone of the faith. To become a Garudanist, a convert must accept all four covenants unconditionally, often assured through a confirmation ritual with a priest in attendance. Believers are taught that the Four Covenants are the will of cosmos as translated by Malachi and cannot be broken lest a person intends to forsake his or her beliefs. The covenants themselves explain that the stars are humanity's birthright, and only by following them can that existential destiny be realized.

### The First Covenant: Past

Garudanism teaches to offer respect to the human past, specifically it's history, art, culture, and architecture. Schools, academies, and universities all include history focused curriculums in addition to the other classes being taken. Artifacts and art pieces are vigorously hunted by Dominion archealogists to be preserved and viewed by all in state-ran museums. Facets of ancient cultures have been incorporated into the structure of the Dominion, such as using a Roman term for their head of state, or legalizing ritual suicide following old Japanese customs. One of the biggest blows to the belief in this covenant was the destruction of the Museum District on Monolith. Hundreds of priceless pieces were destroyed in a single MLEDD blast. Garudanists everywhere all condemn the Thesian Republic for such a hapless disrespect of human history.

### The Second Covenant: Creation

The Order professes that all human creations are sacroscant and should be revered. This is not to be confused with the First Covenant, as the Second Covenant is primarily concerned with the temporal human civilization focused in the Human Sphere.  Humanity, it is taught, are the rulers of the stars. Thusly, non-humans are seen as an obstruction to this goal. This means that all aliens are given two choices: either bow to humanity and be subject to human law or face extermination as a species. This can mainly be seen in early Dominion history where the alien cultures that were inside her borders were conquered and enslaved during the Reconstruction Period. The Second Covenant also contains several proverbs that urge for compeition among humans in order to become a better society of better leaders.

### The Third Covenant: Purity

Perhaps the most hardly pressed tenant, the Third Covenant sets the belief that all modifications made to the human body are against the cosmic order and thus a sin. This includes all genetic modifications, or genemods, and all cybernetic augmentations. Ironically, most modern humans have been genetically altered as common disease has been wiped out and lifespans extended thanks to genemods passed down through generations of humans. The Third Covenant was altered after the founding of the Dominion to include any genemod that alters the physical form of humanity, such as changing their biology in a way that would alter their physical appearance or overall genetic make-up. The Holy Order of the Purifiers, a wing of the Garudan Order, enforces this covenant by internal policing. All subjects found in violation are corrected or purged.

### The Fourth Covenant: Imperator

*Main article: Divine Right in the Aurelian Dominion*

As the name suggests, the Fourth Covenant speaks of how all humanity should bow their heads to the exemplar of their faith: the Imperator of the Dominion. Nominally, the Imperator is the head of the Garudan Order, though the administration of the faith itself is controlled by the Ecumenical Patriarch of Monolith. All Garudanists are taught to venerate the sitting Imperator as he or she has been imbued by the cosmos with the right to rule.

## Paradise

One of the central tenets of Garudanism is the establishment of the Infinite Paradise -- a state of existence in which the decadence of human civilization has been excised and harmony pervades all superior, baseline humans. The Celestial Codex speaks of the tending the garden of human purity under the shadow of her monuments, with many government and religious officials taking a literal approach and constructing gleaming citadels surrounded by amber waves of grain. Yet the allegory is deeper, as Malachi teaches all of his devout followers. The Infinite Paradise is the reward for the journey for it's achievement. It is the duty of every true Garudanist to work toward the realization of this vision of humanity in any way possible. While the phrase has been widely interpreted by theological scholars, the intent has undoubtedly been the driving force behind all actions believers have made since the establishment of the faith itself.

## Common Use

Garudanism has a **Conditional** Common Use policy. Although the content is owned by Architect, members are free to create characters and organizations that follow the Garudanist faith.

## Credits

* The religious icon for Garudanism is by DeviantArt artist Valgryn.