Religion

Template:F.A. Nomination

*"[Jason] spoke with such conviction, Steven suddenly desired to share in his belief. [...] A desperate longing for comfort, for knowledge, suddenly filled him up, made him feel as if he stood upon a strange material,* was *a strange material. Still... a part of him refrained from committing to Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost. He'd heard too much over the last six months to think so rigidly or in tandem with his father and mother, however much he loved them. He also found it hard to believe that if there were Gods, the Triumvirate of the Gods, or whatever Christians called them, Steven was certain that if he asked Helen, who was Catholic, or Vincent, who worshiped, well, whatever his peoples' religion was called, if their Gods were real, they would be just as insistent on upholding the reality of the existence of who they knelt before."*
―Thoughts in Steven Thompson's head[src]
A **religion**, sometimes referred to as a **cult**, described an organized belief system held by many beings throughout the Eight Worlds. Most religions involve deities and their dark counterparts known as devils, with man believing them to be present long before the dawn of creation and responsible for the Big Bang and for bringing planets and lifeforms into existence throughout the cosmos. Many of them contradicted modern science and what solid facts established our reality, as well as each other, and as such there were thousands of existing religions in the twenty-first century.

## Overview

*"Religion does not need to be fun. The enlightenment, insight, and joy that comes from a religious life transcends that shallow thing called fun."*
―Dovo[src]
Religion usually referred to a being's spiritual beliefs and might include some belief in an afterlife. However, religion usually revolved around the worship of a group of gods, also called deities. Additionally, there are some people that believe invoking gods could safeguard one from evil; cosmic beings such as the Lumiking are sometimes prayed to for protection and luck alongside the spirits. Sacred objects, ceremonies, and priesthood are moderately commonplace in the modern day. Like mutantry, religion included several rituals. One particularly well-known one was baptism, also known as christening, performed to admit a person into the Christian faith, typically involving the pouring of water on the forehead, or as Christians prefer, full or partial immersion of the body in water. The christening of Lindsay Kellerman was held at the height of the Second NoHead War in November of 2029, and was a *"very hurried, quiet affair"* featuring only Lindsay's parents, Zach and Bridgett Kellerman, and their best friend, Zett. Thomas Meyer was baptized in 2025 at the age of eight. Far less well-known was the tattoos of mystical power inscribed upon those rising in the Oltrist ranks, making them comparable to belts awarded by masters and instructors of martial arts. Not all rituals were objectively logical or mature, however: as America has long possessed an active folklore, Nebraskan children offered often edible sacrifices to residential fairies as they believed those supernatural beings to be responsible for cursing milk into a state of spoilage when feeling particularly neglected, which Steven Thompson would find amusing when he grew older and less ignorant. Ancestor veneration is a common practice on certain worlds more so than others, especially so for wealthy or aristocratic individuals with a noteworthy lineage. Ancestral rituals are often made at a shrine on the anniversary of a relative's death, and offerings are given unto the spirits.

Worship was often carried out in a church or a temple. One such church, located in New York City, bore a stained glass window which depicted Jesus along with the authors of the first four books of the Gospel. A magnificent cathedral stood out in the city of Proxima Prime. Such systems often funneled traditional gatherings, such as General Conference, for instance. Valhalla would eventually convey that the term "church" refers not to the physical building but to the united beings that inhabited it. Totemism is part of the tradition of Mars, and diverse totemic spirits, full of symbolism, are represented profusely in governmental citadels and the city of Solis Lacus.

Religious ceremonies consisting of a series of actions performed according to a prescribed order are called rituals. The Orientation ritual is an annual ritual performed at the beginning of each school year at Superhero School. The ritual is held in the front chamber, after all students have arrived at school via the Great Bus. The ritual's purpose is to assign first years to one of the four school Classes: Classes A, B, C, D, E, or F. It is done through the use of the famous Booth of Orientation. While the ancient machine's decision is generally considered to be final, its decision can be influenced somewhat by the desires of the visitor. The ritual was an entirely secretive affair to first-years. Rituals exist in other universes; *Enotsesrok* is a mystical enhancement ritual used by elite shock troopers of Needed Evil to improve their physical capabilities beyond a normal member of their organization, but at the cost of certain death a few relative weeks after the transformation, a concept to be truly feared as their culture had little take of the afterlife.

The Saturnian society is centered around monumental temples, governed by monastic orders, causing spiritual traditions to be present in everyday life. Spiritual and philosophical tradition teaches that enlightenment can be achieved by detaching oneself from the world, essentially freeing the spirit. To the monks and nuns, all life was sacred; therefore, they consciously refrained from harming the surface of Saturn or any living being, resulting in a wide vegetarian culture. Before eating dinner with his family, Akkeitus offered grace for their food. Due to this philosophy of peace, the Saturnians also did not have a formal military. Saturnians were considered to be bearers of good fortune throughout the Eight Worlds, and people would often ask them for blessings. Having a Saturnian say a few words of spiritual blessing over a new barn or baby was considered excellent luck. To celebrate sacred days, Saturn had festivals.

The afterlife is the land of the dead. While the purely physical aspect of death is fully understood, the nature of what lies beyond it is a mystery to mutants and Fobbles alike beyond the fact that there is indeed some sort of afterlife. When a mutant dies, unlike a Fobble, he or she can choose to leave behind their soul in the mortal world in the form of a ghost. However, Fobbles cannot do this. Few opt to become ghosts, however, as it means they will never "proceed forward" like most people do.

The closest plane to the afterlife is Oblivion. Oblivion is an afterlife-related plane that exists in-between the physical world and the true afterlife; its contents are apparently subjective. Living people and the dead rarely spend time there. When Sebiscuits Cardarphen visited there, he was able to summon Annabeth Black to counsel and console him.

While religion often functions as a unified system of beliefs and practices relative to sacred things, sacred things are not limited to gods or spirits. On the contrary, anything can come to merit all the aspects of a sacred thing, represented and expressed by religious beliefs, myths, dogmas and legends.

### Cosmic entities in religion

While religion usually referred to a being's spiritual beliefs and might include some belief in an afterlife, religion usually revolved around the worship of a group of gods, also called deities, though seven or eight of them revolved around a single omnipotent being. The general belief is that the deities and their devilish counterparts were the first form of existence to ever live in the universe, predating the Big Bang and even the dual singularities. Possessing infinite cosmic power, the deities created planets, stars, and lifeforms and brought light into the universe. It seemed fact, however, that deities were involved with the creation of the Wolataffe and Almataffe during the Big Bang. Generally, gods are mysterious and powerful beyond mortal comprehension, existing as myths to the oldest species in the universe. Cult images derisively referred to as false gods, such as the cosmic mutant known to all as Armageddon, also existed.

### Religion in culture

*"To the right is a little piece with our Ladie with the king upon her right hand."*
―*Sebiscuits: Renascence*
Religion was also depicted in art; one of the known works by artist Hannah Darath was a "little piece" depicting "our Ladie" (i.e., Mary) with the presumably infant Jesus "upon her right hand." A catalogue listing for this work was incorporated into the label of the box.

### Specific religious factions

*"Where do you think the star system came from, then, if it wasn't created by God?"*
―Steven Thompson[src]
At least some mutants are known to subscribe to a form of Christianity. They celebrate the two major Christian festivals, Easter and Christmas. Halloween and Valentine's Day also have Christian origins.

A Christian holy book known as the Bible bore a copy that Baby Intelligence owned, keeping it among old *Perpetual Seers* and handwritten notes in his office. It is therefore possible he was a member of the Christian faith to some degree. However, Baby Intelligence would later imply that given his desire for knowledge, he may keep copies of many religious texts as well, such as the Koran, Torah, and other such religious tomes from non-Abrahamic religions. Lindsay Kellerman would read it with Carol Wilcox, and as a result would sometimes reference antagonistic Biblical characters such as King Saul or Queen Jezebel during fights.

Both the tombstones of Force Baby and Andromeda ("Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it") and of Sandra and Ed Meyer ("The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death") in Austin Cemetery, allude directly to the Bible (Proverbs 4:23 and 1 Corinthians 15:26 respectively). It is likely that the latter couple had at least some affiliation with the Christian faith. Additionally, their son, Thomas Meyer was baptized as a small boy, strengthening these claims. Most Churches do not allow non-members of their church to be buried in their cemeteries making it likely that the individuals buried in the graveyard in Nevada were Christians. Notable figures who were buried here and therefore may be Christians include Ed and Sandra Meyer, though a gravestone reveals that Kenzie Walters was laid here to rest.

A widespread religion, Catholicism, did, according to follower Helen McKeen, also follow the teachings of Jesus Christ but did so through the church, whom they considered as the path that led to Jesus. Steven Thompson, a Christian, acknowledged people like him may not believe in the special authority of the Pope, as Catholics did.

Paganism is a blanket term used in various different contexts to refer to groups who are defined by either their religious beliefs, or in some cases lack thereof. In keeping with this, there is no one universally accepted definition of "paganism", with it being used alternatively to refer to a wide variety of different groups. In English of the 20th century onwards, it generally indicates non- and pre-Christian groups of worshipers, often with some connotation of a lack of culture or sophistication. Alchemists, because of the lack of common words for chemical processes as well as the need for secrecy, borrowed terms from pagan mythology and other esoteric fields. However, the alchemist Hurru notes the decline of pagan mutantry in 2030.

One particularly unorthodox yet fully realized religion was the Church of the Oltrists, located in Andromeda. All members served under a council of clergy. While unregistered, young Valhalla was exceedingly faithful. Jay Organa came to the Church of the Oltrists seeking enlightenment after his brother came to Andromeda to do the same, in very different ways.

These faiths are often managed by priests (or priestesses), often in charge of conducting religious ceremonies such as weddings. The High Priest is a rank amongst priests held by men such as Vertenubelter of the church of the Styricat. In the 2060s, he was slain during a skirmish. The title of Saint is, in Christianity, given to people acknowledged as holy or virtuous, especially those formally canonized by the Catholic Church, the Orthodox Churches (such the Eastern Orthodox Church), and the Anglican Church. St. Marley Grint was a mutant and Healer who founded NYC Hospital in the 1700s.

Although few individuals have been known to be explicit about their religious beliefs, Summer Petersen was best described as strongly agnostic in nature, bordering on atheist. She personally believed that there was never any deity, although she was not so arrogant as to say she knew for a fact there were not and was not completely opposed to the thought. She preferred to stick with hard facts of the Eight Worlds, things she could hold and observe. Her views appeared to have been influenced and jaded by the condition of both the star system and her own past. Specifically, she stated that if there was a deity, then that deity was not a good steward of the Sol System. She pointed out several examples: war, death, and the corrupt regime of Mr. Stupid NoHead.

## History

### Before the Common Era

*"The growing interest in Buddhism is spreading. [...] We're encouraged to meditate consistently and train ourselves to let go of what we crave and are attached to."*
―Ammon Dorber[src]
Coming together six centuries before the dawn of the Common Era, Buddhism had its origins with a number of traditions and teachings coming from **Lord Buddha**, whom Buddhists follow as their central prophet, with the religion itself encompassing these beliefs. As Carol Wilcox pointed out, this is unlike Christianity where God is worshiped. Followers of the Buddhist religion are encouraged to train themselves to let go of attachments and intense personal desires, and to consistently meditate.

Many religious systems drew inspiration from history and mythology alike. During Biblical times, the Israelites, an ancient Semitic people who preceded modern Jews, went to war against the Philistines. The Philistines hired a giant mercenary, Goliath, to fight for them, but he was ultimately slain by a young boy named David.

### End of the Classical Period

 File:Jesus.jpg
Christianity became a major monotheistic religion roughly a century after the Common Era began. Its followers, known as Christians, believe in and worship God. Christians differentiate themselves from other religions by believing that God sent His son, Jesus Christ (or Jesus of Nazareth) to Earth as the messiah. These events are extensively outlined in the Christian holy book, the Bible. Christianity is divided into multiple denominations, notably Roman Catholicism, Protestantism, and Eastern Orthodoxy. Jesus was allegedly born in the very first year of the Common Era. Although Steven Thompson claimed he was a deity, Summer Petersen claimed that was only legitimate in Christian belief systems, comparing him to an enlightening hero in popular culture such as Hercules or Captain America.

### Middle Ages

 File:Tumblr penop2toob1t3uvjv 0821.jpg
In certain Christian traditions, the Umbralord, also known as Satan, was said to have once been an angel named **Lucifer**, but was cast out of heaven for disobeying God. The story of Lucifer's fall was covered in the book *The Foundations of Mutantry*. Often considered the supreme enemies of religious followers, devils possessed amortality, meaning they had no birthday or day of death. It is believed that demons, on the whole, are affiliated with the Umbralord, though in all fairness they are often correlated with imps, which face similar stereotypical prejudice. There is a medieval rumor that the Umbralord made a pact with a witch named Brixa and branded her with a mark of affiliation shaped like a heart.

Surfacing in the seventh century, Islam became a religion similar in nature to Christianity in that its practitioners, called **Muslims**, worship God (generally referred to as Allah). However, unlike Christians, Muslims had the Quran as their holy book rather than the Bible and followed Muhammad as their central prophet. In Islam, Jesus Christ is considered as a prophet. Cate Lilly was a Muslim. She wore a hijab, traditional to women of the faith.

Eventually, Judaism became a blanket term for the religion, philosophy, and way of life of the Jewish people. It is one of the oldest monotheistic religions, teaching the belief in one God, and strongly influenced the development of later Abrahamic faiths, including Christianity and Islam. Its holy book is known as the *Tanakh* or Hebrew Bible and its adherents are called **Jews**.

Often considered the supreme enemies of religious followers, devils possessed amortality, meaning they had no birthday or day of death. It is believed that demons, on the whole, are affiliated with Satan, though in all fairness they are often correlated with imps, which face similar stereotypical prejudice. There is a medieval rumor that the Devil made a pact with a witch named Brixa and branded her with a mark of affiliation shaped like a heart.

The Kratons practiced their own ancient religion. A Terran Kraton named Vincent Organa believed that if he spent enough time immersed in meditation, then he could decipher more knowledge of it. In their religion, killing was considered as the Unforgivable Sin.

During the Colonial Period and the earliest days of the United States of America, Terrans were very spiritual, and their beliefs affected their proud nation at such a degree that certain governors could even lose their positions if they were believed to be disfavored and cursed by the spirits.

### Religion in the present

 File:Victoriablossom prop.jpg

*"The baptism was hurried and quiet."*
―Dexter[src]
The decline in spirituality started around the time that civilization began to industrialize. Surfacing in the 1980s, Jediism became a religious movement based on the Jedi, a fictional spiritual organization from the *Star Wars* franchise. Victoria Blossom would be a potential Jedi. Even so, the Booth of Orientation has been a cherished tradition of Superhero School since its inception late in the ninth century. During the First NoHead War, most upper-class citizens and government and military officials continued to show little or no concern for the Astral Plane. However, many peasants still carried strong faith in local patron spirits, and often looked to them for guidance and intervention in various problems or situations. Many people also willingly attributed problems to demonic spirits or witches. During the late NoHead era, Christianity is currently the most popular religion of the United States of America with approximately sixty percent of its population identifying itself as Christian, most of them Protestant. For instance, Jason, a friend of Steven Thompson, was Christian. Dexter was possibly a Christian as he was appointed as the godfather of Lindsay Kellerman. Likewise, Lindsay was christened at birth as well. While America as a whole was generally uninterested on spiritual matters, some minor groups were highly spiritual. Some even considered the winter solstice to have special meaning in their cultural calendar as a holy moment.

Sophie Ross, a mutant, married Woody Butterfield, a Presbyterian minister, who presumably raised his mutant daughter to follow his religion.Template:Fact

At least during the reign of Lord Galfalor, a heroic and at time worshipful image of the head of state constituted in an effective cult of personality. Using theater plays, propaganda, festivals, images, and statues being placed in public places all through the territory, the state ensured to keep the image of their lord exalted and glorified. The Lord of Eris, in ancient times, had been a religious authority, and it retained some of its sacredness through the ages.

In 2022, Steven inquired of his friends' religion and a little bit of insight lightened his way each time; for instance, Vincent Organa hungered after his lost race's beliefs, Helen McKeen was adamantly Catholic, Jason was Mormon as Steven was, and Summer Petersen was agnostic bordering on atheistic, which up to then the prepubescent boy had considered almost alien. He was also astounded at how powerful the convictions were of adolescents and even small children with contradictory beliefs could be.

After using the Eye of Remembrance to revert the universe to its previous state of darkness, the Resometh proceeded to invade Proxima, triggering the end of the Church of Oltron. The surviving Proximans migrated to Tessek Lu to transform the diverse dimension into New Oltron, as Valhalla had affirmed that their church was not an artificial place of extravagance, but a unified people of conviction.

The Apostles, a cult that continued the NoHead belief and sought to resurrect its tradition, revealed themselves to the Eight Worlds in the year following the Return of Hell Burnbottom, having operated in secrecy for years under their leader, the Umbralord, who used a resurrected Hell Burnbottom as a puppet leader.

### Renascence

Sebiscuits Cardarphen eventually met real angels from throughout the multiverse.

### Separation of the Divinities

A pivotal religious event transpired within the Membrane Sphere.

### Alternate Universes

#### Vato's Orenda

A ritual conducted over the Dark Tower was the ultimate step that was required in order for Xerin Hedashield to obtain Vato's Orenda. When Vato informed Hedashield that she must sacrifice something that she loved to obtain his power, she initiated a ritual in the Force to destroy her own home with great sadness.

#### Against Erno Silva

During their assault on the Silvans, some of the shock troopers of Needed Evil utilized this ritual to become Elevated, gaining massive increases in physical strength and durability. For a short time, these "metahumans" overwhelmed the Silvan forces until reinforcements later forced their retreat. Many years later, Rorter, the right-hand man of Xitol, forbade the ritual of *Enotsesrok* and knowledge of it became practically non-existent until the militarist Devarim used it to become the last of the Elevated.

## The Astral Plane

The Astral Plane is a vast and lush cosmic totality that lies parallel to materialistic reality. Here reside the spirits, immortal and supernatural entities which often embody different aspects of life and nature.

## Controversy

*"If there are gods, have they done a very good job of running the cosmos?"*
―Summer Petersen[src]
Religions have often received due criticism for having allegedly unfavorable ideas, ambiguous truths, and questionable practice, including its political and social implications. Misotheism, or hatred of gods, generally manifested more as an opposition to belief in a god than as prejudice against all deities, making it more associated with anti-religion. In spite of this, Ammon Dorber claimed that Buddhism is generally considered to be a religion despite its status with respect to belief in deities being more vague. Religions have been criticized most often for their negative impacts on children, homosexuals, those of different race, or members of the opposite sex.

## Behind the scenes

* D. Isaac Thomas is religiously agnostic, and while he was raised into Christianity, he does not identify as a Christian at all. Nevertheless, he has admitted to injecting Christian ideals into the D.I.T. Literary Universe; therefore, it is possible he intended for some of the characters to be Christians. While he confirmed in 2019 that he was misotheistic, he also confirmed in 2021 that the DLU would explore religion much more openly in Part Five: The Death of Shadows as well as Part Six: The Fate of the Multiverse, which so far is true. He recently confirmed, however, that his beliefs have always generally manifested more as an opposition to belief in a god than as opposition to gods themselves, making him more associated with antireligion as opposed to harboring any kind of prejudice.
* The purpose in the bondage of ghosts to one universe or the other was to establish a way for those who died in the DLU to not be able to come back in spiritual form willy-nilly, as it had always been an inconvenient plot element.

## Trivia

* The relationship of souls and brains in relation to sentience or sapience is unclear. While Deaformas provide an example of apparently soulless beings who are capable of rational thought and communication, it is worth noting that victims of a Deaforma's Lash lose the ability to think even though only their brain is destroyed and not their soul. Ghosts, who lack a physical brain and are nothing but souls wrapped in ectoplasm, are also fully capable of thought. There are even many examples of AIs created through technology, though some readers believe them to be only simulacra with no true consciousness.
* According to Ruby Wright, many ghosts like lily flowers.
* According to D.I.T. Website, ghosts exist worldwide. Most ghosts reside in the North.

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 *Sebiscuits: Apocalypse*
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 *Agents of the S.M.S.B.: The Latest Threat*
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 *Band of Justice*
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 4.7 4.8 4.9 *Boys vs. Girls: The Rise of the Serpent*
5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 5.6 5.7 *Sebiscuits: Renascence*
6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 *Boys vs. Girls 2 Prelude*
7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 *Band of Justice: Omniverse*
8. ↑ *Agents of the S.M.S.B.: The Inferno Relit*
9. ↑ *S.M.S.B.: Where Are You Now?*
10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 *S.M.S.B.: The Return of the Verasect*
11. ↑ *Boys vs. Girls: The Fate of the Towers*
12. ↑ *White Messenger*
13. ↑ *The Super Babies: Revenge of Hell Burnbottom*
14. ↑ *The Super Babies: Final Clash of Brethren*
15. ↑ *The Super Babies: An Ended Generation*
16. ↑ *Mutant of the Month*
17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 *The Super Babies: The Blabberish Singer*
18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 Famous Mutant Cards
19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 19.2 *Superquack: Focal Point*
20. ↑ Cite error: Invalid `<ref>` tag; no text was provided for refs named `OC`
21. ↑ *Before The SMSB: The Legacy of Sheriff Bladepoint*
22. ↑ D. Isaac Thomas on Reddit
23. ↑ D.IsaacThomas Official Site
24. ↑ In *The Super Babies: An Ended Generation*, Carl Steele says, *"I wouldn't put it past her..."*
25. ↑ *White Messenger*
26. ↑ *Across the Portal: Intuition*

## See also

* Astral Plane
* Gods
* Iron Godking
* Lumiking
* Mutantry
* Mysticism
* Umbralord