Unifaith

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> “Our species has wrought itself upon this Universe without conscience; it consumes all until it can only consume itself—there is no pride to be found in this history of destruction, genocide and consumption unending. Only through reordering our thinking may we find harmony with the broader biosphere of the Living Universe, becoming as one.”
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> — *Dr. Karól Tarnowski, The Message, Epoch 1 Canticle 2*
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## Church of the Universal Faith

Emblem of the Unifaith: The Extinction Symbol superimposed over the astronomical symbol for Earth, an emblematic allusion to the consequences of holocene-induced mass extinction.

### Deities

Gaia
(also referred to as Mother Nature)

### Sects

 Hand of Gaia
Chosen of Shasta
 Cybergaia Movement
The Third Alternative

### Theology

Physiolatry, pantheism, atheistic spiritualism (varies by branch)

### Polity

Hierarchical (Church of the Universal Faith)
Heterarchical (many sects)

### Headquarters

Great Tree of Life, Saudade
Moñái, Stellar Republic of Tupã

### Origin

2241
Columbia,
New Rome, The Periphery,
 Coalition of Congressional Republics

### Holidays

May 3 (The Black Day)
April 22 (Gaia Day)
May 2 (Day of the First Messenger)
June 21 (Gaian Midsummer)

### Ministers

**Ascetics:** ~10,000
**Wardens:** >98,000
**Messengers:** 1.1 million

### Church buildings

Tree of Life (large)
Commune (midsize)
Grove (small)

### Organizations

**Children of the Message**: Youth wing
**Sisterhood of the Message**: Female clergy
**Unifaith Rangers**: Armed wing

### Aid organization

**Institute of Universal Ecology**: Nonprofit

### Other name(s)

Gaianism
Universal Faith
Messengers

### Slogan

A species that destroys its forests destroys itself.

The **Unifaith,** informally **Gaianists,** formally the **Church of the Universal Faith,** is a holistic eco-spiritualist ideoreligion founded in 2241 by Dr. Karól Tarnowski, a historian and former Archivist of the Pantheon of the Anthropocene. Formed in the aftermath of the Corporate Wars, its tenets are rooted in the philosophical and ideological perspectives of Tarnowski, who had grown disillusioned with human civilization, in particular the widespread devastation of Earth and its biosphere. Unifaith advocates degrowth, deep ecology and human coexistence with nature.

Dr. Tarnowski, alongside a significant number of academics within the Pantheon, had come to the conclusion that human history was nothing more than a chronicle of genocide, inflicted on both mankind itself and nature as a whole. Together, they published The Message, a 'super-manifesto' prefaced by the texts of ecological activists throughout history, followed by Tarnowski's own writings regarding the failures of man. They posited that all nature—poetically dubbed Gaia—is connected, and that a disharmonious relationship between man and nature was evidence of humanity becoming a cancer. Dr. Tarnowski believed that only through a critical reordering of individual and collective thinking could this disharmony be rectified, ushering in a new age of peace and prospering life.

The publication of The Message was tantamount to defiance of the Pantheon, leading to the ouster of Dr. Tarnowski and his co-authors on account of 'pseudo-religious, regressive blasphemy.' In response, Tarnowski founded the Unifaith with himself as its Guru, leaving for Tupã with his followers. They would settle on the planet Moñái, building their first commune around a particularly large *Dinizia excelsa* tree. This structure would expand over the years, becoming known as the Great Tree of Life.

Though its central entity, the Church of the Unifaith, only has approximately 450 million members, it is believed that the beliefs and philosophy of the Unifaith have come to influence billions. Owing to the Unifaith's open-endedness and individualism on its stances on faith and spirituality, a number of diverse interpretations of Tarnowski's teachings exist, with sects ranging from atheistic deep-ecology spirituality to new age beliefs. More radical sects advocate green anarchism and forceful or voluntary anthropocide.

## Name

The **Unifaith** is rooted in Dr. Tarnowski's belief that nature is all-encompassing, and thus reverence and harmony with nature is tantamount to universal peace. Its followers are sometimes referred to as Gaianists in reference to Gaia, the Greek goddess and personification of Earth. They are also known as Messengers, in reference to their sacred text, The Message, a compilation text with texts dating as far back as the 18th and 19th centuries.

## Tenets

Regardless of sect, all Gaianists hold the texts contained within The Message with sacred reverence. The Message is prefaced by a compilation of ecological texts, which have each been assigned poetic names in accordance to their significance to the Unifaith Movement. Most prominent within said texts are The Promise and The Warning, whose authors (The Visionary and The First Messenger) are regarded as gurus in their own right for their novel efforts of opposing industrial consumption-centric society. This preface is followed by 33 chapters written by Dr. Tarnowski and his co-authors, which are dubbed Epochs, subdivided into Canticles.

## Practices

While interpretations differ, Gaianists regard Gaia as either a metaphorical or literal deity representing all-encompassing, universal life, man and nature alike. The central church and more spiritual sects practice mantra and ritual meditation, as well as harnessing and coexisting with nature. Some sects make ritual use of psychedelics, such as peyote and ayahuasca, to achieve spiritual enlightenment and 'oneness' with the universe. A Gaianist views their mission to be oneness with nature, as well as the protection, cultivation and expansion of organic life. As a result, many Gaianists reject cybernetics, although 'compromise' with the demands of modern life tend to vary between individual communes, groves and even life-trees.

Gaianists celebrate a number of holidays, most prominent of them Gaia Day.