John Ivory 4535 Popular Post Share Posted July 9, 2019 THE CATECHISM OF THE CANONIST CHURCH FOR THE EDUCATION OF THE LAY FAITHFUL AND FOR THE GREATER EVANGELIZATION OF SOULS. AS AUTHORED BY CARDINAL FABIAN THE LESSER c. 1570 IMPRIMATUR ST. HIGH PONTIFF SIXTUS IV c. 1570 AS PROMULGATED BY HIGH PONTIFF DANIEL VI c. 1723 Introduction Who is God? What is Canonism? What are the Holy Scrolls? Who are the Exalted? What does it mean to be a Canonist? How did the Church of the Canon come to be? What is the Scroll of Virtue? What does it mean to be virtuous? Who can read the Holy Scrolls? The World and the Descendants Who made the world? Did Aenguls and Daemons create the descendants? How did the descendants acquire their different traits? What about races that aren’t descended from the Four Brothers? What is the relationship of humans to God? Are humans better than members of other races? The Seven Skies and the Void What are the Seven Skies? What about the Void? Do Aenguls and Daemons go to the Seven Skies when they die? What about non-descendants? Who lives in each of the Seven Skies? What are the Seven Skies like? Who lives in the Void? What is the Void like? Why do people go to the Void? What about the Problem of Evil? If God is infinitely good, why does he allow people to suffer in the Void? Church Administration and Sacraments What are priests, bishops, and cardinals? What is the High Pontiff? What are sacraments? What is excommunication? What is marriage? What is sexual immorality? How do I address members of the Church? What are heathens, heretics, and apostates? Saints and Symbols of Canonism What are Saints and Blessed? Do Canonists worship Saints? Do Saints and Blessed reward veneration? What is the Cross of Lorraine? What does it represent? What is the significance of the number 7 in Canonism? Why do bishops and cardinals carry shepherd’s staves? Introduction Who is God? God, sometimes called “the Creator,” “Godani,” or “the Lord,” is the single omnipotent, omnipresent, omnibenevolent creator of the universe. It is He who drives the motion of all things, and who is the source of all goodness and righteousness. He spoke the Holy Scrolls to the Exalted, and He rewards virtuous mortals in the Seven Skies. God has no aspects, no internal divisions, and no physical form. What is Canonism? Canonism is the religion of the Holy Scrolls, or “the Canon”, which are the Word of God delivered to the world. Followers of Canonism are members of the Church of the Canon, which was called the Temple of the True Faith in times of yore. What are the Holy Scrolls? The Holy Scrolls are a set of four scrolls containing the Word of God as delivered to His prophets over the course of history. The first scroll, the Scroll of Virtue, was delivered to Exalted Horen at the beginning of the ages and defines the universal laws of morality. The second scroll, the Scroll of Spirit, was delivered to Exalted Owyn during a time of sinful heathenry and defines the nature of God. The third scroll, the Scroll of Gospel, was delivered to Exalted Godfrey during his uniting of the human race and recounts the history of the faith. The final scroll, the Scroll of Auspice, was delivered to Exalted Siegmund after he divided Church and State, and prophesies the coming of the last days. Who are the Exalted? The Exalted are the four prophets of Canonism, who are the fulfillment of a promise by God to humanity in the first days. Horen was the first human, who sired three sons by his wife Julia. These three sons failed in their assigned tasks in certain ways which led to the spread of sin and strife. Merciful God, however, promised Horen that he would sire three “sons of spirit”, who would repair the damage done by his three sons of flesh. These sons were the Exalted Owyn, Exalted Godfrey, and Exalted Siegmund. What does it mean to be a Canonist? Canonists embrace the truth of the Holy Scrolls which were delivered by the Exalted, and the Church which was established by Exalted Owyn. Canonists worship only one god, the God of the Holy Scrolls, and accept only the High Pontiff as inheritor of the spiritual leadership of the Exalted. By following the laws set out for them in the Scroll of Virtue, and by obeying the Church which guards those laws, Canonists seek to honor God. How did the Church of the Canon come to be? The first iteration of the Church of the Canon was called the “Temple of the True Faith”, and was formed by the passing on of the Scrolls of Virtue and Spirit by Exalted Owyn. The receivers of these scrolls were the twins Evaritus and Clement, the first priests of the Faith, who jointly held the title of High Priest. Over the course of a thousand years the Temple of the True Faith carefully guarded the first two of what would become four Holy Scrolls, awaiting the next prophet. This prophet was Exalted Godfrey, who formalized the Temple’s role by making it the state church of his united human empire and delivering the Scroll of Gospel into its reliquary. Though at the time the Temple was under the authority of the Holy Emperor, it was later made independent by Exalted Siegmund after his delivery of the fourth and final scroll, the Scroll of Auspice. To honor this culmination of God’s prophecy for humanity, the Temple was rebranded as the Church of the Canon What is the Scroll of Virtue? What does it mean to be virtuous? The Scroll of Virtue is a set of moral laws delivered by God to Exalted Horen. These moral laws reflect the will of God, which must be obeyed by all sapient creatures. They prohibit murder, thievery, sexual immorality, miscegenation, judging one’s own virtue, lying, disloyalty, apostasy, blasphemy, covetousness, sloth, wrath, ambition, pride, and indulgence. To be virtuous is to obey the commandments laid out in the Scroll of Virtue. Additionally, for humans, it means to obey the covenants established by God and the Exalted. Who can read the Holy Scrolls? The Holy Scrolls are written in an ancient form of Flexio, the language of the Aenguls and Daemons before their spread across the Planes. This language is appropriately nuanced for such immortal beings of pure spirit, and therefore requires careful interpretation and years of study. Any translation of the Holy Scrolls into the common language loses important context which is only available in the original Flexio. Thus, the Holy Scrolls in their long form are only available to priests in training who will be instructed in the method of reading the text. The World and the Descendants Who made the world? Canonists believe the whole universe was created by God, while the various lands and creatures were shaped by Aenguls and Daemons at His instruction. God enlivened all creatures; no being lives except that a spirit was placed into it by Him. Did Aenguls and Daemons create the descendants? How did the descendants acquire their different traits? No. Although Aenguls and Daemons created animals and plants, God personally created the first man and woman, who bore the Four Brothers. The Four Brothers were each born somewhat different from one another, but they gained their most particular traits in three separate events. First, when the first woman would not leave her children to enter the Sixth Sky, God uncovered the flaws of the Four Brothers so that she would understand His glory and the importance of obedience. Second, when the Four Brothers fought Iblees they acquired various curses which altered their appearances and disposition. Finally, God sent the Aengul Aeriel to alleviate the curses of the four races by granting blessings particular to each. What about races that aren’t descended from the Four Brothers? Any sapient creature which is not an Aengul, Daemon, or member of the four descendant races is an abomination, likely created by the corruption of a descendant by one of Iblees’ servants. Because they are debasements of God’s creations, abominations may lack many of the moral and intellectual faculties of true descendants. They are to be treated at best with pity, and at worst with extermination. Under ideal circumstances, abominations are regarded as victims of Iblees’ wickedness, and allowed to exist provided they do not reproduce or make use of their unnatural abilities. What is the relationship of humans to God? Are humans better than members of other races? When each race received a blessing from the Aengul Aeriel, God prevented the humans from receiving one, and instead brought Horen up into the Seventh Sky to reveal the Scroll of Virtue and make a covenant with him. This covenant is the foundation of humanity’s special relationship with God: that all humans must remain pure of faith, and that the four prophets would be humans descended of the line of Horen. Contrary to some erroneous beliefs, individual humans are not necessarily inherently better than members of other other races. God created all four brothers, and all four brothers were cursed when they consorted with Iblees. All living beings descend from these brothers, flawed and accursed as they were. However, humans do have a special relationship with the Creator which is to be respected. Horen’s covenant is that all humans would follow the faith; thus, the true racial blessing of humans is that they were the first to receive God’s word. Accordingly, humanity as a race must take a role of spiritual leadership. To be lax in our duties in spreading God’s word and virtue would be a sin. The Seven Skies and the Void What are the Seven Skies? What about the Void? Canonist cosmology holds that there are 9 primary planes of existence--the Seven Skies, the World, and the Void--and a number of other limbos which are mere distractions. The 9 planes are not strictly spatial, but are instead states of spiritual nearness to God. A person who was virtuous in life travels nearer to God in death, while the sinful reside in the Void with Iblees, where they await the final battle. Humans who have the opportunity to convert to Canonism but do not are guilty of the grave sin of apostasy, as Owyn swore a covenant with God that humans would remain pure of faith. Non-humans are not obligated to follow the Holy Scrolls or worship the Creator, but they must obey the moral laws of the Scroll of Virtue. Do Aenguls and Daemons go to the Seven Skies when they die? What about non-descendants? Canonists believe the Seven Skies are seven distinct states of reward for virtuous mortals. Aenguls and Daemons may enter and reside in the Seven Skies, but their state of virtuousness or sin is irrelevant, because they do not possess souls as mortals do. Wicked Aenguls and Daemons will be destroyed in the last battle between God and His enemies. It is unknown whether non-descendants may enter the Skies, although God is merciful; it is likely that an abomination who forsakes sin and worships the Creator will have its soul purified upon death. Who lives in each of the Seven Skies? Seventh Sky: The Throne of God Sixth Sky: The Righteous in Ministry (Exalted and their Wives) Fifth Sky: The Righteous in Faith (Saints) Fourth Sky: The Righteous in Virtue (Blessed) Third Sky: The Justified in Ministry (Canonists who spread God’s word) Second Sky: The Justified in Faith (Canonists) First Sky: The Justified in Virtue (Virtuous Pagans) The First Sky is the abode of virtuous pagans; humans who never received the chance to convert to Canonism but still acted morally, and any non-humans who obeyed the Virtue. The Second Sky is the abode of Canonists who obeyed the Virtue, but did not spread the word of God. The Third Sky is inhabited by Canonists who obeyed the Virtue and spread the word of God, particularly priests, but also crusaders, charitable noblemen, and pious believers. Above the Third Sky are those who distinguished themselves among other believers; the Fourth Sky is inhabited by the Beatified, who obeyed the Virtue to a notable degree, and the Fifth Sky is inhabited by the Saints, who dedicated their lives to faith. The Sixth Sky is the abode of the first man and the first woman, and four Exalted and their wives, who honored the Word of God by receiving the Holy Scrolls. The Exalted sit beneath the Throne of God which is in the Seventh Sky. Only Horen was blessed to enter this Sky, and only temporarily, to witness the magnitude of God’s plan at the beginning of time. What are the Seven Skies like? The Seven Skies are a place of endless reward, where mortals are healed of their flaws and released from the desires of the flesh. All exist in harmony, rejoicing in the infinite kindness of the Creator. Other than this, the Holy Scrolls do not describe the rewards of the Skies in particular detail, although we know that they are by definition greater than any possible in this world. Who lives in the Void? The Void is the prison of Iblees, who was corrupted by its touch at the beginning of all things. He resides there, bound by chains of his own making--the chains of faithlessness and sin. Also in the Void are the various Aenguls and Daemons which serve Iblees, and the souls of mortals who rejected the Virtue in life. God does not send people to the Void; they send themselves, by turning away from God. What is the Void like? The Void is a place of emptiness and despair. Whoever has entered the Void has unequivocally forsaken God, and has therefore forsaken all good things. Although it is often depicted as full of fire and brimstone, the only substance in the Void is that of other beings existing in torturous separation from the Creator. Why do people go to the Void? God is not only a being, but a state of infinite virtue emanating from His throne in the Seventh Sky. Whoever is virtuous is alike to God, and thus is near to him. Whoever is unvirtuous is unlike God, and thus is spiritually distant from Him. The Void exists as the farthest spiritual distance from God, a place completely deprived of His virtue or His mercy. Thus, whoever is unvirtuous cannot enter the Seven Skies upon their death, because the Seven Skies are close to Him and the unvirtuous are far. If a soul leaves the World and cannot enter the Skies, where else is there to go except the Void? What about the Problem of Evil? If God is infinitely good, why does he allow people to suffer in the Void? On the nature of evil, we quote the exposition of Msgr. Fabian the Lesser, The Nature of Evil. Quote One of the more difficult tasks of a theologian in speaking with an unbeliever or a devotee plagued by doubt is justifying the “problem of evil,” in which God permits suffering despite His infinite power, knowledge, and benevolence. This is a vexing task that requires deep study and scholarship. Assuredly, God is infinitely wise and infinitely powerful, for He could not create the world without these abilities, and proof of His might surrounds us every day. This leaves the astute but uneducated pupil only to question His infinite benevolence, a path which too often leads to the sin of denial. Why does the plague afflict virtuous men? Why does the lion hunt gentle creatures like the lamb or the child? Certainly, it is just for God to punish the wicked, but why do the virtuous suffer as well? We cannot deny that the blight is an evil, nor the hunting of men by beasts. And if all things arise from God, have not these as well? First we must address that while the Lord makes clear to us the nature of virtuous living, and furthermore the nature of sin, we often find these definitions inadequate in describing “evil” as an abstraction. While certainly, to commit sin is to commit evil, not all evils are sinful-- sin arises only from the choices of free willed descendants, and is meaningless in regard to the natural world. Both the beast and the babe cannot sin, because they lack moral judgement. By definition, to sin is to trespass God, and not all evils in the world result from this. Poverty, disease, ignorance, famine, and injurious accident may all transpire without motivation from mortal choice. Likewise, these evils befall the virtuous and the iniquitous alike. Thus, we are engendered to broaden our definition of evil beyond merely the moral evil of sin, but to all suffering and failure, be they manmade or natural. In this regard the author has found it useful to divide evil into three classifications: moral, physical, and metaphysical. Moral evil is the evil of sin, or trespassing the commands of God, and is the only evil that results in the damnation of its perpetrator. Murder, theft, blasphemy, adultery, and diabolism are all moral evils, and their consequence is punishment in the hereafter. Physical evil is the evil brought into the world by the fall of the descendents to Iblees; the evils such as disease, poverty, mortality, and want, which are spawned by demons, and are a result of the sins of our forefathers. Its consequence is the worldly deprivation of the blessings God granted us, such as food, long life, or beloved friends. Metaphysical evil is the “natural” evil of the world, inherent in its nature. This evil arises from our realm’s distance from God, as decreed by Him. When He rendered the planes, He named that which is with Him the Seventh Sky, that which is farthest the Void, and between them the World. The Lord is perfect, lacking no knowledge or ability. The Void is a place of oblivion and helplessness. Accordingly, the World between contains a mixture of knowledge and ignorance, of ability and inability; men build mighty kingdoms, but each soon falls; they measure the world’s width, but cannot traverse it; they love and are married, but sometimes desire others. This is metaphysical evil, the suffering which comes simply by being unlike God, and its consequence is that we are tested by temptation. The existence of a “metaphysical evil” may be somewhat counterintuitive to the layman, as we are aware of the Lord’s infinite benevolence. However, in further defining the three evils, we will find that they are wholly absent in God. He commits no moral evil because moral evil is to choose to trespass the will of God--He cannot trespass His own will. He contains no physical evil because physical evil is to be deprived of the blessings of God--none can deprive the omnipotent Lord. He experiences no metaphysical evil because metaphysical evil is the imperfection of what is distant from Him--God is wholly perfect, and cannot be far from Himself. Thus, these evils arise not because of God, but because we do not fully apprehend Him. Through Him, however, we may overcome the threefold sufferings. Through His Virtue, we resist the temptation of moral evil. Through faith, we resist the pains of physical evil. Through nearness to Him in the Skies, we overcome metaphysical evil. By His benevolent nature, any who draw closer to God through virtue will find the pains of life fade, not only in this world, but in the hereafter. Church Administration and Sacraments What are priests, bishops, and cardinals? What is the High Pontiff? A priest is an adult male member of the Canonist faith who has received the sacrament of ordination from a bishop of the Canonist faith. He is he permitted to perform the sacraments of matrimony, baptism, consecration, and penance, and is engendered to act as a pillar of virtue and aid the faithful in virtue however he can. Priests are celibate; they cannot marry or engage in sexual activity. This is an administrative law, rather than one deriving from the Holy Scrolls. It is intended to prevent the establishment of family dynasties within the church, or the inheritance of church property by sons of priests, as has been attempted in the past. A bishop is a priest of sufficient age who has been assigned authority over a diocese or group of priests by the High Pontiff. He is permitted to perform all the sacraments of a priest, as well as ordination. A cardinal is a priest who has been selected by the High Pontiff to join the Holy Synod, which elects a new High Pontiff on the death or abdication of the title’s previous holder. The High Pontiff is the undisputed head of the Church of the Canon, the Vicar of God, and the inheritor of the spiritual authority of the Exalted. What are sacraments? Sacraments are rituals particular to the ordained clergy of the Canonist Church. They produce an spiritual mark upon whatever they are performed upon. Baptism inducts a person into the covenant of Horen and God, joining them with the Canonist Church. Matrimony unites a man and woman in an indissoluble union before God. Consecration dedicates a particular relic or house of worship to God’s name. Penance offers God’s mercy to a person who has committed a sin and confesses it. Ordination endows an individual with the ability to perform God’s sacraments, making them a priest. What is excommunication? Excommunication is a severe punishment administered by the High Pontiff to unabashedly sinful individuals; it separates an individual from the body of the Church of the Canon and therefore from the mercy of God. Excommunicated individuals cannot receive sacraments, particularly penance, until they are reunited with the Church. An excommunicated individual will almost certainly enter the Void upon death, because they cannot be forgiven of their sins without penance. What is marriage? What is sexual immorality? Marriage is an everlasting union of two individuals before God for the purpose of procreation and love. Each party makes certain vows of fidelity and love to the other, and are thereafter referred to as husband and wife. Children of a married couple are considered “legitimate” and possess certain rights beyond those children of an unmarried couple, who are considered “illegitimate” or “bastards”. All couples should seek to emulate the marital virtues of Horen and Julia: love, fidelity, obedience, trust, and godliness. Marriage is indissoluble. The Church of the Canon does not recognize any divorce, although it does grant annulments. Annulment is a process by which one party to a marriage requests further inquiry into whether all requirements for marriage were met at the time of the ceremony. If these requirements were not met, the marriage is considered null and both parties are free to marry another, or attempt the marriage again under better circumstances. Children of annulled marriages are considered legitimate. Sexual immorality is any voluntary sexual act which takes place outside of a lawfully contracted marriage. A marriage between two non-Canonists is considered valid insofar as it adheres to Canonist requirements: an adult man and an adult woman of the same race, who are not kin and have no mental afflictions which would preclude them from the ability to make moral decisions, willingly uniting to the exclusion of any other union. A marriage between two Canonists must be contracted by a priest of the faith, or it will not be considered valid. A marriage performed between a Canonist and a non-Canonist is invalid. A marriage contracted between two non-Canonists, one of whom later converts to Canonism, is still valid. Sexual immorality also refers to any voluntary sexual act which results in climax and cannot result in procreation, or a sexual act deliberately interrupted to prevent climax for the purpose of avoiding procreation, even within the context of marriage. How do I address members of the Church? Because the Canonist faith is ubiquitous in human society, it is not necessary to use a special form of address when speaking to a lay believer. Occasionally, particularly pious commoners address each other as “Brother” or “Sister.” This is not mandatory. Priests are addressed as “Father,” because they govern their parish as a father governs his family. Priests, as a rule, do not use surnames. Bishops are addressed as “Bishop” or “Your Excellency”. Cardinals are likewise referred to as “Cardinal” or “Your Eminence”. The High Pontiff may be referred to in many ways, reflecting the position’s long history and occasional change of title. Some of these are “Your Holiness”, “Your High Holiness”, “Vicar of God”, “Holy Father”, or simply “High Pontiff”. What are heathens, heretics, and apostates? A heathen is an individual who does not follow the Canonist faith. They may not believe in God’s existence, or they may worship other beings. It is forbidden for a human to be a heathen, but other races are permitted to practice their faith provided they do not proselytize Canonists. A heretic is one who believes in and worships the God of the Holy Scrolls, but accepts false doctrines regarding His nature or the nature of His faith. All who worship the Creator exclusively but do not adhere to the dogma of the Church of the Canon are heretics. An apostate is a member of the Canonist Church who has renounced his faith. Any person who has received the sacrament of baptism, even in infancy, is a member of the Canonist Church. Unrepentant apostasy is punishable by death, because apostasy is a violation of humanity’s covenant with God. Saints and Symbols of Canonism What are Saints and Blessed? Saints and Blessed are residents of the Fifth and Fourth Skies, respectively. They are believers in the True Faith who distinguished themselves in life through faith or works, and have been rewarded by God. The process by which a person is recognized as a Saint is called canonization, while the process for Blessed is called beatification. Do Canonists worship Saints? No. Canonists do not worship anyone but the one God of the Seven Skies, who created all things. What Canonists offer to Saints and Blessed is called “veneration,” which is sincere respect for their holiness and virtue. It is distinct from worship because the venerator does not believe the Saint has any power outside of that granted by God, and does not offer his submission or obedience to the Saint. The difference between veneration and worship is the difference between honoring one’s elders and obeying one’s father. Do Saints and Blessed reward veneration? Yes! Often, when Canonists pray, they ask a Saint or Blessed to offer up a prayer to God for them. This is called “intercession”, and usually occurs when the saint has a special interest in the matter prayed about. What is the Cross of Lorraine? What does it represent? The Cross of Lorraine is a variation on the normal two-barred cross, consisting of one vertical bar pierced with two horizontal bars in the upper half. The upper horizontal bar represents the Seven Skies, the lower represents the World, and the emptiness beneath them is the Void. What is the significance of the number seven in Canonism? Seven is a number of great significance to Canonists because it appears frequently in positive contexts the Holy Scrolls. Each of the first three scrolls contains seven books, there are Seven Skies, and God has seven primary attributes. Why do bishops and cardinals carry shepherd’s staves? The crooked staff carried by a bishop or cardinal is called a “crozier”. It is representative of their guidance of the faithful, as a shepherd has over his flock. These croziers are often decorated with gold or silver, two substances which are harmful to many of God’s enemies. 51 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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