Ademarism

Ademarism is a bitheistic religion practiced predominately in the Asendavian Empire, where it is one of several state religions, as well as in Talusi, Hausberg, Masceola, and others. It is centered on the belief in and worship of the God-on-Urth, the creator of the universe; and Ademar, a man so powerful and wise that he was able to comprehend the construct of the universe and ascend into godhood alongside the God-on-Urth. As of 2020, the Church of Ademar counted 331,742,362 members worldwide, with 167,733,230 of those being from Asendavia. The 167,733,230 Asendavians who are Ademarite is equivalent to 77% of the population of the Asendavian Empire as of that country's 2020 census.

Beliefs

Traditionally, the God-on-Urth is recognized as the creator of the universe. It's believed that before creating the universe, the God-on-Urth existed without shape in its own separate, timeless, and shapeless plane of existence. The universe was only created when the God-on-Urth manifested a physical form, destroying his former plane of existence and forming our own at the same time. In our universe, he took multiple distinct forms. When he manifested, his physical form became the universe and everything in it, also forming time. Stars, planets, and everything else in the universe were willed into existence by him, considered separate yet fundamentally still a part of him. Once the universe's foundations were laid, it's believed that he then formed the heavens, which are considered to be in this plane of existence yet on a different layer. In this heavenly layer, known as Iphelaris, the God-on-Urth molded part of his universal consciousness into a body. In this new form, the God-on-Urth separated parts of his very being and created the first angels, the first distinct beings in the universe that were truly separate from the God-on-Urth. For eons, the universe existed like this, with the physical layer of our plane devoid of anything save for the planets, stars, and the God-on-Urth's true form. Only in the heavenly layer was there life, in the form of the angels and the God-on-Urth's physical form. Eventually though, the God-on-Urth tired of the perfect existence of Iphelaris, and he sought to create something new.

In the physical layer, the God-on-Urth manifested our star system. On Urth he created life as we know it. He separated yet more of his very being and created the first humans. From there, he took different aspects of himself and formed the other species of Urth accordingly. Unlike the angel's, who were seen as perfect, immortal beings, with no wants, needs, or feelings, Urth's life was flawed. Humans and the other species had limited lifespans; they had wants and needs; they fought, murdered, and stole from each other; and they had emotions both negative and positive. The angels, seeing themselves as superior, wished to rule over the life on Urth, but the God-on-Urth refused. Although all-powerful, creation had left the God-on-Urth's physical form drained. Seeking to restore his physical form quickly, the God-on-Urth attempted to bring some of the angels back into his being. Having already been refused the right to rule over the Urth, the angels fought against this reassimilation. Although during the battle over half of the angels perished, they slew the God-on-Urth's physical form, with his essence returning to his true form.