Akronism: Difference between revisions
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| caption1= <small>The diamond symbol and the color orange are associated with the goddess Akrona.</small>
| headerstyle = background:#F0DC82;
| label1 =
| label2 = Belief | data2 = [[wikipedia:monotheism|Monotheism]]
| label3 = Deity | data3 = Akrona
| label4 = Region(s) | data4 = [[
| label5 = Founder | data5 = The First Elders
| label6 = Founded | data6 = cir. 1470-1496
| label7 = Origin | data7 = Northern Tavari charismatic folk religion
| label8 = Matron | data8 =
| label9 = Temples | data9 = ~
| label10 = Followers | data10 =
| label11 = Denominations | data11 = Church of Akrona<br />[[Akronist Church of Iboma|Church of Iboma]]<br />[[Karishkanov|Karishian]] Akronism<br />[[Aponivia|Lobokroan]] Akronism
}}
'''Akronism''' is a [[wikipedia:monotheism|monotheistic]] religion practiced predominately in
From 1909 until 2022, [[Metradan]] had an independent Akronist church organization known as the Church of Metradan. However, on 27 March 2022, the Church of Akrona excommunicated the entirety of the Church of Metradan, which rendered the organization cut off from the global community of Akronists. This was done in response to the events of 25 March 2022, in which Akronist agents of the private security firm [[Androcat Zandovi]] held the [[League of Novaris]] hostage in an attempt to get that body to recognize [[Acronis]] instead of [[Tavaris]] as a member. Matron Vana Dandreal said in her statement announcing the excommunication: "This is not a move that we make lightly, and it is not a move done only in response to a single incident, but in response to decades of clear defiance of the values that the Goddess Akrona laid out for us to follow." The move renders Metradani Akronists unable to access any spiritual benefits such as the blessing of weddings or funerals, and also cuts off the Church of Metradan from revenue sharing from the global Church as well as [[Crystal Hoteliers International]].
==Beliefs==
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Unlike the gods of many other monotheistic religions, Akrona is not considered the creator of the universe or the creator of life on Urth. Adherents believe that Akrona entered into existence at a finite point in time after the creation of the Universe, although this exact time is unknown. The identity of the creator of the universe and the source of life are both considered "mysteries" for the faithful to consider on their own. Many Akronists do not believe there is a divine explanation behind the Universe at all, instead believing the theory the Big Bang and in evolution, neither of which are held to be in opposition to Akronist teachings. Akrona is titled "the Protector of Life" and "the Benefactor." As put by the Matron - the leading official of the Church of Akrona - in 1954, "the Goddess Akrona is not the creator of life, but she is its custodian." She is believed to see and know everything where there is life and to guide the destiny and course of life for all living things. Akrona's domain is over both animal and plant-based life.
The Church of Akrona holds that
The primary religious teaching in Akronism is thankfulness. Akronism teaches believes to be thankful to Akrona for her stewardship and protection and to express this thankfulness in everything that they do. The Church of Akrona commands that members pause their work to verbally thank the Goddess for something seven times a day. For members of the clergy, this is increased to seventy-seven times. Those who are properly thankful of Akrona, the Church teaches, will have their own work more appreciated by the Goddess.
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Akronism also teaches members to respect and protect life in their own actions and words. As life is Akrona's responsibility, to act against life is to act against Akrona. As such, members of the Church are commanded not to kill any land animal for any reason, including for sustenance. Plants, while also held to be alive, can be eaten so long as they are grown specifically for the purpose of sustenance and proper rituals of thankfulness are performed upon their planting, during their harvest, and before consumption. As such, plants that grow in the wild are not considered edible. However, the Church of Akrona holds that a person who is dying of starvation may consume wild plants, or animals who have died of natural causes, in order to preserve their own life. There is one exception to the Akronist ban on eating meat: seafood. As Akrona emerged from the sea, it is believed that everything within the sea is a gift from Akrona to the people of her chosen nation. Fish, shellfish, crustaceans, and any animal that lives entirely within the water may be eaten. The commandment to respect and protect life also means that Akronists are forbidden from recreational hunting, and the death penalty, euthanasia for people and animals, and abortion are banned. The Church does allow for the termination of a pregnancy in the event that the lives of both the mother and unborn child are in mortal peril, but only with the permission of a member of the clergy.
Actions in self-defense are considered to be acceptable under the command to respect and protect life. If a person is under attack and in danger of losing their life, they may act to protect themselves with any force needed to protect their own life. However, any member of the Church who kills any person or animal in self-defense must undergo a ritual of penance that requires isolating from the outside world for a period of 28 days, spending that time fasting and praying. This doctrine is also used to justify the existence and actions of Akronist members of the
===Death and The Afterlife===
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Compared to some other world religions, Akronism says relatively little about the afterlife. Whereas the Tavari folk religions that preceded Akronism were often centered around worship of ancestors, Akronism is centered around gratitude for what exists in the present. Generally, church teaching holds that after death, a soul either ascends to exist within a "shared communion" with Akrona and all the other souls of the deceased, or is reincarnated if it is "not ready" for the eternal communion. A person who, in life, acted with disregard towards living creatures and was ungrateful of Akrona would be considered to be "not ready," but this is not generally considered to be a "punishment." There is no concept of Hell in Akronism.
Souls that have entered into the eternal communion are considered to no longer have distinct personhood or individual essence - that is, they have all merged together and with the power and consciousness of Akrona herself. The souls of the departed cannot see, know of, or have any effect on events and affairs on Urth, and communion with Akrona is permanent. The study of the eternal communion is a very esoteric subject within Akronist religious thought, and it is not particularly prominent in mainstream Akronist scholarship. Indeed, a 2011 survey indicated that
A result of the Akronist relative disinterest in the afterlife is a change in burial practices in the region. Prior to Akronism becoming the majority faith in the area, the Tavari embalmed and buried the bodies of their dead in graves which also served as small shrines. As Akronism moved away from the veneration of ancestors and of death in general, cremation became the dominant practice
The treatment of the dead is perhaps the most prominent point of cultural contention between Akronists and non-Akronist Tavari. Cremation is generally seen as desecration under the precepts of the [[Tavaris#Ancestral Veneration|''Tavat Avati'']], the collected practices of the Tavari tradition of ancestor veneration. While it is less common in current times, historically Akronists faced significant stigma and discrimination from Tavat Avati practitioners for the way they treat their dead. Many Tavari cities and townships had laws forbidding crematoriums within their jurisdiction until the mid-20th century, and their construction is still controversial among some circles.
''For Akronist beliefs about the Goddess Akrona personally, see "[[Akronism#The Goddess Akrona|The Goddess Akrona]]" below.''
==Worship==
[[File:Ennis House front view 2005.jpg|thumb|300px|left|A local temple in the city of
The primary act of worship in Akronism is to thank Akrona. Traditionally, Akronists verbally thank Akrona upon waking up in the morning, upon eating each of three meals, and upon going to sleep. The Church commands the faithful to find at least two other reasons to thank the Goddess each day, for a total of seven things.
Formal worship services are held in temples according to a lunar calendar. The day of the full moon is reserved exclusively for the worship and celebration of Akrona.
==Texts and Edicts==
Akronism does not have a single, canonical text or "holy book" containing all of the teachings and commandments of the Akronist faith. The Goddess Akrona is said to have personally spoken to the seven women she blessed only on one occasion. Her words at that moment were recorded as "I give to you and to all the people of your nation all the blessings of life in creation, and charge you with the protection and continuation of life everywhere."
These seven women, the only mortal beings to whom Akrona personally appeared, would become the first Elders of the Church, the first ruling body of the faith. These First Elders, over the course of their leadership of the religion during the formation of the Church, issued one hundred and three official statements called Edicts. These 103 Edicts are considered to be the "truest Edicts" because they were issued by the people with the most direct knowledge of Akrona, inspired by the words and visions of the Mandate. These first 103 Edicts have been collected into a book called The First Edicts. The First Edicts contain some of the most fundamental beliefs of the faith, including the ban on killing land animals for sustenance or sport, the rule that services are to be held on the full moon each month, and the mandate to cremate the bodies of the dead, among many others. A number of the First Edicts, usually counted as between 5 and 8 depending on differing definitions, are called "Poetic Edicts" because instead of direct rules, they are descriptions of some of the visions the First Elders saw. Edict 4 is a Poetic Edict that describes seeing the entire Akronist conception of the cycle of life - from birth to death and then reincarnation until the spirit lives a life in accordance with Akrona's wishes and enters into direct communion with the essence of Akrona herself.
There have been several texts that have been written by scholars of the Church, referred to in general as "the Conversations." These are generally commentaries on particular Edicts or enshrined beliefs or actions of the Church. Examples include "Letters to the People of Dravai," written by three priestesses in the city of Tovar to various people living in the city of Dravai in the late 16th century. At the time, Dravai was believed to be a hotbed for anti-religious activity in the country. The Letters contained various pleas to the people to come back into the fold of the faith, and in several places, offered concessions to people who raised issues with religious rules of the time. Famously, the Letters contain a phrase that is today held as a central operating tenet of the Church: "It is wrong to deny fundamental mercy and compassion to those who have chosen, with the same will granted to them by the Universe as has been granted to us, to follow a different conviction than that of thankfulness to the Benefactor." Since the Letters to the People of Dravai were enshrined by the Elders as canonical in the year 1604, this statement has been held to forbid the Church from denying respect or compassion to people who follow other faiths, or none at all.▼
The Elders, a body that continues to this day, continue to issue Edicts. Edicts are generally issued in the form of rules or advice that are binding on a particular set of people or a particular institution. Edicts can be binding upon, for example, the entire body of the faithful, or on a single person, such as the King or the Prime Minister of the day. Some Edicts have been issued to cover only a particular geographical location, and one Edict - "An Edict to Encourage Universal Amity and Respect" - was issued to the audience of "all the people of every nation on Urth." While the First Edicts are cataloged separately, all Edicts have the same legal standing, and in theory, the Elders of the day can amend or repeal any Edict. However, none of the First Edicts have ever been repealed or directly amended, as to do so would generate immense controversy among both Church leaders and the body of the faithful. New Edicts are sometimes issued to "expand upon" or "clarify" parts of the First Edicts, and there has historically been significant debate over what some things in the First Edicts mean, especially the Poetic Edicts.
Additional texts include the Golden Hymnal, a collection of songs written by early adherents of the faith during the War of Foundation, before the Acronian Empire was formally established. One of these hymns, "March On," has been adopted as the national anthem of the Acronian Empire. The Golden Hymnal is of particular interest to historians because most of its songs were written by commoners, not by religious officials, and are believed to reflect the honest, day-to-day feelings and beliefs of individual members of the church as it was being formed. In many cases, the tunes are adaptations of folk songs that already existed in the region.▼
▲There have been several texts that have been written by scholars of the Church, referred to in general as "the Conversations." These are generally commentaries on particular Edicts or enshrined beliefs or actions of the Church. Examples include the surviving personal diaries of the First Elders, or other commentaries such as "Letters to the People of Dravai," written by three priestesses in the city of Tovar to various people living in the city of Dravai in the late 16th century. At the time, Dravai was believed to be a hotbed for
▲Additional texts include the Golden Hymnal, a collection of songs written by early
==Religious Governance and Clergy==
===Church of Akrona===
[[File:Mormon Temple, Oakland.jpg|thumb|right|300px|The New
The first and largest formally established body of worshipers of Akrona is the Church of Akrona. Over the course of time, some Akronist movements have drifted away from the Church of Akrona and formed independent churches. The [[Akronist Church of Iboma]] separated administratively from the Church of Akrona early in the history of the faith, but has remained closely aligned in matters of faith.
The Church of Akrona is governed by a body known as The Elders. The First Elders were the first seven women to whom Akrona appeared and personally blessed. That body has continued uninterrupted to today, always consisting of seven women. The Elders are led by a figure known as The Matron. The Matron is believed to be the singular "head of the Church" and both representative of the faithful to Akrona and representative of Akrona to the faithful, although when The Elders meet as a body to deliberate, she has only one vote the same as every other Elder. When an Elder dies, a replacement is named by the Matron to serve for life. When The Matron dies, the remaining six Elders appoint a new Matron, who may be one of their own or who may come from outside the Elders. In the case that an Elder is appointed Matron, the new Matron appoints a replacement to the seat she vacated. Other than being a woman, there is no other qualification set out under the law for someone to be selected as Matron.
There have been thirty-seven individual women who have served as Matron.
Individual Elders are identified in public by the same names as the First Elders. The given names of the First Elders, not including the first Matron, were Laika, Nelat, Anda, Vreila, Nanshai, and Endi. The line names and family names of the First Elders, and the entire name of the first Matron, have been lost. Upon each of the deaths of the First Elders, the Elder appointed to replace them was known by the name of the one they replaced - for example, the Elder appointed when Anda died was also known as Anda. As such, there are six "seats" of the Elders, referred to as "the seat of Laika" or "the seat of Nanshai." To differentiate between different individual Elders, one might say "the current Laika," "the thirty-ninth Laika," or most formally, "the thirty-ninth Elder to sit upon the Seat of Laika." As Elders very rarely make individual public appearances, it is rare for their birth names to be used, but there is no Church doctrine forbidding their use.
The Elders are the supreme leaders of the Church of Akrona, and generally have the ultimate authority to decide on religious doctrine
====Clergy====
There are
Only women may be members of the clergy. This has been a doctrine since the very beginning of the Church, because Akrona is a woman who appeared before only women. Women are believed to hold the "sacred mandate" from Akrona to be the custodians of the Church, just as Akrona is the custodian of all life. Akronists of other genders may serve in all other positions, including being elected to the Synod as representatives of lay membership.
To be a member of the clergy, one must be a member of good standing and graduate from a seminary school. There are fourteen Church of Akrona seminaries in
=== Akronist Church of Iboma ===
{{Main article|Akronist Church of Iboma}}
The [[Akronist Church of Iboma]] ([[Ibomian]]: ''Limashidi l'Akronisti la'Iboma'') received [[Wikipedia:Autocephaly|autocephaly]] from the Church of Akrona in the 17th century [[Common Era calendar|CE]]. Nevertheless, it remains in communion with the Church of Akrona i.e., rituals performed in either church and decisions taken by either church with respect to religious matters are generally regarded as valid. The Akronist Church of Iboma was formed from the Province of Iboma of the Church of Akrona. Akronism traces its history to the 16th century when missionaries from Tavaris brought the religion and converted the people. The religion spread and by the time of the signing of the Covenant of the Twelve Tribes in the mid 17th century CE, it was the largest religion in the country and was adopted as the official religion by the state. As part of her role as the secular leader of Akronism in Iboma, Queen Mujaji I was granted the title of Defender of the Faith (Ibomian: ''Muzvikiri mwakuKholwa'') eventually applying for and receiving autocephaly later in her reign. The highest spiritual leader is technically the Matron and the Elders of the Church of Akrona continue to have a persuasive voice over the traditions and governance structures of the Ibomian church, but the daily running of the church lies squarely in the hands of the Holy Council and the High Priestess. Today, over 78% of the Ibomian population are members of the Akronist Church of Iboma. Furthermore, Iboma has the largest population of Akronists in the world at roughly 39 million people.
==The Goddess Akrona==
[[File:Mayan crested temple.jpg|thumb|left|300px|The facade of the Temple of the Emergence, built near the Crystal Coast between 1490 and 1515, one of the most popular pilgrimage sites in the country and the closest religious facility to the site Akrona is said to have appeared. The Temple is an example of an Akronist religious structure using the architectural style of the Tavari folk religion that Akronism replaced in the region. It is also one of the administrative centers of the Church of Akrona.]]
Akrona as a deity is the central defining factor of the Akronist religion.
Akronist teachings hold that Akrona, as a deity, is omnipotent and omnipresent in all areas where life exists. She is believed to have come into existence at a finite point in time some point after the beginning of the Universe, a moment known as the Birth. At some point after that, she assumed the role of custodian of all life on Urth, a moment known as the Assumption. At a definite point - a particular date and time lost to history but in the second half of the fifteenth century AD - she emerged from the sea and blessed the First Elders, a moment called the Emergence. From the Birth through the Emergence, Akrona had a finite, physical form known as a body, and had a consciousness and essence distinct from that of every other living thing on Urth. When Akrona appeared before the First Elders, she was described as a very tall
The Emergence occurred near dusk on the northwestern coast of
Upon the Emergence, Akrona issued the Mandate to the First Elders, who were bathing in the sea and the only people in the area at the time. Immediately after issuing the Mandate, Akrona herself is said to have "become the light." It is unknown exactly what this means, but all seven of the First Elders used this phrase in their personal writings about the Emergence. What is known is that at that time, Akrona ceased to have a physical body and distinct consciousness. The teachings of the First Elders, and the Church of Akrona ever since, state that at that time, the Goddess Akrona became a force that exists everywhere there is life that maintains the existence of life and forms a part of all life. In this form, Akrona no longer has a body and can no longer speak to mortal beings as mortal beings speak to each other. However, in this form, Akrona has intimate knowledge of the lives of all people, animals, and plants in the universe, and can hear both the words and thoughts of all people. Upon Akrona "becoming the light," all seven of the First Elders reported being overcome with a strong feeling that they must spread the knowledge of Akrona to all the people of their nation.
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===Akrona and the Moon===
[[File:Harvest moon. (7916064846).jpg|thumb|300px|right|A full moon that appears to be the color orange. This can occur naturally due to the position and angle of the Moon relative to the viewer and composition of particular chemicals in the atmosphere.]]
Since the beginning of the Akronist faith, Akrona has been strongly identified with the Moon. The Moon was said to glow just as Akrona and the crystals did, and the Moon is known to have power - the tides - over the ocean from whence Akrona emerged. The Moon continues to be important to the Church of Akrona, as religious services are held on the full moon, and the
Outside the Church, historians generally believe that the Akronist religion emerged from a charismatic folk religion in the region of the northwestern coast of what was then known as Tavaris that was centered on moon worship, as opposed to the predominant religion elsewhere in the country, which was ancestor worship. The lunar worship in the northwestern region, more sparsely populated than other areas of the country, is believed to have been a holdout of ancient animist traditions that predated the traditions of ancestor worship. This lunar worship appears to have seen a resurgence in the area for unknown reasons in the 15th century, that by the second half of the century had shifted into the sort of belief structure that gave rise to the religion centered around Akrona. The word "Akrona" has an unconfirmed etymology, but the concept of the Goddess may descend from ancient personifications of the Moon - one Proto-Tavari word for which being "Krumii," which some linguists consider the linguistic origin of Akrona. Akronist religious scholars generally do not consider this information in their studies on Akrona.▼
▲Outside the Church, historians generally believe that the Akronist religion emerged from a charismatic folk religion in the region of the northwestern coast of
[[Category:Religion]] [[Category:The Acronisphere]]
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