Clarityism: Difference between revisions
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==Beliefs==
What makes Clarityism quite unique is the worship of one deity, Unus, however there is no denial of the existence of other deities, also best known as [[wikipedia:henotheism|henotheism]]. The belief first stemmed from the writings of Bardi who was heavily influenced by his travels through Yasteria. In his writings, Bardi describes that he believed that there was more than one higher deity, each influencing regions of Urth that their followers occupied. The accepted belief of Claritists regarding creation was that the many higher deities of the world were created alongside Urth. In present days, another accepted belief is that the higher deities were created during the Big Bang, some came together to build and care for Urth, and slowly built up a following as sentient species such as humans evolved over time. Another strong belief of Claritists is that the higher deities are more regional based, caring and protecting their assigned regions of Urth during creation. Claritists also believe that the power of higher deities can actually fluctuate depending on the strength of their followers, thus explaining how certain religions are able to spread around the world or end up being wiped out. The latter is a fear of many Claritists who believe that if Clarityism in the Aspirian Isles falters, it would mean the end of the Fortunan people.
In order to then protect their homeland, the worship and strengthening of faith in Unus is extremely important. Before Bardi published his teachings, Unus was simply considered as the god of the sky within Norvo-Aspiriac Mythology. When Bardi began receiving his visions, he came to the conclusion that Unus was awakening him to the truth that Unus was the higher deity of the Aspirian Isles. Within the Book of Clarity, Bardi states that he believes he was informed of Unus' true form at that exact time was due to the rising power of outside higher deities which he noticed himself during his travels. Because of this, the worship of Unus was urgently required by the people of the Aspirian Isles.
To explain the reason of the other numerous deities from Norvo-Aspiriac Mythology, the accepted belief is that they are considered lesser deities. Since Unus was considered the single god of the Aspirian Isles, these lesser deities were seen as simply helpers that simply assisted around certain things. For example, the Goddess Fortuna is considered the goddess of fortune and luck in Norvo-Aspiriac Mythology. In Clarityism, Unus is the overall deity, but Fortuna now simply an assistant to Unus still focused around fortune and luck. Due to the First Fortunan Empire's conquest and ruling of the region, the importance of fortune and luck is extremely important to Fortunan culture. In order to have good fortune, Claritists are required to pray to both Unus and Fortuna in the morning upon waking up and at night before sleeping. The Cult of Fortuna, a sect of Clarityism, takes this a step further by believing that she is actually the higher deity of the Aspirian Isles and disregards any worshiping of Unus. The other lesser deities are considered to still exist, but the worship of them is not considered a requirement as it is with Unus and Fortuna.
Another popular belief that saw massive growth in recent times was the idea of a "Chosen One" which was first introduced by Leonardo Marchello. The purpose of the Chosen One was to reunite the region following the collapse of the First Fortunan Empire after the Great Civil War. When the time was right, the Chosen One would be sent by Unus to bring the islands together and believed to be at the level of a lesser deity. This idea of a Chosen One was quickly accepted by some Claritists in the late 1600s, and would continue to grow over the years. At times, certain individuals who attempted to reunite the islands were given this title, but it would not be until the rise of Tristano Lyone in the 1990s that a specific person was accepted by the majority of believers to be the actual Chosen One. When Lyone successfully claimed control of the entire Fortunan Archipelago and formed the Second Fortunan Empire, the belief that he was the Chosen One grew exponentially, and this title was solidified when High Priest Francisco III on August 6, 1999, declared Lyone as such.
==Denominations==
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