Lunarism: Difference between revisions

Miroslav had several close followers that would continue his work after his death in 247. Aleksandr, Aloysha, Dima, Gregori, and Yeva followed Miroslav from 245 until his death, later becoming known as the Five Followers (Volkian: Пять последователей, ''Pyat' posledovateley''). Aleksandr, Dima, and Yeva were Volkiplemeni while Aloysha and Gregori were Yekarians who spread the word of Yelena in their respective lands, meeting every few months in a central location to discuss what they were teaching. Word of Miroslav's death reached the Five Followers in early 248, and they swore to continue spreading the word of Yelena in his honor. They adopted the name Lunarists, showing their devotion to the moon-god Yelena. A Volkiplemeni ruler, Zhenya the Great, commissioned the first Lunarist church in 250 in a village in the area of what is now [[Volkgoroda]]. Zhenya would later lead an army to the village where Miroslav was killed and razed it, killing the male inhabitants and recovering Miroslav's body and interred his remains in the church.

Lunarism would continue to grow in western Itur and was officially adopted as the state religion by the [[Volkia|Grand Duchy of Volkia]] when it was formed in 365. Lunarist priests moved into newly conquered territories as the Grand Duchy expanded, eventually becoming the state religion of both the Grand Principality and later the Kingdom of Volkia. Lunarism replaced Volkian paganism as the primary religion of the [[Volkians]] and remains the primary religion of the lupines.

Individual regions or major cities are served by eparchies, which are overseen by a bishop. Larger eparchies are overseen by several bishops. As of 2020, there are 572 Lunarist eparchies worldwide; with aboutover half lying within Volkia. The bishops of a particular country are members of a national or regional episcopal conference.

When a member of the Elder Council dies, resigns, or is removed from their position, the Council of Bishops convenes to elect a new Elder. The High Elder and their Elder counterparts are forbidden from voting in elections to the Elder Council. AnA sitting Elder may be elected to the High Elder position, at which point anotherthe electioncandidate iswith triggeredthe tosecond-most replacevotes thebecomes promotedan Elder.

Eva and Avraam - tests of faith, meet those who die and deliver Yelena's judgment

Lunarists view death as the end of worldly life and the beginning of afterlife. Lunarists believe in "good" and "bad" deaths. A person dies a "good death" at old age surrounded by loved ones, departing when Yelena says they should. Persons who die a "good death" will generally have no problems entering into the afterlife, as Yelena was expecting them. Thus Yelena was able to send Angels Eva and Avraam to fetch their spirits in order to receive Yelena's divine judgment. A "bad death" occurs when a person died too soon, before the time that Yelena assigned to them. These bad deaths could have been caused by the person being murdered, dying by suicide, illness, or in war. Persons who die a "bad death" have a higher chance of becoming a restless spirit as Yelena was not ready for them to enter the afterlife and thus it is harder for Eva and Avraam are unable to locate their spirits.