Lunarism: Difference between revisions
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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. |
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. |
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The church would prove fruitful to the Five Followers and the number of Lunarists continued to grow. Lunarism's foothold in central Volkia helped it spread throughout western [[Itur]] due to migrations to the coast, leading to an explosion in the number of followers. As they aged and Lunarism's numbers grew, the Five Followers became a dominant force in the fledgling religion. In 277, they came together and officially formed the Council |
The church would prove fruitful to the Five Followers and the number of Lunarists continued to grow. Lunarism's foothold in central Volkia helped it spread throughout western [[Itur]] due to migrations to the coast, leading to an explosion in the number of followers. As they aged and Lunarism's numbers grew, the Five Followers became a dominant force in the fledgling religion. In 277, they came together and officially formed the Elder Council (Совет старейшин, ''Sovet stareyshin'') and created the position of High Elder (Высокий Старший, ''Vysokiy Starshiy''), which they then selected Yeva to be the first High Elder. |
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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 Kingdom of Volkia. Lunarism replaced Volkian paganism as the primary religion of the [[Volkians]] and remains the primary religion of the lupines. |
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 Kingdom of Volkia. Lunarism replaced Volkian paganism as the primary religion of the [[Volkians]] and remains the primary religion of the lupines. |
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==Organization== |
==Organization== |
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Lunarism is organized in a hierarchical structure. The lowest level of organization, which is the head of an individual Lunarist church, the priest (священник, ''svyashchennik''), and its attendees constitute a parish (приход, ''prihod''). The parishes of a geographical region then make up an {{Wp|eparchy}} who are led by a bishop (епископ, ''yepiskop''). Bishops and priests are assisted by deacons (Диаконы, ''Diakony'') in a variety of ministerial and administrative roles. There are |
Lunarism is organized in a hierarchical structure. The lowest level of organization, which is the head of an individual Lunarist church, the priest (священник, ''svyashchennik''), and its attendees constitute a parish (приход, ''prihod''). The parishes of a geographical region then make up an {{Wp|eparchy}} who are led by a bishop (епископ, ''yepiskop''). Bishops and priests are assisted by deacons (Диаконы, ''Diakony'') in a variety of ministerial and administrative roles. There are 167 Lunarist eparchies worldwide (December 2019). Smaller eparchies may be ruled by only one bishop, while larger eparchies may be ruled by an archbishop (архиепископ, ''arkhiyepiskop'') or have several bishops assigned to it. |
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The highest level of local authority within Lunarism are the Lunar Councils (Лунный совет, ''Lunnyy sovet''), which comprise of the bishops of the eparchies as well as representatives from the local clergy and laypersons. The Council of Bishops (Собор епископов, ''Sobor yepiskopov'') comprise of the bishops of the eparchies who meet in [[Volkgoroda]] and act as the highest authority in the hierarchical control of the Lunarist Church. The Council of Bishops in turn elect the Council |
The highest level of local authority within Lunarism are the Lunar Councils (Лунный совет, ''Lunnyy sovet''), which comprise of the bishops of the eparchies as well as representatives from the local clergy and laypersons. The Council of Bishops (Собор епископов, ''Sobor yepiskopov'') comprise of the bishops of the eparchies who meet in [[Volkgoroda]] and act as the highest authority in the hierarchical control of the Lunarist Church. The Council of Bishops in turn elect the Elder Council (Совет старейшин, ''Sovet stareyshin''), who serves as the supreme administrative governing body of the Lunarist Church in between meetings of the Council of Bishops. Members of the Elder Council also have permanent seats on the Council of Bishops, but are not allowed to vote in Elder Council elections. The Elder Council serves for life and is chaired by the [[High Elder of the Lunarist Church|High Elder]], who is also elected by the Council of Bishops. |
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The High Elder is the head of the Lunarist Church worldwide and enjoys extensive administrative powers. The High Elder holds canonical jurisdiction over the eparchies of Lunarism, though they do not have single-handed authority over matters pertaining to faith or issues concerning the entirety of the Lunarist Church. |
The High Elder is the head of the Lunarist Church worldwide and enjoys extensive administrative powers. The High Elder holds canonical jurisdiction over the eparchies of Lunarism, though they do not have single-handed authority over matters pertaining to faith or issues concerning the entirety of the Lunarist Church. |
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=== Parishes |
=== Parishes and eparchies === |
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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 167 Lunarist eparchies worldwide; the vast majority lie within Volkia. The bishops of a country a particular country are members of a national or regional episcopal conference. |
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Eparchies are then divided into parishes, each with one or more priests, deacons, or lay ministers. The parishes are responsible for the day to day celebration of Lunarist beliefs and pastoral care of the laity. As of 2020 there are 81,539 parishes worldwide. |
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=== Lunar Councils === |
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=== Council of Bishops === |
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=== Elder Council === |
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The Elder Council was established in 277 and consists of five Elders (Старшая, ''Starshaya'') and Yeva was elected to be the first High Elder. The Elder Council is responsible for governing the Lunarist Church when the Council of Bishops is out of session. The Elder Council is chaired by the High Elder, who is the head of the worldwide Lunarist Church. When the Council of Bishops is in session, the Elder Council has permanent seats and may participate in votes and debate in regards to matters of faith, morality, rite, and canonical and cultural life. The High Elder chairs Council of Bishop sessions. Elders remain on the Council until their death, resignation, or removal by the Council of Bishops. |
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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. An Elder may be elected to the High Elder position, at which point another election is triggered to replace the promoted Elder. |
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The current makeup of the Elder Council is as follows: |
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* [[High Elder Aleksandr VI]] - Metropolitan of Volkgoroda and Volkgoroda Oblast |
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* Elder Sofiya - Metropolitan of Kursavka |
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* Elder Evgeniy - Metropolitan of Georgiyevsk |
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* Elder Galina - Metropolitan of Zarinsk |
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* Elder Dima - Metropolitan of Likhoslavl |
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=== Membership === |
=== Membership === |
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Lunarism is the largest of the lupine religions with a membership totaling approximately 80 million followers worldwide. Volkia has the highest number of followers with 62,069,291 in 2012. |
Lunarism is the largest of the lupine religions with a membership totaling approximately 80 million followers worldwide. Volkia has the highest number of followers with 62,069,291 in 2012. |
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Lunarist ministers include ordained clergy, lay ministers, and missionaries. At the end of 2018, there were |
Lunarist ministers include ordained clergy, lay ministers, and missionaries. At the end of 2018, there were 186,599 ordained clergy including 372 bishops, 100,641 priests, and 85,586 deacons. Non-ordained ministers include 75,715 lay missionaries and 19,026 lay ministers. |
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Men and women are viewed equally under Lunarism canonical law and are allowed to hold any position within the Church, regardless of gender. |
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==Doctrine== |
==Doctrine== |
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