Religion in Packilvania
Packilvania is a highly religious country. Paxism is the official religion and is practiced by the overwhelming majority of the people in the country. There are various religious communities in the country. Some of them have official recognition including having special status. Packilvania has at least a hundred religions practiced within its borders. 98% of the population is Paxist. Religious minorities are allowed to practice publicly in areas designated by the Sultan. A religious law enforcement body exists which ensures that religious laws are enforced but its powers are highly limited in cases involving religious minorities within designated autonomous zones. There are 58,576,349 adherents of minority religions and none have more than 2 million adherents.
Paxism
In terms of the Constitution of Packilvania, Paxism is the official religion. The Sultan of Packilvania is required to be a Paxist and to rule Packilvania according to Paxist values. Nevertheless, the Sultan is allowed to recognise and afford special protections to religious minorities. Although not mentioned in name, the version of Paxism that is recognised by the state as the true version is called Melkezedekism specifically Madvinism. Currently there are 1,148,096,458 adherents or 95% of the population.
Paxism originates from Packilvania. It was an unwritten religion which had many variations and forms. In 2036 BCE, the first attempt at codifying and uniting the religion was spurred by Prophet Besmali who wrote the Ichtmar. Despite resistance from his contemporaries, his followers continued practicing and proselytising the version of Paxism espoused in his teachings and writings, spreading the religion to other parts of the ancient world. In 1100 BCE, Suleiman of Yehudah, ordered Jerome of Damaclion to compose a second book called the Vagumar which was a collection of writings from Besmali's followers as well writings from Suleiman of Yehudah himself. These writings were approved by a council held in the city of Adrien as a valid religious scripture. In 980 CE, High King Melkezedek the Great ordered scribes to compose another book because he felt that paganism was creeping into the religion and that a religious government needed to be established to oversee the religion. From this arose the Bas Magdamar. Not all Paxists ascribed to the version of Paxism that his new book prescribed and they called themselves Yehudists while those who followed Melkezedek called themselves Melkezedekists. Through the political power of Melkezedek and his successors, most of the Yehudists were purged from Packilvania either through pogroms or forcible exile to foreign nations. In 1100 CE, Prophet Sohadek stated that a human would become the highest religious figure of and reunite the realms of Bakil, spawning a primarily humanocentric movement within Melkezedekism known as Sohadekism. It was used by Saidun the Conqueror to reunite Packilvania under a human-dominated government in 1675 CE. In the 1800s, Prophet Madvin, a prominent Magister predicted that a Feline would become Sultan and portended the fall of the human Demir dynasty. In 1918 CE, the human government was overthrown by the Packilvanian Communist Party led by Gideon Muktan. Thus, Paxism lost its special status and faced persecution. Its position as the state religion was restored in 1985 following the end of the Second Packilvanian Civil War by which Sultan Amhoud I reestablished a Paxist-dominated political system. In part to differentiate himself from the Communists and to reward religious minorities for their contributions, they received special status and protections which they have enjoyed ever since.
The Magisterium of Paxism in Packilvania is the organisation responsible for administering and overseeing the Paxist religion. While not a state entity, the Sultan and the Magisterium have an agreement whereby the Sultan upholds and supports the Magisterium in return for the Magisterium obeying and respecting his rule as well as that of the Bedonite dynasty. The highest official and head of the the Magisterium of Paxism not only in Paxism but all of Urth is the Supreme Magister currently Tawak Mudawaheen, a Packilvanian from Jumhurikesh. There is a part of the judicial system dedicated to Paxist related issues with Religious Appeals Courts staffed by judges appointed by the Sultan on the recommendations of the Magisterium's College of Great Magisters. Furthermore, there are courts of first instance specialising in religious matters. The country also has a religious police staffed by Magisters which enforces religious laws. The religious police has been accused of using extrajudicial procedures. Laws exist prohibiting Paxists from acting in ways that violate religious dogma and restrictions exist on other religions on the extent to which they can practice or proselytise.