| The Order |
| The Order is a monotheistic religion centered on the teachings of Telas and his council as recounted in the New Testament. It is the only legal religion in Jav. It came into being soon after the first God War ,when the gods had retreated from the lands. It is said that Telas left a holy text to be added to his earlier teachings and help guide the people on their way through this life and on into the next.
Denominations of The Order Within The Order, there are numerous distinct traditions, denominations, and church bodies, many with various doctrinal differences related to culture and place. Since the second God War, the Order is usually represented as being divided into two main branches: Orthodox Order: The Holy Order of Telas the original church, Southern Orthodox Order and the Church of Ordrin which follows most of the old teachings. Sermons are still done in Lateen. Priest still wear the ceremonial vestments and take the old vows. Roughly 46% of the population worships this way. Fundamentalists: The Fundamenta Order, Reformed, Evangelical, Javites, Telasen, Anabaptists, Samuelism, Basilism and numerous other denominations and groups that have broken away. Many have gotten back to the basic foundations of the Order. They are not all pomp and circumstance and mass is most likely in Javin. The Priest wear a less formal regalia. Roughly 42% of the population worships as Fundamentalists. There is a few other denominations and churches which worship Telas but which distance themselves from the above classifications together claim around 2% of the population. In addition to official denominations, break-away sects, orthodox movements within denominations and sects, heretical movements, there are also a wide variety of extra-church groups associated with The Order. Beliefs Within the church there exists a significant diversity of beliefs. Nevertheless, certain doctrines have come to characterize the mainstream of The Orders theology. Monotheism: Telas is the one true god. This is expanded upon with his council of demigods, angels and lesser servants. But all Order statements of faith affirm that there is only one God. Salvation: Most faithful believe that salvation from "sin and darkness" is available through belief in the person and work of Telas as savior. It is generally believed that Telas made an atoning sacrifice and thereby paid for the sins of mankind. They further believe justification and sanctification are made possible through this sacrifice. The Order consider salvation through Telas completely unearned, but rather a gift through his divine grace (or sanctifying grace). The Holy Council: Though the Order holds that there is only one true God, they also hold belief in numerous other demigods. These demigods, though powerful in their own right, are nothing more than friends, allies, followers or servants of Telas. As a group they make up what is referred to as the Holy Council. The Nine Commandments of Telas : The Nine Commandments are a list of religious and moral imperatives which, according to religious tradition, were written by Telas and given to the people to better their lives. Tho whether they were meant as absolute laws of god or just guide lines to better living is still up for debate. Thou shall have no gods above Me Thou shall not swear falsely by the name of the LORD Remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy Thou shall honour your father and your mother Thou shall not murder Thou shall not commit adultery Thou shall not steal Thou shall not bear false witness against your neighbor Thou shall not covet The Afterlife The Order views of the afterlife generally involve heaven and hell. These realms are thought to be eternal. The Order includes with these the transitory realm of purgatory whose denizens, dying in a state of sin but nonetheless assured of salvation, reside for a period of time to undergo purification before entering into heaven. There is, however, some debate on this point within Southern Orthodox. Traditional Order theology teaches there will be a General Resurrection, with the soul continuing consciousness after death until the resurrection of the physical body and the Last Judgement. A minority believe that only the righteous will be resurrected, and that the unrighteous will be annihilated Worship and practices Orthodox, Southern Orthodox, and some Reformed believers describe the Order worship in terms of the seven sacraments. These include baptism, confirmation,communion, penance and reconciliation, Anointing of the Sick, Holy ordination, and matrimony. Many Fundamentalist groups, recognize the sacramental nature of baptism and communion, but not usually the other five in the same way. Anabaptist and Basilism groups would add feet washing. All most all emphasize "gifts of the Spirit" such as spiritual healing, prophecy, exorcism, and speaking in tongues. These emphases are used not as "sacraments" but as means of worship and ministry. The Javites deny the entire concept of sacraments. Nevertheless, their "testimonies" affirming peace, integrity, equality, and simplicity are affirmed as integral parts of the Javites belief structure. Weekly worship services Just about every denomination of The Order holds a weekly worship service on Sunday. Most will consist of some or all of the following components: Scripture readings drawn from the Old Testament, one of the Gospels, or an Epistle. A sermon. In ancient times this followed the scripture readings; today this may occur later in the service, although in liturgical churches the sermon still often follows the readings. Congregational prayer and thanksgiving. These will probably occur regularly throughout the service. Some of these are likely to be sung in the form of hymns. Holy Communion, a ritual in which small amounts of bread and wine are consecrated and then consumed. Most Fundamentalists say these represent the body and blood of Telas, whereas Orthodox, Southern Orthodox and the Church of Ordrin say that they become or are the body and blood of Telas (the doctrine of the Real Presence). Churches in the "liturgical" family (Orthodox, Southern Orthodox and the Church of Ordrin) see this as the main part of the service, while some Fundamentalists may celebrate it less frequently. In many cases there are restrictions on who may partake. Communion is not generally permitted to non-members in the Orthodox churches, and some Fundamentalist churches invite visitors to participate only by prior arrangement with the minister. Even members may be subject to restrictions. A "collection", "offering", or "tithe" in which the people are asked to contribute funds. One common method is to pass a collection plate for contributions. Other methods are more private where donations are given out of the view of others. These funds are not only for general upkeep of the church, but also for charitable work of various types. Holidays There are many Holidays celebrated by the different Churches and not all are celebrated by all of them. Many include feast days (where special worship services are held, to mark a special anniversary) as well as days of fasting. Typically, a feast will be found preceded by a traditional fast. The best-known fasting period is Lentos. A week long abstinence of meat and vices that take place in early spring, repasting the sacrifice of Lentos. There is also two Holidays that are universally celebrated, despite some disagreement as to dates, Yule and Ascension. Symbols |
| The Church of Telas |
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| History
In the beginning, Telas Walked among men, teaching them and helping them to grow. Record of those times and the early teachings are written down in the holy text the Old Testament. But Telas' time amongst the humans was far too short, and soon he had to Ascend to Heaven. But before the Ascension it is said he left a book of gold, The New Testament, and placed Drak Larknel as king and leader of the faithful. His rule was absolute and unquestionable, for he was the god's chosen. Anyone who opposed the King was considered false and unfaithful, which was punishable by death. But not all punishments were so drastic, and the people lived in peace and the nation grew. By the time of St. Larknel's death, the people had spread far across the land, and the nation was well established. St. Larknel's successor was elected by the high council of priests, and thus set the precedent that would last until the Elf Dwarf War. It was during the Elf Dwarf War that the Order faced its biggest challenge. Over the many preceding years the echelons had grown weak and corrupt. The God King himself sided with the Dark Lord and set the nation to war on their old allies. The people expected to see the high priest denounce the King, but when their faith was tested they buckled and all saw the true horror of their betrayal. They had turned to serve the dark lord and the country fell into chaos and civil war. But from the ashes of war and ruin the Order would rise anew. The remaining loyal priests saw that there were things that needed to change, most notably the new Emperor. No longer would he be someone of the cloth. They saw that there needed to be a balance. The Emperor would rule, but with the aid of the council of High Prophets. Neither group would hold too much power by itself. Many of the other changes were subtler and took more time. The text of the Holy Book was translated from Lateen into standard Javin. For the first time, the average citizen could read it for himself. Many schools and colleges were opened across the land and, for the first time, people were able to make their own interpretation of the Holy Book. With this new learning, the inevitable was bound to happen. New sects started to spring up. Everyone had his or her own opinion of what the Holy Book meant. Many came and went so fast that no one noticed; others were merged with larger ones. But the Emperor protected all. There was one group that didn't accept this new way: the Purest (or the Pure Order). They believe that what has happened to the Order is nothing short of heresy, that the law was laid out in the beginning and it should stay. They do not accept the Emperor and pay no head to his laws. They terrorize and denounce the other sects as heretics. It got so bad that they started burning churches and hanging those they called false prophets. The Emperor was forced to ban their order and come down upon them with force; thusly, they were forced into hiding. As it stands now there are a few major sects and a handful of minor ones. The top two are the Orthodox Order and the Fundamentalists. The Orthodox Order follows most of the old teachings. Sermons are still done in Lateen. Priest still wear the ceremonial vestments and take the old vows. Fundamentalists have gotten back to the basic foundations of the Order. They are not all pomp and circumstance. Mass is in Javin and the Priest wear a less formal regalia. |
| The Holy Order of Telas |
| Church of Ordrin |
| The Fundamenta Order |
| Javites |
| The Order of Hospitallers |
| Church of Urdlen |