Religion Development: RELIGION POSTED PLEASE READ

[Tamber]

This story will focus around one central religion. There will be other belief systems involved, but this system will be the instigator of all the controversy

So in order to RP religious characters, we need to have a religion, no? I'd like to collect ideas for the religion's development in this thread.

A few ideas have been mentioned already, but feel free to let loose. Give me whatever you come up with and we can all work together to get this thing where we want it. This will have to be done before the story begins.

There is one question that must be answered: Monotheistic/Polytheistic/other? That is...does the religion worship one god, many gods, or is there another option? For example, some religions don't pray to a higher power but rather do by the teachings of its foundinng prophet.

[Lorien]

Personally, I think it should be polytheistic. Much like the Greeks and Romans. Like a sun god, an earth god, a war god...etc. But the prophet idea would also be good...like the old teachings of one of the first lions. Just think of the names we could come up for all these religions. This is exciting.

[Tamber]

Oh I know! The names are really exciting to me. I've been looking up different words for God, the ones that came before the English version (since our word for God came relatively late). I've also got a long list of Latin words for different things emailed to myself. Thinking about all the different gods there could be is interesting to me, as well as what they might look like in the lore.

I was planning on having some sort of prophet be fabled to go around and preach in early days, have the spread of the religion die out for a while, and then come into our story during a period when it is being spread rapidly once again.

I was also wondering if we have a prophet, would it be like Moses or Abraham where God spoke to them and told them to do things, but people don't normally pray to them? Or would it be a major prophet like Mohammed or Joseph Smith that actually gains some diefication through their holy actions? ORhere might even be a savior like Jesus of Nazareth.

[KanuTGL]

I like the prophet idea, whatever we decide to make him/her into, but I like the idea of having a polytheistic religion with a more spiritualistic theme also :3 For some reason I keep thinking that something similar to Japanese Shintoism would be interesting to have here (and it's not only because I'm writing an essay on it! xD), since that is a very old Earth religion with a focus on worshipping ancient spirits and being in harmony with nature. In time it got twisted into worshipping of the emperor as a divine being that they said was descended from the gods though and I think that that could be something interesting to work with... Like, there's one group who really believes that there is this one creature that really is part god, one group that doesn't believe in either him/her or the gods, one group that doesn't believe this creature is descended from the gods but believes in the gods and so on and so forth... That's my suggestion for now xD

[Tamber]

Ah cool idea Kanu. lol I was wondering exactly why you had so much specific information about Japanese Shintoism XDD

I just read a bit about Shintoism. It sounds pretty close to what we've been reaching for, as far as the naturalistic feel with the many gods.

Ah yes, the deifying of a person happens often. There are countless things we can due in the process of the story that can build uopn themselves, and that might be one of them.

There is one story I really like, the one of Osiris. He was a king and married his sister Isis. His brother Set wished to have his throne, so he and 70 or so accomplices captured Osiris and killed him. They put him in a coffin and threw him into the Nile. Isis heard of this and became panicked to find Osiris's body, but before she could do so, Set took the coffin, ripped Osiris's body into fourteen pieces, and spread his remains all over Egypt. Isis found all of his body and ressurected him long enough for them to have intercourse, and she had his son, Horus. Osiris then became known as the god of the afterlife and the underworld, I think because Isis buried him.

May not be of any help, but there might be some ideas to play off of there

[cheezeegriff]

Mar 7, 2009 23:37:22 GMT Tamber said:

Set took the coffin, ripped Osiris's body into fourteen pieces, and spread his remains all over Egypt. Isis found all of his body and ressurected him long enough for them to have intercourse, and she had his son, Horus.

Cool:) Kinda like Romeo and Juliet meet Frankenstein ;D

So it seems like everyone's agreed to have a polytheistic religion. Is it still ok if I have my monotheistic religion based on Christianity? I'll have to get working on it, I suppose, but thankfully most of the work's been done for me already.

[Tamber]

Hehe yeah you've got the easy side of the development there, cheez X)

But yes, you may definitely have your Jesusness. Knock yourself out.

[Kirsui]

Mar 7, 2009 23:37:22 GMT Tamber said:

Osiris then became known as the god of the afterlife and the underworld, I think because Isis buried him.

And rudely overthrew Anubis as the god of afterlife as he did so. And to think Anubis was the one who prepared Osiris' body for the afterlife... Poor guy. XD

Actually, Isis found Osiris' body before Set tore it apart. Once Set found the empty coffin he tore Osiris' body into 14 pieces and scattered them across the land. Then Isis wandered around Egypt and searched for those pieces and buried them on the spot where they had been found, after which Osiris became the ruler of afterlife.

The story somewhat continues after that so that Osiris returned later back to the land of the living when Horus had grown up and asked him to revenge his father's death, and that it's said that Osiris will return to rule the land of the living once Set is completely beaten by Horus.

Yes, I'm into Egyptian mythology, if you didn't know it already.

Anyway...! *cough*

I'm going to RP a character following a polytheistic religion anyway, so everything is fine with me really. It'd be fun to try the one with worshipping spirits and being in harmony with nature thing though.

[Tamber]

Alright, so this is what I have in mind so far. I've come up with 15 main gods to center the religion around...

1) Plants, trees, any kind of growth
2) Water, ice, and steam
3) Fire, smoke, and anything hot and/or burning
4) Earth, as in ground, soil, rocks, mountains, landforms, etc.
5) Light
6) Darkness
7) Sun (most likely the top god, lord of all the earth and heavens)
8) Moon
9) Life, fertility, and all creatures
10) Death (not necessarily an evil god, since death in the end is good for the earth)
11) Good and truth
12) Evil and lies
13) War and fighting
14) Peace and happiness
15) The heavens (this wold be like a keeper or guard of the sky, clouds, stars, and other skylike beings aside from the sun and moon)

All the gods will have names, and I will derive them from Latin words. I plan on creating a family tree of the gods, so I will update you with that soon. We've pretty much decided on there being an original prophet who goes around, spreads what he learns from the gods, and grows into infamy I think after death he will be considered as a semi-godly being, living on in the heavens in a prominent position, but not included as a god.

I have this idea of how the animals wouldn't believe in an underworld or hell. They believe that when you die, your body becomes one with the land and your soul rises to live on in a world in the heavens. If you are a particularly "bad" creature, then you join the god of Evil and Lies in the heavens (who is held prisoner by the Sun god and watched closely by the guard of the heavens), working and toiling to tend to the land and the creatures of good in the heavens. If you become more righteous in the afterlife, it is possible to gain your freedom.

I've got more ideas, but I have to go to bed right now...more for later!

[Deleted]

cool, but what we could do aswell, (if it's agreed) is when and if we decided who plays what God we make it go back in time to when they were still roaming the Earth and make it that the two Gods (God of evil and lies and God of war and fighting) defeat these gods, so then they roam the Earth spreading torture etc, and when news gets round about these deaths some animals journey to fight the two Gods so then they are free but won't be sent anywhere bad when they die unless they do something bad in the future. It's then this debate of gods etc, happens. If you know what I mean.

Also I was thinking that all the gods are scattered and different groups of lions start trying to free them and then if they got to the sun god or a more higher up God then the rest they have to either work agaisnt eachother or work together to save all the Gods and restore peace to Earth. If you know what i mean on this one as well.

These are only ideas but I do have a couple more in mind.

[Kirsui]

I don't believe the idea was that we would be playing the gods, only that we'd play lions that believe in these gods.

Plus, if we did play said gods, this RP would somewhat balance between normal RP and fantast RP... so... *shrug*

Personally I like the idea of playing normal lions who believe in gods more than playing the gods themselves. ^^

[KanuTGL]

I agree with Sui :3 I think the original thought was to only have the characters believe in the gods since we don't want the non-believers to be the "bad guys". Though, we'd still have to make up stories about the gods... ;D

And I really, really like your ideas, Zulu! I'm all for carrying on developing them!

[Tamber]

Yeah the whole point of this RP is to play out the world of religion the way it is in real life, where you can only base your beliefs on what you believe to be true, rather than what is literal or what you can see. It will be just like playing religious people.

That's great that you like the idea Kanu! I'll put up more later ^-^

[magiccat]

Great ideas Zulu! I've been thinking pretty heavily about this, and I'm sorry to say that I am hopeless at thinking up ideas

However I have come up with one story and it's entirely based on an Ancient Mythology story. I'm going to use the same names as the story but if somebody else wants to rename the god and goddesses be my guest. Although I might have made some names different to what they should be by accident. Of course the underworld god could be changed to fit Zulu's idea.

Dystopia was the goddess of living things and growth, such as crops, and she had conceived a daughter. Persephone. She asked the god of the ocean to watch over her daughter and make sure that the god of the underworld did not kidnap her. For he wanted Persephone for himself, he asked his brother Zeus (Hey Zulu he has a name like yours ) for help. Eventually Zeus agreed to help and set a trap. One day as Persephone was playing on a hill (or near a waterhole ;D) and she saw an amazing flower. She bent down to pull it out of the earth and when she did the ground split in two. The god of the underworld came out of the crack and took Persephone to his realm.

Meanwhile Dystopia went into mourning and the world started to die. Plants stopped growing and everybody started to stave to death. Finally Hermes the son of Zeus convinced the god of the underworld to hand over Persephone. However when they greeted Dystopia they discovered blood on Persephones lips. Showing she had eaten food in the underworld. Thus meaning that she could never truly leave the underworld. After discussing it with Zeus it was agreed that for 6 months of the year Persephone would live with the god of the underworld. For the other 6 months of the year she would live with her mother.

[kyto7878]

Great Idea's here i wish i had some idea's to suggest but im only 12 years old and dont know much about naming gods or what kind of gods we should have but i love the ideas keep going

[Deleted]

I can't decide anymore right now lol great idea mnagic

[magiccat]

Thanks Misty Oh and I forgot to add that this is meant to be an explanation of seasons.

[Tamber]

Cool story Cat. It makes much more sense knowing it explains seasons XD

We might be able to tie in some things like that. Tomorrow I'm taking a personal day and will be working on all types of things that I need to get done, this being one of them. I also have a late night tonight, so I'll spend some time naming everyone and writing down stories.

What Cat mentioned does bring up a thought. Are there any other things you guys can think of, like seasons, that would be good for exlaining through stories or the assumptions of what gods are doing to make them happen? For instance, in Norse mythology, when it storms it is thought that Thor is angry and is running through the sky in his chariot pulled by two goats. The rumbling of the chariot is the thunder, and when he strikes his axe, it makes lightning.

[Lorien]

Greek Mythology, which is where Magic got her idea, is full of stories that deal with explaining natural things I believe. I'm going shopping to look for a nice gliding chair right now, but I'll do some research when I get back. Great ideas, by the way. This'll be off and running in no time!

[mahewarac]

magiccat: That's a good idea, but may I make a suggestion? Don't use the Greek names, since they ARE Greek.

I think my character would fit best as a non-believer. But can I make a suggestion anyway?

Nguruma- Goddess of Monsters

Nguruma is a goddess born from the spirit of earth and the spirit of beasts. The form of a huge lizard with other animals that can form from it's skin.

She was banished to an underground cave (A prison for the monstrous) when she was young for her form, and later found the other monsters trapped inside. She became their leader, and together they escaped and wreaked havoc across the land. A battle was fought between the monsters and gods, and in the end the monsters were flung back into the ground, in a much deeper and greater secured prison. Legend has it that every time an earthquake occurs, she is trying to get out of her cave.

[Deleted]

By the way I'm Misty_Malaika I changed my user give my novel credit XD just to let you know.

[Jenna]

Argh. I wish I could add something to this but at present I don't have any ideas.
I'm WAY excited to start the story though. All of these religions are going to be really cool to play out.

[Tamber]

This has taken forever, but it's done, this basis of the religion. Some details are not needed, but they are there if you want them. I know tis is humongous but you don't have to read it all at one time. At least give it a once over.

Oh, and I don't have a name for the religioon yet...any suggestioons?

_________________________
Utop (yew-TOPE): Land of the afterlife, a place in the heavens that is the epitome of perfection, a world beyond the livings’ possibility to imagine. Righteous animals of the faith are judged by Xuntu and, if worthy, go on to live with their kind and their loved ones in Utop, where they have unlimited resources, no fear or sadness, and knowledge to the utmost of their ability.

Agon (AH-gone): Land of the sinful and misguided. A dark, dry, and dangerous world, glazed with Ignero’s fires to frighten its prisoners. Agon was created by Solet to punish Nekelto for his rebellion, and, when death was created, to punish those who led a life unworthy of the perfections of Utop. Those in Agon are commanded and overseen by Nekelto, who is not strong enough to refuse to carry out his duty. Agon’s inhabitants are slaves to the righteous ones of Utop, making perfect afterlife possible for them. If one is righteous enough in the afterlife, they may be forgiven by Solet and Xuntu and be given the privilege of living n Utop. Howevr, life in Utop is not an infinite promise for anyone. At any point an animal could lose its privilege and be sent to live in Agon.

Gods
Solet (soh-LET): creator of earth and lord above it all; father of the holy family and protector and master of all things; great, golden lion, whose shiny, golden mane illuminates and appears to the living as the sun.

Alune (uh-LOON): wife of and created by Solet; protector of all that happens during the night, when Solet rests; gentle spirit who casts her peaceful aura over the nighttime; great light blue lioness with gentile eyes, one of them appearing to the living as the moon.

Vista (VIHS-tuh): daughter of Solet and Alune; creator of all life on earth and mistress of the Jayn; goddess of fertility; created by her father and mother to take Solet’s power and infuse earth with life; good-hearted, strong, and very wise, keeping the circle of life in check; small, dainty lioness

Kaelut (KAY-lut): son of Solet and Alune; guardian of the heavens, including the clouds, the stars the nightlights, and all other events in the sky; protects souls who have moved on to Utop and confines Nekelto and his prisoners in Agon; large, incredibly strong, and very muscular maneless lion, bearing a powerful staff.

Jayn: the four angels of the elements: created and ruled by Vista to physically give what is essential for life on earth; all small, winged lions

Inserene (ihn-sare-EEN): Jayn of Plantlife; literally has a “green thumb”; has green paw pads that can plant seeds, sprout new plants, give growth to dying ones, and everything in between; green lioness with hair of leaves and vines, whose wings can spread and whip out to spread new growth around a large area; constantly in good, peaceful spirits, a smile always on her face, except for when her creations are killed in an unjust way, when she cries softly to herself

Ignero (ihg-NARE-oh): Jayn of Fire; breathes fire and heat upon the land; instigator of volcanoes, embers, smoke, hot weather, and anything dealing with fire; not always in the greatest of moods; likes to play pranks on Inserene and burn her creations; also pranks Queri with geysers and steam vents; his greatest spread of anger occurs through a volcanic eruption. These anger Solet greatly, and because of eruptions and unnecessary destruction caused by Ignero, he has been punished by Solet on many occasions; likes to rebel against Vista, though she does have use for him, and not all his actions are a fit of rebellion; at times does Nekelto’s bidding and in return receives slavework from prisoners of Agon; red lion with a fire mane along most of his back, bearing scars he has received from his beatings

Queri (KWARE-ee): Jayn of Water; casts the earth with water in all forms, from ice, snow, and hail, to rain, rivers, lakes, and oceans, even to evaporating water; when water evaporates, it is returning to her, in order for her to refresh it and send it back to the earth through precipitation; carries soft, cloth pitcher that pours her water over the land; very serious about her work and sometimes appearing stern, but is in fact an honest and good goddess; she often becomes angry with Ignero for his killing and destruction of Inserene’s plants and Vista’s creatures, therefore made her water so that it could wipe out his fire if it becomes out of hand, then use it to feed Inserene’s creations; it is cloudy when it rains because clouds are Ignero’s smoke, and Queri must extinguish his flames; in her furies she spurs up rapids, huge waves, and dangerous storms; blue and white lioness with a watery tail

Geomere (JEE-oh-meer): Jayn of Earth; constructs the ground, and all its landforms, like mountains, cliffs, valleys, and such; creates rocks, soil, sand, and all other non-living substances of earth; is more mellow and easy-going than Ignero or Queri, but not quite as happy-go-lucky as Inserene; is greatly influenced by Kaelut, who assisted Solet in creating the heavens; attempts to make Earth in their image, but cannot duplicate the greatness of Utop; Geomere does have the tendency, on rare occasions, to slip into enormous rages, such as in earthquakes and landslides, but does not remain furious for long; yellowy-beige lion with a short mane, stony legs, and large, strong claws and powerful wings for shaping the land

Seasons are explained thusly: In the wet season, Queri feeds the earth with moisture and allows Inserene’s creations to grow and prosper, allowing Vista’s creatures to thrive and multiply, as well as die off and travel to the heavens when being hunted. Queri and Inserene work constantly however, unlike Ignero and Geomere. Their constant work is necessary for life to thrive, therefore they work non-stop, and they need time to rest, as Solet does during the night and Alune does during the day. This takes place during the dry season, when Queri lessens the amount of moisture she brings to earth. She retrieves much of the earth’s moisture so she can acquire and save up energy from it. During this time, Isnerene’s creations suffer, and she is saddened, but she must rest so they may prosper in the wet season. When Queri and Inserene are rejuvenated, they work hand in hand to bring life back to earth.

Nekelto (neh-KEL-toh): inferior brother of Solet; god of evil and lies; was created by Solet to give him company and assistance in creating the earth, but was defeated by him in a great, apocalyptic fight for power that ravished the earth as we know it, leaving it hot, dry, angry, and lifeless; after losing the fight, Solet took much of Nekelto’s power and confined him to a bleak new world within the heavens; the world was made especially for him, a dark, painful, and dismal land called Agon; Nekelto was to stay in Agon for eternity and suffer for trying to overpower his creator; Nekelto now is the guardian of the deceased, less righteous animals, and Solet imposed upon him the job of slaving over the good animals of Utop; Nekelto, under Kaelut’s close watch, commands the Agonians and lives with them as the lord of Agon; in his fits of rage, he often attempts to escape from Agon, but is usually defeated by Kaelut before he is able to do so; this shows to the living in the form of a storm, and Nekelto’s evil infuriates Queri, who curses and cries, creating angry rain; if Nekelto is defeated and kept inside, the day after will be sunny; if he escapes and runs off into an undisclosed location in the heavens, the days will continue to be cloudy, and it is a bad omen that bad times are coming; cloudy days after a storm are frightening for believers, for they believe that clouds are puffs of smoke created by Ignero. When Solet cannot be seen beyond the clouds, it is thought that Ignero is doing Nekelto’s bidding in the heavens. Once a sunny day returns they know Nekelto has been re-confined by Solet and/or Kaelut; Nekelto is a black lion with long, pointy ears, large but thin from his loss of power from Solet, which makes it so hard for him to escape Agon.

Xuntu (ZOON-too): god of death, or, more correctly, god of passing the soul on to the heavens and readying the body for assistance to the good of the earth; son of Vista and Paj; Vista wanted Xuntu’s existence for she knew that with life must come death; Xuntu comes to earth at a creature’s time for passing; he takes its life, then brings its soul to the heavens and judges whether it is worthy of Utop or must pay its debts in Agon; Vista had her son and changed him into the form of a baboon, for baboons have great intelligence, and this allows Xuntu to judge when and how the animal should die; it also gives him great memory so he may remember the good and bad things the animals have done in their lifetimes so he may judge where they should go; baboon with great wings and sharp teeth

Bella (BELL-uh): goddess of war and fighting; sister of Paj and daughter of Alune and Nekelto; Nekelto became angry with Solet after he was given the duty of overseeing Agon and serving the good, so after centuries of scheming and planning, he escaped from Agon and assaulted Alune for revenge. When Solet heard of this he slashed his brother across the face and left him with one eye. He then cursed the children and turned them into hideous creatures, turning Bella into a heyena; Bella infects the living with greed, hatred, anger, and aggression towards each other so they may fight; she is given pleasure and power through earth’s hatred, and she in turn gives some of her power to her beloved father; she has received beatings from Solet, as well, and has scars and chips from her ears; after the creation of Xuntu, Bella realized the potential of death creating fear in the world, so she now uses it to heighten the animal’s negative senses and feelings; Bella created pain and suffering and associated it with death; this is why animals are frightened of death

Paj: god of peace and happiness; brother of Bella and son of Nekelto and Alune; chose to differ from his sister and father and take after his mother, uncle Solet, and half sister/mate Vista; Paj admired his mother and strongly disliked his sister, and also was attracted to Vista, so he chose to contrast Bella and battle her for earthly peace; Vista was impressed with him, so she chose to have her son Xuntu with him; Paj was changed by Solet into an ugly warthog at birth, but because he had become righteous, unlike Bella, Solet changed him into a black panther, much stronger and more beautiful, but still inferior to the strength and intelligence of a lion; Paj is black with bright blue eyes and toes, and Solet granted him with wings

Morals and ethics:

-animals must use their assets to survive in the world
-animals must do their best to procreate to bring forth new life
-animals must never abuse their Vista-given abilities to unnecessarily harm other creatures unless it is in order to survive or for a righteous purpous.
-worshipping Nekelto or Bella is forbidden; these gods represent evil and pain, and worshipping them or doing their bidding will bring pain to the animal that does so
-no god shall be worshipped higher than Solet; other good gods in the faith may be prayed to, but Solet remains the highest and mightiest
-animals must pray regularly to the gods, or they may be deprived of the gods’ gifts
-animals must give and be generous to those less strong or fortunate than them
-an animal of the faith should do its best to teach non-believers and convert them, for those who do not worship the gods will forever dwell in Agon, serve the good believers, and will lack the opportunity to move on to a life in Utop.
-animals must love and respect one another until survival disables them to do so.

Tulon (tu-LONE): Original prophet of the faith. Tulon was a very large and mighty liger (lion/tiger) living in the early days of Solet’s rebirth of Earth after conquering Nekelto. Solet had created many creatures, most of the ones we know today, but he wished to create something magnificent and worthy of respect. Tulon was born to Janya, a tigress, and Phoebus, the mightiest of lions. In these early days, death had not yet been invented, only Vista, the Layn, and therefore life, so Tulon lived for one thousand one hundred and eleven years. He grew and, with time, became very strong, yet very gentle, and the ideal creature in Solet’s eyes. No creature has matched his perfection since.

Solet had never spoken directly to the living before, but he had been planning for centuries, and he finally decided that Tulon was the one he had been looking for. To begin, when Tulon was about 400 years old, Solet sent the Jayn to speak with him. Sending one at a time, once every three days, he first sent the peaceful Inserene, then the rebellious Ignero, followed by the strong and clear-minded Queri, and finally Geomere, the gentle and powerful. The Jayn spoke privately with Tulon and asked him what he thought they were, where they came from, and why they were there. He would answer incorrectly, and the Jayn would tell him of themselves, their jobs, of the heavens, and of Solet himself. They told him of Solet’s great power and generosity, spending hours with the liger telling stories of the Earth’s creation and fights and deals among the gods. Tulon was at first quite skeptical of his sanity, but after twelve days, when Inserene returned once more on the regular third day, Tulono was nearly convinced. He listened intently to the stories and the lessons of the Jayn, and he took it all in, registering it in the ideal memory that Solet granted him with.

Solet had been speaking with the Jayn for many months, and he began to ask them if he would get to meet Solet. They told him that he would, but he waited for nearly a year until Solet finally decided to speak with him. As the sun rose in the morning, Tulon awoke early and watched it rise from the very first moment he could see it. Before long he heard a voice within his mind, and the face of a mighty lion appeared in the center of the sun. The sun’s rays acted as his waving mane. Solet spoke to Tulon, proving his existence and power. He told Tulon to spread his message, to take what he had learned from the Jayn and tell the animals of the world. Tulon was unsure of whether he could complete this task but Solet had faith in him, and he vowed to try. From then on out, Tulon was never spoken to by the Jayn again, having the knowledge and insight to teach and learn lessons with godly accuracy.

So Tulon traveled over the plains and into the forests and mountains, teaching the animals and adopting a few as his fellow teachers. He told them the Jayns’ stories and of his visit by Solet. He pointed to the sun and told them of Solet’s shining mane, showed them the moon and told all he had learned about Alune. He also spread word of Nekelto and his anger. This presented little fear to the animals until Bella was born and fear was invented. The word of Solet spread across the lands. Tulon had his enemies, but Earth was completely peaceful until Bella came into existence.

When Xuntu was born and given his occupation, Solet was forced to speak with Tulon once again. He gave him the news of Xunu’s duty and said that before long, animals would begin to leave his world and move into the next, into the heavens. Tulon promised to spread the word, and he did so. The animals understood and were eager to move on to a new, more exciting world, and living the way Tulon had taught them to, they knew they would go on to live in Utop. Tulon soon watched animals die away and even caught a glimpse of Xuntu as he lifted one to the heavens.

Solet had not yet decided to take Tulon’s life, but he knew that someday it would have to be done. When Bella grew of age and created fear, pain, anger, hatred, and other dreadful feelings and put their burden on the world, Tulon knew something was not right. The animals were complaining of bad sensations as Tulon began to feel them himself, and he went to speak with Solet again. Solet accepted his request and told him of Bella. For the first time Tulon was truly frightened, as were the others. They were frightened of death and pain, of seeing Bella, Nekelto, Agon, and even Xuntu. The world became much more retched, and Tulon felt it necessary to spread his word more widely and more forcefully.

At last, Solet decided that Tulon had lived long enough. It was his time. One day two witnesses watched as Tulon died in the grasses, and they vowed to keep his teachings strong. It is believed that Tulon holds a special place in the heavens.
________________________
So that's what I've got. Please mention any suggestions...I don't want to dictate this religion if others have ideas. Speak up.

[Zorayda]

Wow... excellent work Zulu!

A name for the religion... how about...

Hemelism (african "hemel" for heaven)
Gelukkigism (african "gelukkig" for happy)

[genie]

now different religions are mentioned i notice but i'm just wondering if you've considered the other things - though typically ancient religions defined multiple gods but they also defined other things such as:
greater spirits
lesser spirits
immortal creatures (such as elves)
monsters (myth is full of such)
heroes - the tales of greatness both mortal and immortal

hehe sorry, not trying to be difficult

[Tamber]

Not difficult at all, Genie. Those are good suggestions and I considered working on some mythical creatures and things, but it would have made the story a lot longer and maybe a bit off-topic. If anyone wants to develoop something like that, they certainly can.

Yeah, the lesser angels and things...like the archangels and super-duper angels in Christianity. I gave that a mild shot and made the Jayn angels but not gods. Also Tulon is not a god but is some kind of divine figure. Again not very in depth, but a good suggestion. Thanks Gen

And good ideas from you Zorayda. I like Hemmelism, if I had to choose between your choices, just because I have trouble always picturing a religion as always attempting happiness *shrug*...that's just my heathen opinion.

[magiccat]

Awesome Zulu . That's all I can really say. I can't think of anything else to add to that it's so...awesomely awesome.

[KanuTGL]

Very impressive work there, Zulu! *claps* I like!
There certainly needs to be different legends and stories about the gods and Jayn too... I'd feel up to writing at least a few ;D

As for religion names... I carried on looking for Latin words and came up with these things for now -

Utopism (that sounds a little too close to "Utopia" though, so I don't know about that one)
Aetherism [Aether = heaven] (since the goal is to get to the heavens in Utop)
Pedesism [pedes = walking] (because... you walk through life to Utop I suppose? xD)
Vatesism [vates = prophet] (Tulon is a very important figure. Though I'm not sure how the gods would like their teachings to be named after their prophet, hehe)
Deus Lacuna/Vates Lacuna (that sounds more like a sect though... xD) [Deus = god, lacuna = words ie. "God's/Prophet's Words"]

I don't know about those two last ones... I don't know how fond of them I am myself, but I threw them in anyway. My favourite is "Aetherism" I think.

[Jenna]

Woah. you weren't kidding when you said it was long lol.
This looks really great Zulu. As far as a name goes, I like Pedesism... But that's just me lol

[Tamber]

Thanks guys. Hehe yeah...pretty long, but I hope not too long. Awesome suggestions, Kanu! I like Aetherism, too, as well as Vatesism, just by the sounds. Aetherism has a cool meaning. Pedesism sounds cool, too, but my only personal beef with it is that is kind of sounds like "pessimism"

I've got a few suggestions...perhaps we could settle this with a poll at some point...
Tabiism ("tabia" being the swahili word for "nature")
Dunism ("dunia" being swahili for "life")
Juai ("jua" being swahili for "sun")

Yeah that's all I've got for now...gotta go eat.