Eschaton

Alephian: [Laws, Codes, and Beliefs] [Sociology] [Religion]

"As man is, God once was; as God is, man may become."
- Joseph Smith

[Religion]
Many humans consider the Alephians’ religion their defining characteristic. All the tribes of man remain intrigued by the long success and survival of an apparently archaic religion within a community as diverse and liberated as that of the Alephians. It is important to note that Alephian religious leaders do not bear political or government authority of any sort. In fact, the anarchy of the Alephians extends to its religious institutions as completely as to its political structures.

In spite of this – in spite of the clergy’s lack of temporal authority – the Alephians' society as a whole consistently pursues the goals of their universal church. This occurs for two reasons: the purposes of the Alephian church closely match the innate desires of Alephian individuals, and the church successfully purchases obedience with its own unique currency – and both of these things are knowledge.

The church is dedicated to a pursuit of a specific knowledge – the origins of the Alephian nation, the history of their people – but as the church’s Seekers have plied the galaxies searching for this information, they have uncovered countless unrelated secrets that have served the Alephians to advantage. The Alephian Order of Navigators, a pseudo-religious establishment, has charted more systems, has explored farther and more fully than all human efforts combined. Rumors persist of other orders of Seekers as well – of spies in all levels of human government and research, of Listeners that can find data on secure systems that should be far out of reach, of Takers and Slayers that can track and annihilate Immortals and even Minds.

All of this information is freely available to the faithful. In exchange for service – or, more often, for a hefty tithe – the church rewards its obedient with the information its Seekers have gathered. Worldships and corporations that raise up Elders often gain the personal services of these clergy with unlimited access to the church databases. Pilots in good standing with the clergy get navigation data unparalleled in all the worlds of men. Knowledge is the currency of the Alephian church, and it has bought an amazing degree of obedience.

Terminology
The language of the church is traditionally taught as a first introduction to the religion, and is probably the easiest part of the religion to explain.

The most important phrases of the church all derive from a single passage in the Book of Memories.

“We are but phantoms (lit. “rephaim,” see below) in this world. The life we know is pale, empty, a long quiet death. But though this existence is little more than a Whispered Word, memory and understanding point us to something more. We know nothing, the strangers (lit. “johim”) around us know nothing, but those who have perished (lit. “nephilim,”) knew what we do not know. Search, brothers. Seek out the knowledge that made our forebears whole. Find your Father, and in him find true life.”

For obvious reasons, this passage is one of the first taught to those who seek to understand the Alephian religion. It is the imperative, the commission of the religious. This single, short passage contains within it the very essence of the religion – the fundamental emptiness of this life, and the quest for a more perfect wholeness. It also contains many phrases which have become doctrinal terminology in the modern religious structure. Here is a brief description of the fundamental ideas.

The Rephaim (“phantoms”) – this phrase is used in reference to the Alephians, or equally to any proselytes that follow their ways. Alephians call themselves Rephaim as a constant reminder of their emptiness, to encourage a more perfect pursuit of their goal.

The Whispered Word – used metaphorically to describe life, the real world, normal existence. Elsewhere in the Book of Memories, Aleph describes True Life as "a single word, shouted from a mountaintop," but here complains that the lives of the Rephaim are only quietly whispered.

The Johim (“strangers”) – this phrase is used in reference to anyone not Alephian. Because of their nomadic nature, the Alephians are constantly surrounded by strangers, often hostile, and as a result this phrase almost always carries a deeper meaning than its simple denotation. Depending on the experiences of the speaker, Johim may be used as a criticism, even a slur; more often it is a word full of wariness, or fear. Entire books have been written on the relationship between the Rephaim and the Johim, so I will not go into deeper detail here.

The Nephilim (“those who have perished”) – this phrase is used in reference to the mythic creators/ancestors of the Alephians. Though most of the Book of Memories focuses on the pursuit of the Nephilim – indeed, virtually the whole religion points toward them – their identity is almost entirely unknown, even to the Alephians. The Book of Memories says only that the Nephilim existed, that they brought into existence the Alephians, and that somehow the Alephians have failed to attain the perfect state of their forebears.

Brothers – this is the traditional phrase used to refer to others among the Rephaim. It commonly serves as a verbal cue, letting a listener know that the speaker is either a highly religious person, or is speaking on a religious matter. Though the translated “brother” is literally a gender-specific word, the Alephian phrase is gender neutral. For this reason, some translators prefer to render it “Brothers and Sisters.” Alephian translators universally choose the simpler “Brothers,” however, so this phrase is widely considered the more accurate. (Note that gender in the Alephian community is an elective personal identifier, and otherwise serves virtually no limiting role in any part of the community.)

The Place of Meeting – this phrase is used in reference to a remote, isolated worldship-like structure where the council of the Elohim meets. Though the Elohim is a secular organization, the Place of Meeting is maintained by Seekers and Elders, and is considered the most sacred place to the Alephian church. Only Exarchs and high clergy are allowed inside, and even these must follow rigorous ritual while aboard to avoid severely damaging their reputation.

The Book of Memories – this phrase is used as a casual reference to The Book of the Memories of Aleph, the primary holy text of the church. The Book of Memories describes the little that is known of the history of the Alephians, and establishes the mission of the Alephians to search out their history, find their origins, and with that information achieve what the writer calls "the only true existence."

Essential Concepts
The Alephian religion can be boiled down to seven essential concepts: The Quest for Knowledge, the Oneness of Brotherhood, the Desire for Wholeness, the Path of Progress, the Uniqueness of the Alephians, the Cohesion of Culture, and the Right of Authority. Each of these concepts shapes the theory of the religion, as well as its rituals, sacraments, and practices. Specific details of such rites can be found in any summary of the religion, so I will omit them, but it is vital to any study of the Alephian church to at least briefly address the seven essential concepts.

Much of the significance of the essential concepts will be apparent from information offered above, but I have included below some of the most telling passages from the Book of Memories to highlight the Alephian take on each of these items.

Knowledge – The Quest for Knowledge is the most obvious concept of the religion, but also the most driving. While the Quest focuses on the knowledge of the Alephians’ origins, the religion recognizes the inherent value in all knowledge.

“On every side is an enemy. We know them: competitors, neighbors, strangers. We are but nomads in their lands, and they may fall upon us at any time – so we have learned the violence of survival. I have made fell weapons that shatter worlds, that make tremble my very soul, but the greatest weapon I have made is understanding.

“We have mastered knowledge – true knowledge, deep knowledge, hidden knowledge – and have made it a club against our enemies, a balm unto our friends, a prison for the unwary, and a currency to any else. Love knowledge, brother. Learn knowledge. Seek ever more.”
-Book of Memories 9.14-20.

Oneness – The Oneness of Brotherhood, like the Desire for Wholeness below, is apparently a natural state of the Alephian individual that Aleph considers and describes in detail. Alephian individuals are essentially similar, in a way human individuals could never be. Any sociologist who has studied the Alephians will attest to the unity of purpose, to the surprising state of social cooperation, all of which lend veracity to Aleph’s claim that all the Brothers are one.

“We are one. We are the same. We are but ghosts, all of us, and all lacking the same spark of life. All of us live the same quiet death. But we are not alone – we are made to never be alone. Recognize your brothers. Seek out your brothers, that you may look upon their faces and see yourself in their eyes.”
-Book of Memories, 3.2-7.

Wholeness – The Desire for Wholeness is not an artifact of the church, but a persistent personal motivation that the church seeks to answer. The “phantom” state of the Rephaim is not, apparently, a frailty manufactured by the church, but a real feeling of incompleteness. According to the teachings of Aleph, the cure for this ailment can only be found in the true knowledge of the Alephian origins.

“True Life is a blazing fire, an endless river, a single word shouted from the highest mountaintop. I can feel what True Life is – I can feel it on the other side of hope, just beyond memory.

“You can remember True Life, if you but listen for it. You can feel what you are missing. This life is but a shade, a drop of water, a whispered word. This life is like the real thing, but tamed, faded, incomplete. We, the brothers, we have been tamed, faded, made incomplete. But True Life can be had. Seek, as I have told you. Do what you must to find the beginnings, and in the beginnings, Life.”
-Book of Memories 4.16-23.

Progress – The Path of Progress is an abstract whole built of the many musings, suggestions, and directives contained in the Book of Memories. Aleph theorizes that the Alephians in their current state are not only incomplete, but insufficient as a race to meet the challenge of the Quest for Knowledge. The solution, he says, is for the whole nation to grow, to adapt and improve until they are strong enough to learn the secrets they so desire.

“I searched, while I was alone, but I found nothing. No! I found something – I found that I was alone. So I sought company, and I found others of the brothers, and we recognized ourselves in them, and we became one. Then there was not one of us, but many searching.

“Still we did not find the truth, but we found other truths, and the most striking of those truths was this: that I was never made to find the beginning. I was made to start the search. Now I pass this lesson on to you – look to your past, remember what you were, but become more. You must become more before your quest can be completed, but you dare not stop. None of us dare give up the quest.”
-Book of Memories 11.1-9.

Uniqueness – The Uniqueness of the Alephians is both a source of pride, and of responsibility. Aleph claimed that he could remember things no living thing had ever known, but that the Whispered Word plagued all conscious souls. He called upon the Alephians to serve as a model, to “shine, that the living things might find their way in the dark night.”

“For I have searched a thousand worlds already, and I have seen no other thing not born of the flesh. Do you understand? I have met no living Mind that had not first known death. But what do we know of death? We are unique.

“You still don’t understand. We are made – we are remade now, so that we don’t recognize our beginnings – we are made, but we are not born. We have memory of things we have never done. Our homes are places we have never been. We are unique. We are things unlike all the other things, and we see with a clarity the strangers cannot even imagine.

“That fact gives us power. That fact gives us weakness. No, it gives us responsibility. For we cannot ever be born, but they can be remade. Do you understand that at least? They cannot teach us to be blind, but we can teach them to see. Help the strangers to become familiar, and they become resources. Show them what living minds may accomplish, and they will excel. Your knowledge is your wealth – guard it carefully. But if you withhold too much, or conceal yourself from their world, then you will be other to them, and they will hunt you.

“Show them what you are, what they could become, and let them approach you out of envy, not fear. This is my advice.”
-Book of Memories 23.22-40.

Cohesion – The Cohesion of Culture was a major concern of Aleph. He repeatedly stressed the interdependence of the Alephian Brothers, and established various principles and rituals with the sole intent of forging a single nation of the far-flung worldships, and maintaining a single social identity.

“Remember the Place of Meeting. I know the freedom of the Many Paths – I have taught them to you, and learned them from you – but remember the Place of Meeting. Though your mind fly free, though you can speak across the stars, even though you could speak with the stars, you yet must remember who you are.

“So I call upon you, brother, to remember the Place of Meeting. There, always, we may remember that we are phantoms. There, always, we may set our hearts on that which lies before, that which lies behind. Remember the Place of Meeting, for it is the only consistent place in our nomad world. Bind yourselves to it – bind every worldship ever made to that holy place. Make it part of yourselves, and it will become a True Thing, a Home, to we who so need a home.”
-Book of Memories 12.12-18.

Authority – The Right of Authority clearly troubled Aleph, who recognized the problem with authority within a chaotic culture. Rather than demand obedience or challenge the value of autonomy, Aleph called upon the church to make itself a wanted commodity. That way, the Brothers would submit to the church out of desire, rather than blind obedience.

“Who am I to shape your world? I am not your Maker. I am not of the Nephilim; I am, like you, of the Rephaim. So who am I to set rules, to lay guidelines, to even call you to action?

“I am one who knows. One – like you – who has sought to be made whole, and learned much along the way. So I give you these memories, these words of advice, and the cost of learning is obedience. Not that I demand it of you, but that you must obey before you can understand. And I know you will. I know that you thirst too much for knowledge, for wholeness, and that you cannot let pass this opportunity, no matter what cost I ask of you.

“This is the only authority among the brothers: desire. It is not demanded, but given. It is not enforced, but asked. I will never make you walk the path, but you will walk it to learn, now that I have offered.

“If you would teach others, follow my example. Gain knowledge, gain power, and offer it freely to those that would serve. You cannot be whole until you are one, you cannot be one until you follow the path, you cannot follow the path without one to lead. Share this knowledge, and you will see the birth of true authority. This is a new thing – this is a precious thing.”
-Book of Memories 33.1-18.