Hanctheism
| Hanctheism | |
|---|---|
| Baiq Ba-Shi | |
 | |
| Language | Classical Kwang |
| Headquarters | Jwanna, Thòunnha |
| Territory | Domain of the True Sun |
| Separated from | Haomism |
| Number of followers | 1.83 billion (1995) |
Hanctheism (Kwang: Baiq Ba-Shi 'Sovereign-Sun religion') is a monotheistic interpretation of Haomism. Its scripture affirms the role of Hounshi as the utmost important creator solar deity, and declares the worship of the rest of the traditional Haomist pantheon as heretical.
Name
The term Hanctheism comes from the Greco-Roman name for Hounshi, Hanthēus, itself derived from the Middle Kwang pronunciation of the name (hàng thi).
The Kwang name, Baiq Ba-Shi, translated as the Sovereign-Sun Religion, refers to the status of the Sun being the utmost important deity in this religion.
Beliefs
Avatar of Hounshi
The concept of the Avatar of Hounshi existed as an optional epithet for reigning emperors long before its official adoption by Hanctheism. Under the Byàn Dynasty, the Witaiq Emperor was declared as the head of the Hanctheist faith, and the literal embodiment of Hounshi in the mortal world. Past emperors who reigned during a confirmed unified dynasty were retroactively declared Avatars of Hounshi, placing the Witaiq Emperor as the 100th Avatar.
The association between the emperor and divinity provided the Byàn Dynasty with a mostly unchallenged reign, as contenders to the Solar Throne now required legitimacy from the Hanctheist clergy, which coincidentally would be headed by the reigning emperor himself. As such, the quick conversion of the Qonklese masses was necessary to provide the Byàn authorities unchallenged rule that would be long-lasting.
Nyansàn
The Hanctheist nyansàn (lit. 'arrive to pray') is a pilgrimage conducted at least once in life to the Jwanna Grand Temple. The rites of the pilgrimage should commence ten days before the autumn equinox. Unlike the Haomist nyansàn where the pilgrim could choose any holy site, the Hanctheist nyansàn must be conducted to the Jwanna Grand Temple.
Like in Haomism, the completion of the nyansàn gains one the honourific prefix oun (lit. 'clear, bright'), replacing instances involving the default honorific tàn.
Early History
Early forms of Hanctheism can be traced back to the ideologies adapted by righteous peasant armies that arose during the chaos of the Two-Hundred-Year Unrest (1043-1293), where Qonklaks underwent dynastic change in quick succession and faced an invasion from northern Öörzic nomads, most notably the X Horde.
Hanctheism's central dogma of monotheism which centers Hounshi as the sole deity to be worshipped was promoted by philosopher-priest Waun Jìsõ in a series of open letters written during the early Ha Dynasty. He argued that the reason the then-current age of unrest was due to the fact that Hounshi was never meant to be part of a pantheon of gods, and that worship should be concentrated only to him.
By the turn of the 12th century, numerous righteous armies adapted this ideology, and began to systematically demolish any shrine they would come across that housed the old gods of Haomism. Naturally, these actions were seen as heretical by the Haomist establishment. Early converts to Hanctheism would face religious persecution if caught by authorities. During this period, law enforcement would force suspects to pray or make sacrifices to a minor Haomist god, such as the god of the underworld Hài Jaw, to determine whether they were really a Hanctheist.
Among the righteous armies, Nã Wein and his Order of the Four Sages, founded in 1195, would lead an uprising that saw the establishment of the first Hanctheist state, Oun Byàn, in 1204. Nã Tha, grandson of Nã Wein, would unite Qonklaks under his banner by 1293, founding the Byàn Dynasty as the Witaiq Emperor.
First Schism
The Hanctheist clergy, like the Haomist clergy before them, initially tolerated the unanswered question of the nature of life after death. Under Haomism, whether the soul of a deceased person would enter an afterlife (a heaven or a hell), or undergo a cycle of reincarnation, was up to the individual practitioner. As the Hanctheist clergy was significantly more organized than the Haomist clergy ever was, such unanswered philosophical questions could no longer be tolerated.
The resulting conflict split the Hanctheist world into two: that of the paradisiacs, who believed the soul would enter another realm forever upon death, and the samsarics, who believed the soul would be reborn into another body. The Witaiq Emperor attempted to mend the schism with an imperial edict, declaring Samsaric Hanctheism to be the prevailing ideology. He reasoned that if Hounshi could reincarnate a part of Himself within every Avatar of Hounshi, then it would not be wrong to think that a human soul could do the same.
Spread to Sharrat
Hanctheism spread to Sharrat via the maritime silkroad, faciliated by the rise of Qonklese shipping companies like the Hĩ Houngoun (HHG), founded in 1301 to protect shipping convoys travessing the Bhagavati maritime trade routes. The establishment of a permanent Qonklese presence in Sharrat, specifically the trading colony of Kyèwaun, facilitated in the further spread of Hanctheism in the region.
Jiqjõ Reformation
The Jiqjõ Reformation, observed under the reign of the Jiqjõ Emperor, saw several key changes to Haomism.
Separation of Emperor and Avatar of Hounshi
The interpretations of the Jiqjõ Emperor's third haemorasis ritual advised that to ensure the longevity of the Byàn imperial lineage, the role of Emperor and Avatar of Hounshi must be separated, or else the bloodline could meet an untimely end. As such, the Jiqjõ Emperor declared in 1745 that none of his successors would become Avatar of Hounshi.
The new Avatar of Hounshi would henceforth be selected by a long ceremonial process, where upon the death of an Avatar of Hounshi, clergymen would travel across Qonklaks and locate potential reincarnations of the avatar amongst young children, and bring them to the Jwanna Grand Temple in Jwanna, Thòunnha Province. There, candidates would be placed before an assortment of objects, where one of them would have been items used or owned by the previous avatar. Should a candidate select the correct item, he or she would be declared the next Avatar of Hounshi.
Holy Jwanna, City of the Sun
In 1833, the city of Holy Jwanna, the holy seat of the Avatar of Hounshi, became de jure independent from Qonklaks as part of a means to further the spreading of Hanctheism globally, as having its headquarters be controlled by a world power was deemed disadvantageous.
Persecution under Cenonism
As part of the state atheism practiced by the Union of Democratic Revolutionary Qonklaks, the government began to limit the amount of travellers entering Qonklaks for religious reasons, providing visas to only 50,000 pilgrims seeking to make nyansàn every year starting from February 28th, 1952. This crackdown was intensified when the government declared that it would longer provide visas for foreigners travelling to Qonklaks under religious reasons, such as making nyansàn to Holy Jwanna, on November 3rd, 1962. On the same day, Holy Jwanna would no longer be considered an independent city-state, and would be annexed back into Qonklaks.
Nuclear Crisis of 1962
The United States of Ishkur's Hanctheist lobby urged its government to take action....