Cebretine Church of Shurrah

Cebretine is the central religion in Shurrah and is founded on the principles that there is one Creator who is the true god. The name of this god is not known, but the church has decided to call him "Cebret" after an ancient term for Creator. While other beings might be called gods by pagans, the powers they derive from them are ultimately sourced in the Creator. The faith has found its way throughout the region of Daresia, and even reaching as far as other continents.

Loyal followers of Cebretine are noted for several traits; they are quite confident in being right - almost to the point of arrogance, they believe that bad things happen to bad people, and therefore if you are good you will prosper, and they have a an absolute adherence to any promise they make. Breaking a promise or vow is one of the worst evils a believer can commit. Priests are highly encouraged to study and learn - not only about their faith, but others as well. This has lead to a reputation that they are learned people in a variety of fields.

Seat of the Faith

The religion of Cebretine is no longer particular to any one part of the Wyrld, having spread across Darisia and even to other nations far away. The largest temple can be found in the capital city of Shurrah, Coer-maen, all though most large cities have some sort of temple or holy place set aside. The main temple recieves regular monetary support from all of its smaller "daughters" in exchange for learned visitors, and other church resources. Worship of Cebret has reached across racial divisions, finding support from many non-humans.

Tenets, Beliefs, and Dogma

The major tenets of the Cebretine church can be found in their Articles of Faith. This list of eight points serves as the core for their beliefs. These points are as follows:

• We believe in one Creator, worshipped im many forms and called by many names.
• We believe that men will be punished for their wrongs against both mortal and heavenly beings.
• We believe that a life lived in accordance with the teaching of Cebretes and free of all major errors or wrongs will lead to salvation by the elevtion of the Creator.
• We believe that the core traits of the Creator are integrity, knowledge and confidence.
• We believe that the Cebretine church is te true authority on the teachings of the Creator.
• We believe that the Creator has massive power ready to bestow upon the faithful - but the weakness and error of mortals limit the true power that can be made manifest.
• We believe the wisdom and tradition of the Church to be free of error.

The priests of Cebretine spend much of ther time reading books and learning as much as possible. They enjoy a healthy competition with believers of Torranak, and engage on a regular basis with them in strategy games. However, the priests of Cebrets spend much of their time preaching through the streets, and trying to "convict" others of their wrongdoing. They also believe that violence solves little, and is a waste of time. One of their favorite quotes is, "Violence is like pulling flowers from the ground."

One of the beliefs that the typical parishoner values greatly is that Cebrets will reward those who do good. This leads themn to perform ethical behavior and volunteer their time for good causes in the hopes of pleasing the Creator.

The other strange thing about the Cebretine church is that all of the ceremonies and worship services are performed in a strange and foreign tongue. This language is only taught to those who enter the priesthood, and is what all of the holy writings are in. The name of the language has been lost over time,and is simply referred to as the "heavenly language."

Relations to Other Faiths

Followers and priests of Cebretes are sometimes disliked greatlly by followers of other deities. Their arrogance, but backed with solid reasoning makes them difficult to reason with or win a debate with. The verbal conflicts they have had with followers of Torranak are legendary. Due to the power the church has in the government of Shurrah, many seek not to offend this church for fear of losing trading rights.

Factions and Heresies

There have been many heresies in the church throughout the ages. One of the oldest hersies, and most fiercely combated involves the idea that the truth of Cebretes is worth fighting for. This belief, known as Sulastic thinking, has been highly ridiculed as being the way out of the uninformed and foolish. Another large heresy that the church has fought off is that of Universalism, or the idea the Cebretes only exists within the spirits and souls of all the creation. That there is no central Creator being. Both of these have been fought down with both learned debate, and references from their holy book, the Arnasella.

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