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Sep 29, 2015 - 09:55 PM |
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Deities of the Merkins: Bilni |
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In the wake of the collapse, religion was shaken up as badly as any other part of life. Even if the demographics of religious belief hadn't changed, the documented proof of deities being demonstrably real and prone to meddling would unsettle old structures. As it happened, however, the opportunity to drag old gods out of mothballs was too tempting to resist. This is for the best, as the hundreds of gods squabbling over turf makes it impossible for one god (or even one pantheon) to establish the sort of meaningful dominance that would make their particular teachings really stick (and by "stick", I mean "distort the nature of reality"; Anubis' more eager followers are presumably on board with the weighing process, but most of us would fare poorly).
The most exciting part of all this, for the dedicated sociologist, was the wholesale generation of brand-new gods. The pre-collapse Americans left behind incomprehensibly vast stores of cultural detritus, and many of the depicted figures were latched onto as a sort of spiritual flotation device, arbitrary totems that would, somehow, bring things back to pre-collapse "normalcy". Much of American society seemingly relied upon technology and scientific progress (of the can-we rather than should-we kind), and it was inevitable that a charismatic deity would be elevated to champion "science" purely for its own sake.
The iconography of Bilni almost always includes a stylized bow-tie, and visions of the god himself take the same shape, with a disembodied head and neck fitted into the tie (the exact visage of the deity tends to take on the species and ethnicity of the beholder). Bilni is always facing you, but at the same time his head appears to be constantly spinning. Most messages from Bilni to his faithful are little more than proclamations of relatively obvious physics facts, but there are two clear commandments that all his followers hold in absolute regard.
1. Science Rules. Indeed, where Bilni's followers hold sway, it rules absolutely. In a world where the laws of nature are in some degree of flux, Bilni expects constant experimentation and re-experimentation to confirm that "known facts" about reality are still facts, and extensive documentation of the new facts as they arrive. Further, as scientific progress is hampered by constantly having to re-examine basic premises, followers of Bilni actively seek out and halt events that are expected to change the rules. Which "rules" are most sacrosanct tend to vary from sect to sect; some are dedicated to preserving standard gravity, others to friction, others to matters as seemingly small as the atomic weights of individual elements. Little will dissolve an "anti-science" conclave as quickly as the sound of Bilnites pouring over a hill, their shouts of "Bill! Bill! Bill! Bill!" echoing in the darkness.
2. Inertia is a Property of Matter. This commandment is essentially two-sided, demanding that Bilnites who can contribute to the cause continue to do so until the very moment that it would be impossible for them to do so. At the same time, Bilnites who grow too old or injured to be useful in Experimentation are expected to know when to step aside and aid the cause in less active ways. These so-called "Bodies at Rest" are no less respected than the "Bodies in Motion" that make up the outward face of the cult, and comprise all the child-rearing and teaching positions within Bilnite populations.
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