#Source for claim that some sects think aliens would be demons: 3 years of fundamentalist private school

[adaginy]

The Big Guide to Humans: Religion

Like many sapient species, humans have religion: beliefs in how their species first came to be, how they should behave, and what, if anything, to expect after death.

However, like languages, humans have thousands of these, some of which are very different from each other and some of which are nearly indistinguishable.

Broadly speaking, Terran religions can be divided 2 ways: - Number of deities: Zero, one, or several. (Most Terran religions have insisted that their god/s are not just the correct ones to worship, but also the only gods that exist. This is shifting somewhat.) - What happens at death: Nothingness, an eternal reward (or punishment) for the actions of one's soul (an animating essence of sapients), or the re-birth of the soul into another body (with difficult lives serving as punishments). Some combine these last two, with rebirth occurring until the soul is ready for its eternal reward.

"Zero deities" includes atheism, that is, believing only in what can be determined by science, with no belief in a soul. It also includes religions that don't focus on the creation of the world but rather on the purpose of one's actions.

"One deity" includes the most common and culturally powerful religions (this is including several minutely different sects of a few different religions). These have a single, all-powerful god that created the entire universe with humans as his master work. Since the discovery of life beyond Terra, sects have divided further over how to fit non-human sapients into their beliefs. Some sects actually insist their religious teachings do not allow for non-human sapients, at all, and we must be the disguised evil forces of their god's opponent. Luckily, and unsurprisingly, you will not encounter these sects' adherents outside of their home planet. Because these religions have been so widespread for so long, many people who no longer follow the beliefs, or perhaps never did, may still set their calendar by the religious holidays and possibly hold celebrations anyway. There are other, unrelated one-deity religions as well, though none remotely as widespread.

Religions featuring multiple gods have fewer practitioners (though some are still among the largest of Terran religions), but more variety. Some have powerful gods of large domains (e.g. of life or death, of oceans), some have very small gods or spirits of protecting single homes and occupying individual plant specimens, and everything in between. Some also worship deceased ancestors, either specifically by name or in a general sense.

Also common is for a human to have beliefs while not considering themselves a member of any particular codified religion. Or, they may consider themselves a member, while holding beliefs that run directly counter to those of their professed religion. For example: Some manner of belief in spirits or small gods seems common among humans*, even among those who would say they only believe in science or they believe in a single god of everything. While a person who acknowledges believing in multiple gods may make a ritualized offering to a river spirit to ask for safe water passage, for example, a person who insists they do not believe in spirits may still pour a heap of Fruity Pebbles (not fruit or rocks, a sort of breakfast candy, see diet) onto a malfunctioning machine to appease the spirit within.**

If a human's religion prevents or requires certain actions, they will tell you when it is relevant: that they need to wake up early for religious observances, that they can't join you for a meal because they are temporarily not-eating for religious reasons, etc. Some humans are very comfortable talking about their beliefs, others may consider them private. Some humans may be delighted to tell you about their religion because it encourages conversions; you are not required to convert if they ask you to and even other humans will find them rude to insist. Some humans may be curious about your beliefs, and some humans have even converted to religions of other species.

*These beliefs, mixed with human propensity toward empathy, are perhaps the source of "stabby the space roomba"-type incidents; see pets and human hive mind debate.

**This is an actual example experienced by one of our editors. The human was annoyed when the candy was removed and was further annoyed when asked why they were bothered if they did not believe the engine had a spirit.

#addie writes #big guide to humans #humans are space orcs #religion #Source for claim that some sects think aliens would be demons: 3 years of fundamentalist private school