Religion in AmberIndex | Time Under Chaos | Almanac | Religion in Amber The official state religion of the Kingdom of Amber is the Church of the Serpent (aka The Serpent Church of Amber, SCoA). Unlike the previous official religion, the Church of the Unicorn, a King (or Emperor) is not held to be the supreme religious (as well as secular) authority. Since the supreme religious authority, the High Priest of the Serpent, is located in the Courts of Chaos, the SCoA operates with some degree of autonomy. Under the SCoA, the King is believed to derive his secular authority from the Serpent and Chaos itself (with the priesthood acting as intermediaries during the coronation ceremony). This divine mandate can be withdrawn, as it was from Oberon. With the help of the priesthood, the random events of life (earthquakes, victory in war, etc) can be interpreted to explain what Chaos' will is in a given matter. The King may not be married or divorced without the blessing of the Serpent... although, the sudden death of a Serpent Priest or Bishop is often seen as a sign that the Serpent wishes the King's will to be obeyed in a given matter. The Church of the Unicorn is officially in disfavor, although it is widely believed that many among the nobility and commoners meet in secret to practice Unicorn rites. Church services in the country within the Golden Circle have been the sights of some bloody responses by the crown after it was rumored that Caine had insinuated agents within these Unicorn cells. Although many superficial similarities have been observed between the garb of priests and the general conduct of the mass etc. in both Churches, advocates of each Church strongly object to this line of reasoning. Serpent Church ceremonies tend to include more ornamentation of gold and jewels, heavier incense, and often include the dispensation of small quantities of strong drink or hallucinogenic compounds. Theology: The Church of the Serpent holds that all beings are possessed of free will, and potentially unlimited potential. Petitioners of the Church hope that when they die their spirits will rejoin the primal sea of Chaos from which all else springs. Supreme spiritual authority is vested in the high priest of the serpent, and when he channels the words of the serpent he cannot be wrong on spiritual matters. The motto of the Church is "Chaos out of Nothing." The Church of the Unicorn holds that all beings are fated, and that for a man to take on the burden of free will is like weighing down a child with a cloak of stone. Through the intercession of the Unicorn (and, by extension, her children within the Royal family), men may surrender to fate, shatter the cloak, and so achieve their destiny. The royal line of Oberon was seen to be able to carve their own fate, like a plow parting a field of granite... other men should follow in their wake. The motto of the church is "Order out of Chaos." Each position within the Church of the Serpent Clergy is roughly analogous to a Secular station. In a religious context, a King is expected to defer to the High Priest of the Serpent, while in a secular context the High Priest is expected to defer to the King, etc. High Priest of the Serpent (~King) Amber City has an Archbishop of the Serpent, and the largest Serpent Church in the Golden Circle has a Bishop of its own. |
