Virtual Wars Religion

Religion can be a touchy subject as we all may believe different things. Over the years it has been the cause of war, famine, charity, celebration, etc.. Religion can bring a sense of community and goodwill towards others. It can also bring heated arguments and possibly violence between people who disagree on this subject. In this blog post I am going to discuss the role of religion in the world of the Virtual Wars series. Please keep in mind these are not my personal beliefs.

Religious Climate

People in this fictional world have been through a lot and religion has had a key role in their trials and hardships. Many of the details have been lost, but the basic storyline is taught in schools. Information was leaked to news organizations saying that an extremist religious group in the middle east had gotten hold of a nuclear bomb which they intended to use against their enemies in the west. Christian fundamentalists led a surge to war with the Islamic state that is said to be sheltering these extremists. What they find is that the country had been developing nuclear weapons for years under the supervision of these radicals. They have also developed the missiles to deliver them across the globe targeting any perceived ally of the west or Israel. The chain reaction results in the world as it is in this fictional world.

What happened is seen as being a case of religion dictating policy within several countries. When the Council of the United Districts was formed there was a significant push for the separation of church and state. Within the Constitution there are specific laws outlined to prevent religion from dictating policy. Religion among the general population is sometimes seen as being backwards or in a negative light for these reasons. Many of the same religions still exist in this world, but at a much smaller scale.

The New Religion

There is a new offshoot of Christianity which is called The Church of Saint Benaton. It is named after Henry Benaton who was one of the survivors of the Great War. He was a Baptist priest before being forced to live in a cave with hundreds of other survivors. The community he lived in was able to cobble together enough food to feed everyone, but finding clean water was a problem. He was able to find clean water for the group just as the crisis seemed to be at its breaking point. He attributed the find to his faith. He died from cancer days after his discovery, but all around the world there are tales of a man wearing black who showed the way to clean water. The man has been attributed with saving the lives of thousands of people in various parts of the world.

The religion itself sees Benaton as being a prophet of God. He is known as the "Water Bearer" and sometimes associated with the Aquarius zodiac sign. They still consider themselves to be Christians and that only through Christ they can be saved. It teaches many of the same concepts of other Christian religions. The church mostly teaches of love and acceptance of others. They also have many of their own teachings. The religion holds the purifying power of water and the ability to purify water as being holy. Followers of the church believe that the Great War was the culmination of the events detailed in Revelations. They teach that God still loves and believes in his followers after the end of the events in the Bible. The Church teaches that Christ will come to this world again and again until mankind has moved on as God will not abandon God's followers.

< Previous: Virtual Wars Government | Virtual Wars Religion (this post) | Next: Booting Up Cover Reveal >