Religion

The coming of Mixi ended most of the structures that enforce religious orthodoxy. Families, churches and Sunday schools all suddenly stopped functioning and instead a large number of children were left to piece together their views for themselves. The religious views of these children have taken strange new turns. The Tested are the most recognizable example of this.
The worldviews of most children shifted rapidly when left to develop on their own. Childhood belief in ghosts and monsters - as well as a flawed understanding of micro-organisms - has morphed into a somewhat animistic religion. Most people now believe in a plethora of minor beings lurking out of sight, from vengeful ghosts in the city to spirits living in the wilderness. Whilst most people do not fully believe the world is filled with goblins and so forth, the belief is pervasive enough that many groups leave small offerings to the ghosts at certain sites.
This belief has merged with more traditional faiths. Angels are counted with viruses and ghosts, and many former churches are seen as holy without any real understanding why. Those who still practice a religion have developed their own odd faiths - Catholicism in particular seems to have taken an unusual turn, with blood from slaughtered animals replacing the traditional wine as the ‘blood of Christ’ used in religious rituals. Other variants of Christianity abound, with their own take on the relationship between humans, gods and spirits. Overall, religion has become a very mix-and match affair, with a given person believing a hodgepodge of superstitions and half remembered articles of faith and often cheerfully adopting the beliefs of others as equally valid.
Some variations on this pattern exist. Many villages have an expected ‘orthodox’ belief system. This varies from a strain of a traditional Abrahamic faith to rigorous rationalism. In many ways, the Tested are an overgrown offshoot of this. Their religion ties Mixi to divine anger, and takes a number of steps to appease God through displays of worthiness. The beliefs of the Tested seem very similar across the whole cult, suggesting that the individual Tested shrines are part of some larger organization. The precise nature of this organization is unknown, but many believe that it exists in direct opposition to the Messenger Faith.
The Herder tribes also appear to be developing their own religions, and a polytheistic faith seems to be emerging that worships beings best described as embodiments of the landscape. Mother Chalk on the downs, the Tree Queen in the woodlands of the Weald and the Old Man Of The Sea on the coast are all well-recognized figures, and other aspects of the landscape often have their own personification that Herders respect and give offerings to. In a similar way, many hold that each abandoned town or city has a similar being embodying it, but they believe these entities to be malicious or insane and avoid attracting their attention.
The last interesting development of this nature has been the rise of the Messenger Faith. The Messengers are best described as a secular cult. They believe in a judgmental higher power that is out of the reach of their worshippers, in a way that is reminiscent of traditional religions. However, they hold that this power is a human organization rather than a divine being, and reject many of the superstitions that others believe in. In many ways, their strict faith combined with clinical rationalism forms a direct opposite to the more vague superstition of the wider population.

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