Harmonism

Harmonism is the common religious practice throughout the Pallathantic Region of simultaneously honoring the gods and Saints of the Old Religion, the Arathracian Religion, and the Incarnandist Religion without acknowledging the supremacy of any ecclesiastical hierarchy. The wide-spread appeal of harmonism answers to the need for cooperation and daily meaning in spirituality. Harmonism is more than simply tolerance, but a recognition of the historic worth of the three main religions of Pallathantic Civilization. One who practices harmonism is a harmonist or sometimes, harmoniast or harmoniac.

Origins

Harmonism draws its nearest roots to the practices of local rulers in the many centuries after the Fall of the Yophenthean Empire and began to have many adherents in the 25th century after the defeat of the Chaos Rulers of the Middle Ages. Scholars see harmonism as an adaptation of pre-Arathracian polytheism. During the Yophenthean period, many subjects of the empire saw the Arathracian Religion as the state cult and continued to practice their indigenous cults in private and in their local communities. Incarnandism is sometimes credited with the tolerance of harmonism. The progressive school of Incarnandists do not believe anyone should be obliged to accept their beliefs and think it best to accept any sincere token of devotion from worshipers.

Practice

A harmonist can utter a verse of Arathracian scripture at sunrise to greet the sun, say a Incarnandist prayer while passing the shrine of an Incarnandist Saint on the way to the market, and make an offering of wine and grain at the ancestral altar of his parents. A harmonist accepts that all of these worships have historic meaning and are essential to understanding the spiritual world. Harmonism is inherently syncretist. Harmonism as generally practiced does not incorporate Chaos Cult practices or belief systems from outside of the Pallathantic Region and as such is well tolerated by most governments.

People who practice this syncretist worship usually do not identify themselves as 'harmonists' but rather with the 'traditional beliefs' or the 'common religion' of the land.

Reaction of the Arathracian Church

Devout Arathracians often consider harmonism the 'vernacular' or 'vulgar' religion as it is devoid of strong, core tenets and is practiced by persons they regard as barely religious. The Arathracian Church objects to harmonism on the grounds that a diffuse worshiper has no true foundation of devotion. Arathracians are exhorted to keep the core tenets of their religion and any belief or practice that detracts from the divinity and mission of the god Arathrax, his bride Aireánnau, or his blessings to the faithful is condemned. The Arathracian Church has occasion to look the other way when a harmonist prince donates to the local Arathracian temple and welcome the 'second-hand' reverence of harmonists.

See Also

• Religions