Overview

The Angelus religion is native to Marcinko and somewhat to the other holdings of House Ginaz. It is based primarily in the Orange Catholic Bible, like most of the other religions in the Imperium (namely the Orthodox Orange Catholicism found on the holdings of House Rastanyev). The Angelus religion has two distinct branches, which are part of the greater whole, and will be described below.

Kami Angelus

Kami Angelus is the first branch of Angelus religion. It exists in rural areas and centers around sites of natural beauty. These sites have attached to them particular Saints, known as Kami which were once members of the Monastic Angelus (see below) branch, but left the monasteries to contemplate existence and the Bible in these places of natural beauty. They attracted followers, and small sects sprung up around them to follow their teachings. After their death, they were revered as saints and became attached to the area where they died. Because of this, the ancient Terran Japanese word was attached to them (Kami) which formerly meant spirits or deities associated with a particular natural area (such as a forest or a mountain), but now has come to mean the Saint attached to a similar area.

Kami Angelus Clergy

Kami Angelus clergy are known as Rabbis and congregate around a shrine in the area where their Saint taught. The person in charge of a shrine is simply known as the Head Rabbi. Rabbis do not withdraw from society, and usually have families and hold normal jobs. Their role as members of the clergy is something of a 'side job.' Since most natural sites are in rural areas, Rabbis usually do not live in large cities but rather in the countryside and work as farmers or in similar jobs. Rabbis can only be male.

Kami Angelus Doctrine and Responsibilities

Since each Kami has a unique teaching associated with him or her, there is no overall doctrine for the Kami branch of the Angelus. In general, Kami teachings tend to be more liberal than those of the Monastic branch, but this is not always the case. There are some duties associated with the Kami Angelus branch, in order of importance:

• Teaching and preserving the teachings of the Kami whom is served.
• Studying the Orange Catholic Bible.
• Protecting nature, and in particular conserving the Kami's shrine and the natural site associated with the Kami.
• Serving the community, such as by hearing confessions and holding services.

Kami Angelus Misc.

Kami were often known to cure a specific physical ailment as proof of their holiness. This ability to cure a physical affliction is often acquired by their natural site and shrine, and occasionally some of their Rabbis, after the Kami has passed away. Thus, many practitioners of the Angelus religion make pilgrimages to Kami shrines in hopes of being cured of physical problems that modern science cannot cure or for which they cannot afford expensive medical treatment (such as phantom pains, chronic headaches, and so forth).

Monastic Angelus

Monastic Angelus exists mainly in large cities and towns and centers around a monastery. Unlike Kami Angelus, Monastic Angelus has a set of teachings common to each monastery and not a particular saint.

Monastic Angelus Clergy

Monastic Angelus clergy are known as Monks or Nuns. The choice to become a monk or nun is both a career and a lifestyle choice. As most monasteries are located in the city, most monks come from a city environment. Many Marcinko nobles and nobles who live on worlds owned by the Ginaz follow a tradition of having their 3rd son or daughter become a Monk or Nun, so the aristocracy is over-represented amongst them. The head of a monastery is known as an Abbot or an Abbess. Though both males and females may join this branch, they must live in separate monasteries. Furthermore, while an Abbess may vote for the Grand Seraphic Rabbi/Abbot (see below), she may not become one. Monks and Nuns take vows of celibacy, chastity, obedience, and poverty.

Monastic Angelus Doctrine and Responsibilities

Monastic Angelus has a much stricter ethos and lifestyle than that of Kami Angelus. To begin with, Monks and Nuns may not leave their monastery under most circumstances. There are only three reasons why a Monk or Nun would be allowed to leave. The first two are also only allowed with the written permission of the Abbot/Abbess or the Grand Seraphic Abbot/Rabbi.

• The Monk or Nun has left to evangelize an area that is not part of the Angelus Religion and wishes to establish a monastery there.
• The Monk or Nun is being transferred to another monastery.
• The Monk or Nun's soul is in danger of going to Hell if they remain in the monastery. This last requirement is open to some interpretation, but it is clearly understood that 'danger of going to Hell' is different than 'danger of dying' and Monks and Nuns must remain in their Monastery, even if there is a good chance of being killed.

There are more duties associated with being a Monk or Nun (in order of importance):

• Reading and teaching the Orange Catholic Bible.
• Mourning for the loss of the Planet Ginaz (This is done by a long, sad hymn sung every day. Some large Monasteries have the hymn sung in shifts, so that it never ends).
• Serving the community by holding services and hearing confessions.
• Reading the Purple Talmund and cataloging/studying the Angels and Devils. The Purple Talmund is a book of mystical Angelic lore which describes the duties of the numerous angels in heaven, as well as prayers and spells based upon their power. The Monks and Nuns study this book most fervently and believe strongly in its mystical powers. There is also another book, the Silver Talmund, which describes the numerous fallen angels, as well as spells and convocations based on their power. Only the most holy and dedicated of Monks and Nuns are allowed to study this, as there is always the danger of being corrupted by it.

Monastic Angelus Misc.

Because the Monastic Angelus are more evangelical and are not tied as specifically to a particular site as the Kami Angelus are, most Ginaz holdings other than Marcinko have mainly Monasteries, and few Shrines. Just as the Kami are known for curing physical ailments, Monks and Nuns who invoke Talmundic spells are often known to cause people who have an abundance of sinful qualities to have less of them, and people who lack virtues to suddenly gain them. Thus, many people make regular trips to the local Monastery to gain some extra courage, or perhaps lose some of their avarice.

Angelus Church Hierarchy, Politics, Culture, and History

Politics and Hierarchy

Though the two branches are different in many ways, the Angelus religion is unified into the Angelus Church. The Church is nominally led by the Grand Seraphic Abbot/Rabbi. This is a position held for life, and it is his job to coordinate the two branches into a cohesive whole. If the Grand Seraphic Rabbi/Abbot was a Head Rabbi first, he is known as the Grand Seraphic Rabbi, and if he was an Abbot first, he is the Grand Seraphic Abbot. The current holder of this position is a Grand Seraphic Rabbi. The Grand Seraphic Rabbi resides at whatever Shrine/Monastery he was the head of before, and that place becomes the new capitol of the Church. When the holder of the position dies, a great conclave is held. All Abbots/Abbesses and Head Rabbis gather at the Shrine/Monastery where he died, and elect a new one from the males of their number. This election is when political divisions of the Church become apparent. There are 5 divisions, as follows:

• Reactionaries: This group favors a return to the much more strict and centralized version of the Angelus religion that existed on Ginaz before its destruction. It is the second smallest pressure group. It consists only of Abbots/Abbesses.
• Conservatives: Conservatives think the way the Church is now is just fine, and do not desire (and therefore will oppose) any changes. It consists of mostly Abbots/Abbesses and a small number of Head Rabbis. This is the largest pressure group.
• Moderates: Moderates like the Church the way it is now, but are open to small changes in policy. This is the second largest group, and about equal to the Liberal group. It has slightly more Head Rabbis in it than Abbots/Abbesses, but they are generally equally represented. The current Grand Seraphic Rabbi is a moderate.
• Liberals: This group wants to have general reforms in the Church to make it more open. It is equal to the Moderate group and consists mainly of Head Rabbis, with a small number of Abbots/Abbesses.
• Radicals: This group wants to completely restructure to form a new Church and re-write (some would say throw out) doctrine. It is the smallest pressure group, and consists of only Head Rabbis.

Conservatives, Moderates, and Liberals tend to get along and reach compromises, but Reactionaries and Radicals can barely stand each other's company and rarely compromise.

The Angelus Church's Attitudes Toward Other Groups

House Ginaz' Ruling Family: While on the Planet Ginaz, the Angelus religion had a fairly good relationship with the Ginaz family, though there were some disputes. It had a terrible relationship, however, with the Lear family, as the Lears were more inclined to view religion as a mind control tool to use over the populace and/or to curb religion's social significance. The Angelus Church is extremely independent, and refused to be anyone's tool or to be shut out of public life, and so the Lears often jailed the Grand Seraphic Rabbis/Abbots and other clergy. In return, the Church often loudly condemned the Lears and was quite adept at scathingly pointing out their numerous faults and crimes. Now that the Ginaz family has returned to power, it remains to be seen what type of relationship is cultivated.

Other Landsraad Houses: The Angelus Church does not have much of an opinion about other Landsraad houses, since it only exists on Ginaz holdings, but in general it senses that they hold opinions of religion similar to that of the Lears, and is accordingly wary in the rare instances it has to deal with other Houses. The Church supported reconciliation with the Moritani, however, and is quite pleased that this is occurring.

The Imperial House: In keeping with their clarity of perception, members of the Church can see that the most Corrinos have the same opinion of religion as many of the Lears, and they are thus wary of them. Since they rarely have to deal with Imperial family members, however, this point is generally moot.

Ixians: The Angelus Church does not like the Ixians, as it believes they flaunt the laws of the Imperium as well as disregard the OC Bible and history by building devices too similar to thinking machines. On top of this, they are only doing it for monetary profit, making the Angelus Church members loathe them even more.

Bene Gesserits: Clergy members are one of the few people in the Imperium who are not taken in by the Bene Gesserit veneer of civility. They feel that they are planning something surreptitiously, but just don't know what that hidden agenda is. It seems clear that they serve two masters; for why would any organization exist only to serve others, and not itself? They wouldn't have existed this long, in the (perhaps cynical) view of the Angelus clergy, if they did not have some other aim.

Bene Tleilaxu: The Angelus Church finds the Tleilaxu to be only slightly less disgusting than the Ixians. They believe that they are tampering with God's creations, which in and of itself is dangerous and wrong. Since they do not appear to have a particularly evil motive, however, they are treated similarly to the Bene Gesserits.

Nobles Sworn to Ginaz: The Church has an excellent relationship with Noble houses sworn to Ginaz. As noted above, many houses pledge their third child to the Church. Furthermore, Ginaz nobles have a history of supporting the Church when it comes to legislative matters.

Ginaz Citizenry: The Church has an excellent rapport with the common peoples, both wealthy and poor, and believes them to be the reason that the Church exists. The majority of Rabbis and many Monks and Nuns come from common families, so the bonds with them are strong.

Culture

Here are the forms of address for the various Clergy members:

• Rabbi: Rabbi
• Head Rabbi:Learned Rabbi
• Monk: Brother
• Nun: Sister
• Abbot: Father or Reverend Brother
• Abbess: Mother or Reverend Sister
• Grand Seraphic Rabbi: Most Learned Rabbi
• Grand Seraphic Abbot: Grandfather or Reverend Father

Other Culture Information

The Grand Seraphic Rabbi/Abbot retains a personal bodyguard of 5 Ginaz Sword Masters, known as the Dominions.

Both branches encourage personal prayer amongst adherents, and has promulgated the saying of the Rosary as a means to accomplish this. The Rosary is one of the few remaining tidbits of culture from Terran culture, and the Angelus Church is proud to have kept alive a tradition of one of its precursors, the Roman Catholic Church.

If an Abbot/Abbess or Head Rabbi dies or retires, they may name their successor from amongst members of their Shrine or Monastery. If they die before naming a successor, or die from mysterious circumstances, the Grand Seraphic Rabbi/Abbot chooses the successor.

Monks and nuns dress daily in black monastic robes/habits trimmed with purple and wear a large silver cross (monks keep their hoods up). Usually for formal occasions, they wear purple monastic robes/habits trimmed with black (Monks keep the hood down) with the same silver cross and carry an oaken crook. The number of bars on the cross represents the rank of the person, as well as the material of the crook . One bar and an oak crook is a Rabbi/Monk/Nun, a Bishop's Cross (two bars) and a Mahogany crook is a Head Rabbi/Abbot/Abbess, and a Papal Cross (three bars) and a silver crook is a Grand Seraphic Rabbi/Abbot.