Solarism

Solarism is a monotheistic Terran religion based on the worship of Sol Invictus and the cultural traditions of the Roman Empire. The religion is almost exclusively practiced by Terrans. 2.3 trillion, or 63.5% of the Terran race are Solarists, it is the largest Terran religion. As most interpretations of Solarism describe Terrans as the supreme chosen people of god, non-Terran practitioners are rare. Solarism teaches that the god Sol Invictus is an all powerful deity that created the universe, and is physically personified in the star Sol. The primary scripture of Solarism is the Verbum, which was written by TBD in the TBD century. The script predicts various events, which have correlated with many events in reality, contributing to the growth of the religion. Additionally, much of Solarism’s aspects are unwritten rules and laws, derived from Greco-Roman culture and other ideas. Notably Solarism is remarkably adaptable to progressing social changes, especially when Terrans made the movement towards interstellar expansion.

Solarism’s doctrines influence a wide range of societal aspects, from individual daily schedule and diet to the practice of government and science. Like many other Terran religions, Solarism teaches there is an afterlife, and with the good and faithful being sent to paradise and the sinful and unfaithful being sent to hell. A subject of major debate among Solarist theologians is the status of non-Terrans. Traditionalists believe that Terrans are the race chosen by god, and therefore are superior to all other races, while Reformists do not believe in human supremacy.

Solarism origins lie in the old Roman polytheistic religion, which later consolidated into a mostly monotheistic religion based around Sol Invictus. Additionally, Solarism has taken much influenced from the Roman culture of the later Roman Empire, especially in regards to human supremacist tendencies. In TBD, Emperor Aurelian made the cult of Sol Invictus the official state religion of the Roman Empire, however the rest of the Romon pantheon was still recognized. Overtime, the cult of Sol Invictus became a monotheistic religion, and so Solarism was born. After the fall of the Roman Empire in the First Contact Crisis, the Aurumian Empire was formed based on Solarism, pursuing to fulfil the prophecy of a united Terran Empire, subsequently perusing to conquer all of Terra. Aurumia was however defeated and in a last ditch attempt to save the empire, sent off much of it's leadership and most fervent followers in a generation ship into space. The Aurumian colonists settled on a world several thousand lightyears from Terra, Terra Nova, and rebuilt the Aurumian Empire. Aurumian Solarism evolved to take on a much more radical interpretation of human supremacy, and it became their ultimate goal to purify the universe of non-Terrans.

There are three major sects of Solarism: Traditional Solarism (20%), Reformed Solarism (20%), and Aurumian Solarism (60%). The defining characteristic separating the sects is the status of non-Terrans. The Aurumian Empire has the largest population of Solarists, as well as Aurumian Solarists, while the second largest population is in the Terran Union. No other polity has a substantial Solarist population, however there are many small Solarists exclaves, the largest of which is the moon Velvetin in the Cybertovet Union.

Principles
The principle aspect to Solarist theology is the pursuit of purity and divinity in all aspects of life. Not only the self, but also all society and the universe, in order to allow for the return of Sol.

Sol Invictus
Sol Invictus, also referred to as just Sol, is the one and only god and creator of the universe. The universe was created by Sol as a perfect universe, however as a result of giving Terrans freewill, the universe has become impure from sins and heresy. The unequivocally pure Sol therefore could no longer exist in the universe in full, His power being reduced to a mere physical manifestation in the star Sol. The ultimate goal of Solarism is to bring about the return of Sol through the purification of the universe.

The Terran Race
In the modern era, the principles in regards to the status of the Terran Race and non-Terrans is heavily debated among Solarist theologians. All Solarists however agree that Terrans are the unique creation of Sol, and are chosen peoples, while other races of the galaxy are not.