Religion on Evis

= Religions of Evis = Religion plays a major role on Evis, especially in historical times. About 85% of Evisians say, in a recent poll, that they believe in some form of higher power, though only 40% of spiritual people would consider themselves devout followers of their chosen spirituality.

Evisian religions bear many similarities to some Earth religions, though with some differences.

Parsekkism
One of the most popular religions on Evis, Parsekkism originated in Aibrivea and is a monotheistic religion, with one central goddess named Parsekk at its forefront. It has two branches: fundamental Parsekkism and new Parsekkism. Fundamental Parsekkism can be most closely compared to a cross between Catholicism and Islam, and is popular in Lunem and Aibrivea. New Parsekkism, however, is closer to Protestant Christianity as a whole but doesn't have very many denominations. This version of the religion is mostly practiced in Wonovell, Esmon and Sterenia.

Parsekkist beliefs
This religion is characterized by the belief in the goddess Parsekk (sometimes spelled Parsekh), as the great creator of the universe. She is a being of great, near-infinite power, with Her only limit being that She can't control all the denizens of Evis at once. In the beginning of the world, there was only herself and the Divine Terminal, a computer-like entity surrounding the space to eventually become the universe as a room-like ultimate supercomputer. Through the Divine Terminal, She brought the universe into existence and fine-tuned it with its highly advanced functions and programmed the many rules of the universe- like gravity, biological processes and evolution. It is believed that the Divine Terminal still exists and holds all the secrets of the universe, but were anyone to see it, they would likely go mad from the sheer amount of information and incomprehensible scale it exists on.

This is one of the ways that Fundamental Parsekkism and New Parsekkism differ; Fundamental Parsekkists believe that the Divine Terminal exists outside of the bounds of the universe, and would not be accessible by humans without reaching the very end of the universe and breaching through the ethereal barrier. New Parsekkists, however, believe that it is accessible by humans without leaving Evis- though whether the Terminal itself is located on Evis or Evis has one or more icons/proxies to it on it is debated. These proxies meant as a way of accessing the Terminal from Evis, simply called Divine Proxies, are reported to have been used while Parsekk had the electronic builders She created making the planet for her, to consult the "blueprints". More New Parsekkists believe in Divine Proxies as opposed to the Divine Terminal being located on Evis itself.

Parsekk herself is characterized as a rather unpredictable Goddess, known for helping or hindering mortals and manipulating fate to Her liking. She could be a benevolent deity furthering goodness for the universe, or a brutal despot torturing humans for Her own amusement like a Roman emperor, it all depends on how She feels that particular day.

When one dies, Parsekkists believe that the Divine Terminal runs calculations on your soul and chooses whether to send you to Arcadia, the "good" afterlife, or Nix, the "bad" afterlife. If you get to go to Arcadia, your soul stays there until Parsekk or the Terminal's algorithms determine you're needed in the mortal plane again and you get assigned a reincarnation. If you're sent to Nix, you will stay there undergoing reform until the Luminous Man decides that you're ok to proceed to Arcadia. Unlike a more traditional hell, Nix is designed to be a temporary place with the aim of getting souls ready to go to Arcadia later, like a rehab facility. Leader of Nix, the Luminous Man doesn't have a name, and is believed to be very close to Parsekk herself. He is said to be an amorphous but humanoid figure, glowing with blinding light, with immense divine powers. His focus is on purifying and correcting the souls of the dead.