After having an interesting discussion on the topic I shall be discussing with a friend, I felt like writing up a post on my religious beliefs, and why I have them, during which I will explain the title of this post. I follow the following religions:

• The Church of Madoka
• The Church of Arceus
• The Cult of the Lonely God
• The Church of the Sun and the Moon

Now, I use the words “church” and “cult” loosely as I know few people, if any, who share those religions, but using those terms makes me seem more like a follower of something, and less like some madman.

First, the Church of Madoka. That signifies that I’m a follower of Madoka who sacrificed herself with a wish to Kyuubey to save the souls of all Puella Magi, erasing herself from existence, and becoming hope. This ties in with the anime Puella Magi Madoka Magika, which chronicles her transformation from a normal girl wanting to be special into the sort of person who would sacrifice herself for the good of others rather than herself, alter reality to save our defenders from a fate worse than death, and become the sort of person who could make a happy ending. As a part of following this religion, I pay homage to the Puella Magi, who fight for us without our knowledge, and allow us to live unmollested by the wraiths who hunt us in secret.

Following that is the Church of Arceus. That signifies that I’m a follower of Arceus, who created the universe, with the help of Giratinia of antimatter, Palkia of space, and Dialga of time, though Giratinia later rebelled. He also created the world, and gave humans the powers of knowledge, emotion, and willpower, through the Lake Guardians, Uxie, Mesprite, and Azelf. This ties in with the Pokemon franchise. As a part of this religion, I pay homage to the Legendaries who are responsible for the curation of the universe.

Next, the Cult of the Lonely God. That signifies that I’m a follower of the Doctor, who is the last of the Time Lords, and known as the Oncoming Storm among the Daleks. This ties in with the tv show Doctor Who, which chronicle his adventures across time and space in his TARDIS with his many companions. As a part of this religion, I pay homage to the Doctor’s many companions and the TARDIS.

Finally, the Church of the Sun and Moon. That signifies that I’m a follower of Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. They raise the sun and moon, respectively, and are responsible for night and day, as well as governing Equestria. This ties in with the tv show My Little Pony Friendship is Magic, which chronicles Celestia’s most valued student study of friendship. As a part of this religion, I pay homage to the other godlike beings, such as Princess Cadence and Discord.

Now, at first, it may appear like my religious views are in line with such religions as Pastafarianism (at the very least in it’s original form), the Invisible Pink Unicorn, and Russell’s teapot, which serve as satires of, parodies of, or arguments against religion. However, my religious views stem from a fundamental belief in the power of belief/faith and the power of creativity/fiction.

To expand upon that, in my world view, of sorts, there are three powers which humans use to, consciously or unconsciously, though more often unconsciously, alter the universe. These three powers are the power of belief and faith, the power of creativity and fiction, and the power of knowledge and understanding.

My beliefs stem more from the latter two powers, so I shall begin with the power of knowledge and understanding, whereby the act of knowing or understanding alters the universe in which we live in. An example of this in action is the observer effect, in which the mere act of observing, or gaining knowledge, affects what is observed. Another, more tangible (not sure if that’s the right word), example is learning history. Now, if one knows about and understands history, they can use this understanding to change the course of history, for example, they could look at the example of how the treatment of Germany at the end of World War I lead to World War II, and use that to avert another war.

Moving on to the power that has the least influence on my religious beliefs, the power of belief and faith, whereby the belief in something or faith in something causes it to be true, or gives it power. A tangible example of this would be that the belief that, when you die in a Jihad, you get a bunch of virgins in heaven, which leads people who believe this to do otherwise insane actions, such as blowing themselves up. This power also makes all religions somehow true. In a sense, because of this power, humans weren’t created by God, but, rather, created God to create us. This power also extends to the suspension of disbelief, so, if a work of fiction suspends your disbelief, power is given to it. However, this is no where near enough to make them true. However, this power is limited by the fact that it requires great numbers to believe something strongly for it to work. Ironically, if I am true, my belief in the power of belief is giving belief more power, however little, as I am merely one person.

Finally we come upon the power of creativity and fiction, whereby the utilization of creativity, or, more specifically, the creation of fictional works, creates what was thought up by the human mind, and gives it power. A tangible example of this would be the Jungle, which, by recreating for the readers the world of the factory worker in a food processing job, spurred the public on to create regulation on the industry. Creativity and fiction gain more power the more thought and detail is put into what is being created, so the Lord of the Rings has more power than the Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas because, while both are well written, the Lord of the Rings has a larger, more thought out, and more detailed world. Again, while this gives power to fictional works, it isn’t, in itself, enough to make them true. However, if something gains power both from the power of creativity as well as the power of belief, through suspension of disbelief, if can and will become true.

Of these three, they have the same effective power, this is for several reason. First, the power of knowledge and understanding has the most pure power, but it is bounded and constrained by reality, and what is already there. Secondly, the power of belief and faith is has the least pure power, but it can be multiplied by the number of people believing it and the strength of the belief. Finally, the power of creativity and fiction is in the middle when it comes to pure power, but, unlike the power of belief and faith, needs only one person to give it significant power, and it can amplify this power by putting more thought, detail, and work into what is being created.

Now, works which I have experienced first hand will have more power over and in relation to me as I will have suspended my own disbelief for them, and I will have thought about the world more for them. As such, when it comes to my religion, I restricted myself only to those I have experienced first hand. Within that restriction, I have chosen which deities to put my faith in for various reason, and, from that, got my four religions.

I hope you have found this interesting, and this made sense to you. Thank you for giving me your time.