Solarpunk World Aspects Part 2: Religions
Been working on my Solarpunk world a lot lately and thought I’d share some stuff with you all. Feel free to give any advice or criticisms that come to mind.
Many new religions began to arise after the beginning of the New Era. Most of which slowly began to develop as the world kids were born into quickly began to take shape into something better. The smoggy sky began to clear and eventually people could see stars again and the air quality began to improve. Wastelands that held nothing were replaced with dense forests and grassy plains. And many believed this drastic change was from more than the efforts of man.
New Religions: Trisolory- Trisolory is the worship of the Sun and the acceptance of its “sons” as equals (plants, animals, and humans). Trisolory is divided into two sects: True Trisolory and Neo Trisolory. True Trisolorists are vegetarians and often befriend animals like pets, while Neo Trisolorists are not vegetarians, but do not hunt for sport.
Aquatists: These people worship the ocean and bodies of water as one large god. They view clouds and rain as blessings, and fish as gifts from said god. Larger ocean animals like whales are regarded with the utmost respect and never hunted and they are seen to have such large amounts of spiritual energy from god. Many Aquatists take jobs as fish breeders to further increase fish populations after many species almost went extinct. They are great swimmers as they teach their children to swim as soon as they are able to walk. Water related sports such as surfing and swimming races are used in festivals. When someone who practices this religion dies, they are often sent to sea on a small flaming boat.
Powllain: Powllainism arose in the 4th Century NE. The religion revolve around showing the world your love by terraforming it with plants the practitioner likes. The belief’s holy symbol is a dandelion due to its properties of being easily spread and how much it is loved by bees, who are seen as spirits used to aid a growing world. At the age of 13, each practitioner chooses three plants they associate with their own body, mind, and soul. Once chosen, they may switch as life goes on, but while a particular plant is chosen, the practitioner is encouraged to raise those plants in their own greenhouse and replant them in random places (especially in places that lack other plants) to help terraforming the earth. When someone who follows this religion dies, they are buried with the three plants they chose planted on top of them. There is a separate sect of this religion where a child chooses only one plant, and the other two are the chosen plants of their parents, as they can offer guidance on how to grow them and the child is seen as an extension of themselves. The MC of this story is of the main sect of this religion and her plants are: Oak trees (soul), blackberry bushes (body), and maple trees (mind). Powllain are told if they see a dandelion at its final stage, it is good luck to pick it and blow it.
Cûprumite Religion: Cûprumites worship technology, and strive to advance it in ways to advance mankind to a higher form. This is one of the more controversial religions that appeared around 1100 NE. Technology had played a large part in mankind’s near extinction, and practitioners often get low-brow looks from some. Cûprumites do not wish to follow the same path as their ancestors, but wish to make the world better in different ways: advancing solar energy, optimizing energy efficiency, creating machines that aid in agriculture and food/waste processing, cleaning the environment, etc. some even partake in other religions. Their deity however, is a mysterious god that is seen as a creator of the universe, but isn’t hands on in maintaining the lives of individual souls. They don’t typically believe in an afterlife, because they believe the afterlife has to be constructed by its own inhabitants in the form of a cyberspace (uploading one’s thoughts to the internet basically). In doing this, they might one day meet their creator to find the true meaning of existence rather than life.
Old and Altered Religions: By the time New Era began, around 90% of the world’s population had gone extinct, and those who survived had all but given up on popular gods of the time. Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity, and Islam) were some of the first to go, and words like “Jesus” within a religious context haven’t been said in centuries. But some old religions remain, or have been slightly altered or derived from old ones.
Wicca: Wicca gained a surge about two centuries after the start of the New Era. While a lot of the religious practices are the same, it is incredibly rare to see Wiccan practitioners worship deities other than The Great Mother and The Horned God. Pagan-leaning Wicca are rarely seen. Some Wiccans will however worship Demeter or Gaia.
The Church of Gaia: Surprisingly, Greek mythology made a little bit of a comeback in the form of the goddess of the Earth: Gaia. Many practitioners of other religions will often honor her and partake in her festivals and rites.