6 members
IBIGism / IBIG
-
Resources -
Social
“I Believe I’m Good” – Prophet Sprungy III
These are the immortal words spoken by the great Prophet Sprungy III. He believed he was good, and so he became good, and we endeavour to achieve the same enlightenment as he found millennia ago.
History
Long before humanity arrived in this part of the galaxy, before the UEE or any factions that came prior, before the Vanduul were a threat, before the Banu’s influence had infiltrated the human psyche, before merchants greed, and state creed, there was the prophet Sprungy III. Everything we now hold sacred, has been passed down, unchanged, unadultered. As it was then, it is now.
Prophet Sprungy III origins date back to before the old United Earth government, back to the old nation states. He was part of what was known at the time as the European Hegemony, a somewhat loose alliance in the European region on Earth formed in the early 22nd century. Described as one of the first steps toward a United Earth government, which was founded in 2150. By the 24th century, the Hegemony no longer existed. The prophet Sprungy III was a simple civil servant for most of his early life, born in Liverpool, part of one of the founding nations that became the European Hegemony.
His ideals gained him a great deal of popularity not seen before in modern politics, and at the time, his detractors branded him the leader of a “cult”. History proved these people wrong, as Ibigism now has a following thought to number in the billions, spanning whole planets and solar systems.
Due to an unstable military and political climate at the time, prophet Sprungy III and a group of followers later known as the disciples, left the earth, to follow ideals, no longer possible on the Earth. Little is known about this time immediately after their departure, but texts recovered from descendants of the disciples suggest they managed to breach the great barrier and meet God himself, a feat no vessel has managed to recreate to this day. We believe his belief in his goodness is what allowed him safe passage, and a mutual transfer of knowledge and culture, which we still enjoy today. Ibigs are thought to have the best inert understanding of things in the known universe.
Manifesto
Prophet Sprungy III believes that we are all infinitely pliable beings, and therefore, a strict doctrine is unnatural and counter-productive. Instead, we follow the teachings of Ibigism, which is infinitely pliable itself. Prophet Sprungy III teaches us to turn ourselves over to our whims and let them direct us to our destiny. What that destiny is though, is sometimes difficult to comprehend, and Ibigism helps us understand. Ibigism seeks to gain insight into our collective destiny, and how each individual’s destiny contributes to it. This is done by studying the life of Prophet Sprungy III.
Every one of us is free to follow our path and as an order we are not strongly tied to hierarchy and rank. We value the knowledge of our elders and graciously accept the teachings that they share with us, but we do not hold them up as idols. Rather, we show respect to all, including those who are not a part of The Order, because they are all on the same journey to destiny that we are, even if they do not think that they are. We wish to spread these ideas to those who are willing to hear them, as we believe a full understanding of Ibigism will make the universe a better place for all.
Charter
Membership:
Membership will be decided on a case by case basis, on the merits of the applicant and their compatibility with the ideals we hold, but we are a very accepting religion, and applications will only be declined in the most extreme cases where the applicant is beyond redemption. Citizenship in the UEE is not a deciding factor as we owe no allegiance to them. Please apply as an affiliate or member. Members and affiliates, however, have differing rights. Members are the only individuals allowed to seek a Specialist position, which are outlined below.
Roles and Their Meanings:
Prophet:
Prophets are responsible for the direction of the faith, diplomacy and responding to new and unknown challenges as they arise that do not fall under the responsibilities of other positions members of the order might hold. This is due to their spiritual connection to Prophet Sprungy III, as they can draw on his innate understanding of things. Onlookers may consider Prophets ‘leaders’ of the faith, but will come to learn that the structure of the faith is much more fluid than that.
High Priest:
High Priests are tasked with the defending the faith against any and all threats, when the need arises. Threats can come in many forms, from the blasphemy of heretics, to the physical dangers presented by pirates or the many unscrupulous factions that operate in the border regions. Typical duties might include cargo escort, retaliatory strikes against those that have wronged us, or even preemptive strikes in the most extreme cases where our existence has been threatened. Bounty hunting has also been sanctioned as our interests overlap with the UEE in this case. Crimes within the UEE are generally also sins within the faith. Historically the order of High Priests has been known as ‘The Faith Militant”.
Missionary:
Missionaries perform an indispensable role in the faith, as they are responsible for exploration, as well as spreading the gospel to new frontiers. As Ibigism is a knowledge based religion, discovery of the unknown is the embodiment of our belief system, as it has been for millennia. Any new discoveries are shared with the other orders and a consensus should then be reached between them about how to utilise this new discovery.
Monk:
Monks are the backbone of the faith, and provide us with the life blood (credits) that sustains us. Typical duties of the Monk order include resource acquisition and mining, cargo trading, and winning morally acceptable work contracts for the faith. Each Monk has the freedom to take on any work they like, as long as they feel that they can justify their actions to a faith tribunal, should there be a concern over its implications.