video / action

[hymnals]

Who: Adrasteius; perhaps you
Broadcast: Fleetwide
Action: Bishop; kitchens
When: N to the O W

[Adra's in the ship's kitchen, seated at the table. A shimmering, golden aura limns his entire body, concentrated particularly at the crown of his blonde head. The faint impression of angelic wings blinks in and out of corporeality on his back as he speaks, sometimes seeming almost solid.]

I'm here today to speak to you about the Light. No, I don't mean that thing in the ceiling, or the sun, or any physical, mechanical sources of illumination, so let's nip that idiot question right in the bud. I'm talking religion, people, which some of you desperately need. A religion that isn't bullshit.

[He leans forward; steeples his hands.]

First of all: no gods. No capital G 'God' or 'Maker' or 'Creator' or what-have-you. No offense if that's part of the dogma, I guess, but it doesn't strike me right. Most of the gods I've met needed a swift kick to their many-mouthed faces, personally.

Second of all: no judgment. Of course, those who wield the Light can and must judge, but the Light itself brooks no discrimination. Whatever you've done, and for whatever reason you've done it, the Light forgives. The Light is grace: by definition, ever present, albeit never deserved. A gift of the universe.

Because, you see, the Light is an omnipresent, divine force. It is the name we give to every person's individual connection the universe. Under its teaching, we recognize our place in the great span of space and time--and our responsibility to influence the universe positively, to bring comfort, to soothe pain, to offer hope.

[Adra gestures with his hands, and as he does so, Light sparks from his fingers. The energy darts around the room, looking for all the world like a cascade of shooting stars. He might be trying to show off a little--or, at least, just trying to demonstrate that what he's talking about can be empirically observed.]

Practitioners follow a path of three virtues: respect, tenacity, and compassion, taught in that order. Don't worry: I won't go into it. Not today.

[But another day. Sooner rather than later.

The glow around his body fades. He smiles, a beatific, genuine expression.]

The point is--religion doesn't have to be damaging. It doesn't have to be oppressive. There are philosophies, churches, that work for good. Mine is one of them. It's here for you. I'm here for you.

Just letting you know.

Comments

[forcemageure]

No Maker, you say? No oppression? Are you quite sure this is religion you're talking about?

[hymnals]

Like I said: a religion that isn't shit.

[child_of_bhaal]

[Gosh, Adra, you sound like a priest of Torm.]

You're very passionate about your beliefs.

[Sorry. It's the best she can do. :/ ]

[hymnals]

Fucking right I am. Nothing worse than half-hearted convictions.

Audio;

[justamobster]

Don't seem t'be much point if there ain't a God or judgment. Pretty sure the folks from Our Lady in White would have some real words for you if they were here, yeah? None of 'em pleasant.

[hymnals]

Pretty sure they already sound completely worthless!

[asinisterkid]

[ Wow, this is... wow. The real question, though, is whether to just watch the fun, or join in.

...Yeah, like shutting up was ever in his skill set. ]

Religion that isn't bullshit, you say? [ He taps his lips with a finger, thoughtful. ] Twenty points for having balls the size of moons. Minus ten for smugness:

But, I'll bite. You say the Light doesn't judge, but those who wield it can and must. Care to elaborate on that?

[hymnals]

[That still leaves him with ten. He's ahead!]

The Light can heal, or it can burn. Both ways are paths to drive out the darkness. Sometimes a person--or an organization--needs more of the latter than the former. But even someone struck down by the Light can rise into it again, if they're willing to seek forgiveness.

video

[everydayhero]

... So, it's less "one thing created all of life on every planet everywhere," and more like... "bonds of the spirit" and "we're just one thread in the tapestry of the universe"?

[hymnals]

You've got the hang of it.

Video

[save_the_souls]

[Ugh missionaries. Looks like they are just as bad in other worlds as they are on Earth. ]

Is it truly necessary to belittle other peoples' religious beliefs to preach your own? It sounds like it even goes against your claim that the Light doesn't judge.

[hymnals]

I'm not the Light. You people are not great at listening, are you?

voice;

[noctiphile]

Holier-than-thou prick.

[hymnals]

Fair enough.

[ino]

[ Oh, it's Belthazar's guardian ... dad ... person.

She listens to the whole thing, but she just looks annoyed. It's not that Konoha is without its spirituality in certain ways, but the only person she's ever met who's been so pushy about it is not someone she likes to remember, especially given the people that he sacrificed for his supposed religion. ]

"Desperately need" it? Why?

[hymnals]

Why? Because I tried to pray on my own, in peace, and had people come in to question me. Because it's clear that other experiences of religion here have been harmful, and hateful, and wrong. That's why.

action

[faithfulwisdom]

[Aaaand Finrod had the misfortune to walk into the kitchen about halfway through this spiel. Not that he minds religious talk, mind you, he just doesn't want to be in the background of someone's broadcast. So he'll just be discreetly doing his own thing, avoiding the camera, until Adrasteius is done. Don't mind him.

At least until the broadcast was finished. Then he'll talk.]

That was quite the speech. [Neither condemnation nor praise. More like... thoughtful neutrality.]

[hymnals]

[Aha, photo ... broadcast bombed? Adra doesn't mind, in any case. He turns to Finrod--this isn't someone he knows, but that's fine.]

Yeah? Got anything else?

video;

[fujibayashi]

I get what you're saying here, but I'm not sure calling it bullshit is going to win you a lot of fans.

[She shakes her head.]

My friends and I found out that the religion ruling over our world-- two worlds, at the time-- was a fabrication. The whole thing. It was used as a tool to oppress people and an excuse to sacrifice them behind the scenes, even though it preached love and forgiveness.

But... there were good people who believed in it, who helped and gave everything they had to make the world a better place.

Isn't it better to get rid of the corrupt parts of religion and let people believe what they want to believe?

[hymnals]

[This is exactly the kind of godawful shit he's talking about. He doesn't understand why this kind of thing should go unanswered. He's not here to make morally relativist daisy chains.]

It is not better to let people believe what they want to believe. The folks you mentioned--the ones who weren't corrupt. If they truly subscribed to good ideals, then their work should persist. Their beliefs should become the basis for something new.

But lies don't help anyone. Not in the end.

video;

[limitstorm]

If "the Light" is is divine, what's "Darkness"?

[ a question he has to ask, and one he's pretty sure he knows the answer to. he doesn't pose is curtly or angrily, but with a cautious edge. ]

[hymnals]

Depends on what kind of darkness you mean. Shadows are part of the Light, too.

Voice

[onlyanapple]

[No words, just really, really slow clapping.

Clap.

Clap.

Clap. ]

[hymnals]

[He doesn't really have anything to say to a non-response, so he ... doesn't ...]

[worththetrouble]

[Adam takes a while to reply to this, mostly because he isn't sure what to say. Only that he wants to say something. In the end, all he can thing of is:]

Interesting.

[hymnals]

Any other incisive thoughts there, buddy?

Video

[cabbagedetective]

[Adachi's been watching Adrasteius' little display with an expression mixed of both derision and genuine enjoyment. However, once the little presentation has concluded, he snorts loudly, beginning to chuckle to himself. He shakes his head, with out hand rest on his forehead as if he cannot believe what he just heard. He then begins speaking, as if only to himself, but definitely loud enough to be heard over the communicator. It's fairly obvious that he's pretending not to notice it's transmitting.]

Man, I knew there were some weirdos in the fleet, but this guy certainly takes the gold.

[He lets out a contented sigh as he continues chuckling softly.]

What a joke...

[hymnals]

So is it your habit to mutter to yourself like a stupid jackass, or am I just privileged?

video

[birdsbirdsbirds]

[he responds, face propped up by an arm, with a little smile on his face.]

That sounds lovely.

[hymnals]

[He's a bit taken aback, given the tenor of the other responses. But he won't take it for granted.]

Well, I certainly think so.