Setting:Faith

This article was written with an in-character perspective

Belief in the World of Darkness

Yes I do believe in God. I believe in his power, I believe in his son and in the resurrection, I believe all of it because it is true. Why do you look so surprised? Have you heard people talking about me then? About their assumptions of what I believe and where I draw my power from? It is true I believe in more than what it written in the bible for I have seen the practitioners of other gods dance around fires and perform their rituals and sacrifices and seen unexplainable, unbelievable powers granted to the faithful. I have also seen good Christian men and women healed and protected by simple prayers. It simply works and so I believe in all of it.

Belief is a powerful thing. It can unite communities, it gives people something to hold onto when everything else falls away. And, if it’s strong enough, it can even protect yourself and others and fight back the monsters that roam the world looking for us.

Sources

Faith can come from just about anything. Most common in California is obviously Christianity, but with other people flooding to the golden state from all over the world you could expect to meet Buddhists from the Orient, Native Americans with all their varied cultures and beliefs, people who practice witchcraft, infernalists, and various others. I encourage you if you’re looking for something higher than yourself to believe in to explore your options. Speak with people, pray, meditate, and find what fits with you. The answer is different for all of us.

Maybe start at the Abbey or in a library before you go speaking with any devil worshipers though.

Faith in Something Greater

Yes there are spirits that roam the world and yes they can give you power, but there are other forces at work too. Things we cannot perceive or touch. Things that are just there. I’m talking of course about God, or Allah, or perhaps the cycle of reincarnation? I don’t actually not how that last bit works, but I’m sure someone else can tell you. The point is, these are things that have almost never have any tangible presence in the world.

These are things that one must simply believe, things one must wholly and freely give up oneself to. You likely will not be having a conversation with God anytime soon, and for your own health and safety I hope you don’t. There will be plenty faithless people, doubters, deniers, people who will try to lead you off the path and you can allow them to if that is what you want, but if you follow your faith along the road it travels you will find something that none of these other people have or can offer you. What that is is ultimately up to you and whatever it is you believe. I found power, others find peace. You may find knowledge, or simply a reason to keep going.

And yes, you can have faith in something greater but not necessarily good. As I’ve mentioned, I have met a few people who claim to follow, well...less than beloved figures. Their faith strengthens them as it does me. Interestingly, the effects of their faith and the works they can perform through it mirror my abilities. A curious thing. I wonder what it means.

Christianity

Easily the most common faith in the wild west, at least among the people settling the area. There has been a growing movement to unite the various denominations into a single, unified body. You’ll know the members of this as they tend to identify not as Protestant but simply Christian. You’ll still find Catholics and other protestant denominations around. So although it is as common as it is you will actually find a lot of differences among its practitioners.

Judaism

They aren’t common, but you will find Jews in the west these days. San Francisco in particular is a popular destination. A congregation formed in 1849 though they don’t have any permanent home or temple yet. Perhaps sometime in the next few years they will. Anyway, while they worship a bit differently and don’t have all the same traditions and stories, my own faith still shares a lot in common with theirs. I believe that at the end of the day we’re praying to the same god. Don’t listen to those who would tell you otherwise.

Voodoo

There are actually many faces of this faith and a great deal of misunderstanding surrounding it. It came about as traditional African beliefs mixed with Western beliefs as the various cultures were mashed together during the slave trade. Over time the African animistic beliefs mixed with Christianity and formed what it is today.

There is Louisiana Voodoo, Haitian Voodoo, and others that are similar, but not quite the same.

Native American Religions

There are many more than just one of these. Some are animistic, some polytheistic, and many have been influenced by Christianity at this point though there are still plenty who cling to their traditional ways. I’ve heard tales of their priests, or whatever they may call their holy men, dancing for hours until the clouds gather and rain falls. I’ve heard whispers of dead cities far south of hear that followed a blood-hungry religion that gave their rulers immense power.

Scary to think about, isn’t it? Don’t worry. We have our own zealots and I’m sure most Indians are not wild raving savages.

Infernalism

Lucifer, the Son of the Morning, Beelzebub. The Devil listens and he does answer his faithful. The gifts he give can be tempting, but you’re getting yourself into trouble making deals with this one. Even if does help you, even if you manage to do good through his gifts, if people find out where you’re strength is coming from you can be sure there will be...hell to pay. Hah.

Other Faiths

California is growing and it’s not just white Christian people coming here. Celestials have been arriving here from the Orient to work and pan for gold and pursue their own version of our American dream alongside men like us. They bring with them their own religions. Buddhism, Taoism, and other beliefs are around. It’s not just them either.

Arabians are around and they believe in something similar to Christianity, but not quite the same and they aren’t Jews either. There’s also a new religion spreading west from New York that calls itself Christian but...I’m not too sure about that. These Latter Day Saints have some funny things to say about God and Jesus and Heaven, but the Lord gives them strength too. It’s a very young religion and I haven’t seen any of them around here, but they could be.

Again though, these are all pretty uncommon for our area. Quarry Creek is a special place though, as I keep saying. I find all sorts of unexpected things here.

Totemic Faith

Then there are the spirits and that whole other world existing around our own. Faith in this can provide other effects, more tied with the natural world. Healing, seeing spirits, sensing other things most people see right past. You’ll find spirits and totems tend to be more directly involved with their faithful, particularly in Quarry Creek where they eat, drink, and sleep with us.

Some people bind themselves to particular spirits, increasing the spirit’s own strength through their faith. Some do this in groups, others seek a more personal relationship with these spirits. Other people don’t follow a particular spirit but instead pay their respects to all of them, perhaps focusing on a particular one to help them with a given problem or task. Speak with them, learn about them, and figure out what you want for yourself.

Uktena

This powerful spirit makes himself quite at home in our American lands. An aspect of him is particularly connected to the river that flows through town. Uktena loves collecting secrets, so if you want his favor be sure to offer him something good. If you manage to impress him you will be well rewarded. No spirit may know as many forbidden occult secrets as Uktena.

Chimera

She of Many Faces, the Ever-Changing, Chimera encourages those who follow her to seek enlightenment, but does not really define what that means. She loves mysteries, enigmas, puzzles, and the sort. She speaks cryptically and does not ever give direct answers, preferring instead to offer advice in the form of more riddles for her followers to sort out on their own. Do not follow her if you are the sort who looks for a simple, direct approach to everything. If, however, you are a person who takes the time to weigh your options and look at a situation from every possible angle, she can help you in your journey to wherever you may be going.

Cockroach

Cockroach wants to adapt and survive. He embraces the technology the modern age and encourages his followers to do the same. People who follow him tend to be hardy and persistent. It’s a dangerous land we live in, so if you are looking for something to help you survive in this inhospitable environment then maybe Cockroach is for you.

Unicorn

Another popular spirit. Unicon has two aspects, white and black, peace and war. Both are compassionate, both are honorable. White Unicorn is a spirit of care and healing. If you are on who eschews violence but will not run from a fight, one who makes sure everyone receives the help they need, White Unicorn could be for you. Black Unicorn is a spirit of war, but war in its most good and honorable sense. Think uncorrupted chivalry. If you are willing to put up a clean fight for what is right and respect even your foes in battle you may find yourself in line with the Black Unicorn.

Other Spirits

You will find many other spirits around Quarry Creek. Some old, some new, taking form from many concepts. You may find one of them, even a relatively young and small one, is to your liking. If you are able to see them, or if they reveal themselves to you, seek their council and learn what you can about them. Know that no two spirits are exactly alike. They are strange and their way of thinking is not like ours, but they offer strength and wisdom to those who would follow them. Given how diverse they are, I am sure that if you look hard enough you will eventually find one who fits well with who you are.

Faith and the Supernatural

Living in this town, I assume you know by now that humanity is not alone here. I won’t pretend to know more than I do about them. I know that they cannot receive the gifts of faith from their beliefs as we can, not in the same way as us at least. There are many who for one reason or another believe that all these “creatures” are godless monsters, entirely against God’s plan. If that were the case though then why would they be here at all?

These people, whatever they may be, are just as capable of believing in a cause as we are. They attend church services, they read their bibles, and they think about their souls and their ultimate salvation. You will find them just as humble and devout as any of their common brother and sister worshipers. You will also find them just as depraved and unrepentant as any of the rest of us. Most of them behave more or less like people do.

Educate yourself

There is really quite a lot to say about faith, far more than I can put into a single conversation with you and honestly far more than I myself can know on my own. If a particular belief system interests you then I encourage you to look more into it. There are a lot of holy books out there. Get your hands on them and read through them! There are also lots written [i]about[/] these holy books. Get out there and see what sort of stuff you can find!

Article by Pohizzzle