Vordic Church

From Ordic Encyclopedia
Vordic Heterodox Church
ᛰᚬᛡᛑᛁᛮᚨ ᚸᛂᚺᛂᛁᛊᛂᚾᚦᛁᛂᛡᚦᚨ
Vordischa Geheisenkierka
ClassificationEastern-Vordic
OrientationVordicism
ScriptureImperial Bible
PolitySemi-hierarchical
PolimarckDomaldis XXIV,
Guardian of the Most Holy Conclave
RegionZusea, Osova, and Amphia
LanguageZusian
FounderJesus Christ, according to Vordic tradition
Valamir Vinimundis
Origin1st century AD
Halmar
Vordic Empire
Membersca. 250 million

The Vordic Church, also known as the Heterodox Church or the Vordic Heterodox Church, is one of the largest Messianic churches in the world, with more than 250 million baptised Vordics worldwide as of 2020. The church is led by the Polimarck, elected at a yearly convention of all priests, knights, soldiers, and half-brothers of the Church known as the Holy Conclave. Its administration is federalized into dozens of Chapters led by Grandmasters, which are themselves divided into thousands of Bailiwicks and Commanderies. However, three central administrative bodies also exist under the Polimarck’s authority: the Central Treasury, Hospital Ministry, and Marshal’s Office. The Rhapsel Basilica, located in the autonomous district of Stockel in Vordin, is the home of the church’s central administration.

Vordic theology is enshrined in the Witzer Creed, adopted by an early convention of the Conclave in the city of Witzen. The Church describes its theology as the Endepiphanias, the “Final Enlightenment,” referring to its reinterpretation and modification of traditional scripture according to the Valamirian Revelations (Valamirischenoffenbarungen). Primarily these refer to a reinterpretation of Satan as a dualistic component of God Himself, similar to the concept of the Trinity. Consequently, Vordics believe in two important spirits; the Holy Spirit (Veygeist), which is the ultimate expression of the moral impulse, and the Primal Spirit (Urgeist), the ultimate expression of the primal impulse. Humans are believed to struggle under the influence of these two competing spirits, and Jesus Christ is worshipped as the messianic human manifestation of the Holy Spirit, sent by God to redeem humans and orient them away from the Primal Spirit. Buttressing these central theological claims are a collection of books that the Vordic Church includes in the New Testament revolving around the story of Valamir, the first prophet to popularize Messianism in Zusea, and his deadly struggle with his brother, called the Vaterkampf. Notably, the Vordic Church also rejects the doctrines of Biblical infallibility and inerrancy, holding that the Bible is divinely-inspired but imperfect, since it was written by men rather than God or Christ.

The Vordic Church recognizes seven sacraments, of which the most important is the Mahlgemeinschaft, a variation of the Eucharist in which followers consume an hours-long consecrated feast during Mass. With the exception of a few sects, most Vordic churches hold this to be merely a symbolic ritual, rejecting transubstantiation or consubstantiation. The Virgin Mary and the prophet Valamir are both venerated and worshipped in addition to Christ, and both are frequently honored in hymns and devotions. The Church oversees hundreds of Ratified Sects, which preach authorized deviations from the Vordic orthodoxy: the faith has also spawned numerous Heretical Sects whose revisions are condemned by the Church.

The Vordic Church has influenced Zusian philosophy, culture, science, music, and art. Though Vordics live all over the world through diaspora and conversions, the vast majority of Vordics still reside in Zusea. Vordicism is also the predominant religion of Kyrossia. Since the late 20th century, the Vordic Church has been criticized for its alleged corruption, illicit or illegal ties to the Zusian state apparatus, support for Messiani social-democracy, and alleged clandestine support for radical or terroristic movements and regimes.

Name

History

Organization

Holy Conclave

Polimarck

Central Treasury

Hospital Ministry

Marshal's Office

Chapters

Bailiwicks

Commanderies

Doctrines

Sacraments

Liturgy

Social and cultural issues