Religion in Excalbia

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History of Religion in the Excalbian Isles

Before the Coming of Christianity and the Second Coming of Paganism

The original Inuit settlers, who arrived in the Excalbian Isles in 12,000 to 9,000 years aog, brought with them their animistic and polytheistic religion. Not much is known of these religious beliefs as they developed in Excalbia because they were mostly passed on by oral traditions, which were lost following the arrival of the Camveni - a Celtic peoples from the British Isles, the Balto-Nordic peoples in the 9th century and the arrival of Celtic monks in the 11th century.

As early as the late 5th century and peaking in the 6th century, Camveni explorers and later refugees fleeing the Saxon invasion of their homeland began migrating to the eastern coast of the Excalbian Isles. These settlers brought Christianity with them and by the early 8th century had formed several stable, agrarian-based Lowland duchies that nominally practiced Christianity. However, cut-off from Christian Europe and, beginning in the 9th century, facing raids from the Balto-Nordic peoples the practice of Christianity began to diminish.

Warriors, explorers, and traders from the Balto-Nordic region arrived in Excalbia in the 9th century. They first came as raiders, then returned later in the century as settlers. Despite their origins as ocean-going explorers, the Balto-Nordic settlers migrated to the mountainous interior, dislodging the native Inuit, and became the Excalbian Highlanders. Highlander religion had its own pantheon, which included many local and family deities along with Janis, the god of health and prosperity. Ligo, his wife and the goddess of agricultural and fertility, Lacplesis, the bear slayer and god of the hunt, and Laima, the goddess of time, mortality and fate. Over time, the worship of the Sacred Fire and the centrality of the hearth displaced most of the gods. The great holidays of the Highland religion were Midsummer and the Winter Solstice, both of which were celebrated with fire, beer, garlands, and cheese.

The Reintroduction of Christianity

In the 11th century, adventurous Celtic monks who braved the waters of the North Atlantic to reach the rugged Eastern coast of the Excalbian Isles reinvigorated the churches of the Camveni villages along the Eastern coast and brought them back into communion with mainstream Catholicism. The monks also established a number of monasteries. The oldest and most famous was the Monastery of Saint Columba near the Lowland settlement of Umbra in Saxmere. With the encouragement of the monks, these Lowlander villages eventually united to form the Grand Duchy of Saxmere.

While the monks had great success in restoring the Lowland tribes along the rugged Eastern coast to the Church, Christianity did not spread quickly in the Highland kingdoms. Several Highland settlements in the border areas, such as Cesis, Ergli and Dienvidosta (now Southport), did convert Christianity. However, while many towns in the Highland interior did support a Catholic church, their congregants generally remained in the minority. The high nobility, in particular, resisted conversion and held onto their pagan beliefs. In the East, however, Catholicism was dominant and became the state religion of Saxmere.

In the 17th century, missionaries from the British Isles arrived along Southwestern coast and began converting the Lowlanders to the Protestant Anglican Church. As with the Catholics before them, the Anglican missionaries gained converts among the Camveni Lowlanders but only a few among the Highlanders. However, unlike the Catholics, they did gain some adherents among the barony and aristocracy. Soon, Anglican churches joined Catholic churches in many Highland towns. Nevertheless, Christianity remained a minority religion in the Highlands.

The Conversion of Joshua

Despite establishment of Saxmere as a Catholic nation and the presence of many Anglican Christians in the Southwest, most of the Highlanders remained nominally pagan until the early 18th century. In 1798, a group of Baptist missionaries from Regina in Laneria arrived on the Western coast. These new missionaries found success, as their Catholic and Anglican predecessors had, among the Lowlanders, both the last remaining Pagans in the West and among some of the Catholics and Anglicans of the Southwest.

As the Irish monks before them, the Baptists, with the encouragement of Regina-based mercantile interests, united the Lowlanders and inspired them to stand up against Highland domination. This brought the Lowlanders into conflict with the Highland King, Ragarth.

Realizing, however, that the modern technology of the new arrivals was tipping the balance against the Highland Kingdom of Excalbia, Ragarth sued for peace and traveled to the Baptist settlement at Landing. While there, Ragarth's son Thorvald is said to have fallen in love with Abigail Taylor, the daughter of a missionary, and publicly outed himself as previously covert Christian. He adopted the Christian name Joshua and, upon ascending to the throne in 1809, proclaimed Christianity the state religion.

The Church of Excalbia

After the proclamation of Christianity as the state religion and the establishment of the Holy Empire of Excalbia in 1809, it was necessary to create a state church. The Church of Excalbia was created to combine the general theological outlook of the Baptists, Reformed and Anglican churches with a strong hierarchy.

Key Beliefs

Many of the core beliefs of the Church of Excalbia reflect its Baptist and Reformed roots, and its Anglican heritage. Those core beliefs, based on Scripture, the Apostles and Nicene Creeds, include believer's baptism (that is baptism following a profession of faith rather than in infancy), the importance of apostolic succession, a high church ecclesiology, and belief in two sacraments of Christ (baptism, and communion) and three sacraments of the Church (ordination, marriage, and anointing of sick). The ecclesiastical history of the Church of Excalbia reflects the fundamental division between its low church – Baptist and Reform – elements and its high church elements – inherited from the Anglican Church. At times one side or the other has gained dominance but never truly cemented its position until the last the last 40 years with a succession of high church Presiding Bishops and the encouragement of the last three Emperors.

The Church has also evolved from a fairly socially conservative body to one that, if not progressive, is at least tolerant. The Excalbian Church practices open communion, meaning that any baptized individual is invited to partake, regardless of formal church membership. Those unbaptized may come forward at communion with arms crossed for a blessing. While it does not perform same sex marriages, it allows LGBTQ+ members to participate in full communion with the Church.

State Support and Public Role of the Church

As the state religion, the Church performs a variety of civic functions. Most importantly, the Synod of Bishops plays a constitutional role in approving the selection of a new Emperor or Empress. However, the Constitution also limits the role of the state religion by specifying that the only office requiring membership in the Church of Excalbia is that of the Sovereign.

Unlike many state religions, the Church of Excalbia does not receive direct financial support from the government. Houses of worship, regardless of denominational affiliation, that have been recognized for their architectural, cultural or historic significance receive money from both the Imperial and local governments for historical preservation and upkeep. In addition, the Church of Excalbia receives an annual tithe from the Imperial Family equal to 10 percent of the annual income of the Imperial Household. Considering that the Imperial Household represents the single largest fortune in the Excalbian Isles, this constitutes a significant source of financial support for the Church.

The Church Outside of Excalbia

While the Church of Excalbia is intimately associated with the Imperial Government and represents a plurality of Excalbian citizens, it also maintains a significant presence in the other nations of the Excalbian Isles - Upper Virginia and the Confederation of Sovereign States - and in former Excalbian colonial holdings, such as the Union of Ajuba. Currently, the Church represents 18% of the population in Upper Virginia, 11% in the C.S.S., 12% in Saxmere, 15% in Zamimbia, and 35% in Ajuba. The Church also has a minor following, often constituting less than 1% of the population, in several other nations, including Knootoss, Cyretopolitania and the Caldan Union. In other countries, the Church may operate as the “Episcopal Baptist Church”.

In Ajuba, the Church represents such a large number of people in all three of the Union's constituent members that the Ajuban bishops have formed their own Synod. The Ajuban Synod of the Church of Excalbia is headed by its own Secretary and forms a subsidiary body of the Synod of Bishops. The Ajuban Synod tends to be more socially conservative than the rest of the Church.

Although, according to the Excalbian Constitution all bishops of the Synod may cast a vote for the Imperial succession, by tradition bishops who are not citizens of the Holy Empire abstain during the vote. Such abstentions are not counted, in accordance with the constitution of the Synod.

Please see this page for a list of the Presiding Bishops of the Church of Excalbia:

Church of Excalbia Leaders

Other Churches and Other Faiths

Despite the arrival of a small Jewish community shortly after the arrival of the Baptists, their numbers did not grow significantly until the mid 19th century, when Jewish and Orthodox Christian immigrants began arriving in the Excalbian Isles. Immigrants from Cyretopolitania brought with them the Cyretian Coptic Church. Later in the 19th and 20th century, immigrants from Qubti and surrounding nations brought Islam and a variety of Eastern religions to the Isles.

Religious Demographics

Today, the Church of Excalbia (Protestant Christian) remains the state religion. It is also the largest religion, comprising 38% of the population. The Roman Catholic Church accounts for 17% of the population, while the Excalbian Baptist Church makes up 10%, Reformed churches (including the Excalbian Reformed Church (Kommerdijker Communion), the Excalbian Presbyterian Church and the Reformed Church of Excalbia) 7%, Epheronian Methodist Episcopal Church 5%, other Episcopal churches 4% and Orthodox Christians (mainly the Cyretian Coptic Church) 1%. Four percent of the population is Jewish while other religions, including minor Christian denominations, Islam, Humanism, and non-Abrahamic religions make up 8% of the population. Those with no religious affiliation, including atheists, - the so-called “Nones” – make up 6% of the population.

Other Religious Leaders in the Excalbian Isles