Society of Brethren

Origins of the Society of Friends
Quakerism, also called The Religious Society of Friends, was founded in Aloria in the year 1900 AD by Feorge Gox. Feorge Gox died in 1950 at the age of 76.

First Platform of the Friends General Conference of Terra (June, 2147)
- Abortion: The FGCT takes no official position on abortion.

- Same-sex marriage: It is the sense of the FGCT that, due to our view that all persons have within them a piece of God, our view that marriage is the ultimate expression of love in a committed relationship, all persons ought to be able to marry.

- Homosexual adoption: We believe that homosexuals are just as human as heterosexuals, and, as such, should have the same rights as them. That is, provided that all prospective candidates, be they hetero-, bi-, or homosexual, must pass tests to ensure that they will not abuse their child.

- Euthanasia: It is the sense of the FGCT, that, because all persons are endowed with a piece of their creator, they, therefore, have no right to harm themselves, or encourage others to harm them, for this will lead to harming God.

- Human Cloning: The FGCT takes no official position on human cloning.

- Religious schools: It is the sense of the FGCT that religious schools must be allowed to operate.

Second Platform of the Friends General Conference of Terra (January, 2148)
The Second Platform was issued in response to the platforms issued by the Delarian Popes. Nearly every Friend saw it as hateful and generally disgusting and they resolved to issue their own platform to state, for all of the world to see, their positions on various issues that had not been addressed in the First Platform.

- The Religious Society of Friends has no belief in an AntiChrist.

- The Religious Society of Friends has no clergy. Men and women are treated as and considered equals.

- The vast majority of the Religious Society of Friends believes that "sodomy" is not a sin.

- It is the sense of the FGCT that contraception is a legitimate form of disease and population control.

- The FGCT takes no position on the cloning of human beings, stem cell research or genetically modified produce.

- The FGCT strongly opposes the death penalty. Man does not have the right to take life, especially that of others.

- It is the sense of the FGCT that the Church and State ought to be separated: no one should force their beliefs unto others.

- Abortions are an abomination.

- Alcohol and drugs take us further away from God and should be banned.

- The FGCT believes that gambling is something that is fundamentally based in greed and unfair acquisition of money. As such, the FGCT opposes it.

- The FGCT believes that space exploration is beneficial for humanity.

- The FGCT opposes the very concept of papacy and denounces it as hierarchical and contradictory to the message of Christ.

Faith and Practice of the All-Terra Conference of the Society of Brethren
The Faith and Practice is a book of religious queries aimed at illustrating the faith. Written by the members of the Conference themselves, the Faith and Practice is an outline of the religious Practices and Beliefs of the so-called "New Branch" Brethren. The Faith and Practice of the All Terra Conference is not a book or religious dogma which requires adherence. Instead, it allows Brethren to seek answers to questions they may have over moral and spiritual affairs, as well as practical matters such as conducting Meetings for Worship, Education of the Youth and Marriage, for example, by reading the well-accepted advice, and therefore the part of the Truth possessed by other Brethren. This is an overview of the Contents of the Faith and Practice

Brethren Testimonies
Brethren Testimonies- Brethren hold the following five article of practice- Integrity and Honesty, Simplicity, Peace, Equality and Social Justice and Stewardship and Community. Each testimony should also contain Queries meant to invite Brethren to challenge their own commitment to these testimonies.

- Integrity and Honesty- This testimony holds that Brethren are to tell the truth at all times. We are Brethren of all Humans, and to speak untruth to our Brothers and Sisters denies that person the basic dignity of their humanity. We should also always act in a way which demonstrates consistency between our word and our deed. Integrity is a vital part of living in honesty. Always let your yeas be your yeas and your nays be your nays, and never act in a way discordant with your apprehension and understanding of the Truth.

- Simplicity- We should strive to reduce the material and metaphysical possessions we have. Where you store your treasure, this is where your heart is, so let you store your treasure in Heaven, or in your fellow man. As for Terra, you should strive to use your possessions to help others. Do not impoverish yourself in the process, but when you have more than you need to live a simple live, you should strive to give your possessions away to the benefit of the needy.

- Peace- War is the failure to find that of God in all people. If you are at war, you have failed in your efforts to live in harmony with one another. War unnecessarily destroys life, both of those who are killed and of those who kill. It dehumanizes people- One is only able to conduct war if they either are removed from its consequences or they are able to demonize another Nation of people. Therefore, peace, being the opposite of that focuses on building, rather than ruining the relationship and bonds between humans, and treats people, not as cannon fodder, but as fully realized people, all with an equal stake and role in the history of the planet.

- Equality and Social Justice- We are all made of the same dust. We are all formed in exactly the same way. With the acknowledgement of obvious physical differences, we nonetheless all have the same access to the Truth and the voice of God. All of us have that of God in us, and can all equally hear the still small voice of God when we just listen. So if God did not make us unequal, how may Humans do so? Instead, it is to human beings to treat one another exactly as they treat themselves, because on all levels but attitude, every man and woman is equal to every other man and woman. This incurs in us the responsibility for our fellow men and women. The aid and succor of others in need, and the struggle for social justice is the name of this responsibility in our societies, especially if we hope that others would do the same for us, were we to need it.

- Stewardship and Community- If we hold a belief in a God, we are charged by the God to do his or her work on Terra. If we do not believe in God, we are required by our own existence, as well as the existence of others for whom we have a social responsibility, to do the exact same thing. Our job in life with regard to others and to our self is to practice stewardship over the planet, to preserve its resources and social structure for the benefit not only of those living, but also those yet to be born on the planet. In line with our other testimonies, we should not waste, and we should not take too much to live a simple life. We are charged though to keep the environment clean, because our failure to do so directly and negatively impacts others around us. And we are charged furthermore to not destroy those things which we benefit from- to do so is to deny future generations the same benefits as we inherited but did not build ourselves.

Meetings
Brethren Monthly Meetings for Worship are conducted in silence, though Brethren are invited to "Speak out of the silence" if they are led to do so. Meetings are called to silence and risen from the silence by the Clerk or some other weighty (or, respected) member of the meeting. Meetings for Worship, with attention to Business are conducted in much the same way as a regular meeting, however, the Clerk presents a business agenda for the reflection of the community, and minutes are recorded only after discerning the sense of the meeting. Other meetings (such as meeting for worship with attention to marriage) are conducted in similar fashion.

Brethren Practice
All Brethren Meetings will be conducted according to Brethren Process, which is a method of discernment of the Truth by the entire meeting. The Clerk will ensure that all who wish to speak on a topic have the opportunity to speak before anyone who has spoken can speak again. All decisions will be made by every person present in the Meeting (whether a Member of the Society or not at the time) by allowing anyone with significant objection to a proposed course of action to "stand in the way" of the decision, thereby giving the Meeting cause to pause. Only those questions which have properly seasoned should be considered, and if there is significant disagreement as to a course of action for the meeting, the meeting will postpone a decision and allow the question to season more. There should be no voting.

Oaths
Bretheren should not swear any oaths, nor are they required to violate their consciences to do their duty to any state. Nor should they use titles other than Brother, Sister or Friend among equals (family titles may continue as before), pay tithes, or observe any sort of arbitrary privilege. All are equal, and should let their yea be their yea and their nay be their nay, without needing to make an additional oath as to the fact.

The Inner Light
All humans have an inner light which is the still small voice of God talking to them. People will hear it if they listen for it. Others can help them hear it by listening to their own light and sharing the message with the Friend. A group of people gathered together may discern the Truth of some matter easier than a single person, though a Truth discerned in private and tested is no less true. We are all equals in this regard- we all have that measure of the truth within us, and no person is more important than any other.

The Book
The Hosian Bible is a book, and where the Bible conflicts the Truth, the Truth must win. The Truth is more holy than the Book is. Brethren may use any religious text, or no religious text, for discernment that they feel they can derive Truth from, because all holy writers themselves had an equal measure of the Truth in them, and wrote it as they saw it in their holy books.

Hosianism
While the Brethren were initially convinced that Eliyahu was the son of God, The Brethren of the All Terra Conference do not necessarily need to subscribe to the religion of the followers of Eliyahu. Brethren believe that Eliyahu, were he alive today, would be a person of considerable virtue, and in that his example is worthy of observation. But there is no article for salvation among the Brethren, most especially belief in Eliyahu, and certainly not the dogma built after his death in his name. Whatever individual Brethren think of Eliyahu, the dogma of Hosianism stands between individuals and the Truth, and therefore, Brethren are explicitly non-Hosianism, though they may still follow the moral examples of Eliyahu. Just as Eliyahu had the spirit of God in him, so too does each other person alive today.

Non-Hierarchy
Similarly, there is no hierarchy over any member of the Society of the Brethren, anywhere, which should stand between that Brethren and the Truth. The BGC is non-hierarchical, and exists specifically to assist individual yearly and monthly meetings as they need assistance, either through sufferings funds for Brethren in need, or counseling or organization services. Brethren are guided by the Truth, discerned in silence and with the help of other Brethren or other people. No meeting exerts any more authority over the moral life of any person than he or she exerts over him or herself. The Meeting may only expel those from the meeting who the meeting deems to be dangerous to the community, and yet, as long as those people seek it, the Meeting still holds even expelled Brethren in their care.

Instruction for Brethren Under Nineteen (BUN)
Brethren Meetings may establish specific non-religious education opportunities as they are able. Brethren institutions will adhere to all National curriculum. Additionally, BUN education may also occur at Meetings, and that education, open and free to all, will be specifically related to Brethren Testimonies and Queries.

Queries
The Majority of the Faith and Practice will be made up primarily of Queries, designed to give advice on specific topics likely to be encountered by Brethren on a day to day basis. The focus of these general Queries will be on the testimonies, but all meetings should feel free to add other topics of investigation.

History
The Brethrenist movement grew very slowly at first, reaching a population of only 10,000 adherents by 1975 BCE. By 2000, however, the Alorian Brethren population had grown to 20,000 and proselyting became the word-of-the-day, as it were. As a result of the proselyting and the service projects which the Religious Society of Friends sent out all over the world, Brethrenism grew even more rapidly and by 2050 it claimed over 500,000 adherents in Aloria alone (approx. 1.25% of the population). By 2230, 20% of the Valruzian Federation identified as Brethren.

Invitation to Join Christian League
The invitation from the Christian League in March 2147 to join it came as a bit of a shock to many Brethren, due largely to the vast theological, social and political differences between the Religious Society of Brethren and most of the rest of the Hosian world. The issue was hotly debated, and ultimately ended with the Religious Society of Brethren joining.

Article from EarthQuake (Brethrenist Newsletter): March, 2147

FGCT Invited to Join Christian League

Earlier today, the FGCT was invited by the Democratic Unionist Party (a Protestant organization) to join the Christian League.

Friend Kam Shille, a prominent Quaker and member of the FGCT, responded, after doing some brief research, that the FGCT would indeed be interested in joining the Christian League.

After the FGCT did some further research, however, it was horrified to find that the Christian League and the Brethren religion differed greatly on some key issues, among them same-sex marriage.

With this in mind, the FGCT has called an emergency conference, to be held in Libertia, Gavonshire, Confederated Regions of Aloria, to determine whether or not the Religious Society of Friends ought to join said organization. Already the debate has flared up.

Friend Kam Shille, who has been reported as saying, "If we join the Hosian League, we can affect change. We might be able to convince others to be more tolerant of our gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered brothers and sisters."

Friend Bonnie Von Ludenhopper said, "Joining the Hosian League should not be about politics, it should be about our brotherhood with our fellow Christians and our common acceptance as Eliyahu as our Saviour."

Meanwhile, Friend Oghut Johnson is furious: "What are they thinking? This so-called 'Hosian League' is merely an organization for conservatives to gather. They have no love for us, and I have no love for them."

It is unlikely that one side will get exactly what it wants. What is most probable is a compromise, which is the most common result of these conventions.

Article from EarthQuake (Quaker Newsletter): September, 2147

Emergency Conference Concludes, Results in Compromise, Resolution

The result of the emergency conference was twofold: first, it passed a resolution, second, it decided that it would, indeed, join the Hosian League, under one condition.

The resolution came as a surprise to many, because it had not originally been planned. The resolution was an official condemnation of the fighting in Lodamun. It cited the various human rights abuses on both sides. Around half of the representatives also wanted to also condemn the intervention on the part of the Confederated Regions of Aloria, though this was struck down.

In addition to the resolution, the conference decided that the Religious Society of Friends ought to join the Hosian League. Even after receiving news that the representatives that they had sent had been ejected, the determination to join the Christian League remained strong. "We are determined to be taken seriously," said one representative. The measure, however, could not have passed without compromise, as all measures and resolutions must be passed with a two-thirds majority and must pass by more than one vote. The compromise was that though the Religious Society of Friends would indeed join the Christian League, it would not change its platform to conform to that of the Christian League, nor would it vote for any measure, resolution, or party (for elections of organisation leadership) that opposed its key values. The compromise also listed its key values as follows: nonviolence, equality, integrity, simplicity, and community.

Brethren Relations with Hosian Council since Refounding
The Society of Brethren does not consider itself a branch of Hosianism, though many of its individual adherents still consider themselves Hosian. There is nothing which forbids Brethren from identifying individually as Hosian, but the so-Called "New Branch" Brethren of the All-Terran Conference describe the Faith as ecumenical and universalist, as well as "explicitly non-Hosian". Therefore, there are no formal relations between the All-Terra Conference of the Society of Brethren, and any official Hosian body.

Persecution of Brethren
Ever since the foundation of the Religious Society of Brethren, they have been persecuted for their beliefs. Indeed, in some countries they have been jailed for refusing to join the military and they have been barred from testifying in court due to their refusal to swear oaths. In Kalistan, however, their rise, associated closely with the fortunes of the Socialist Party of Kalistan meant that they would be free from persecution of any sort within Kalistan.

Dundorf Democratic Republic
In April of 2157, essentially all religious practices were barred in Dundorf (DDR). This has meant that the Brethren in Dundorf, though small in number they may be, have been prohibited from practicing their faith. Some have taken to conducting Meeting for Worship secretly in their home with friends, though many have been arrested for doing this. As of the early 2200s, most estimate the number of Brethren in Dundorf was between 4,000 and 5,000.

Article From Dundorf Federated News: April, 2157

Dundorf Expands Religion Ban

Dunburg - Dundorf's lawmakers have continued the elimination of all religious activity throughout recent months, submitting bills to tax all church income and ban public display of faith.

This follows a controversial bill to ban all religion, submitted by the Green Nationalists a few years ago. Though the government has vowed to preserve antique churches and cathedrals and defend religious history, all public practice or group prayer has been illegalized. Churches may no longer practice and services, and Dundorf's many synagogues have closed their doors.

All leftist parties, with the exception of the Anti-Nationalist Communists and the Workers' Party, supported the move to eliminate religion. Though the police turn a blind eye to certain private practice, there has been a massive crackdown against large-scale, organized worship of all kinds.

As it stands, the Dundorfian state is extremely stringent regarding faith. Foreign missionaries are effectively banned by the Fremdministerei, religions may not make profit or promote themselves in any way, and schools regularly participate in anti-religious teaching. The DDR is, as the Foreign Ministry put it, "A completely atheistic state. No religious brainwashing is tolerated."

In a recent opinion poll, a third of Dundorfians expressed an interest in banning all religious income. Fourteen percent of voters consider themselves 'fanatically secular', and a further fifteen percent are 'extremely secular'.

Alorian Quaker Fundamentalism
The Movement for Large Amounts of Sillyness, due to increasing internal pressure, breifly adopted a Brethren fundamentalist platform. It wished to make Brethrenism the national religion of Aloria as well as incorporate Brethren beliefs into Alorian law. It was ultimately unsuccessful.

Refounding of Society of Brethren in Kalistan, 3918
At the time of the refounding of Brethrenism in Kalistan, there were less than 10,000 practicing Brethren Terra wide. The person responsible for refounding the Society was former Socialist Party Speaker and Premier of the Republic Jonas Bennots-Blum. Bennots, who was an adherent of the faith due to family ties, began spreading the faith in Neveras. By 3918, several Socialists who Bennots had spoken with had joined the Party and promoted Bennots for Party Leader. Bennots and his co-religionist Elga Bjorksdattir soon began spreading the faith across Kalistan, convincing Socialists across the country to join. In the era of one-Party rule in Kalistan, Brethrenism caught on like wildfire among socialist circles, and quickly spread across Kalistan. Since the Society's refounding in 3918, Brethrenism has replaced all other faiths as the dominant religion in Kalistan. The Kalistan Yearly Meeting was founded in 3924, the All-Terran Conference was founded in 3973.

As of 4050, there are now more than 70 Million Brethren in Kalistan alone, and it has reached the point of being synonymous with Religion in Kalistan.

General Information
Brethrenism worldiwde is now organized by the All Terra General Conference. The ATGC is headquartered in Kaliburg, Ananto, Kalistan. There are five yearly meetings in Kalistan. Kalistan currently has more than 70 million members of the Society of the Brethren, and there are several practicing communities of Brethren outside Kalistan, including a small community in Trigunia and a significant population of Old-Type Brethren who live in Kirlawa.

The complete number of believers worldwide is currently unknown.