Culture and Religion

[kitty447]

First of all: I hope I'm not overstepping any boundries here, considering this is my very first post and I'll understand if this suggestion is disregarded because of that, but when I saw this forum I couldn't resist.

I'm curious to hear if Uantir has an active cultural development program of somekind. I can't remember what nation it was but I do remember a micronation having such a program and, as a big part of that program, an individual had constructed a religion for the micronation. I'm suggesting the creation of a (primarily ceremonious) religion for Uantir and it's people - not something that anyone would be obligated to follow or believe in, nor something that would have to be involved in the day-to-day runnings of the State.

The idea would be to build a religion, which would not necesserily have to be organised, that helps give the people of Uantir a sense of cultural validity as well as national validity. All though I am far from being a professional theologist, theology is something of a hobby I have indulged in for the past two decades or so and it would be quite easy to build a valid religious set of ideals and beliefs by drawing elements from existing and ancient world religions, as well as adding new elements to create a richer belief structure that isn't simply a bashing together of other religious teachings.

[Nesslandria Haneh]

I do not believe that religion should be discussed so lightly. There are better ways to establish a unique culture for Uantir. A nation does not need to have a religion to gain validity, and if the religion would be mostly for ceremony, then would it not be better to just establish the ceremonies? You do not need a priest to validate ceremonies. If there is no real function to the religion, then it should not be created. We can establish a code of ethics or morals for our nation, but religion is taken seriously by many people, and I think some would be insulted if religions were to be created just for ceremony or cultural validity.

Aside from all that, your status as a new citizen of our nation should not discourage you from posting and contributing. Your beliefs, ideas, and opinions are still very important to all of us. Welcome to Uantir!

[Gelare]

I concur with Countess Nesslandria almost verbatim, so all those looking for my opinion are instructed to refer above. Of course, that includes welcoming you to our micronation! I'm sure your interest and enthusiasm will serve you well. You're certainly correct that cultural identity is important to a nation, and building that identity takes many forms, which I hope you will join us in!

[Rook]

I have to concur with Gelare's agreement to everything the Countess had to say.

Uantir was founded with religious freedom as one of its principles. No Uantir citizen will be discriminated against or given greater status for any particular religious beliefs. A national religion, created for Uantir or no, would conflict with that ideal.

Now this doesn't mean you can't try if you want to. I encourage every Uantirian citizen to take the opportunity to attempt feats they feel they cannot accomplish outside the micro national world. So, if you wish to start your own religion, do so. I would be delighted to see how it turns out. But unfortunately I cannot allow it to be the 'Uantirian religion' due to the conflicts with one of the basic principles of Uantirian culture.

[sonusai]

I think it would be fascinating to have a religion. Would it be polytheistic or monotheistic? A patriarchal society, matriarchal society, or completely egalitarian? If the religion is monotheistic, what would it be based off of. Would it be similar to Judeo-Christianity, or something else entirely?

[Rook]

Well here's the great thing about it. No one's come up with it yet, so you get to decide.

But do read above and take into account the general opinion of invented religion among the established population. I'm not going to stop you from doing it. I want everyone to find their place in Uantir and if creating your own religion is yours, than I support that. But as a nation with one of its foundation pillars being staunchly against religion in government I cannot make it the official religion of Uantir.