Atheism: An opinion

Ever since time immemorial, there have been people who go against the common consensus. From the royal loyalists of old to people like me. I fled the Sunlit Kingdom, living in exile under the gracious Zollvi Republic for almost five years. It is the only place within Iris with the power to protect me.

I have been working at the Richmond University for four years, rising through the ranks of the history department with ease, devoting my life to one period that changed the Zollvi Republic forever.

I am, of course, talking about The Blood Moon Crisis.

Now, I understand, you don’t want to hear another examination of that time. It’s still too painful for the people who went through it, there is no need to cause more trauma here. I am interested in the aftermath, how Zollvi society changed for what many people believed to be for the best.

We all remember the carnage, the lost loved ones driven mad and the slaughter by The Crimson Herald. The isolation socially, politically and economically brought the moonlight Kingdom to its knees. The global community abandoned the Zollvi, including (most ashamedly) my government.It was matters like these that would result in me breaking rank and speaking out for my fellow Zollvi mortals, for as kin, we have more in common than our respective churches would lead us to believe.I understand that there will be readers who question the audacity of a Natalianite to talk about Zollvi history, let alone write about it. However, we should not let such petty differences divide us. We must be strong against the church’s tyrannical influence over us. I am doing my part in making atheism accessible to the populace by providing a history, opinion, and a clear overview of what atheism is to prospective people.

I am furthering the cause as much as my fellow Zollvi supporters. Together we can defeat Natalia and all other gods rather than live under their rule.So, with that out of the way, let’s do a broad historical overview of atheism!Tying my opening comment back, it is true that since the existence of religions, there have been small groups of people who have rejected the reality of gods. Polite society has rightfully mocked, shunned, and ostracised these people because of their persistent denial of reality.This changed in the aftermath of The Bloodmoon Crisis and the rise of the Rose Party. Desperate times caused desperate measures, and we were on the brink of collapse. A major god was destroying us all and the Zollvi had to make sure that we would never be under such tyranny again.

A new line of thinking, free from the terror of Judacrat, where we, as mortals, are allowed to control our destiny.

Before I continue with this, I should preface that this isn’t an endorsement of the Rose Party nor is this a love letter to the Empire of the Rose. We traded the tyranny of a mad god for the boot heel of a government bent on controlling our sense of reality. All of us reject that disgusting party and continue to do so. Now, with this out of the way, I shall have to give that government credit for creating a new philosophy that we now follow: Rose Garden Atheism.

Unlike the embarrassing sectors of delusional idiots who tried to convince us that The Bloodmoon Crisis wasn’t real, the Rose Party created a series of guidelines to help the Zollvi escape from such terrible clutches.

• No gods, only mortals, shall be in control of their lives.
• No mortal shall use a god’s blessing.
• Unity through mortals, strength through mortal unity.
• All mortals are equal. Together, we are strong against the gods.
• No faiths shall reign over mortals.

These are the five major points for Rose Garden Atheism. The sole surviving component of the Rose Party after the government was overthrown. The only aspect worth saving from that damnable government.

As the word of this form of atheism has grown, more have joined the grand fight against the church. We have made friends with the Fae and attempts to contact the Oni tribes have been a slow but steady process. Atheism is no longer the result of fringe idiocy but an active choice of rebellion against tyranny.

Rose Garden Atheists don’t believe that gods don’t exist, we believe that they shouldn’t exist.

The church, however, has weaponized the reputation of the fringe beliefs to help discredit Rose Garden Atheism. This is because they fear that this philosophy will take over Iris. They yearn for the complete and utter control of the people under their god ruler.

One needn’t look further than the church’s oppression of the Fae, treated like demons because of failures of communication and bad luck. The Fae do not pose a threat to humanity, unlike the Saco, which can be justifiably destroyed. They (the Fae) are some of the politest mortals I have met. Political relations between the Zollvi and the Fae have improved spectacularly after we embraced atheism. We can look past our differences for a common cause.Rose Garden Atheism is a tool to unify non-human groups together. Religions merely encourage tribal behaviours and authoritarian systems.

While Rose Garden Atheism is the core belief system in the republic, the legal standing of religions has been relaxed recently, with mortals being allowed to practise religions as they see fit, but without any state involvement. While I disagree with the practice of religion (a feeling I share with a multitude of Zollvi), this is in keeping with the state’s insurance of freedom to the citizenry.

One could say that Rose Garden Atheism allows for freedom of many rather than the freedom of the few.

Now, I know that some detractors will claim that if we didn’t have theocratic authoritarianism and the blessing of the gods, other religions and their legions of Servants and Demigods could control us. To this I would say, well, if nobody has access to the gods, we won’t have there will be no more Servants and Demigods. We will be on an equal footing on all aspects of society, including warfare.

If we are free from religious influences, we will be free to work for all of us mortals. For when we are under the boot heel of the faithful, we are being crushed by the gods themselves. The death god is kind for now, but what if one day he/she/it or whatever decides to kill us? There will be nothing to stop them from destroying everything.

That isn’t to say that mortal societies cannot be tyrannical. The Empire of the Rose is a prime example of this, but we overthrew them. You could argue that mortals have done the same with Judacrat. However, what if the god wasn’t mad but cruel, such as the often whispered He Who Ties Us Down, a god from the south that controls gravity? How does one fight against a god that can simply throw you up into the sky (or down to earth) at a moment’s notice?Not very easily and not without struggle. The likelihood of us mere mortals defeating a god without bloodshed, suffering, and high failure is not worth the risk.

As you might imagine, it is these sorts of commonsense ideas that the Church wants me dead over.

The Church, and most religious institutions across the world, doesn’t want any alternative to godlike rule, as it will rob them of absolute power. To make society fair and safe, we must dismantle all institutions and replace them with the rule of the people.

If you desire to make Iris a free world for all, you can hear more about how you can fight for the Zollven Republic here at 11 Branch Road in Richmond.

This has been Professor Alister Riddle writing for the Richmond Times.