Much of the content on these pages was adapted and rewritten from the Battlestar Wiki and Wikipedia. Because of the setting of Ironangel and its Caprica origins, some extrapolation has been done. Given that religion is not homogenous nor consistent on the show itself but varies based on individual practice, players should feel free to use this information as guideline alone. Characters are very likely to have their own version of faith and what that means to them.

This page focuses on the two faiths established in Caprica canon. Other sects, such as the Sons of Ares, do exist and players should feel free to utilize them and create new interpretations as desired.

The Lords of Kobol (Polytheism)
The Monotheist Church

THE LORDS OF KOBOL (POLYTHEISM)

The dominant religion of the Twelve Colonies, which the various characters of Battlestar Galactica practice to greater or lesser extent, is a polytheistic faith with a strong emphasis on the philosophy of eternal return. There is a several variations of this faith practiced by different groups.

Belief

Colonial religion is centered on the Lords of Kobol. There are ten Lords of Kobol have been positively identified within canon but it is safe to assume that any Greek/Roman deity may be used:

• Zeus - The leader of the lords.
• Aphrodite - The lady of love and sexuality.
• Apollo - Zeus' son, said to be the lord of the hunt and of healing.
• Ares - The lord of war.
• Artemis - Twin sister of Apollo, lady of the hunt.
• Asclepius - The lord of healing.
• Athena - This lord committed suicide "out of despair over the exodus of the thirteen tribes." Her tomb is said to hold a map to Earth.
• Aurora, Goddess of the Dawn.
• Hera - Wife of Zeus.
• Poseidon - Lord of the Sea and of earthquakes

Colonials use multiple names for their lords, interchanging "Mars" for "Ares", "Jupiter" for "Zeus", and so on.

The Sacred Scrolls

The Sacred Scrolls are a set of writings that form the basis of Colonial religion, a polytheistic faith resembling the legends of ancient Greece. The scrolls record much of the alleged history of humanity, including life on Kobol before the great exodus, and the legend of Earth. Portions of the scrolls are used in religious ceremonies, such as the Service for the dead.

Most notable among the Sacred Scrolls is the Book of Pythia, also referred to as the Pythian Prophecy. Written 3,600 years ago by the oracle Pythia, they are believed by some to foretell an exodus from the Twelve Colonies of Kobol.

Afterlife

Believers think that they will go to Fields of Elysium after death if they led a good life. The Colonial belief holds that travel to Elysium is through a river and that, on its shores, their loved ones await their arrival.

Paradise Lost

According to the Sacred Scrolls, the gods once shared a paradise-like existence with the people of Kobol. Later circumstances forced the exodus of the human population of Kobol to the Twelve Colonies and Earth, and lead to Athena's suicide.

The existence of the Lords of Kobol is attested to by the survival of numerous artifacts, including the Arrow of Apollo, the Tomb of Athena and the Gates of Hera. These artifacts are housed in the Delphi Museum of the Colonies, Delphi, Caprica.

The Cycle of Time

"All this has happened before, and all this will happen again." This line from the Pythian prophecy is very well known. It is thought by many that "If you believe in the gods, then you believe in the cycle of time that we are all playing our parts in a story that is told again, and again, and again throughout eternity."

Sanctity of Life

According to the Sacred Scrolls, abortion is "an abomination in the eyes of the Gods". The more fundamentalist Gemenese strictly adhere to this commandment, however the more secular Colonies such as Caprica do not follow this as strictly: Caprican law (and that of the other secular colonies) guarantees a woman the right to an abortion.

Artifacts

Despite the arguments of those part of Gemenon's fundamentalist climate, the city of Delphi on Caprica was of a mind to store an important religious artifact, the Arrow of Apollo, in a museum, rather than a devotional institution.

Ancient temples may be also be the repository of special artifacts such as the Eye of Jupiter, believed to be stored inside the legendary Temple of Five.

Confession

At least some sects of the Colonial religion practice the concept of absolution of sins through confession. Brothers, and priests as well, may hear confessions. This practice isn't uniform throughout the Colonial religion, but limited to certain sects.

A confession begins with the confessor saying, "Bless me, Brother, for I have acted against the example of the Gods." The Brother or Priest will then say, "Proceed in the name of the Gods," and after hearing the confession, they will end by saying, "You are absolved in the example of the Gods."

Dress

Many Colonials belonging to a particular sect have clothing that suggests a religious deference. These may vary from simple colored robes and a round, flat head covering to turban and robes, for those with a special role in Colonial society or its religious hierarchy.

Idols

Those people who have chosen specific Lords as patron gods often pray to using figurines that bear a similarity to those gods.

Prayer

Prayer is a component of colonial religion and may be done by the individual or as part of a group. The intensity and amount of prayers spoken depend on the individual. Some sects use prayer beads, or rosaries, as a part of this practice.

Temples

Temples are often elaborate places on the Twelve Colonies, but many individuals also use household spaces they can find to form a basic temple. A basic temple may consist of a simple altar with candles, idols of the Lords of Kobol, and small offerings given as a tithe. Some prayers are written on paper and burned.

Temples are dedicated to a Lord or Lords. Who a temple is dedicated to is generally determined by the individual or government sponsoring the creation of said temple.

Sagittaron beliefs

Orthodox Sagittaron beliefs are more anachronistic than the devout Gemenese's, believing that the mind and body are myths, and that medicine is "an abomination, a sin against the Gods". Sagittarons also blame physicians for the spread of disease due to their ignorance of the aforementioned "myth" of the body and mind. They traditionally do not believe in violence, of any kind or for any reason.

Other minority beliefs

A small minority of the Colonials are secretly monothiests. The most prominent of these sects is the Soldiers of the One; however, other sects that only serve one of the Lords of Kobol do exist. The Sons of Ares are among these. Mithraism is also noted in practice.

The Clergy

The religious and government bodies of the Twelve Colonies often work together but how strong these associations are depends on the specific colony. The ties between religion and government are strongest on Gemenon and Sagittaron whereas on Caprica, those ties are weak.

Priests and priestess may serve as political and spiritual advisors. Priests also preside over military funerals, without regard for the beliefs of the deceased.

Priests in the Twelve Colonies are apparently not required to practice celibacy, and can be male or female. Some priests use chamalla for its hallucinogenic properties and prescient dreams. Oracles also use the drug. Chamalla is a potent pharmacological substance with hallucinogenic properties, or the Colonial plant, root or vegetable from which it is extracted. It is used by oracles for religious purposes, and by Colonial medicine as an alternative therapy for certain illnesses, including cancer.

Chamalla withdrawal is highly acute, and resembles the symptoms of heroin addiction. The taste of the drug itself is extremely bitter.

Brothers/Sisters

The term Brother is used as a title for male members of the clergy. As with Brothers in the clergy, there are Sisters as well. For the purposes of Ironangel, this role is considered similar to that of a monk. As with priests, a brother or sister offers consultation and leads prayer. Brothers/Sisters are lay clergy (unlike priests and oracles, who have political status as well as their religious status).

Oracles

An oracle is a spiritual advisor in the polytheistic religion of the Colonies.Oracles appear to possess prophetic insight on the directions or motivations of the Lords of Kobol and the descendants of the thirteen tribes who inhabited the Twelve Colonies of Kobol.

Priests and oracles may assume their roles due to an personal, often inherited affinity to sense spiritual changes or conditions though this is not always the case. The average colonial does not know how oracles are created or selected for their work.

Oracles use chamalla to aid in their prophetic insights. The oracles are either reclusive or left to their own spaces because of their unusual gifts and their effect on others.

The Monotheist Church, sometimes referred to as the Monad Church, is a religious organization based on Gemenon. Led by the cleric known as Mother, the Monotheist Church's goal is to spread the gospel of a single, all knowing, all powerful God to the generally polytheist Twelve Worlds.

The Monotheist Church is housed in the rocky, seaside cliffs of Gemenese in a temple referred to as "the retreat". The location is considered by the monotheists to be the Holy Land. Inside the retreat is an elaborate cathedral distinguished by buttresses, stained glass windows and reflecting pools where the clerics meet for worship as well as politicking. The halls of the Monotheist Church echo with the sound of chanting and prayer, reflecting a bygone age of mysticism in the Twelve Colonies.

In the early years of its formation, the Monad Church came into conflict with its polytheistic neighbors with polytheist rebels in the east and the "Hephaistons" in the west. Despite these tensions, the Monad Chruch's relationship with the polytheist ones has softened over time, though they still consider nonbelievers "unenlightened."

BELIEFS

Monotheists believe that a singular deity created humankind. Some refer to this deity as "God" whereas extremists refer to this deity as "the one whose name shall not be spoken," etc. Humanity is a flawed creation, one that is sinful and has essentially thrown away the gift of the soul and of God's love.

The Monad Church believes in a singular deity and rejects the worship of multiple deities. God is the one true God of all beings. As such, its followers view the Colonial worship of the Lords of Kobol as blasphemous although they are limited in their ability to openly say as much.

SAYINGS AND PRAYERS

• "Heavenly father, we thank you for the bounty of this table…"
• "[There is] no other god but God."
• "When God's anger awakens, even the mighty shall fall…"
• The Prayer to the Cloud of Unknowing is used when facing death: "Heavenly father [. . .] grant us the strength...the wisdom [. . .] and above all...a measure of acceptance..."
• Funerary prayers, such as "For those that we have lost in the past, and for those that we are burying today, we must remember, there is a higher purpose. Heavenly father, grant us the strength, the wisdom, and above all, a measure of acceptance, however small."

THE SOLDIERS OF THE ONE

The Soldiers of the One, or STO, was the militant arm of the Monotheist Church, formed in the movement's early years to defend the church, driving out the many Gods and combating the corruption and decadence of Colonial society. Considered by the Caprican Government to be a terrorist organization, the STO has training camps set up on Gemenon.

Meeting resistance to the monotheist movement, the Monotheist Church at first heavily utilized its arm branch, crediting it with its success in leaner years. Despite the fact that they were treated as saviors, the Monotheist Church has ultimately taken up a more distant relationship with its STO cells, going so far as to refuse to house its leaders within the church proper.

CONCLAVE

The monotheist conclave is a ten member group of clerics that convened on Gemenon to carry out the affairs of the Church, with members consulting directly with the Blessed Mother. At the present time, to the best of the outside world's knowledge, the conclave is in turmoil due to the death of the Blessed Mother. It is not yet known who her successor will be.