Religion in the Domination of Eiler

Actually, "chain-of-command" would be a better term than "religion".

O Lord our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth!  
	Who has set thy glory above the heavens.
Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou ordained strength 
		because of thine enemies,
	that thou mightest still the enemy and the avenger.
What is man, that thou art mindful of him?  
	And the son of man, that thou visitest him?
Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands;
	thou hast put all things under his feet.

(Psalm 8: 1, 2, 5, 6)

The Domination of Eiler considers this bit of Judeo-Christian scripture to apply to it, as much as it applies to any of the works of man.

Through most of history, most of mankind was governed by empire-states, which claimed judgment over everything they could, but gave their occupants autonomy as the emperors saw fit. But "empire" is a specific term, invented by the Romans to avoid using the term "king".

• Before the Roman Empire, other entities existed which we call "empires" in retrospect. Their rulers called themselves "King of Kings". This title got adapted for use in religions. Even the ancients realized, kings need superior authority.
• The Romans called their emperor "imperator", which just means "commander". "Imperator" was a title that people could inherit, but they'd have to earn the title afterward. The best emperors would earn this title several times by proclamation of their Senate, every time they made a conquest.
• After the time of Rome, people remembered their emperors fondly, and tried to recreate their empire. Hence, the Holy Roman Empire.
• The Roman Empire, which inspired governments for millennia afterward, was not absolute. It was a patchwork of imperial provinces, senatorial provinces, and client kingdoms. The Holy Roman Empire followed that same model. So does the Domination of Eiler.
• People today consider the Holy Roman Empire to be a joke. That's largely because they're accustomed to the nation-states that replaced it.
• But the idea of the nation-state is questionable nowadays, because nation-states do not submit to higher authority, as even the ancient kings did.
• The Domination of Eiler is ready to fill the void, and bring back the empire-state.

The precise term "Empire" applies only to the Roman Empire and its successor states. And there's one empire in particular, which serves as the model for the Domination of Eiler. Through most of the two+ millenia Anno Domini, western Europe was governed by the Holy Roman Empire.

• Detractors claim that the Holy Roman Empire was neither holy, Roman, nor an empire. Holiness and Romanitude aside, they may not have understood the concept of Empire. An Empire is any entity that claims to govern kings. The Holy Roman Emperor claimed this, and he enforced this whenever he got the chance.
• This Empire's government was loose. In general, it let its people organize themselves to their own satisfaction, much like its predecessor the Roman Empire did. The New Testament is full of stories of kings who served under Rome.
• After the Empire declared for Christ, the Emperor was considered to be Christendom's ultimate legal authority - just as the Pope was the ultimate moral authority for the same people. The Pope's authority, from the same theology, persists to this day.
• The Emperor was also supposed to be the ultimate defender of the faithful. The best Emperors might have argued with the Popes, but they still took this responsibility seriously enough, to go on crusade to Jerusalem.
  • The emperor Fridericus Barbarossa ("Frederick the Redbeard") is the best example of this. He was a contemporary of Richard the Lion-Heart King of England, and went on the same crusade.
  • Sorrily, Fridericus didn't survive. If he had, Israel might be Christian today... oh, it's just as well that didn't happen.
  • Still, Fridericus became a German national hero. Prussian kings (particularly Frederick the Great) were named after him. So were Nazi military operations. Just another thing Hitler spoiled for the rest of us.
• The Emperor was usually far away, and you were never likely to meet him or have to worry about his judgment. But if you did meet him, even if you were a king, you had to submit.
• The Holy Roman Empire lasted centuries, until Napoleon replaced it with his own short-lived French Empire, for national gain.
• Since then, there have been many self-proclaimed Emperors, many of whom took "Caesar" (or "Kaiser" or "Tsar" or some other translation) as their titles. But none were focused on the defense of mankind; they instead concentrated on their national constituencies, plus whatever else they could conquer. Their Empires were similarly short-lived. Except maybe the Tsars', and even that one died. These were not true Empires; they were nation-states.
• As such, the term "Empire" has become degraded. The Domination of Eiler has therefore abandoned the use of this term, and is starting fresh with the term "Domination", just as Caesar Augustus once started fresh with the term "Imperator".

The concept of a nation-state, with absolute jurisdiction within a limited territory, is a recent development. And as long as any nation-state can dispute the judgment of another nation-state without binding arbitration, the concept of the nation-state cannot be said to be successful.

The term "religion" is not directly applicable to Domination religious practice. To the Domination leadership, it's just a chain of command. It may be silent much of the time, and it may be subtle when it speaks, but it is still the Kingdom of Heaven, and it is to be obeyed.

The Domination's religious practice is based on Christian concepts, but it avoids the fluffy-bunny Santa Claus concept of God that some Christians believe in, especially at Christmas and Easter. Instead, the Domination emphasizes the concept that the One Maker can reveal himself as a dread thing to see face to face, and you'd best submit to him. But once you submit, the One Maker is merciful. Much like the Domination itself.

Of course the Dominator is unworthy to be the partner of the One Maker. By Christian doctrine, all humans are likewise unworthy. But by that same doctrine, God created humans to be his underlings, and forgives humanity's sin and imperfection once we submit.

So be it. The Domination of Eiler submits to the rule of Heaven. And if the One Maker wills it, perhaps the Dominator may be as worthy of the mandate of Heaven as any other human ever was.

The Domination acknowledges its rightous duty to lead its most sensible citizens in religious practice. It has an officer for this purpose: the Bishop-Principal.

• The Bishop-Principal has intensely studied Christian doctrine for over 30 years. He operates a special-purpose online Christian fellowship, and has been an active practitioner in a Congregationalist youth ministry and an Episcopalian Lector-Intercessor's Guild. If all the churches he's ever supported were stuck on an island together, they'd refight the English Civil War... to the sadness of the One Maker.
• In the interpretation of religious scripture, the Domination's Bishop-Principal is inventive. Much like the Domination's line of command has been, especially in the time of Jesus the Anointed One.
• The Domination of Eiler is not alone in appointing a Bishop. The Apostolic Church believes in the apostolic succession, but they conveniently believe it was interrupted until the mid-1800s, until they got around to appointing their own apostles and bishops ... Whatever. All Scripture shows, the One Maker will work through whom he will.

Of course, the Domination observes most major Christian holidays, including Christmas. But due to the multi-ethnic nature of the Domination's citizenry, the Domination's holiday customs deserve some separate description.

Some people ask, can one achieve transcendance? Which is to say, can one ever feel that one has surpassed the universe? In the Domination of Eiler, the answer is, Of Course.

This achievement is not occasional; it is continuous. The higher command expects it. Earthly authorities expect no less, when they demand 24 x 7 pager coverage. The Domination leadership does not submit to this requirement from humans, but it does from the Kingdom of Heaven. Some commands come from there by way of dreams, though mostly by that channel the hierarchy gives input to the Domination's fiction-blog.

Even in normal life, every normal thing is a reminder of the mission of the Domination of Eiler. Even seeing a fat woman walk her puppy down the street is a reminder, both those creatures are citizens of the Domination of Eiler, and it is the will of the One Maker that the Dominator live among them and grant them the aid of his peacekeeping forces.

• The Dominator actually gets a lot of interaction along those lines, thanks to his policy of bicycle patrol. Judging from the comments "I saw you over by..." or "There's that guy who...", he's apparently been one of the most visible people in Lansing-Michigan.

One might think, perhaps the Dominator is deluding himself that he is chosen of the Kingdom of Heaven to assume the mantle of the political leader of Christendom and humankind. But the more the Domination of Eiler operates under this principle, the more it makes sense just as much as any other political principle. It even explains certain weather patterns, to the extent that places where the Dominator wants to ride his bike to work, get less rain than other places.

And at least the Dominator has overcome any problems he ever had with self-esteem.