Alithianism

Alithianism is a major nontrinitarian branch of Christianity, which follows the theological teachings and traditions of Thaddeus Kane (1551–1623), a Reformation-era preacher from England.

Kane broke from the Anglican clergy in 1594 after proposing the possibility that the First Council of Nicaea was non-Biblical and an affront to true Christian beliefs, as well as his concern over the lack of evidence within the Bible supporting the concepts of predestination, hellfire, and the Trinity; the three most powerful doctrines in the churches throughout Europe during his lifetime. Targeted by his fellow priests for his beliefs, as well as his undermining of the moral authority of the Church of England for its excesses under Queen Elizabeth I, as well as its persecution of Catholics in the nation, Kane fled from England to British America. There, Kane wrote his beliefs which were brought together as the ideology, and began preaching it to the colonists of the Americas. Alithianism would gain a major following among the slave population of North America, who would become the eventual ancestors of the Kanians.

Alithianism advocates the belief that God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit are all separate entities, with God being superior to Christ, and the Holy Spirit not being a sentient entity, but the tool through which God accomplishes his will. Further, Alithianism does not support the hellfire doctrine, and teaches the belief that all human beings will be resurrected on the earth rather than going to Heaven following death. Because of the extensive differences between Alithianism and most other mainstream trinitarian branches of Christianity, many critics have declared that the ideology is heretical, and therefore not Christian. However, Alithianism has managed to gain a major following around the world, most notably in Kania where the Kanian Alithian Church is the largest Christian church adhering to the doctrines of Alithianism. There are more than 20 million adherents to Alithianism worldwide, with more than a third of them located in Kania.

Etymology

The name Alithian comes from the Greek word alítheia (αλήθεια), meaning "truth". After studying the Bible extensively, Kane found many inconsistencies which contradicted the teachings of both the Catholic Church and the major Protestant ideologies which arose during the time of Martin Luther. The concepts of hell, the Trinity, predestination, tithing, and other major traditions of Christianity at the time, completely flew in the face of the teachings of the Bible. This led to Kane to use the Greek term for "truth" for his ministries, as he saw himself as spreading the true teachings of the Bible to the masses which had been hidden from them by the churches of his time.

At the time, opponents of Kane termed the followers of his teachings as Kanians, a derogatory term for the adherents, which Kane despised. He preferred the Alithian as it took the attention away from himself, and focused it onto the teachings themselves. This drew more people interested in learning about the truths of the Bible from Kane's point of view, and lessened the criticism of his opponents in the English clergy. Eventually, the term Kanian came to represent the followers of Kane, which the teachings themselves were officially known as Alithianism in 1650, more than a quarter of a century after Kane's death in the Americas.

Doctrine

Predestination

Predestination is not taught or supported by the Alithian Church on the grounds of scriptural truth and incompatibility with the personality of God. The concept of predestination was originally hotly debated by the nascent clergy for the denomination of Alithians, with the prevailing belief of the time being that God had already established the life of a Christian long before their birth. This was, however, contested by the majority of Alithian priests, who believed that if one's life had been predestined by God, then the restrictions on certain behavior and the punishment for sins would have been counterproductive at best, or malicious at worse. There would be no point to the rules and regulations of the Bible if one's life was planned to be opposition to God and his will, or if they were to be a paragon of Biblical virtues. As such, the ruling on the topic was that predestination could not be in harmony with Christian doctrines, and was thus unscriptural. It was understood by the church that predestination offered parishioners an explanation for the evils in humanity, that humans were by nature good, but could have their lives drawn in such a way that they performed evil acts as a way of testing good believers and strengthening their faith. Without the crutch of predestination, one would now be responsible for their own relationship with God, and could no longer point to the concept as a way of obfuscating the wrong in their actions.

Justification

Alithians believe that to maintain their good standing with God, all adherents of the Christian faith must continuously perform good works in the form of preaching, teaching, and baptizing, all in the manner of the first Christian and Teacher, Jesus Christ. They point to Matthew 28:19, 20, in which Jesus commanded his followers to "make disciples of all the nations", with emphases on the part where Jesus also explicitly stated "teaching them to observe all the things I have commanded you". With this statement, Alithians view themselves as not only have to practice good works through the act of ministering to others, but also by observing all of the teachings of Christ before they can minister to others. Justification for one's salvation is not a "one-off" instance in which an individual is saved perpetually by virtue of their baptism alone. Rather, all good Christians in the Alithian sense, must practice what they preach and preach what they practice, so as to remain in line for salvation an everlasting life.

Because of this, all Alithians are required to partake in the ministry as a part of their worship, as it is tied to the acts of "good works" mentioned by Jesus Christ in TBD. Likewise, Alithians also point to the letter from the Apostle James speaking of carrying out good deeds in James 2:14. The apostle exclaimed that "faith without works" cannot save a Christian, as faith alone was no different from telling a naked and starving individual to "stay warm and well fed", and not providing them with food and clothing. For the Alithians, they must actively and aggressively practice and preach the teachings of Christ, as their faith, though acknowledged through the act of a public baptism in the name of Christ, hinges on their adherence of his teachings, which include preaching, teaching, and abstaining for certain acts and lifestyles. This differs from the Protestant stance, where works are a consequence of faith, not a requirement of faith. Alithians believe that works are a requirement that justifies their worship to God, which requires them to consistent maintain their faith through their works.

Work ethic

The Alithians view there to be a time for everything related to the carrying out of their lives, as King Solomon pointed out in Ecclesiastes 3:1-8. While there is nothing wrong with relaxation and entertainment, the Alithians keep their focus on their religion and its practices. Because of the Alithians strict timetables, a strong work ethic has blossomed throughout Alithian culture, with adherents working hard throughout the day as apart of their worship. Alithians believe that maintaining a strong work ethic in their spiritual lives helps to reinforce their secular lives. They pay their taxes in full and on time as Jesus implored them to do in Mark 12:17 by "paying back Caesar's things to Caesar", they do not cheat or steal, they avoid swearing and overindulging in alcoholic beverages, and Alithians maintain strong families as outlined in various teachings in the Bible. One would be hard pressed to find an idle Alithian, as they view their secular lives as a supplement to their spiritual lives, and thus they work hard in the secular world as a means of sustaining their ministry and the Alithian Church as a whole. Finding joy in working while having time for other pursuits is promoted by the Church, with a balanced life serving as the basis of the church.

Alithians have historically been regarded as some of the best workers and laborers in the world, as they always arrive to their jobs on-time, diligently carry out their responsibilities, maintain a respectful attitude toward their co-workers and superiors, and even work through holidays they refuse to practice as spiritualistic or unduly nationalistic. The Alithian faith indirectly created a meritocratic system of work and responsibility that the adherents keep to with the aim of maintaining a proper perspective on all secular activities they partake in, with the ultimate goal of keeping God and his requirements first in their lives. Spending exorbitant amounts of time on leisurely activities that do not build up one's faith or moral standards, is looked down upon within Alithianism by its adherents. Rather, Alithians do not believe there is anything wrong with these activities in and of themselves, only that filling one's time up with things that do not build up, produce few notable qualities that bring glory and honor to God. As one is constantly absorbed with the pursuits of the flesh, per se, they are drawn away for useful traits such as hard work and honesty, and drawn more and more toward hedonism and selfishness, as has been the case with all major civilizations in human history where work became less and less important in lue of hedonistic pursuits.