Natural Philosophy

Natural Philosophy is a teaching in Deyah.

Followers
Republic of Marina (majority of the populace), parts of Zerrikania and Aden follow the Natural Philosophy.

Basic Principles
- Natural Philosophy is not so much a religion but a worldview. It has no centralized church and its preachers are not priest or monks but scientists and philosophers.

- Natural Philosophy does not deny the existance of a divine entity or 'life after death', but claims that worshiping them is simply stupid and pointless, since it is questionable if there's any higher power out there at all given the fact we lack proof of its existence, but if there's one then it does not directly manipulate us so praying to it makes little sense.

- people are masters of their own fates, there are no pre-set destinies, and there are no divinely prescribed rulesets (or if there are any, they are carved into the human subconsciousness); laws and moral codes in general are established, maintained and enforced by human society.

-''' mythology, legends and religion in general is an "excuse" to find (often illogical) explanations for things humans do not understand as of yet. '''The fact that you don't know how lightning works doesn't mean it's a divine arrow or anything, it merely proves humanity's current lack of proper knowledge regarding this natural phenomenon. There was a time when humanity didn't know how fire is made at all, and now we have firearms. Science and logic always finds a way - eventually.

- since we are unsure whether there is actually an afterlife or anything of that sort, we must encourage the respect of life in general.

- humanity is superior to animals and plant life because throughout history humans developed supreme mental capabilities - speaking, usage of tools, etc. However, we have our animalistic side, instincts which force us to act by emotion rather than logic, which leads to dissent and infighting. The warring civilizations of today are not much different than say, packs of wolves fighting over hunting territory.

- to change things for the better, humans must strive to erase their still lingering animal side. This doesn't mean we should become emotionless, just more rational and culturally/socially tolerant.

- to achieve this (on an individual level at least), first you must give up believing in anything supernatural and learn to face the world on your own, becoming conscious of your decisions and their consequences while at the same time taking responsibility for your role in society. Remember: God didn't make the world as it is now; we humans did it. Civil rights and such are manufactured and applied by society. This is not a bad thing, as laws are required to maintain communities. Lack of order only leads to anarchy

. - be skeptical. Do not believe anything without clear evidence. Why would you believe in dragons if nobody has ever seen one ? By following this logic, you'll soon realize that religions are generally worthless and illogical. Churches serve only two purposes: moral education and "spiritual" control of a country's populace.

- but on the other hand just because you don't believe in something doesn't mean it's not real. You can't see air and wind, but they do exist, right ? This leads to a cycle: every question must be answered, and every answer must be questioned until you achieve a satisfactory conclusion.

Clergy
Natural Philosophy has no church and no offical clergy. It is represented and preached by scientists and philosophers and taught at shcools and universities.

Faith Troops
"Here lies a great, armor-clad body of a divine chosen. Are you wondering how he died ? Look upon his helm, there's a hole in it; a hole through which my bullet flew and then entered his skull. If the deity he praised so much indeed existed, why did he, or she, not shield this favored champion who battled us with so great vigor ? I'll tell you why: because no god can help a champion who fights in such a crappy armor."

(Weapon Specialist preaching to Marinan troops after killing a Chosen One of the Old Gods with a single bullet of his musket)

Faith Troops of Natural Philosophy are ordinary people with extraordinary capabilities - elite soldiers, weapon specialists and combat inventors/engineers trained in specialized military academies. Let those frauds and fanatics of other religions boast how they are chosens of gods, their fall will be all the more painful when they face defeat by superb strategy, cold logic and technological superiority. Faith Troops of Natural Philosophy garb themselves in the highest quality armor and weapons avaible in the known world and are each trained tacticians as well as superior specialists in their respective fields. Ranged Faith Troops of this religion often wield firearms such as hand cannons or muskets.

Quotes
Now, you better have a good explanation for what you said, young man! "The Void will eat you!", huh? We'll see about that. After all, if something doesn't exist, it can't eat anything, is that correct ? You can blame me with blasphemy and heresy all day long, but see, I stand right here, right now, and nothing bad is happening. Maybe, after all, your prayers are in vain, hm? Now pay attention. There are no gods, no spirits, no phantoms, only a lot of stupid, uneducated, superstitious folks ! Did anyone ever heard of people returning from the grave in real life ? No ! Did anyone actually see dragons ? No ! Forget about these fairy tales, and listen to the truth ! The truth is, only things with a proof of their existence can be considered existing. See this stick in my hand ? I see it, I feel it, I know what material is it made of, and I may as well crack your stubborn head with it if you keep disturbing my classes ! More and more facts are revealed about the so-called "legends" and "supernatural events". The fact that we can't explain things like lightning or the behavior of animals doesn't mean we won't reveal their true nature in due time. And time keeps going on, never backward. Thus, it is the sacred duty of scientists to enlighten people! I wish I could have joined the Engineers... their magnificent machines always amaze me... What were you saying? Sciences don't keep moral values for future generations ? Why wouldn't they ?! If there is no next life, the moral is, we have to respect life even more than many of us do ! Ah, it's breaktime. But before you go, I'd advise you, young men, to think about this little conversation. Class dismissed !

- Poero Kazen, alchemy teacher of the University of Sciences

'Republic of Marina, Arbun city, 1224. September 6.'