Repentence Tyrathlion
Tyrathlion Interstellar
475
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Posted - 2013.09.27 16:56:00 -
[1] - Quote
I had intended to delay the second part a while longer, but discussions have begun which suggest to me that it is necessary to explain the second symbol GÇô the Dark Separation.
As before, letGÇÖs take it at face value, from an aesthetic perspective.
1.Recall that the upward curve with the lower capstone represents God, and the downward curve represents man.
2.Compared to the Unbroken Circle, the two aspects have been broken apart. Man and God have become separate and unconnected.
3.The literal positioning places God above (in the stars) and man below (on the ground).
The basic meaning of the Dark Separation is fairly universally accepted; it shows the time after the collapse of the Evegate, and the plunge into darkness that ensued. Our origins were reduced to myth, our technology into legend, and the stars rose away from our reach. Our forebears forgot God, and he forgot us.
That is not to say that there is not debate, however. Many theologians argue that this was the state of all of New Eden GÇô and the Dark Separation still holds outside of the Empire, in the barbaric ranks of the heathen, the heretic and the unbeliever. It is this attitude that lies at the core of the cultural and religious compulsion of Reclamation. There is a logical progression in the Symbols, and the Empire itself lies in the Third (the Imperial Seal itself); there is, at heart, a charitable need to raise our kindred from the darkness, quite apart from any commandments of the Scriptures themselves.
However, the core of the debate GÇô as arose in the previous topic GÇô is the question of where the Amarrian (or perhaps I should say proto-Amarrian, given the time period in discussion) people fit in. Two main schools of thought exist, to my knowledge. Again, I will be summarising and simplifying for the benefit of those unfamiliar with the knotty business of theology, so some may feel that I have missed aspects.
The first is essentially that the Amarrian people were chosen by God, possibly even prior to the Dark Separation. The ancient bloodline of Amarr was picked out as GodGÇÖs children, destined to convert and rule over His creation, and although the Separation was devastating, they themselves never succumbed to the full implications of the Second Symbol, transitioning into the Third. They lost their direct kinship with God, but never forgot Him.
The second instead argues that all men were cast down by the Dark Separation, including the proto-Amarrian peoples. It was as they struggled to recover from the sudden bereavement of all that had supported them, God approached the ancient tribes and marked them as messengers of His will, thus enabling their transition to the Third.
While at first glance, the difference seems minor, it is actually one of the most fundamental questions in theology. You only need to glance over recent discussions on the IGS to spot proponents of both aspects. Although the official line leans towards the latter interpretation, enforcement of this by the Theology Council has been lax; although it may not be outright stated or argued, it is not hard to see how the former argument can be used to defend some of the harsher and more destructive aspects of Reclamation, conquest and slavery that have taken place in the EmpireGÇÖs history. If the Amarrian bloodline are GodGÇÖs chosen, then that innately implies superiority. Conversely, if they are His messengers and heralds, it encourages the consideration that all people are created by God, and Amarrians (in a cultural rather than racial sense) are only the agents to return all men to His light.
From a purely historical sense, the Dark Separation can be very clearly tied to a lengthy period of time, between the collapse of the Evegate and (at least) the rediscovery of space travel, in the big picture. Whether the rest of New Eden remains in the Second state is something I will return to later. In terms of Amarrian history, we can safely chart the transition to the Third symbol, the Imperial Seal, with the acceptance of their place as GodGÇÖs instrument and the first creation of the Amarrian Empire (even if it would be some time before it was large enough to earn the name Empire).
So letGÇÖs summarise. The Dark Separation shows the darkest part of our history GÇô not just within the Empire, but across all of New Eden. Indeed, although each of the Symbols applies primarily to Amarrian history, each has import to all of us.
In the next part, I will move on to the Third symbol GÇô the Imperial Seal, which has fewer arguments surrounding it, but is far more complex in its own right. |