Diharan Rite Aranism

Diharan Rite Aranism is one of the two main branches of Aranism. It split off from mainstream Aranism in the year 1153 AC following the Conclave at Bedin, which resulted in a majority of Diharan Aranist clerics declaring a split from the main body of clerics based in Holtin, now in Tayara. The Diharan Rite operates as a communion of autocephalous temples, each governed by clerics in local divisions. These clerics enjoy greater local autonomy compared to ones in the Tarsic Rite and other branches of the faith.

The Diharan Rite of Aranism uses the same canon as the Tarsic Rite, the Sharit, in worship and prayer. Most differences arise in the form of the Diharan Rite’s more decentralized structure, as well as their more readily adopting principles of local faiths into their liturgy. They also differ in othropraxical views concerning the nature of sin and its remediation, with the Diharan Rite maintaining classes of “the Elect” and “the Hearers” based on preexisting beliefs prior to Aranism’s arrival on the continent. The Diharan Rite is the second largest branch of Aranism: as of 1600, they constituted around 31% of all Aranists.

History
Aranism was first introduced to Dihara sometime in the 10th century, shortly after it was adopted by the Second Empire of Tayara as its official state religion. Following this adoption, missionaries and merchants alike from the country set about converting neighboring peoples to the newly-profound faith, landing in numerous East Diharan nations such as Adwa. Reception was mixed in many communities as first, but efforts to spread the faith quickly found success when attempts were made to syncretize the faith with the Trans-Diharan Estradian panthetons found in the region.

Quickly Aranism began acquiring a large following, especially after the adoption of the faith as Adwa’s state religion under the Aberra Dynasty in 1004 AC. Leaders of various nations and groups utilized the faith’s unitary nature by placing themselves as indirect heads of various national temples, although clerics still made the journey to Holtin when summoned for decisions of importance.

Schism
By the 12th century, the Diharan Schism took place between the clerics found in mainstream Aranism and the Diharan clerics, leading to the final separation between the two parties. Several doctrinal issues had developed, eventually leading to the Tarsic clerics condemning the Diharan temples and demanding they cease heretical practices. Although syncretism of local traditions and Aranist beliefs was a common practice for converting local populations, the Diharan temples retained many more old practices than what was considered to be acceptable by the Tarsic clerics. Issues like the nature of sin or bad acts, and the necessity of classes of “Elect” and “Hearers” were major concerns for the Tarsic clerics. These factors were greatly exacerbated by political factors as well; the Diharan clerics wished to have greater independence from the entirety of the faith and its rules, and to preserve the spiritual customs of their ancestors. The Diharan temples, largely controlled at a more local level with higher ranked clerics all serving as equals, grew disillusioned with the more centralized structure of the Tarsic temples, as well as their attempts to dictate their liturgies.

The final breach is considered by many to have arisen in 1151, when a declaration was issued from Holtin demanding that all Diharan temples adopt official liturgies in the standard language already employed by Tarsic ones, as well as that they abandon the “heretical” elements adopted and endorsed by the Diharan temples at the time. The Diharan temples replied in 1153 with the Conclave at Bedin, in which they declared complete severance from the main rite of Aranism and outlined the organization of their new rite. The Diharan Rite would continue their practice of autonomous national temples, with high-ranking clerics serving as equals and deliberating over issues as such. Reunion was attempted by the Tarsic Rite through specific subsets of the Diharan Rite, and some were temporarily brought back in during the Council of Holtin in 1238, although most later returned to the Diharan Rite after being brought under colonial rule and its leaders being deposed.

Colonial era
Beginning shortly after the Diharan Schism, many Diharan nations either entered the spheres of influence of or were colonized by various Azoran powers. Vayonist missionaries were supported by many of these powers, but tended to concentrate their efforts around certain subsets of these colonial societies, often the creole middle class formed as part of the ruling infrastructure. This left Aranism largely intact throughout much of Central Dihara and Ibora, albeit without its former leadership structure. This led to a restructuring of the temples; formerly led by national leaders, most temples would now be led by their respective head clerics, assuming the roles as national temple leaders while also congregating with one another as equals. Adwa was a notable exception, as the Adwan monarch continued to name a representative for such meetings throughout the colonial period, despite effectively being an Ichorian puppet state.

Aranist clerics sometimes served as leaders during colonial uprisings, calling for the invading heretical forces to be expelled from their lands. These tended to be only extreme examples, however; most high-ranking clerics kept an uneasy peace with colonial authorities, keeping the masses in line in return for some acknowledgement of their rights and powers. However, many clerics did adopt elements of what was described as Liberation Theology during the Great Wars, saying that Diharan men dying abroad in colonial wars was the more recent and apparent sign that independence was spiritually necessary. It would not be until the decolonization era in the wake of the Second Great War that most of these Diharan nations would gain independence, which would bring its own changes to the face of Diharan Rite Aranism.

Postcolonial Dihara
Today, the various autocephalous temples of the Diharan Rite are distinct in terms of administration and local culture, but are for the most part otherwise in full communion with one another. In 1550, the various national temples met and redrew the jurisdictional lines of the current temples, setting the bounds that have lasted into the modern day. In addition to these national temples, off-branch temples are recognized in a limited capacity within nations containing large Diharan Rite diasporas, namely found in Tarsis, Northern Dihara, or Azora. These temples are not granted full membership due to their tending to simply be reflections of their temples of origin, but are given limited rights to send representatives and speak in conclaves and such. Each temple has defined geographic boundaries, and is presided over by high-ranking clerics or a council of clerics who select one from amongst themselves for conclaves, depending on the tradition. Each national temple consists of constituent divisions ruled by bishops, divided further into jurisdictions presided over by priests.

General
The Diharan Rite employs the Sharit in its liturgies, functionally identical to the one used by the Tarsic Rite, although it is more readily translated into local languages in the Diharan Rite compared to the Tarsic Rite. The two employ virtually identical cosmologies as well in terms of the universe’s creation and nature; the universe was created in a primordial battle between good/light and evil/dark, which resulted in both of their deaths and the scattering of their essences. The churning of these forces resulted in the creation of all forces, including Tesh, the ultimate good in the universe. The Diharan Rite accepts the line of succession of prophets from Aran to Kunyil and his certification of the Sharit as the penultimate prophet, but holds that the Tarsic Rite became to rigid in its beliefs, many of which themselves originate in pre-Aranist Tarsis in their own right.

Messianic elements
Other than being supplemented more heavily by local traditions and the nature of sin and what is necessitates, the largest difference between Tarsic and Diharan Rites theologically is the prevailing belief in the Diharan Rite in the coming of the human avatar or Tesh, or Tenesh. Drawing from ancient beliefs held by many pre-Aranist Trans-Diharan Estradian cultures, the Diharan Rite holds that, prior to Tesh’s final victory over the bad presence, Sanal, Tesh will allow a part of themselves to be born in a human body as Tenesh. This person will lead humanity into a golden age of understanding and Good, perfectly preparing it for the final battle with evil and Sanal and the ultimate reunification with Tesh.

Hearers and the Elect
The Diharan Rite is divided into the Elect, who have taken upon themselves special vows, and the Hearers, the majority that have not taken upon themselves the vows of the Elect but still participate in worship. The Elect are those souls who are currently in their last life as a human before their soul is reunited with Tesh; Hearers must reincarnate until their soul is in such a state that they are reincarnated as one of the Elect. The Elect are forbidden from consuming meat, as well as from harvesting crops or butchering animals, due to the uniquely Diharan concept of harvesting as a form of murder against plants. Hearers, therefore, commit the sin of harvesting food, and provide it to the Elect, who would in turn pray for the Hearers and absolve them of their sins and undo the damage done by their acts. The Elect are to avoid bloodshed at all cost, although special blessings and absolvements exist for those who fight in righteous combat that allow them to retain their status. Membership in the Elect tends to vary slightly from tradition to tradition; in some, such as Adwa, the elect are the nation’s nobility. In others, the Elect are simply respected families. One of the Elect may lose their status and be reverted to the status of a Hearer, or even be excommunicated, if their behavior is bad enough.

Practices
Members of the Diharan rite observe daily prayers, either six for the Hearers or eight for the Elect. Hearers pray at morning, mid-morning, noon, mid-afternoon, sunset, and nighttime, while the Elect pray at these times as well as midnight and before sunrise. Like mainstream Aranism, prayer involves an ablution of water, or, if water is not available, with other substances comparable to it. Prayers consist of several blessings to the prophets, saints, and emanations, as well as Tesh themselves, and consists of prostrating oneself to the ground and rising again either six or eight times (depending on status). During the day worshippers face the sun and at night towards the moon. If the sun is not visible, they face east to Holtin, still respected as the birthplace of the faith. These bodies are not subjects of worship themselves, but instead are seen as kinds of “vessels” carrying their prayers to the Emanations and Tesh.