Religion in the Southwest
From Wild Southwest Wiki
Religion is alive and well in the Wild Southwest with around 80% of the population espousing some kind of religious faith. For the most part the various religions tend to get on well with each other, although some prejudice and bigotry exists and occasionally bubbles to the surface. Most individuals are too busy with their day to day lives to worry about what others get up to on a Sunday (or other day of worship).
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Christianity
The most common form of religion in the Southwest is a form of non-specific Christianity. The majority of believers go to a church or meeting hall on Sunday, sing hymns, say prayers, and listen to readings from the Bible before getting back to their lives for the rest of the week. In many towns this is more of a social occasion with religious trappings than an actual religious observance.
Small numbers of traveling preachers and revivalists travel from town to town, mostly in the Settlements. They are usually welcomed at Sunday services for the variety they bring to the weekly routine - even if the townspeople may not always agree with the particular interpretation of Christianity they preach. An upswing in religious observance and activities usually lasts for a few weeks after their departure, but the spiritual status quo re-asserts itself fairly quickly.
Roman Catholicism
The largest organised Christian faith is Roman Catholicism, which managed to maintain its local structures during the War and rebuild in the aftermath. There is a Bishop in each of the state capitals (the Bishop of Denmark Town has jurisdiction over the Settlements, and the Bishop of Pemberton over the Warlord Realms), and the head of the church is the Archbishop of Albany - currently 58 year old Robert Nguyen.
The church operates a small seminary just outside of Rocky Gully, but the number of priests is limited and most towns only receive a visit two or three times a year. Services always include prayers for the safety and wellbeing of the Pope, although the Bishops are well aware that Rome and the Vatican must be radioactive dust, and the Pope with them (although 80 year old rumours suggest he may have escaped to north Africa).
Bellism
Bellism (from the Latin bellim "of war") is the belief that the Great War was a divine punishment inflicted upon humanity by God. It holds that pre-war humanity had become corrupted to the extent that God needed to wipe the world clean and start again - in the same fashion as the legendary flood of Noah. It is usually couched in Christianity, although followers of other faiths have been known to endorse bellism.
While adherents of bellism vary in their exact interpretation of morality, all agree that humanity must "turn back to God" to avoid another cataclysm. Most feel it is their duty to convert others to this view, or even enforce their standards on the populace at large.
Although bellism was popular in the immediate aftermath of the war, its influence faded with the passing away of the generation that experienced the War and Winter. Today it is mostly followed by small fringe groups. Its most outspoken adherent is undoubtedly the Reverend Nathaniel Frost.
Judaism
Judaism is mostly concentrated in Albany, and in the Independent Settlement of Breicha Galit - the only exclusively Jewish settlement in the Southwest. Smaller Jewish populations exist in large settlements throughout the Southwest, particularly the state capitals and in southern D'Entrecasteaux. Relations with the Southwest's Muslim population are stable, and mostly peaceful.
Islam
Followers of Islam can be found in most large settlements. The largest community is located in Windy Harbour which has the largest mosque in the Southwest. The faith is Sunni based, but has been somewhat influenced by Sufism and consequently has something of a mystical and ascetic aspect. The impossibility of carrying out the Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca has been of major concern to the Muslims of the Southwest ever since the Great War and various expeditions across the Indian Ocean have been proposed, although as of yet none have been launched.
Sikhism
Sikhism is popular among the nomadic shepherds of Pallinup state. A modest Gurdwara (Sikh temple) is located in Boxwood Hill and another in Albany.
Atheism and Agnosticism
Atheism and Agnosticism are common. As many as one in five of the population of the Southwest professes no strong religious or spiritual beliefs, and many claim no beliefs at all.
This partially stems from the effects of the Great War, many survivors lost what faith they had in the face of the global holocaust and the failure of any Saviour to turn up at what was arguably the end of the world. Others were just too busy trying to survive to have any time to spare for religion. The majority of atheists and agnostics are happy to proceed with their lives, letting others believe whatever they want, although there are a vocal minority of atheists speaking out against religion wherever they find it.
Other Faiths
A number of other religions survive - most notably Bhuddism and Hinduism - but they are mostly passed down through individual families rather than being communities with organised structures and places of worship.
