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Silas-Coldwine β€” Where is your God now?

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Published: 2019-05-18 20:01:06 +0000 UTC; Views: 4650; Favourites: 40; Downloads: 9
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Description Like my Nicene-less scenario, a religiously-centered scenario. This came up because I've seen many "No Muhammad" scenarios, but, oddly given the historical impact of it, few, if any, "No Christ" scenarios. At least not scenarios where the absence of Christianity is the main divergence. Here is my proposal.
A previous aclaratory note: when exploring this idea, I'm wary of the historically naive idea that Christianity turned back the clock in all aspects and we would live in an Enlightened utopia if not for it: don't let the map fool you in that regard -I've decided my maps look too naked and yet I'm still kinda alone on the idea that legends with an attached wall of text defeat what maps are for. Now, on to the scenario.

In absence of Christ, the crises of the latter Roman Empire centuries happened on schedule, as the flourishing of both esoteric and Salvationist doctrines with popular appeal did. Diaspora Jews failed to introduce a proselitist element that made it go towards a universal message -and so did Samaritans, who became the new religious majority in their former homelands-. That leap initially was covered by the Imperial Solar cult, but outside of the fringes, it was ultimately displaced by oriental-inspired Dualist doctrines. Manichaeism, which benefited both from its compatibility with Neoplatonism and by its idea of a cosmic mission -adopting Stoic values and ideas about Cosmopolitan Universalism in the process- became an increasingly popular, ultimately hegemonic doctrine. Pagan faiths weren't so explicitly targeted and subsisted for longer, and though mostΒ  faded away, this comparatively more relaxed attitude would affect their hold in the northern outbounds of the former Empire.

Western Rome fell -in a rather different fashion-, Dualistic Manichaeism becoming the gatekeeper, rescuer and censor of the old knowledge -especially in the Eastern Roman Empire, which fared much better with no Islam to form, and yet with a more thriving Persia to care about. Slavery fell from grace in the Old Word as this form of Manichaeism spread, though it formally persisted for more time -servile revolts were a problem for centuries. A mutated form of the old Arabian religion survived, a form of Matrifocal-Trinitarian religion based on the Goddesses/aspects of Fate, Justice and Harmony. Mongols invaded Europe and were partially expelled, yet left a much more lasting mark and presence: both the Norse and the Mongolian religions survived, organized and thrived. Later, what would be Neoswebia would see, thanks to its settlers of many confessions and its homesteader and communitarian emerging mentality, the advent of a new syncretic religion: a form of pantheistic Henotheism in which all gods and symbols past and future were archetypes of some aspect of the universal totality.

Eastern Rome, Persia, a Tengriism-converted Sweden, Swebia -roughly OTL Netherlands-, and Anglodania took the lion's share of the *Americas, *Britain being ravaged by religious wars at the time, while Persia managed to vassalize Texcoco. A decolonization wave was sparked by the Roman crown jewel of Plethoria, an industrial wave spread through the Western and Persian world, running parallel to the ones in Mathura and Dong Wu -Bamaria, Iamato, Aksum and Mongolia would later follow-, while the Bourgeoise-Reformist and revolutionary wave would prove more tumultuous. Radical-revolutionary ideas would take hold in the most equatorial trade outposts, both extractive and with a sufficiently developed urban elite. Meanwhile, bands of *Anarcho-Individualistic freedmen would establish havens deep in the *Amazon forest.
Religious influence, much like in most of our world, varies from place to place in a context of generally secularized trends (The Tri-commandment of the Persian Sphere is a secular one guided by the religious one. Persia being a strictly Zoroastrian technocracy, it holds many non-Zoroastrian influenced countries and ex-colonies under its umbrella). In this scenario, it is the anti-Persian followers of Sol Invictus, particularly the Touareg and Ethiopians, the ones who fill the stereotype of religious fanaticism.

Humanity is currently marching towards the orbit and the Moon, in a Space Race of sorts, maybe as a springboard to go beyond. This is not devoid of strategic significance, for satellite-directed microwave collectors can be the key to energetic independence in the midst of an of economic-energetic transition -and they can also be weaponized. In spite of this, biotechnology and medicine are twenty to fifty years behind respect to OTL, and information technologies remain slightly behind. Persian, Mongolian and Roman rivalry, Plethorian armed neutrality and power buildup, Langobardian attempts at recovering their soft power and their resumed sabre-rattling against the Homelander Table, Aksumite financing of rogues and guerrillas, Demarchist and Anekumenist agitation, the economic ascendancy of Baft-Kew-Kew, the trade wars and proxy skirmishes between Mathura, Dong Wu and the Bamarian-sponsored Mong Mao League, are the major political happenings of the modern world.
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Comments: 5

QuantumBranching [2019-06-21 23:07:06 +0000 UTC]

Quite fine. So Cham is Buddhism with Chinese Characteristics?Β 

πŸ‘: 0 ⏩: 1

Silas-Coldwine In reply to QuantumBranching [2019-06-21 23:43:56 +0000 UTC]

Chan is just what is knows as Zen more or less as it existed IOTL. It is set apart from Mahayana because it has stressed how the ultimate truth is a separate ontological realm to which one moves by emptying oneself.

πŸ‘: 0 ⏩: 0

Hispanoamericano2000 [2019-05-19 01:30:47 +0000 UTC]

Is there any context behind this map?

πŸ‘: 0 ⏩: 1

Silas-Coldwine In reply to Hispanoamericano2000 [2019-05-19 01:35:54 +0000 UTC]

Yes it is, hence "Text soon".

πŸ‘: 0 ⏩: 1

Hispanoamericano2000 In reply to Silas-Coldwine [2019-05-19 18:09:51 +0000 UTC]

Ah! That explains everything...

πŸ‘: 0 ⏩: 0