Another Cyberpunk thread: Surge of Faith.

[Randyman]

Originally Posted by combatmedic

Something else to consider is the role of churches in Africa and what influence they may have in other parts of the world.

Evangelization of European natives by black African missionaries would work best in a ''secular'' Europe and not an Islamic Europe.

Perhaps. And perhaps, with their own history of dealing with Islam in various ways, Christian missionaries to Europe from Africa may well have effective ways to work in Islamic areas.

[Kol]

wow up to four pages already... I like some of this.
Climate change leads to an economic crash and recession. A souless empty working enviroment, combined with economic uncertanty, a renewal of "Political Correctness" witchhunts in western countries, also combined with the uncertanty of new advancements such as awakened AI, full form cybernetics, power armor, and genetics, that are absent of morality and used solely in pursuit of profit.
At the same time religious instutions began to surge in popularity, with a reformed cathoic church leading the charge in caring for people in a largely uncaring corporate world. Those who stood on the wrong side of scientific advancement were largely written off, but these acending mega churches embraced it.
When the debt/insurance based economy completely collapsed, these churches were able to purchase their remains. Because these groups were largely self-sufficent with their finances. While Mega-corps were financially irresponsible.

The churches are simmilar to cyberpunk Mega-corps, but with an interist in morality instead of profit. They engage in proxy wars over doctrine.

Let's focus on the americas first, mostly because I live there...

Blue Cathloics: Named for their flag, a gold cross on blue circle, with a white background. They formed from the north american branch of the cathloic church. After the collapse of the Italian Papacy, and europe's implosion. They assumed primacy in north america they maintain excellent relations with their southern cousins, even as the governments around them decend into violence and war. The BC's in street slang hold sway over the northern reaches of america and extend into canada. They aquired much of the investment world during the meltdown, along with american tech giants. They do not offically condine religious percusition, but are ruthlessly defencive, and have the high tech base to draw on to create and sell more high tech gear. Blue Angel Systems is their most lucritive company, holding a place simmilar to microsoft, but with more of an emphasis on artistic accomplishment than profit.

Orange Cathloics: named for their heraldy, much like the blues but with an orange eagle behind the cross. Likewise they assumed primacy in south america. Many Latinos in america are OC's and with influence over south american markets, they employ their "Ordo Militant" to protect relics, shipping, and act as private police for many cities in north and south america. With "Private Inquisitor Division" as sluths for hire. They do a little bit of everything.

Note: It is important to understand that BC & OC didn't destroy other american faiths, and instead simply absorbed the surrounding faiths. It is not uncommon to see BC Shieks or OC Jews in some parts of the country in addtion to those faith's more modern incarnations. Neither get along well with neo-pagans but these Churchs do not sanction violence, but that doesn't stop people from being violent gangsters, or corrupt, or all that good stuff. Both groups have a collage of cardnals which is part way between a board of directors and a theological senate, headed by a pope. Priests can be married, and have sex, homosexuality is not precusated by these churches, it's an old testiment thing and therefore a relative non-issue.

Steel Cross: origionally a post-human cybernetics movement in the deep south, this fundimentalist goup absorbed much of the unsustainable military-industrial complex. Almost all weapons that flow out of the americas in bulk have a Steel Cross stamp on them. As one would expect they have a doctrine of "Just war" and think nothing of arming both sides in a conflict to "let god sort it out"

Unfied Revivalists: A protistant counter to groups like the BC's they run financing and banking, along with having absorbed a number of agri-corps. It's not uncommon to see the Revivalists and Leauge take swipes at each other in the media. It's operations are closer to a traditional corporation.

Jewish Leauge: It might not speak well to jewish stereotypes that the safe investments of the rabbi's allowed them to seize much of the large banking market, forming a council of elders and a unified jewish temple in america. It's operations are closer to a japanese zibatzu with religious elements.

N. America: the US suffered greatly during the debt meltdown, but remains a unified, albiet less cohesive nation. It's politically hamstrung by state indepence, with the debt collapse having weakened federal authority. But it remains one of the three most powerful government backed militaries in the world. Having survived an episode with martial law to deal with climate change.
The politics of the "Religious Right" collapsed with it's financial backers in the unmitigated failure republican "Take Back M'urica" campain of 2024. This opened up the religious "market" in the US by improving the reputation of religious groups. Many americans still vote and retain a sense of civic pide, but federal law is a mess of loopholes, and state law only extends as far as the boarders. Crime is rampant.
Canada is less violent, but more financally corrupt, otherwise it's in a simmilar state.
State Health Care & Religious Charities make up most of the healthcare sector when the insurence company went the way of the wooly mammoth.
Lastly the US and Canada stick to Secular Principals of Tolerance. Which has actully saved them from europe's fate, church & state are seperate, and religious minorities flourish (sometimes violently) after fleeing other less tolerant places of the globe.

Europe: Most nations in europe have collapsed into conflict, Germany remains a Secular Powerhouse nation and a counterpoint to Russia, but the rest of europe is a *****torm of conflict and warlordisim. With the italiain papacy gone, and "Secular-Humanists" on a Political Correctness spree, things only got worse when the economy collapsed and russia moved in to destablize the region. Germany held the political line, having not fallen in and joined the hysteria and so avoided the buracratic mess and firing it's officer corps like other EU countries. Stopping Czar Vlad the 5th cold.

Africa: Split between muslims, native faiths, and christians, many of the religious right of america moved here after the 2024 failure disheartened them.

Feel free to help flesh these out.

[combatmedic]

That all looks interesting Kol, although I'm afraid some of it seems a bit too left wing for my taste.
YMMV.

I do like the OC's private inquisitors . PIs-- nice.
The Steel Cross post-human cyber fundamentalists in Dixie are just plain cool.
:)

[Kol]

my group leans that way, hence why I did that.

Maybe I'll make BC and OC leftist and rightist?

I'll grime them up a bit, less fanatical, more self-rightious, and much more smug and insolated from the chaos of "The Less enlightened people" So on paper they sound all nice and nicey, but in reality....

[Kol]

I wanted to build a cyberpunk world where Money wasn't the main motivator for the mega corps... in lew of that it's EVERYTHING else.

[combatmedic]

Originally Posted by Kol

I wanted to build a cyberpunk world where Money wasn't the main motivator for the mega corps... in lew of that it's EVERYTHING else.

I like that part.

And as far as group preferences and real world political sensibilities, you know your group best.
I don't know your group at all. Don't take my comments as a harsh critique, please. They weren't intended as such.

[Kol]

yeah the idea of a "christian mega church" is going to make some of them wince and try to play around it, thinking they are all hypocrical and evil.
BC's are my way to go "the world is dark sucks, not all religion sucks"

[Kol]

Repost for other people to see.

Originally Posted by combatmedic

That could be fun, especially if you can restrain the urge---suggested in some your snarkier 'take back' Murica' jibes-- to paint the 'religious Right' as crude bullies and bigots.
Perhaps these 'right wing' immigrants help create a post-racial culture. Maybe they have done more hands-on, dangerous, hard work in feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, and comforting the sick than have those comfy people back in North America. If you don't like their 'right wing' views on moral and social issues--no need to change all that. Nor do you need to write out all the common human failings that should be present in any of your factions or sects or cultures. But consider that these new pilgrims didn't move to a rich and comfortable part of the world. They chose hardship and exile in a region marked by poverty, instability, and disease to build something worth passing on to future generations.

I like this Idea. I got the leaving for africa from real life events.

My intention on the "take back M'urica" bit was that the campain was incredibly condecending and hollow. A bit of the "Joe the plumber" campain trying to be some anti-obama super-everyman held up to sway the votes of ordernary americans, but on crack. It wasn't just insulting to it's base, it was so far right it appaled it's american base. It was, in this little fluff story, what broke the partisan politics that we see today. By being so partisan and tropey it was universially dispised by americans causing a backlash. Breaking the monolith that was the right wing religious lobby.

Given your suggestion, I think I'll tie it more into the African Exodus.
So the people who actually held the views that campain tried to play on left, and the bigots stayed behind to "fight the good fight." These people became New Pilgrims. This wave of immigrants to africa bit off more than they could chew, believing africa to be some "new promised land" of simple folk in need of help.
Turned out to be far more difficult, and as you said, they pitched in and did the hard work. Bringing a new prespective and a helping hand to the old fights that plauge that part of the world. It's not utopian but this faith-colition (I think I'll call it that...) stands for self-control, mercy, and stability. It will also give the players a lifeline of normalcy in africa.

Hmmm a story arc with Steel Cross VS this african colition in a back alley war, with Steel providing arms and Colition rebels trying to prevent the war from esclating...
Maybe give them a more "Genuine Humanity" theme, offering a simple hand to the sick and hurting in a world full of diffrent high tech, cybernetics, early space exploration, AI's and genetic engineering. With battles over transhuman ideals, they might be the guys who provide a warm bowl of soup and place to sleep without it being run by some charity linked to a mega church.

I think Europe, Russia, and eastern Asia have a few G-mod issues to add to the pot....

[combatmedic]

No probs.

I'll move my recent PM reply here.

I'm glad you like it.

Your ideas on how to handle the New Pilgrims and expand on them seem cool.

I especially like the possible "back alley" conflict with Steel Cross.

[Flaco76]

Church of the Earth: A blend of Christian and neo-pagan environmental groups who believe in environmental repair and stewardship. CE members conduct tree plantings, reseeding of local plants and cleanup of brown sites in many cities. Most Churches use renewable power sources and are well designed and energy efficient. The church has investments in renewable energy, recycling, farming and transportation. They also operate one of the largest vegetarian restaurant chains in the country.

South Asia:
Pakistan collapsed into several states after a military coup backed by Muslim fundamentalists failed to seize the nuclear arsenal of the country. An intervention force of US/UK/Indian special forces along with Pakistani loyalists secured or destroyed the arsenal.

India has been forced to deal with anti-Muslim discrimination with the collapse of Pakistan and Bangladesh and the massive movement of people. Despite Hindu nationalist parties being elected in several states most people have learned to live with their neighbors. The shortage of women due to familial preference for boys has led to a softening of caste and color lines as families search for preferable brides. Medical technologies especially with genetics and cybernetics have created fears of a new caste system based on wealth and technology.