ADVENT: History
ADVENT and Religion
"If it were any other time, what ADVENT has done with religion might result in a war. But considering the alien invasion happening right now, a lot of people had to consider what their priorities really were."
- Amy Sallian, Independent Political Analyst
ADVENT is the source of many controversies, many of which get less attention than they would have before the alien invasion. However, they are still noticed and felt by the people they affect. This is one instance where ADVENT could have potential issues in the future, as their recently released guidelines on religion have been the source of serious backlash from within the religious community.
I use the term 'religious community' because it is not just one group affected by this. These regulations are universal across all religions and don't specifically apply to just Christianity, Catholics, Hindus, Muslims, or any other singular religion. The response has ranged from harsh condemnations from the pulpit (Or equivalent position of preaching) to some of the more radical taking to threatening ADVENT officials.
These individuals were promptly arrested.
It is worth seeing just why the religious community is so concerned about what is being implemented. Like most of ADVENT law, it is written clearly and easily. The exact reasoning behind them is the source of much speculation, but given that ADVENT is seemingly run by people who are either atheist or not strongly religious to begin with, it is not difficult to understand the reasons behind some of these rules.
Guideline 1: "A religion cannot preach or incite activity or opinions that are in direct contradiction to ADVENT law" – This seems targeted primarily at any kind of religion preaching fanaticism, bigotry, or racism, which would make sense and is a fairly inoffensive law. This has been attacked as being an 'assault on the freedom of speech', which no longer applies since the American First Amendment doesn't exist anymore. If there is speculation to be had, this was likely inspired by both the Islamic extremism that originally came from Mosques, and more recently, the marriage equality controversy which saw Christian and Catholic churches take a firm stance against it, and still preach against it despite the issue being settled.
Guideline 2: "Religions cannot be centered on or around one or more living or mortal figures" – An anti-cult measure. Nothing of controversy here, unless you are in a cult.
Guideline 3: "Religions cannot disparage, insult, mock, or condemn any kind of ADVENT or civilian business, occupation, or position" – The reasoning behind this is more muddled, because on the surface it seems to prevent speaking negatively against ADVENT. This does appear to be the case, but it specifically specifies religion. I can only assume that this is to prevent religions from stating something like "ADVENT is the spawn of the devil" which is blatantly false and not possible to be proven. This appears to be targeted towards that kind of major offense, as well as preventing potential public shunning of individuals and businesses, as is a problem in the Mormon and Jehovah's Witness communities for those who either leave or question the faith.
Guideline 4: "Religions cannot donate to or promote government officials" – Again specifying religions, not citizens. The wording also specifies government officials, not politics in general which it has been stated would be allowed to be discussed.
Guideline 5: "Religious services cannot be televised" – This was a massive blow to televangelists, and cannot be construed as anything other than a measure to limit public exposure to religion. Granted, many televangelists are not exactly of the highest moral character, but there are a number who are largely harmless. Note that this does not say anything about recording services and putting them online later.
Guideline 6: "All religious services and meetings must be recorded and turned in to ADVENT Peacekeepers or designated Observer in a timely manner" – A measure likely to gather evidence if any of the guidelines are being broken. ADVENT has also stated that they will cover installation costs if the church cannot afford them.
Guideline 7: "Religious leaders/ministers cannot be alone with children in a non-recorded, non-supervised area" – Quite obviously a measure to prevent pedophilia which has been documented far too often to be comfortable with the current situation. Little controversy here.
Guideline 8: "All members of a religion must be registered and documented, and it is up to the religious organization to ensure that records are regularly kept, updated, and sent to ADVENT" – This is one of the more controversial guidelines, as there have been accusations of creating a religious database – which ADVENT has explicitly stated that is what it is. They promise that the information is just a datapoint, but how strongly you believe that likely depends on your trust in ADVENT itself.
Guideline 9: "Religious figures/ministers cannot receive payment directly from the church outside of pre-planned and ADVENT-approved salaries" – This is likely a measure to prevent pastors of megachurches becoming embroiled in controversies regarding certain actions. ADVENT has also stated that breaking this rule will lead to arrest and their titles stripped. A blow to conmen pastors everywhere.
Guideline 10: "The religion cannot encourage or influence patrons to donate directly to the church, it must be of their own volition. Religious texts regarding charity and donation can be used, but not as a pretext for soliciting money for any purpose" – This seems to be something of a harsh rule, given how many churches rely on charity from their congregations and use it to raise money for humanitarian projects. It seems another rule targeted at megachurches which quite often and regularly solicit people for money, although this might hurt smaller churches even as it stops the less scrupulous ones.
Guideline 11: "All religions must formally and publicly renounce the parts of religious scripture and literature which are contrary to ADVENT law and established scientific facts they are not to be used outside of historical context or reference" – This was a major controversy as this is how ADVENT has specifically targeted the theory of Creationism and essentially stated it cannot be preached…or at least preached without evidence, which is largely the same thing. This essentially has made it so that no religion can use their scriptures for justification against modern norms or laws, for better or worse.
Guideline 12: "All guidelines related to religious practice also apply to schools or programs affiliated with, or run by churches or religious organizations" – This seems to achieve a similar goal the above one does, primarily in targeting churches teaching questionable scientific theories and beliefs, as well as trying to limit potential child abuse in certain religious programs and schools.
Guideline 13: "All places of worship will be taxed according to their size and location and be decided by ADVENT. All churches will undergo full audits annually to ensure they are in compliance with ADVENT law. Churches which are insufficiently funded but pass audit will have the difference funded in full" – So churches will now be taxed, and half of people are happy, and the others are furious. The audits in particular seem to target churches which either mismanage money or use it for the sole purpose of enriching the leadership. The notation about covering the difference for churches who don't have sufficient funding appears written for more rural churches which heavily rely on donations and whom taxation might hurt the most. A commendable move for ADVENT.
Guideline 14: "All income must be used for either building maintenance, salaries of staff, and ADVENT approved charitable contributions and events" – In short, churches can only use their money on either necessities, or whatever events or charities ADVENT approves. They can't spend their money indiscriminately any longer, nor donate to whoever they want. This could be seen as a way to limit political influence, or simply a way to stop churches from sending money to non-approved charities.
Guideline 15: "All places of worship must retain a designated observer to report on, and ensure that all places of worship are in compliance with the designated guidelines" – The controversial ADVENT Observers written into law, which some accuse as a thinly veiled attempt to spy on them. If these are supposed to be spies, they seem to be very bad ones. These seem exactly what they sound like, or are closer to inspectors than anything else. Their full effect will likely not be felt for some time, but it is an effective way of making sure the respective church knows they are always being watched.
Guideline 16: "Religious bodies or organizations may not solicit the general population for money, conversion, or recruiting outside of ADVENT-approved events" – This essentially neuters recruiting efforts by churches, especially those that go door-to-door, and even leaving advertisements or brochures appears to be illegal under this. Churches are understandably unhappy about this guideline.
Guideline 17: "If any of these guidelines are broken, ADVENT will formally disband the religion and make necessary law enforcement decisions" – A final ultimatum, and one most believe ADVENT would be happy to follow through on. It should be noted that this would likely only actually happen if the leadership of the religion or denomination in question refused to punish those who broke the guideline, or handle it internally. It is one thing if it is a rogue church or religious figure, it is another if the religious leadership is openly defying ADVENT law.
This is a deeply detailed and thorough regulation of religion, but it is also an exceptionally tall order and I would not be surprised if there are churches that refuse out of principle. Time will tell how successful ADVENT is. There are many good things being established, but there also regulations that will be seen by many as nothing short of an attack on religion itself.
ADVENT has given churches six months to conform to the established regulations, but have said that it might be extended in light of the alien invasion. But it will come one way or another, but for now it does not seem to be the highest priority, for better or worse.
- Article: ADVENT – End of Religious Freedom by Sandra Ilisa
"At the moment, I think there is something of an understandable misunderstanding as to what my job is, as well as my other Observer friends. I want to assure everyone that we aren't spies or following you everywhere. I would go so far as to say that we are among the most transparent parts of ADVENT. Nothing is hidden nor do we believe in entrapment. I somehow doubt people would consider Peacekeepers the same, even though their jobs are similar to our own – at least in that we both make sure everyone is following the rules."
Pause. "I believe that 'infringement' is the wrong word. I do want to be clear that the only hard requirement that exists is that we have to be allowed in during services and have access to all documents, recordings, and areas in the church. That's it. It's up to the people in charge of the church to decide how much they want their Observer involved."
"They can interact as much or little as they want, as long as they keep to what I said above. We're not telling them what to say, or looking at them threateningly, or anything like that. We're specifically ordered not to be disruptive and respectful to those who attend."
Brief pause. "That is a valid concern. ADVENT is addressing that in several ways. People who are…either hostile towards religion or have had bad experiences won't be Observers. There is a certain amount of neutrality that is required for this job, since churches of course have the ability to go to the Oversight Division if they feel they're being treated unfairly."
"There is also nothing saying that the Observer cannot be religious themselves. Contrary to what some seem to believe, you can be religious and be a part of ADVENT. What an Observer believes or does not should not have any bearing on how they treat their assignment. Professionalism and competence is the priority here. We're not trying to shut down churches or kill off religion, which I feel is something people are unnecessarily concerned about."
Occupants audibly shuffle in their seats. "How heavily can Observers be involved? Again, depends on the church. If the pastor wants to let the Observer look over a planned sermon to make sure there is nothing objectionable in it, they can do that. If they never want to talk with the Observer and have someone else manage them, they can also do that."
"Make people uncomfortable? Perhaps at first; I do understand the idea of a government observer sent to watch your place of worship is understandably disquieting. But I'm sure that eventually people will realize that we're not the enemy here. Maybe we'll not be accepted fully, but if we are tolerated then that is perfectly fine."
Pause. "I don't want to say that we don't have some kind of power, definitely not. But we will not use it without reason. There are plenty of safeguards in place to stop that, and in the event that certain Observers are not fit for the job, they will be replaced. You can quote me on that."
- ADVENT Observer Molly Westaia to Journalist Jessica Wong
While the ongoing controversy on the current state of religion under ADVENT rages on, there are a notable number of discussions on the same topic that are not only being ignored, but no one seems to have really realized in the first place. There is, of course, reason to discuss the religious freedom, or lack thereof, in ADVENT, but there are more implications beyond this.
While it is understandable to an extent, especially in western nations such as America, Canada, and many countries in Europe, the fact is that there is also the issue of religious tolerance which has historically been a problem, and even in the modern world had not completely disappeared. You can look to the widespread ban of Islam in most nations during and after the War on Terror, the poor treatment of religious minorities in India and much of Africa, and the entire Middle East is a hotbed of various religious factions attacking and persecuting each other – even if they follow the same religion.
ADVENT has, in essence, hit something of a reset button on religion. There are certain groups with religious undertones which are still banned, notably the entirety of cults. Surprisingly, ADVENT has also opened the door to other religions, most notably Islam, becoming legal again, provided they comply with ADVENT regulations.
This was seen as extremely surprising, as most assumed ADVENT would retain the ban or not address it at all, yet surprisingly it was explicitly mentioned as an example of how religion under ADVENT would function. As persecution or discrimination of any individual regardless of their religious beliefs is also illegal, it opens the door to stopping attacks or the poor treatment of religious minorities across the world.
The Middle East is a prime example of this in action, especially as it is now under ADVENT control and going through extensive reforms. It is too early to say how successful these reforms will be, but there are already some positive changes. Christianity (And any other approved religion) is no longer illegal, and can be openly practiced which has been celebrated by many Christians in the region.
At the same time, inter-religious persecution within Islam has also been quelled, especially in regards to the Sufis, which is commonly known as a relatively peaceful interpretation of Islam which has often been targeted by Salafis for differences in interpretation over religious texts and beliefs. For perhaps the first time, all of these various sects are in relative peace, and are free to worship without risk. The disbanding of Wahhabism as a legitimate sect of Islam has likely had nothing but a beneficial impact.
ADVENT has attempted to help mend relations between various sects and religions, especially in that region since all religions have had to adapt to the imposed regulations, often resulting in a change of leadership or structure. While meetings between opposed sects or religions have at times been tense, most are at least talking with each other about interpretive differences. Not all, but it can't be denied that this particular situation is slowly improving.
In general, ADVENT only truly seems to care that religions follow the guidelines, otherwise they do not care what the religion is. As a result this has allowed some of the recognized 'joke' religions continuing to stick around, in particular Jediism, the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster, and of course, the Satanic Temple.
While the debate about if ADVENT is trying to end religion or not will continue for some time, it definitely appears that ADVENT is at least ensuring that religions will peacefully coexist with each other, which is only a positive outcome.
- Article: Religion: The Positive Impacts of ADVENT by Daniel Sulfi
In all of the news regarding ADVENT and religion, it is a good idea to take a break from it and focus on something funny and amusing, namely the glorious fall of Scientology. This is a story with many twists and turns, with both aliens and Humans teaming up to take down a common foe. It is a story of perseverance and cooperation, one in which people across the world watched history be made.
This begins shortly after ADVENT released their religious guidelines. The Church of Scientology immediately stated that they would take 'necessary and appropriate actions to protect the church and its members'. They were widely criticized on social media, and there were premature celebrations at this, as most assumed that they wouldn't be able to do anything against ADVENT (They were correct).
ADVENT responded (Via Twitter) that "Such actions are not a proper or legal response. The guidelines posted are not negotiable and those not intending to comply will become illegal." And with that, war was declared. The Church of Scientology began carefully distributing propaganda against ADVENT, and attempting to undermine their authority when possible. Outside of their congregations, very few were swayed.
Several prominent Scientologists in entertainment and other media attempted to disparage ADVENT, and leveraged their fan bases for a limited amount of time. This stopped when they were arrested by ADVENT for spreading misinformation. ADVENT made their trials very public by releasing court videos, and seeing the once-famous celebrities being taken to prison was a sobering experience for the believers and fans, as well as the fact that ADVENT distributed all of their assets to known and documented victims of abuse by Scientology.
There were two incidents which prompted ADVENT to take severe action. The first is that they launched a legal operation which made Operation Snow White look tiny in comparison, with the intent to overload the ADVENT legal system. For a moment it appeared that there may be enough to dissuade ADVENT from pursuing this, but that was when the Church realized they had made another enemy.
The Ethereal memelord himself had, for some time, been making fun of Scientology, and at one point had hacked their site which he defaced to proclaim his own divinity, as well as delivering snarky messages on Twitter. Quisilia was also 'targeted' legally during this event, mostly trying to remove his presence from social media and taking his merchandise offline.
This resulted in two major events. The first of which was ADVENT raided the Church of Scientology headquarters and released every single document, schematic, and video they took from inside one the most secure and secret building in the cult. Publicly exposed as a fraud religion, ADVENT then promptly dismissed all legal action from the Church of Scientology, declared it an illegal cult, and began arresting hundreds of Scientology leadership and subjecting them to interrogations.
At the same time Quisilia began having fun with Scientology leadership by recording vlogs where he entered their secure houses and tied them up, before leaving a venomous snake of some kind in the room as a parting gift. Much of Scientology leadership was found like this, with five succumbing to venomous snake bites. All of the lawyers who had personally filed suits against Quisilia disappeared, and are presumed dead.
To date, those videos are among his most highly viewed.
In the end, ADVENT stripped all buildings and leadership of Scientology of all assets and wealth before sentencing them, and either gave compensation to victims of Scientology, or repurposed the assets for their own uses. Regular members of Scientology were largely unaware this was happening until the day they showed up and were politely told that the cult was illegal and they should find something else.
It was naturally a large blow to them, but it was a day celebrated by most people, and a rare time when both ADVENT and Quisilia had the same goals and motivations. Both Twitter accounts publicly congratulated each other in a single moment of inter-species unity, before Quisilia went back to memes and ADVENT went back to fighting a war.
But let this story serve as both a warning to not be a cult-like fraud, and a warming moment of the joys of cooperation.
- Article: The Dismantling of Scientology by Barry Stroud