Christianity in Varshan

Christianity in Varshan has been present since Aster's expedition exposed Crona to the Occident in the late 14th century. For most of its history, Christianity was illegal and practice of it was a capital crime. Despite this, small numbers of Christian communities existed, and Christianity was commonly introduced to slaves through Occidental slaves. As an underground religion, a precise history of the impact of Christianity in Varshan is hard for historians to measure, but though popular among some slaves its pre-Deluge peak was likely capped at about 2% of the population. The Final War of the Deluge and destruction of Zurgite Varshan led to the legalization of Christianity. In the Urcean Zone of Occupation, proliferation of Christianity is a key policy concern.

It is estimated that Christianity is the fastest growing religion in Varshan. It is particularly popular among former slaves and generally among people originating in traditionally low ranked castes.

Scholars have noted that Christianity has historically had an appeal to Arzali adherents due to the relative compatibility of the traditional Arzali concept of human sacrifice and the Christian theological notion of substitutionary atonement.

Terminology

In Hieratic Varshani, Christianity has two types of names. The most commonly used term historically was a pejorative, "Mejada'felta", a term that can be broadly translated as "followers of the Death God's victim". This term is understood to mock the crucifixion of Jesus as an incident making him subordinate to the chief deity of Orthodox Arzalism. This term was used in most official contexts between Aster's expedition and the Fall of Anzo. Varshani Christians, as well as some others in limited circumstances, instead use two related names: "Kriziztan", a literal reuse of the word "Christian", and "Husen'zelta", which means "followers of the Anointed".

In most instances, the term "Mejada'felta" has been regulated as hate speech in League-occupied Varshan with the exception of the Daxian occupied Zanoma Regional Administration, where it remains the preferred terminology.

History

First arrivals

The earliest Christians to arrive on Varshani soil, not including any possible pre-Asterian shipwreck survivors, were traders who began to occasionally appear in Crona in the 1390s, just after Aster's expedition revealed the continent to the Occident. Occidental traders are known to have been present throughout the North Songun civilization in the early 15th century, including territory now part of Varshan and potentially even in contemporary Varshan itself. The arrival of Occidental traders and other Occidental interests necessarily meant the arrival of the first Occidental slaves in Varshan, and the first permanent group of Christians within Varshan were almost certainly enslaved people. Renaissance era stories say that a dishonest trader named Mellifus and his party were imprisoned in modern Kelekona and sold into slavery in Varshan as a group in around 1405, making them the earliest documented Christian group in the country; many historians and scholars believe this story is legendary or a morality tale from a lost context. Christian missionaries also occasionally made the long and dangerous trip to Varshan beginning around 1405, with most being enslaved or killed. Evidence suggests some may have been successful, as a traveler to Varshan in 1497 reports encountering a village of Christian believers about a hundred and fifty miles southeast of Anzo; the report says that the community was generations removed from the missionary and any priest, and that the villagers prayed as often to the missionary, the so-called "Saint Lars", as much as the Trinity. A 2029 documentary provided likely archaeological evidence that Saint Lars was a real person.

As Varshan turned decidedly anti-Occidental in the latter half of the Chazxin dynasty, it closed its borders and instituted new punishments for Occidental travelers and missionaries especially. The Catholic Church consequently restricted missionary activity there for safety reasons, but some zealous individuals in the mid and late 16th century are documented as having made the trip and returned. Historians believe that the non-slave Christian population of Varshan in 1600 was "likely less than 1000."

The aftermath of the Great Confessional War briefly changed the fortunes of Christianity in Varshan, as many Protestant refugees sought homes abroad following their expulsion from Levantia. Many Protestants seeking to establish Pharisedoms in central and northern Crona were quickly enslaved, but some highly educated Protestants managed to attain status within Varshani society between 1610 and 1670. Their religious disaffiliation from the Occident, literate nature, and knowledge of the outside world made some of these individuals valuable to the later rulers of the Chazxin dynasty. By 1650, not including slaves, about 3,000 Christians are thought to have lived in Varshan, the overwhelming majority being Protestant. Decreasing outflow of refugees from Levantia, the differing views of different Zurgs, and domestic political concerns ended the decades of Protestant semi-toleration in 1672, as all Protestants were ordered to abjure their faith or face death. Some Occidental Protestants, especially those politically connected, had the opportunity to leave the country. Reports indicate that a handful of these Occidental families even decided to adopt Orthodox Arzalism and integrate within Varshani society, though historians are divided on the historicity of this story, as it may be a piece of anti-Protestant rhetoric devised by Catholic authors.

Demographics

Denominations

Catholicism

Main article: Catholic Church

Latin Catholicism is the largest group within Varshani Christianity, with 74% of Varshani Christians identifying themselves as being "united to the Pope" in a February 2030 survey. Among these, analysts and theologians have noted an overwelming propensity for liberation theology. Many of these experts have posited that the simple brutality of Zurgite slavery necessitated a "Christianity of hope of liberation" among Varshani Christians.

A special liturgical use for Catholics in Varshan has been a source of significant debate within the Catholic Church. Many respected theologians and liturgical experts argue that many of the norms of Orthodox Arzalism are too "brutal" or otherwise completely incompatible with Catholic views of human dignity that no elements can be used for a special local adaptation of the Mass. Another faction, particularly those clerics from Crona, argue that it is absolutely necessary for widespread adoption of the Catholic faith.

A small number of Varshani Catholics in the far eastern part of the country - around 10% - described themselves as Coscivian Catholic. Coscivian Rite missions in Varshan are under the purview of the Coscivian Catholic Patriarchal Exarchate of Crona.

The Catholic Church in Varshan presently comprises four Latin rite bishops - three from Levantia and one from Pelaxia - and one Coscivian rite bishop from Kiravia. The activities of the Church include, in addition to its usual responsibilities of charity and good works to the poor, is participation in cultural reëducation programs intended to impart a greater view of human worth and dignity than previously existed during the Zurgite period.

Coscivian branches

Several non-Catholic varieties of Christianity originating in Kiravia are present within Varshan, primarily the Coscivian Orthodox Church. A very small number of Insular Christians are also present, mainly in the mountainous border regions.