Religion on Hemera

The Aurora mission was a joint project between the United States and Japan, begun in the latter part of the 23^rd century. It took many years to come to fruition, although it was by no means the only project of its kind – many countries were putting together colonizing missions to nearby stars, often in cooperation with each other. There were 10,000 colonists aboard the Aurora when it finally set out, all of them chosen after an exhaustive screening process that focused largely on mental and physical health, and skills and abilities that would be beneficial to a new colony.

Political philosophies and religious views were widely varied among the colonists, although there was a consensus among the leadership that a constitutional republican democracy should be established. Colonists from both countries were used to living in a pluralistic society where a variety of religions were represented and where religious freedom was a given, although each country had dominant religions that were more represented than others. Thus, the religious views of most colonists were Christianity, Buddhism, and atheism, although Islam, Hinduism, Judaism, and Shinto were also represented, along with scattered small numbers of less well-known religions.

For the most part, cultural and religious groups blended, and the eventual nations that arose on each continent were a mix of many backgrounds. However, as new cultural blends were created across the planet, some felt that their roots from Earth were being lost. As a result, many who felt a strong connection to their cultural heritage banded together, setting out on an expedition to explore and settle the Andalus Islands in the northeast. These groups included Japanese, Hispanics, Native Americans, and many other racial, ethnic, and cultural groups. For the most part, an individual island would be settled by those from a specific cultural community. Although these were widely varied and each island would be governed according to a philosophy that matched the unique characteristics of the heritage represented. All the islands are part of a structured government, however. There are frequently disagreements between the islands, but they stand firmly together and place an emphasis on a strong government.

While each island has its own religious heritage as well as cultural, certain religions have come to the forefront – specifically, Buddhism and Shintoism are commonly practiced among those of Asian heritage, and other cultures have often found ways to blend in some of the defining principles of those religions. The same is true of Christianity and other religions; there are some who might be called atheists, but most of those would define themselves as “spiritual” if not subscribing to set religious beliefs.

Outside the Andalus Isles, religion is still a major part of life for many, but the portion of society that is atheist or otherwise considers themselves religiously unaffiliated is much larger. Christianity and Buddhism are the primary religions followed, and there are an assortment of churches and temples in most communities. There have also been some interesting hybrid religious groups, which may base themselves on a specific religion's principles, but incorporate whatever they believe best describes the philosophical truth to which they adhere, even if it is not traditionally part of their religion. For example, there are Catholic monasteries that learn and teach Protestant ideals as well as Catholic, Baptist churches that adopt characteristics of Islam, people who identify with no single religion but accept multiple pantheons at once, others who practice a kind of spiritual intellectualism within a roughly Christian framework, but have contrasting philosophies from a variety of belief systems. Religion is considered a highly personal thing, and while there are strong disagreements among various groups, it is largely believed to be an individual's most fundamental right to pursue religion, or not to, according to one's own heartfelt beliefs.