The Mech Touch

Chapter 6047  Religious Contributions

The second session lasted a bit longer after the main decision had been made.

The councilors addressed other related topics such as determining the punishment for breaking the new taboos and who should be responsible for enforcement.

"The Red Association can undertake part of the responsibility of protecting the lesser states against criminal cultivators." Master Vayro Goldstein of the Survivalist Faction mentioned. "Our true mechs are especially resistant towards the more mysterious methods that they can employ. Many ancient demonic cultivation methods are notorious due to how much they enable practitioners to manipulate the minds of their victims. Our true mech pilots are especially trained to resist these mental attacks, and the neural interfaces of their true mechs can offer much greater protection than is currently the norm."

Ves had never encountered true mechs after their initial revelation to the public, but that did not mean that they did not exist.

True mechs were mostly confined to the various bases of the Red Association. They did not serve a useful purpose in the fight against the native aliens, so they had no chance to appear in a prominent event up to this point.

That might change in the future, but for now, they mostly preserved their mystique.

Other topics came up as well. The Evolution Witch even brought up restrictions on another form of cultivation.

"The final issue that I wish to address during this session is the practice of cultivation that explicitly relies on the worship of others as gods." She spoke. "Religion and worship has always remained a part of humanity. We are a species that not only long for material answers, but also spiritual answers. Worship in the Age of Dawn holds a different meaning from before. As exotic radiation continues to empower every human in the Red Ocean, their devotion and piety can produce greater outcomes than before. This is both a boon and a bane."

Many councilors did not expect for the god pilot to raise such a contentious subject all of a sudden!

Although many of the councilors came from groups with secularist inclinations, none of them dared to underestimate the influence and persistence of religious organizations.

This was especially the case now that the Age of Dawn granted them an opportunity to rise!

"People have come to worship both old and new gods during these troubled times. Neither can be underestimated. The old gods have become a part of our civilization's mythos for millenia, and have amassed a strong core of traditional worshipers who are highly organized and enduring in their beliefs. The new gods are more mixed and can consist of anything from special existences such as Caramond to charlatans that seek to exploit gullible victims to their own advantage. Then there are god pilots such as myself."

None of the councilors looked eager to debate on this topic. There were a lot of people who held strong beliefs and would not accept anyone trying to interfere with their worship!

The Big Two and many other human authorities had long tried many different ways to stamp out what they regarded as superstition, but they never really succeeded.

It was too difficult to stamp out what appeared to be a core aspect of human nature. Trying to prevent people's need for spiritual sustenance was like forcing them to stop drinking alcohol. Only a portion of humans were susceptible to these measures.

This was why the councilors were concerned about the Evolution Witch's decision to bring up this subject. What if she insisted on taking a harder line against this phenomenon? That would undoubtedly upset a lot of people and produce a lot of unrest in a time where red humanity could not afford to split itself apart!

Fortunately, the Evolution Witch made an effort to reassure everyone's concerns.

"Do not misunderstand my intentions. I do not object to the practice of religion. Under normal circumstances, it is not our responsibility to tell humans what they should believe in. However, we cannot assume a hands-off approach towards religion due to much greater effects of worship in the current age. The mandate of the Red Collective is to protect and strengthen red humanity in matters related to cultivation. In order to do that, we must formulate and enforce a set of rules and guidelines to ensure that the worship of other beings as gods will not lead to a devolution of our proud and enlightened civilization."

That caused a lot of councilors to relax and nod in agreement.

This was a sensible approach towards this controversial subject matter.

It was not wise to allow all kinds of crackpots to found their own cults and reenact the Five Scrolls Compact. There was no way the Red Two would permit any iteration of that infamous cult to make a comeback!

On the other hand, the councilors also understood that humans never submitted to tyranny. If the Red Collective adopted overly harsh policies against expressions of faith, a lot of different rebellious groups would emerge and skulk in the shadows!

The clear answer to this issue was to find an acceptable middle ground that placated both sides.

"The answer is simple. The Red Collective will permit the practice of religion, but it must abide by the existing laws of our society. As a general rule, the process of worship must be transparent to the people who have decided to dedicate their beliefs. It is not permitted to mislead, deceive or harm worshipers in any way. Religious groups that refuse to abide by the laws and taboos of our Collective will be labeled as cults. Each cult is a forbidden organization that must be eradicated without exception. The harm they can cause to our society may be no less than the Cosmopolitan Movement!"

Many knowledgeable people already regarded the Cosmopolitan Movement as one of the oldest and most persistent cults of the human race.

Perhaps the cosmopolitans used to adhere to a sensible ideology, but over the millenia, the crazed diplomats and their descendants had radicalized to such an extreme degree that their ideals had become the center of their own faith!

In that sense, the Red Collective already had a legitimate reason to attack the Cosmopolitan Movement!

The Evolution Witch continued to express her views.

"Let me explain to you what should be permissible. Any form of organized religion must register with our Collective so that we can supervise them appropriately. I am actually in favor of embedding them within the existing framework of sects. This will substantially reduce the number of churches that are allowed to operate within human space, but it will make it much easier to monitor and supervise their activities. The proliferation of religions without limit is not safe in the current age. As much as this decision may harm the interests of the adherents of smaller faiths, the harm they can cause by believing in the wrong gods is too great."

Uh oh. That was anything but a harmless decision!

Ves knew that there was a seemingly endless amount of churches and cults in the old galaxy. Humanity existed for so long and expanded its population so much that nobody was about to count how many religions operated to this day.

Red humanity was much smaller, so the amount of church organizations operating in human-occupied space was a lot more manageable.

However, there were still trillions of believers, a fraction of whom became a part of all kinds of messy churches and cults!

Nobody really cared about that in the past, but times had changed!

A small and cautious debate ensued. There were councilors who feared the outbreak of religious strife, but there were also councilors who understood it was necessary to curtail this potential source of instability.

Ves found it rather interesting that the Evolution Witch dared to hold this discussion at this time.

He had a feeling that Cynthia's influence over the god pilot may be a lot greater than he initially expected.

Ves and Cynthia both had a very strong interest in permitting the worship of certain gods.

At the very least, people needed to be allowed to believe in the Superior Mother and Helena.

Ves also needed the Red Collective to grant legitimacy to the Solemn Guardian, Qilanxo, the Illustrious One, the Phase King and all of his other design spirits!

If that did not happen, then he would be in huge trouble! There was no way that Ves would be allowed to empower his living mechs with design spirits anymore if an arrangement couldn't be made.

This would massively weaken all of his living mechs as their design spirits often granted them an extra edge!

Though Ves felt very concerned about this subject, he conscientiously kept his mouth shut and trusted that the Evolution Witch wouldn't screw him over.

"The Red Collective must strictly inspect and verify that sanctioned religious organizations are worshiping gods that are either benign or neutral towards our race and current order. We cannot permit people to unscrupulously believe in phase whales, demons or individuals who do not possess the moral qualities to assume godhood. The specific rules and standards can be determined later, but as a general rule, any existence that unambiguously harms or holds red humanity back must be denied. In a time of war, we cannot be as lenient or tolerant as we would like, especially when actions related to faith have real consequences."

"What of… the worship of god pilots, Your Excellency? Will people be allowed to found churches in your name?"

The powerful god pilot's expression remained impassive. "Many people have always regarded us as gods, some more literal than others. Different god pilots hold different stances towards worship directed towards themselves. They have earned the right to dictate whether humans are allowed to worship them. If they are open to this practice, they can dictate their own rules on this activity. The Hunting Association founded by the Huntsman is an excellent example that should serve as a model to my remaining peers."

There was a bit more discussion about specific rules and circumstances.

The Evolution Witch had clearly formulated an elaborate plan, because she had answers for every point raised by the councilors.

Ves grew more and more reassured as he concluded that his design spirits should still have enough room to operate as they have always done.

Perhaps he might still have to request a few exemptions from the Red Collective in order to avoid any annoying restrictions.

When he finally had an opportunity to speak, he pounced on it. "Given the importance of the Red War, I think that the Red Collective should reward sanctioned religious organizations that materially contribute to the war effort. There are churches that don't do much to encourage people to fight and defend the human race. They are little different from parasites in that regard. If we want to discourage them from refusing to contribute to our collective defense, more helpful churches that have helped our soldiers fight against our alien enemies should be able to earn enough rewards to take away the rights and privileges of religious organizations that have done nothing useful."

If that was the case, then he needed to get more involved in the Red Collective and hold real power in this future organization. This was the only way he could protect all of his interests!

Ves did not exactly look forward to that, but this matter was too important for him to allow others to decide on his behalf!

When he finally had an opportunity to speak, he pounced on it. "Given the importance of the Red War, I think that the Red Collective should reward sanctioned religious organizations that materially contribute to the war effort. There are churches that don't do much to encourage people to fight and defend the human race. They are little different from parasites in that regard. If we want to discourage them from refusing to contribute to our collective defense, more helpful churches that have helped our soldiers fight against our alien enemies should be able to earn enough rewards to take away the rights and privileges of religious organizations that have done nothing useful."

The Evolution Witch responded positively to this suggestion.

"You have made a good suggestion, Professor Larkinson. Your policy proposal may be excessively utilitarian, but our society cannot tolerate any leniency on this matter. Every sect or sanctioned religious organization must serve as a productive force of human civilization. If they do not contribute enough to justify their existence, then let them be removed by upstarts who are much more earnest about contributing to red humanity."

This was a harsh but probably necessary rule. At the very least, it would motivate many churches into helping red humanity fend off the native aliens.

Ves couldn't help but smile. If this rule truly came into effect, then he expected that his 'churches' may be able to earn much more contributions than most other organizations of the same kind!

After all, every living mech employed in battles against the native aliens represented another contribution by the design spirit that supported the machine!

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