Church of Humanity Ascended Overview
Origins
Formed in the waning years of the 21st century, the Church of Humanity Ascendant emerged in response to growing disillusionment with traditional religion, rising automation, and rapid genetic and cybernetic progress. It was seeded among bioethicists, spacers, and secular philosophers who saw human potential as the only worthy object of reverence. With Earth’s faiths still dominant, the Church began as a fringe ideology, but found footholds among off-worlders looking for meaning beyond dogma.
Core Beliefs
- Humanity is improvable: Through science, empathy, and discipline.
- The divine is a myth: There are no gods, only people—and people can change.
- Every life has the capacity to transcend its limits.
- Altruism is the highest calling: To elevate others is to rise yourself.
- Ethical augmentation is sacred labour: Cybernetics and genetics are tools of uplift, not corruption.
Core Doctrines
- Secular Ascension: The path to transcendence lies in biology, mind, and community, not mysticism.
- Reject Superstition: All supernatural explanations are to be questioned and discarded.
- The Flesh is Malleable: The body is a vessel to be shaped toward higher function and form.
- The Mind Must Inquire: Doctrine must evolve with evidence; belief is never fixed.
- Service Equals Salvation: Charity is not a virtue—it is the proof of alignment with the Church's path.
Practices & Symbols
- Orange Robes: Loose, flame-toned robes identify missionaries and monks. They signal humility and growth.
- Public Augmentations: Church-affiliated clinics perform bio-enhancements as rites of passage—sometimes symbolically minor, sometimes profound.
- Ascension Gatherings: Group discussions and debates, often held in station squares or low-G temples.
- Ethical Records: Members maintain personal journals tracking acts of service and self-betterment as moral logs.
- Iconography: The ascending helix—a stylized double helix coiling into an upward spiral—marks their literature and robes.
Spread & Structure
- Primary Locations:
- Earth: Scattered in urban zones, often aiding the Basic population.
- Ganymede: Runs underground medical centres and food programs.
- Ceres: Low-key missionary presence focused on education and medical access.
- Tycho & Luna: Quiet philosophical circles and biotech clinics.
- Structure: Decentralized. Monks and missionaries act autonomously but often share resources through encrypted networks. Elders gather for regional coordination only during crisis or reform.
- Funding: Donations, technical work-for-hire, and gene therapy services offered to Belters, often free or pay-what-you-can.
Doctrine Tenets
- Humans Can Improve—So We Must.
- Reject the Supernatural, Embrace the Possible.
- Charity and Education Are Sacred Duties.
- Enhance the Body, Elevate the Mind, Enlighten the Culture.
- Question, Evolve, Repeat.
Controversies & Reactions
| Group | Reaction |
|---|---|
| Traditional Faiths | See them as arrogant or tragic—sincere but mistaken. Sometimes ally on humanitarian grounds. |
| Earth Governments | Mildly suspicious due to their criticism of state inaction, especially around Basic conditions. |
| Belters | Mixed. Welcomed when they provide real aid; mistrusted if they’re seen as Earther moralists. |
| Martian Society | Tolerated in academic circles. Martian military doctrine sees them as naive. |
| Scientific Establishment | Divided. Some see them as valuable social ethicists; others accuse them of soft propaganda. |
Notable Conflicts
- Quietly banned from some UN medical facilities after “unauthorized” augment surgeries on Basic youth.
- Harassed by Golden Bough and other gangs on Ganymede for cutting into narcotics revenue through rehab initiatives.
- Known to publicly debate OPA agitators on whether violence can ever be part of human moral evolution.