Pelagianism

Introduction

The Pelagian Christian Church, is the main religion in the Federation of 12 Carthages and the Republic ofCarthago XIII. In the 12 Carthages it is also recognized as the official state-religion.

History

The Pelagian Christian Church draws its roots from the 5 ct Briton monk St.Wikipedia:Pelagius (c. 354 - c. 420/440), who as a reformer during the early 5 ct,, preached about the Doctrine of the Free Will and the denial of the Original Sin. He was attacked by Augustine of Hippo, and eventually condemned. His movement also spread around the city of Carthage, but after the Persecutions which soon followed, the movement has isolated into remote areas, which barely survived during the following 2 centuries. It is said, that after Pelagius’ death, his relics were preserved in some hidden areas of Palestine, until the 7 ct, when Prophet Mardonius carried them back to the City of Carthage, and from there to the City of Carthago Capricornensis, where they exist until today. In Byzantine Carthage, Mardonius, arrived in 684, started spreading the teachings of Pelagius, and the movement experienced a renovation. In the context of the Arabic threat, the movement gain more and more adherents, as Mardonius proved its prophecies and performed several miracles. One of the greatest prophecies of Mardonius was about the “Advent of the Sons of Agar, that would conquer the entire World”. He told the people, that it was God’s wish for the Roman World to feel, as it has proven itself unworthy of his true teachings and has strayed from the right path. He predicted, that it was God’s wish for the Carthaginians to be safe, and he preached about a Promise Land, reserved for them, where they could all go, continue their lives and thrive. During the siege of Carthage by the Arabs, in 697, Mardonius gained the leadership of the Carthaginian people, if managing to drive the Arabs away from the City in order for the Carthaginians to leave the city in safe. There, the Book of Prophecies says how Mardonius in front of the City gates convinced the Arabs to allow the population to flee with all its fortunes. The Book, recalls how seraphim appeared in the sky and how Mardonius levitated in the face of the Arab leader, Hassan-ibn-Numan. Then another miracle was performed, as ships aroused from the sea, in front of the Harbour, enough for them to carry the entire population. That is how the Exodus of the Carthaginians begun, and travelled under the leadership of Mardonius, until they reached the shores of the continent of Polarverta. Once installed into the new Promise Land, Mardonius organized not only the Carthaginians as a Nation, but the Church of Pelagius as well. Mardonius, is therefore considered to be not only the Father of the 12 Carthages, as a nation, but also the Prophet and Saint of the Pelagian Church.

Doctrine

The doctrine of the Church is based about 2 sources:

1. The remaining writings of St. Pelagius
2. The Tradition of Pelagius’ teachings recorded by St. Mardonius
3. The Book of Prophecies - a book, written after the death of St.Mardonius, which describes Mardonius' life, miracles and prophecies.

1.The writings of Pelagius, many in number, have been almost toatly lost, during the Persecution of Pelagianism as a heresy, during the 5 and 6 centuries. Only one writing has survived: “Letter to Demetrias”, which presents itself as a guide for the Christian life.

2.“The Tradition of Pelagius” is a codex, written by Mardonius, before the Exodus, and it is based upon the teachings of Pelaginists that have survived in the Mediterranean World, after the Persecutions. It gives informations about the doctrine of the Church, and about its organisation, being very concise and leaving little room for other types of interpretations.

Per short, the main doctrines of the Pelagian Church that separate it from the other Christians beliefs are:

1. Doctrine of the Salvation through deed only– it claims that a person may obtain salvation, only through the actions during his life, if such actions are concentrated in performing good deeds only. This Doctrine claims that Faith plays little importance for Salvation, because the purpose of Life, is for the humans to achieve Goodness and reject Evil. From this Doctrine, it is stated that no religion holds true monopoly over receiving Salvation from God, and the only purpose of Faith is to guide the individual to the right path of doing good. Christianity is therefore considered to be “the best guide through the path of Salvation”. While Jesus Christ is considered to be “The Supreme Example”. The Pelagian Church put a great emphasis on “Imitatio Christi”, or the imitation of Christ in life.
2. Doctrine of the Free Will– it claims that the individuals have the absolute power to make their own destiny, and therefore are responsible for their actions in this life.
3. Doctrine of the Divine Auxiliary Grace – it claims, that the individuals that have decided to dedicate their life for doing Good, may be granted Divine Help through intense praying, from God, but this Help, or Grace, does not affect the absolute free will of the individuals and it is only auxiliary.

Also, the Pelagian Christian Church denounces other doctrines, such as:

1. Doctrine of the Original Sin – The Pelagian Church interprets the story of the Genesis, of the Fall, into another manner, claiming, that the Fall of Adam, was not a sin, but the first act of maturation of Mankind, as it was its first act of free will. It also claims that it was anticipated by God, and therefore it was part of His Plan.
2. From this previouse claim, the Pelagian Church also denounces the necessity of the Sacrament of Baptism, as the Original Sin does not exists, in order to be forgiven from
3. Also the Pelagian Church does not recognise the other Sacraments as well, claiming that they only have a symbolic role, and there is no mystery inside them.

Organization of the Church

Because the Pelagian Church doesn’t recognise the Sacrament of Priesthood, the clergy is not comprised of Priests, but Pastors.

Hierarchy

The Pelagian Church has inherited a hierarchy of the clergy, from the Roman Christian Church. The levels in Church Hierarchy, from the lowest to the highest, are:

1. Deacons – are considered to be assistants of the Pastors, during the Church liturgy and Preaching
2. Pastors – are the main preachers and leaders of the parishes. They have a special theological education, and must present themselves as a true model of virtue to the other members of the congregations. They are allowed to get married, but only the ones that respect the celibacy, are eligible for the higher ranks of the clergy
3. Bishops – they are leaders of bishoprics , which may comprised several parishes. In general a bishopric is restricted to the territory of a city and the surrounding rural areas.
4. Archbishops – are the religious leaders of a tribal state. Today there are 12 Archbishops corresponding to the 12 tribal states of the Carthages, plus a 13th Archbishop for the Republic of Carthago XIII .
5. The Patriarch – is the supreme head of the Pelagian Church. He is elected for life, by the Great Synod. He’s main role is to administrate and supervise the well being of the Church. He has a symbolic role, of Vicar of Christ, but has no saying in the dogmatically issues of the Church. He must obey the Great Synod’s decisions. The Patriarch is considered to be the most respectable member of the Church and a true example of Christian Goodness. If the Patriarch proves itself unworthy of his position, he may be dismissed from office by the Great Synod.

The Synods

Besides the ranks of the clergy, the Church also functions by the role of the Synods, which also may operate at different levels in the hierarchy:

1. The Parish Synod – is comprised of the respectable members of the Congregations , the deacons and the Pastor
2. The Episcopal Synod – comprised of all the pastors of the bishopric and elected members of the laymen
3. The Tribal Synod – has jurisdiction over a tribal state, is comprised of the bishops and elected members of the laymen and the monasteries
4. The Great Synod – comprised of 300 members, which represent the archbishops, the bishops, the monasteries and the laymen.
5. The Ecumenical Synod – it is an extraordinary Synod, which comprises all the bishops and the theologians of the Church with the purpose to debate dogmatic issues.

Monastic life

The Pelagian Church encourages the monastic coenobitic life, based on a practical ascetism, for men and women as well, based on the 3 monastic vows :

1. The vow of poverty
2. The vow of chastity
3. The vow of obiedence

The Monasteries are of 2 categories:

1. The self-autonomous monasteries, which are in general located in rural areas, where the monks or the nuns sustain themselves
2. The mendicant monasteries – this are convents located in urban area, where the monks or nuns are “beggars” and have dedicated their life for the “Imitation of Christ”, by performing mainly charity and humanitarian works.

Problems which the Church faces

Doctrinal Issues

Even from the beginnings of the Carthaginian Pelagian Church, the writings of Origenes, have influenced many tendencies inside the Church. A major concern, was the adoption of the Apocatastasis Doctrine, and the Doctrine of Reincarnation.

1. The Doctrine of Apocatastasis – per short, it claims, that all souls eventually obtain Salvation, which occurs in connection with the Doctrine of Reincarnation. This Doctrine also claims the inexistence of Evil, as an Opposite Power to God
2. The Doctrine of Reincarnation – claims that the souls can only obtain Salvation through a succession of multiple lives, which purpose is to mature the soul on the path of Goodness.

This doctrines are not officially recognise by the Pelagian Church, but according to the 3rd Ecumenical Synod of 975, it has been decided like this issues to be kept only on a personal level by each of the individuals, and not to disturb the unity of the Church.

Social Issues

The main social problem, is the one of the Homosexuality. In this case, the Pelagian Church has proven very modern even from the early history of its existence. The 11th Ecumenical Synod of 1213, decided that homosexuality may not be a sin, as long as it is performed in a communion level, sanctified by a pastor. In this way, the Pelagian Church has recognised the unions between same sex members, since the 13th century.