Priesthood

Final Version

The Su'ndarian Priesthood accepts both men and women although men are distinctly more common within the order. Membership of the priesthood is restricted to those with citizenship status who have studied from the age of twelve at one of the great libraries. For this reason the profession is almost exclusive to the upper classes.

Once a child has entered the religious schools he or she is dedicated to the path of the priesthood. To begin with they are taught about the generally understood aspects of the celestials and literacy but once that phase has been passed to the satisfaction of all and the more specialised aspects of the celestials are studied the student is set upon the path. At this point only two paths are available to the student. They will either become a priest/ess - a man or woman versed in the celestials who will travel or reside at a temple and offer their services and knowledge to support the citizens or a celestial scholar who will reside at one of the central libraries to teach new students and study. Upon passing the first test the student ceases to belong to any family except the religious order. In this way they are kept neutral and impartial.

The priesthood study the movements and signs provided by the celestials by studying the sky and interpret this information to the benefit of society. Using this information they determine when the festivals should be, when crops should be harvested and if the celestials approve or disapprove of social moves such as marriage and family creation. They also make use of their extensive libraries in making these decisions. This information is offered in general during the ten-day speeches and also by appointment when the priest is contacted to arrange special ceremonies. A priest can deny a marriage based on this information.

Within each of the Great Library Temples all of the Celestial dieties with the exception of Rosharen are worshipped as equals but there are many divisions of belief as to the importance of various dieties and how it influences the priests understanding. In the largest temples various sects form made up of priests following different sets of beliefs. Due to the restricted contact most priests maintain with the outer world these dissagreements rarely become public knowledge but, without a doubt, there are power struggles between these various sects within every temple.

Priests also gain a guaranteed elder seat on the council with the high priest and the high scholar gaining a full vote. In addition the high priest is allowed to bring the plight of anyone to the councils attention - even a non-citizen - this is the only way that a non-citizen can be tried before the council instead of the Justice.