A
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE MARTIANITE RELIGION
Much remains unknown about the
Martianites, even to themselves. From individuals who have left
the group we were able to compile the following information, but
students should note that the reliability of these individuals is often
questionable. Every effort has been made to confirm what we can
from present members of the church, who have agreed to be interviewed
anonymously
The Martianites first appeared in
Western Europe some time in the 1900s, not long after the publication
of books by Edgar Rice Burroughs (the creator of the Tarzan series). While
insiders disagree on Burroughs' own influence, it seems obvious that
the otherwise unknown founders of the church were inspired by these
novels.
The fact that
the church demanded secrecy
of its members meant that early converts were expected to break off
contact with relatives and friends. Later this policy was
reversed, but in so far as there is any "mortal sin" for a member it is
to discuss the beliefs and practices of the church with
non-members. Would-be converts are required to engage in a year
of what is called "provocative meditation," guided by appointed
leaders. During that time they are to arrive at what may best be
called an intuitive awareness of what will be expected of them.
Defectors insist that there is a rigid hierarchy within the church, but
this is the major point denied by our other informants. What does
appear to be true is that there is a distinction between those who have
attended the convocations held at one or another observatory every ten
years and those who have not. At the observatories each
Martianite is expected to view the planet Mars for at least an hour,
then withdraw for another hour to reflect what is termed the planet's
astral influence. Afterward there is a discussion of what beliefs
and practices are to be revised.
Once there is agreement, those who have attended the convocation return
to their own churches to present the new teaching for the following
decade. Since none of these teachings are ever to be recorded in
any form at all, it is understandable that earlier beliefs and
practices are completely forgotten.
While we have used the term "church" it is to be understood that
meetings of the members are held only in private homes and there is no
effort to acquire a separate legal status for buildings (tax
exemptions, for instance) or individuals. Meetings themselves
center on rituals designed to have individuals become more aware of
their astral selves, which, according to some informants, are the
reincarnated ghosts of former Martians. The frequency of these
meetings varies, although defectors have claimed that they are timed to
coincide with the alignment of the planet Mars with an otherwise
invisible planet that lies between Jupiter and Saturn.
Certain practices that have been cited by defectors include abstaining
from any red food at any time that Mars would not be visible in the
sky, avoiding romantic involvement with non-members unless approved by
a member's personal guide (intermarriage is allowed but not
encouraged), not allowing the children of members to be made aware of
church teachings until their fifteenth birthdays (marked by a special
ceremony in which they receive small red tatoos on their inner wrists),
and taking an active part in the promotion of gatherings dedicated to
the study of science fiction and fantasy literature (obviously with a
preference for the novels of Edgar Rice Burroughs).
The exact number of Martianites is uncertain, with some insisting that
there may be as many as half a million and others suggesting that the
true number is closer to a few thousand. Some defectors
claim that there is a pronounced type of mind control, while others
suggest that at worst there is only too strong an encouragement of
harmless fantasizing when individuals are called on to allow their
astral selves to express details about a previous
existence. Again, a few defectors suggest that higher-ups
in the church have sinister intentions of achieving world control and
argue that the true leaders of the church are the same as the legendary
Illuminati, a point strongly denied by those present members we
interviewed.
photo credit:
http://hubcap.clemson.edu/~sparks/sff/pom1.jpg
please note
that this is an entirely fictitious group presented as a basis for
discussion in a world religions course