Realistic or Modern Love Of God Reboot - Victorian Cult RP- Lore and Details

[laceanddoodles]

Love of God is an rp set in a medium sized town, 1847, that will center around a small fundamentalist cult. More importantly, it will center around and deal with themes of family, and reconciling your identity with your beliefs and the expectations of authority figures, notably, religious authorities. If all that sounds interesting to you, then awesome! Here's the interest check, you'll find available roles there. All are welcome!


This will be a sporadically updated thread, meant to house and organize information about The Group, the cult that this rp is centered around. So far, what I have is a list of 45 Rules and Beliefs based on Steven Hassan's BITE model and fundamentalist doctrines from other preexisting religious sects (IBLP, Quiverfull, FLDS, etc.). This doctrine is meant to chafe against your characters' identities, leaving little room to really be a human and follow the rules. The story will come from how the characters act and react under that. That being said, I'm going to tentatively put a trigger warning, here. This rp is meant to deal with darker themes, and this list of rules, while fun in the context of fiction, are meant to be upsetting and backwards and restrictive. In the context of the narrative, they were written by an extremely upsetting and backwards man.



So, without further ado...

Spoiler

The Rules and Beliefs of The Group

1. As the world is divided, so should be the home. There is a place in the home for the women and children, and a place in the home for the menfolk. Let them mingle at meals, in the evening for prayer, and whenever the husband desires time with his wife.
2. The wife should not come harassing her husband, let him come to her.
3. One should not marry nor have close acquaintances outside the faith.
4. If one should speak to an outsider, speak of The Group, only, and only to bring them into the fold.
5. Use only Godly language— never swear or utter other profanity.
6. Sex is only acceptable in a lawful marriage and for the purpose of producing children.
7. Wives must not deny their husbands. It is their role to submit.
8. No methods for the prevention of pregnancy may be used. Children are a blessing from God and should be numerous.
9. Women may not cut their hair.
10. Once married, women should keep their hair tied up and under a bonnet or cap.
11. Fashion is the devil’s invention. Clothing should be, at all times, plain, modest, practical, and without ornamentation.
12. Men’s hair should be neat and tidy.
13. Corsets for women inspire upright behavior, but should not be laced too tight, as that inspires vanity.
14. Mirrors inspire vanity. Have, at most, two in the home, and keep them covered when not in use.
15. Pork and shellfish are not to be eaten.
16. Do not eat anything the eight hours prior to our meetings, Sunday, Wednesday, and Friday, unless you are sick, pregnant, or engaged in heavy labor and need your strength. (Note, child rearing does not constitute heavy labor.)
17. Idleness is the mother of sin. One should rise for the day no later than seven o’clock, and should not sleep until they’ve been in prayer for no less than two hours, after the work is done.
18. It is harder for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven than it is for a camel to pass through the eye of the needle. One should not seek material wealth, only spiritually.
19. One should give at least fifteen percent of their household income over to The Group for common use.
20. Theater is a breeding ground of sin.
21. Music is a gift from God, but a fragile one. If it is not used deliberately to glorify God, the devil will creep in and claim it. Only hymns may be sung or played.
22. Dancing allows Satan to enter your body, and is expressly forbidden.
23. Only religious texts should be read, and any texts besides the Bible should first be checked and approved by Pastor Kipling, then by the father of the house, and if both give their permissions, they will be permissible.
24. Meetings on Sunday, Wednesday, and Friday nights are mandatory for all. Other meetings or celebrations may be called, and are also mandatory. God comes first.
25. Marriages must be approved first by the families of the couples, and then by Pastor Kipling.
26. Confess your sins to one another. It is only through sharing our sins that we can overcome them. Confide your struggles in your brothers and sisters.
27. When you see your brother or sister struggling with sin, tell Pastor Kipling.
28. Those that leave The Group shall never be spoken to or spoken of, again. Should they be in the room, all believers must act as if they are not there and do not exist. Turn away from them and block them out of your ears and hearts.
29. If it is found that you are associated, still, with one who has left The Group, then you may be expelled from our number and shut out from the light of God.
30. The ego is the enemy of God. Be humble and submissive— children to your parents and older siblings, wives to your husbands, and husbands to the Leadership.
31. When you are given a command by one with authority over you, do not question, for they are a step closer to God than you, and their wisdom comes from God.
32. Spare the rod, spoil the child
33. If your wife refuses to submit, guide her to submission as though you were her father. Pain shall be her teacher.
34. If a rebellious wife or child still will not submit after the use of the rod, then they shall be locked away for three days without food, light, or company, to pray on their sins. After such time, let the father of the house enter the space of confinement and interview the rebellious one. If they are ready to submit, keep them confined only until the next morning. If they are not, give them minimal food and replenish their water, and let them stay another three days. Repeat this process as necessary.
35. Unless specifically commanded of them, women are not to speak in church.
36. Higher education invites sinful thoughts. Men should only be educated to work and to know God. Women should only be educated to be pious and dutiful wives and mothers.
37. God speaks through Pastor Kipling. Take his word as the Word of God.
38. Any thing, any word, any deed, any thought, that does not exist to glorify God exists to glorify the devil. The world is full of demons and sin, it is only through constant, deliberate, devotion to God that we may beat the darkness back.
39. God can see our secret desires and hear our innermost thoughts. Those, too, must glorify Him.
40. The antidote to improper thoughts is prayer— consistent and never ceasing prayer. Chant your prayers over and over, inside your head, until the bad thoughts have been banished, and only God remains.
41. If still the bad thoughts persist, then hum or sing the hymns of God and let the holy music wash your consciousness clean.
42. Questioning and doubt are the devil’s tools. Humility, obedience, and faith must supplant them.
43. We must suppress our anger, our pride, our desire for control over our lives, as these feelings stand in the path of God and keep us from Him.
44. Discord and strife come when we, in some way, are not glorifying God to our highest potential. If there is unpleasantness, pray and think upon your own life and see where it is that you are lacking.
45. There is no joy outside of God’s Love. No peace outside God’s chosen family.

It's worth noting that I am a bit of a history buff, so I will do my utmost to answer any questions you have about the 1840s. This will be updated to talk a little bit about the clothing, soon.