Kalistan

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Imperial Brethrenism
Ancient Faith offers paradox among trappings of Empire
Eveari, Grand Duchy of Ananto
January 21, 5586


Ground floor of Eveari Monthly Meeting House, Eveari

How does a faith that talks about simplicity, peace, integrity, community, equality, and stewardship continue to thrive in a nation like Kalistan?  Brethrenism is more than 1650 years old in Kalistan and throughout that time, has been the dominant confession of faith, first in the Republic of Kalistan and now in the Empire of Ananto and Kalistan, one of the three constituent nations in the Anantonese Empire.  While not spreading too far outside of Kalistan, for various reasons, it is still believed that about 3 out of 4 Kalistanis are members of a Brethrenist Monthly Meeting.  This seeming paradox is multiplied when you consider that perhaps one of the most powerful women in the entire world is a devout practitioner of the faith, and comes from a family of devout Brethrenists.

Her Imperial Majesty, Empress Carolina I Ananto is what is known as a "convinced Brethrenist," meaning she was not born into the care of a meeting, but became convinced to join through a process of discernment known as "clearness."  In Her Imperial Majesty's case, as with her mother, the former Empress Pavlina, she herself initiated the process by informing her home Meeting, which in this case, as with all the Anantos, is the Eveari Monthly Meeting, that she desires to become a convinced Brethrenist.  The Meeting then forms a Clearness Committee, made up of 5-6 trusted Friends (attenders or Members of the Meeting) who then had a series of conversations with her.  During the Clearness process, they asked her questions about why she wanted to become a Member of the Society of Brethren.  They also asked other questions like what sort of role the faith would play in her life, what some of her experience were that stand out, how she would contribute to her Meeting, and what led her to choose to become a member.  There is no defined set of questions:  The questions posed were often questions they themselves had been asked or heard asked, but some of them were prompted by answers that Her Imperial Majesty gave previously.

When the Committee decided that they had enough information, they met once more without Her Imperial Majesty and discussed what they learned, what they thought and how they felt about the Clearness Process.  At that point they reported to the Monthly Business Meeting the conclusions of the committee, and they felt that Her Imperial Majesty was clear about her decision to join, that the decision was a response to a leading of hers from God, and that they recommend that the Meeting accept her as a Convinced Friend.  There was a celebration to welcome her to the Community and then the Business Meeting continued as normal. 

Her Imperial Majesty has, as her parents had, asked the Meeting to refer to her as "Friend Carolina" within the Meeting and she routinely refers to others as Friend Johnson or Friend Smith or whatever in response.  The Empress is the only one who uses the appellation of Friend, to maintain the protocol, but to lessen the distance between herself and other members of the Meeting.  It is not incorrect for Brethren to refer to themselves and others in this fashion, it is merely considered old fashioned to do so, but it is something that the Anantos readopted when protocol rules became stricter under Nicolette I.

The Royal Family, due to their commitment to Brethrenism are notoriously conscientious about what they do and say.  It is a rare thing to ever hear an Ananto lie about anything, or take oaths, or swear.  Anantos are themselves notoriously sober people, though Her Imperial Majesty is known to partake in the national product on several occasions--The Brethrenists believe that excessive consumption interrupts people's link to that "still small voice" in their heads which tell them the correct way to live life.  

In addition, Anantos tend to dress extremely conservatively, and do not make ostentatious show of material wealth.  This is quite different from most monarchs, especially those clothed in absolute power in Terra.  The wealth of the House is shown only once in a monarch's reign, at the very beginning, and then is put away, often never to be worn again.  Emperors will wear a wedding band and perhaps a watch, while Empresses will only wear a wedding band, a single pair of earrings, and a pendant on a simple chain if anything at all.  As Empress Nicolette I Ananto once said "People know how wealthy we are--It is a shameful thing for us to flaunt it, especially when so many have so little."

Anantos tend to be driven by a desire and an obligation to serve others.  Most of them are taciturn, only speaking at important and consequential functions.  This is an affect however in public.  In private, like within their Meetings, Anantos are known as gregarious, humorous and friendly, and they love speaking with people about things that have nothing to do with matters of state.  Few know the Emperors and Empresses of Kalistan like the members of the Eveari Meeting who have the opportunity to watch them all grow up, to get to know them and to watch them turn from often unruly children into highly intelligent, extremely serious adults that they are required to be in the role that is set for them.

"We saw (Her Imperial Majesty) grow up from a little one," said Eveari Bretherenist Maurine Collins.  "She was a silly girl, to be completely honest, just an adorable youngster.  When we first welcomed her, she didn't speak a word of Vrassan, and was probably more than a little scared, but she fit right in with the other Friends under Nineteen, and learned a lot of her Vrassan from listening to the things that the other children said.  She would always point at things and ask 'This?' because she wanted the name for the things in her world.  She was such a bright kid, and we all fell in love with her and her Mother when they came with the Emperor, May he Rest in Peace, for the first time to our meeting.  We embraced them immediately and I think it made a great impression on them, to arrive and in the middle of all that chaos, to have a community that they could seek refuge and comfort and care in.  In a lot of ways, that is kind of our role, isn't it.  To take care of that family.  It is a concern we have taken up as a matter of regular order within the Meeting, and we have been so lucky to be where we are."

Her Imperial Majesty and the Prince Consort and their two children attend meeting every single "First Day" or Sunday in regular parlance.  Like clockwork, the family arrives in Eveari on Friday evening, and stays until Sunday Afternoon.  While in Eveari, the Royal family stays at Ananto Estate, which was in the possession of the Late Princess Pavlina until her passing.  It now fully belongs to Her Imperial Majesty, and she still uses the house for State Visits and receptions, besides living there on the weekends.  

"Oh the house is beautiful," said Collins.  "We've been there dozens of times.  Her Imperial Majesty likes to have social gatherings where she will invite the Meeting to come and discuss affairs of the state in a very relaxed environment.  I think in a way we get to kind of act as her barometer for the things the people want and need.  Do people come to the Meeting just to be close to the Empress?  We've had our share of attenders who do that, sure, but they realize after a while that its a mundane thing to see the Empress at our Meeting.  She has even served as Clerk of the Meeting for a couple years back in the late seventies."

Collins' attitude about the mundane aspects of seeing Her Imperial Majesty in the Brethrenist Meeting weekly echoes the comments of most other Brethrenists that were interviewed in Eveari.  "When her Imperial Majesty is the Ananto Estate we see her all the time," said Eveari Attender Allison Dougherty.  "She's come to my house probably a half dozen times, it's not a huge deal.  And when she can't get out of Kaliburg, she attends meeting there at the Yearly Meeting House.  When she's in Sulari, she goes to the Quarterly Meetinghouse there.  When she's in, I don't know, Port Swedes, she can attend meeting there.  It's not a big deal, and people know not to make a huge deal out of the Empress attending meeting, because when she walks through that door, she's just Friend Carolina, and I am Friend Collins.  And that's what it is."

When asked about the blazing contradictions between Brethrenist testimonies of Simplicity, Peace, Integry, Community, Equality and Stewardship, and the raw power and wealth possessed by Her Imperial Majesty, and in fact all of House Ananto, Collins was slightly bemused.  "Her Imperial Majesty lives simply:  I am wearing more jewelry right now that I have ever seen her wear all put together.  She has houses, yes, but much of Ananto Estate is not used:  The Family only keeps a small part of that house open, and the rest of it is either closed up, to be opened to house visitors, or is kind of like a museum to all her ancestors.  Wilson House is the same way:  Most of the House is office or reception area or quarters for all the people who work there on the ground.  Her Imperial Majesty's accommodations are actually rather austere when you really think of it."

Peace?  "Well, I think she does work for peace until she cannot any more.  At any rate, she struggles to avoid war, and many of the things she does is to prevent war from happening to Kalistan." 

Equality?  "Her Imperial Majesty is always the first to put others ahead of her.  I know she has to be forthright and direct, but that is her job, and we cannot fault her for doing what we have asked her to do."

Integrity?  "I don't personally know a more honest person.  Various of our Agencies might need to do dishonest things for a larger purpose, like peace, but if you ask Friend Carolina a question, she will answer it directly.  I have seen her be kind of snippy on occasion, but who among us could do her job with as much grace and patience as she exhibits?"  

And Stewardship?  "We can ask for a no better Steward of our Nation, of our resources, and of our people than The Empress.  She lives those testimonies every single day."

Collins herself was full of praise, but she was not the only one who offered adoring comments about the Empress within the Eveari Meeting.  "She is not perfect of course," said current Clerk of the Meeting Greg Huntsman,  "but who among us are?  And we kind of understand why she might not be perfect and it is an opportunity for us to practice forgiveness."

All in all, something Collins said summed the matter up perfectly:  "Out there she is basically a goddess walking around on Terra.  She utters things and they become real.  In the Meeting, among Friends, she is Friend Carolina, Her Husband is Bill, her kids are Freddie and Little Shelly.  In here, they are a family, just like mine.  In here, she and Bill sit in silence, just like we do, and participate contemplatively in Business, and sing songs when we do the singing program, and participate in discussions on testimonies, and bring quinoa dishes to Potluck, just like I do.  We hold her family in such high esteem, and I feel that other meetings in the nation feel the same.  If I can say we are proud of the fact that our Empress is a Convinced Friend, I will say that:  She's our Friend and we are very proud of her and all that she does."

Brethrenism in Kalistan is an ancient faith, but it is still very much alive.  Most Brethren aren't as committed to the faith as Her Imperial Majesty, nor those who preceded her in Office.  It is a well-known fact that Her Imperial Majesty is a fully Convinced Brethernist, while perhaps 2/3rds of those who count themselves as Brethren are only attenders.  But the young Prince and Princess are themselves born into the Meeting, or "Birthright Friends" as was the Late Fredrick II Ananto.  So it can be assumed that the close connection between the most powerful individuals in Terra and a religion and practice that preaches simplicity, equality and peace will continue for the foreseeable future.