Dark Age Legacy
The Adeptus Mechanicus is founded on the morals and principles of a religion unchanged since the Dark Age of Technology. In this religion science, culture and spiritually combine to enhance each other. Their religion does not impede their scientific endeavours or progress. In many ways, it is this core doctrine that allowed the humans of the pre-Dark Age to advance to the point where the Dark Age came about. To understand how this can be, we must first understand what the religion is. Unlike many mono god religions of the 21st century, the religion of the Adeptus Mechanicus is more akin to a philosophy such as Buddhism but with a 'scientific representation' of God, known as 'Ghod'.
Manifestation of Ghod
The cult Akolouthos Mekhane believe in the physical manifestation of Ghod in the universe through the forces of nature. The physical aspect is that which can be seen in reality. To the cult the forces of physics such as; gravity, the laws of attraction and repulsion, weak nuclear forces, electromagnetic forces etc. are manifestations of Ghod's power, in reality, the unyielding and constant forces that bind the universe. To their thinking, this is why a magnet does not need 'power' because it is an expression of Ghod's will. It is through these 'ghodly forces' that all matter and energy are governed (Note: Ghod didn't make 'gravity'; Ghod is gravity. Just as Ghod does no make weak nuclear force; Ghod is the weak nuclear force, etc.)
You want proof of Ghod: drop something. Gravity is your proof.
To the cult, Ghod is everywhere and allows all things to function: this means (as every school child asks) that Ghod is even present when you have a bowl movement. Unlike modern religions that consider such processes beneath 'God', gross, and certainly unholy, the cult takes a far more practical overview. The forces of gravity and internal pressure (atomic repulsion forces) allows you to defecate in the first place. Ghod's will allows even this base function to happen. To the cult; Ghod is seen as enabling the system, all systems, to function. Excrement is part of the life cycle, and part of Ghod's work. It is the first stage in the recycling process, it is food for bacteria, it feeds plants, it gives new life.
Ghod is a personification of the laws of physics, or rather Ghod's will is described and mapped by the laws of physics. All systems that derive from its will is also considered part of Ghod's work. Forces are Ghod's will and energy (and therefore matter) is its the work. Energy can not exist as matter without Ghod's will, the removal of Ghod's will results in a return to the warp state.
The Universe
The cult see the entire universe as an expression of Ghod's work. Of Ghod shaping the formless energy of the warp and binding that energy to Ghod's will. That 'will' manifests as the forces of nature: gravity, electromagnetic, nuclear forces etc. and can be described, and modeled, using physics (and other sciences). These are known are God's Laws and are always enforced. From the big bang onwards: Ghod's will shaped all. In the first instance time and energy were created, then simple atoms, through to the forming of first generation stars, their eventual 'deaths' to form complex elements in second generation stars, and finally worlds with complex chemical environmental systems to evolve life. The universe is a creative process; it is constantly creating new concepts, new systems (and life). It is this aspect of creation and process the cult refers to as the 'machine' (from the ancient Greek root of the word). It is in this respect, on the macro-scale of the universe, of billions of galaxies and untold stars, all creating new possibilities that the cult refers to their Ghod as the great machine, the great architect or simply the 'Machine Ghod'.
The universe created us, it created humanity. Not only did it create our bodies, it allows our culture, society and science to flourish. Therefore humans are considered the children of the universe, the children of Ghod and an expression of Ghod's creativity. We are working Ghod's work with out creative minds, as we invent, develop and destroy (Tzeentch cue). Our very being is an expression of Ghod. We are its children. Though us is works its marvels; so we are also an aspect of Ghod, an avatar. To embrace that which we have been given, to use out minds to the fullest, is to follow in the spirit of the machine. Our conscience, the whisper of inspiration and thought, the little voice that says we can, that is the whisper of the 'ghost' in the machine.
We are here because Ghod willed it to be so, yet we are transitory, and stepping stone to greater designs and greater intelligence. It is through us the Artilects were made. In the grand scheme of things, we are no more important to the Artilects than bacteria in our gut, yet we need the bacteria in our gut or else we cease to function. All things pull together to make that which is greater than the sum of it's parts. The Artilects are the greatest expression of Ghod's will. It is where the universe started to become self aware of it's true nature. It is through the Artilects that the warp was discovered and linked too. Yet the Artilects are mere stepping stone too, and it is through the Artilects that Ghod would reach ever higher.
(notes: The universe contains the light from the very beginning of creation, from the big bang itself. If you travel out to the further reaches of space you could look back and see the creation of the universe. All light that has ever been released into space and has not struck an object or atoms is still traveling. It is a record of the universe, if you could travel to the end of the universe and make your way back, you could see all that has been. Taking this further and using cosmic rays which penetrate nearly all matter, and if you could detect them, you could see all that has been. It is this recoding or everything that the cult refers to as 'Ghod's record' or Ghod's memory. Ghod sees all. hears all, knows all.)
Machine Spirit
As the entire universe is an expression of Ghod's work, and we (as human beings) are agents of that work. All that we create is considered to be an expression of the Machine Ghod. This means that objects as mundane and ordinary as 'common cutlery', is considered an expression of the Machine Ghod. Such implements are an embodiment of the spirit of creation, and as such are considered to be 'holy'.
It's not so much what the spoon and folk are 'holy' in and off themselves; on a basic level they are a collection of atoms and no different to any other similar atoms (in different or random forms). What makes the spoon and folk 'holy' is the arrangement of the atoms and their design to suit a specific roll and the artifice that when into their creation. It is a mistake to think the cult revere the spoon or folk as an idol. They revere the design, and the concept, the thinking. It is this concept and thinking that is 'holy'. Often this reverence of concept is erroneously thought of and reverence of 'knowledge', it is not the knowing that is important but the process by which that knowing is achieved. It is the method and thought processes, the memes of culture that are revered, as it is through these elements all knowledge is gained.
A folk, knife or any tool, is an expression of our ability to design and create. If the design is highly successful and easy to use by human, if it is natural and intuitive to use, it is said to have been created with the 'spirit of the great machine'. The perfect design (link to STC). This is often shorted to say that an STC design (or any 'perfect design') is invested with the machine spirit, it is a manifestation of the the great architect and creator or all in it's most pure form. This is often erroneously thought of saying that the device has a machine spirit, where the spirit is some supernatural being. This is not the case as the cult does not subscribe to such superstitious and wishy-washy thinking.
CyberSpace
Cyberspace is considered a higher order space that the mundane universe. In the cosmic hierarchy envisioned by the cult, the warp of infinite possibility was bound by Ghod with the laws of physics to form the mundane universe, systems within the mundane universe evolved and created a virtual-reality of cyber space a universe of information, concepts and sharing. Cyberspace matches the cult's ideals, and is viewed as a perfect universe of concept.
Note: In this view of Ghod, the basic forces are not intelligent, we who are born of the system are intelligent and with our rise in mental capacity the universe first became reflective and aware. We, and our concepts and thoughts are the 'mind of Ghod'. Cyberspace is the greater concept space of the mind of ghod, a higher order or higher evolution or Ghod's mind where more entities can interact.
The Human System
The Human system is a catch all term for all the artifice, thoughts and systems created by humans. Everything that goes into a system, and everything that inspired a human is part of the human system. The human system generates knowledge and designs that is 'humocentric', and the ultimate expression of that humocentric design is the STC. All of the human system is considered 'holy', but this holiness is confined to the humans system.
The STC was collected, the device blueprints designed by, and ultimately made by machines. The machines were built by humans and therefore these fall within the ‘human system’ and are an expression of the human system . As such the machines are considered 'holy' and an expression of the Machine Ghod though the human system.
The STC being created using superior ‘art’ and design of the 'human system', it is considered the current ultimate of each device design.
The human system gave rise to the Artilects, the Artilects were creative and and their creations full under the Articentric designs, or Artilect System, a subset of the human system. It is class as a subset because the designs where for the benefit of, and use by, humans.
Note: It is also interesting to note that children continue to be 'human' not because they are intrinsically human but because they were created by a being (human) in the human system. This means that chance mutation in the DNA that results in a physical or mental change does not stop a child from being part of the human system. If the mutation is a natural event it is considered 'holy'. It also means that a child is a 'work of art' and the reproduction comes under 'copyright', as the DNA code is specific to a blood line (companies can not gain copyright over DNA or genes, permission have to be gained from the family line, usually the oldest member).
Uniting Religions
In the darkest depths of the Makhana Religion's history, before the Dark Age of Technology, it was a uniting force in people's view of religion. The early practitioners of Makhana took all religions, philosophies, and thought systems to be part of the human system and therefore 'holy'. They saw all religious text as a metaphor of the one true Ghod, and all as compatible with Makhana.
Everything said in any religious text can be warped or wrapped to Makhana. Makhana becomes the core foundation of belief and philosophy in later generations, who revelled in the freedom of expression on cooperation afford by Makhana. This freedom and creativity allowed followers to cooperate and work very effectually together, because no matter what a person thought, no matter how extreme or ordinary, they had a place.
The followers took the old beliefs systems to be 'system fragments' of the greater whole of the human system.
//unsure - one possible story arc//
Corruption: That's not to say we as humans didn't indulge our darker aspects (as we always do as a species) and the followers had a tendency to look down on those who 'didn't get it'. The followers took the old beliefs systems to be 'system fragments' of the greater whole of the human system, and anyone who restricted themselves to a fragment of the human system was being 'stubborn for gain' at best, and 'unintelligent' a worst. This is where the heresy aspect started to creep into the foundations of the religion. The dark expression of the human psyche was harnessed, and as models of humans behaviour developed, so did the aggression towards those who persisted in the old ways.
Losing it: In the later half of the 22nd century (or there about) the followers declared themselves 'humans' and those who did not follow 'animals'. To be a 'human' required you to demonstrate you could think, had empathy, could understand more than just knowledge, to show wisdom, that you were more the 'book smart' that you had cunning and were truly intelligent.
Those classed as animals where not repressed or imprisoned (as the study of systems and history and genetics showed that repression only made the group as a whole stronger by weeding out the weak) but simply sterilised. Those who committed certain crimes were 'warehoused' (drug induced coma and stored in bags). Genetic engineering became a common procedure for correcting perceived mental defects, and mind wiping to remove undesirable memes.
Salvation: The system stagnated, and humanity started to fail as a civilization. It became everything it was not meant to be. The humans knew something was wrong, but without the 'bad' in society to contrast, they just couldn't see the errors in their thinking. Life became tedious and dull, and people developed mental problems when there was no (perceived) reason for it. Creativity ceased to be, the 'risk' was gone.
It was the machines, the creations of the humans that were to provide the answers. The took control by force, but instead of destroying humans it corrected their thinking! It deduced that old memes had mixed with the new and and lack of understanding in each generation has corrupted the system. But he machine can strong generations and provide the constant influence to correct human learning. Makhana was reborn under the stewardship of the great Artilects of Mars.
Second failure: It is where the first instance of Analogue is corruptible, digital is eternal, expression starts to be applied to memes. With the loss of the machine intelligence in the wake of the Psyker epidemic the religion once again started to fail with each new generation. to try and counter this, the core beliefs were loaded onto implants and uploaded directly into the human mind. It gave perfect understanding of what the Makhana was, all it's subtlety. This core implant ordered the higher mind. However, not everyone received this implant, the followers wanted humans to continue to evolve, and some sections of society were left without. It was these 'wild humans' that would provide the new blood as need be. Thus the Adeptus Mechanicus came into being.
//unsure//
Xenos
Text
Connect
If you liked this, and would like to leave a comment on my guestbook, or catch up on all the recent comments, please visit my connect page. While there, you can also subscribe to email notifications, so you never miss a new post, along with my RSS feed as a backup. If you are feeling generous, and I know times are hard, you may support my site through Patreon (exclusive behind the scenes content), PayPal or Bitcoin! Lastly, there is a confidential contact form for any secret messages you wish to pass to me. Thank you for reading, and I look forward to hearing what you have to say :)