The Old Temple describes the many religious faiths espousing the theosophical concept of the Light. Under this umbrella, most of The World's kingdoms have some Old Temple faith as their state religion. Many of these existed in Europe for thousands of years, and even longer in Asia and Afrika. The Light is a concept of a Celestial Deity or Demiurgic Force which creates and shapes the universe. No greater argument in the Light religions has been that of the origin of this Light. Many argue for particular constellations, others for the Sun, the Moons, or other celestial sources.
Vs the Eastern Star of Elysia
Most notable is the distinction between the Old Temple and that of the Eastern Star, which began in Elysia. The Eastern Star is a far more karmic and monotheistic religion than its predecessor, and possesses a vast mythology relating to the island of Elysia rather than other traditionally-believed Holy Lands.
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The Book of Epoch, the single most important document in the Old Temple, is also used by adherents of the Eastern Star (called "Templars"), but Templars draw more of their faith from the Book of Light, a collection of religious essays and testimonials set in early Elysia. Most of the kingdoms of Europe have the Old Temple as their state religion, however the Eastern Star has some proliferation there, causing religious warfare to have become common in the last century.
Archonate, Kaetani, Rotaric, and Parandu
Loosely-organized traditionally, one sect of the Old Temple was combined under one central High Archon in 1555, creating a new sect called Archonism in Europe and elsewhere. The Light, under the new High Archon's dogma, is only to be thought of as emanating from the Sun, the earth's nearest star. They espouse The High Archon of the Archonist Temple resides in Western Germany.
Meanwhile, the older, more traditionalist Rotaric sect believe in a Tri-fold Light of the Sun, the Moon and Polaris. Their religious leader or Lama resides in the nation of Czech.
The Rotaric Sect can be considered analogous to Catholicism and Orthdox Christianity, while The Archonate sect can be said to be somewhat analogous to protestant Christianity and Judaism simultaneously. This similarities should be taken as very, very figurative.
In Persia, the Ottoman Empire, Northern Afrika and parts of Asia, most furres follow the Kaetani sect, which teaches that while the Light emanates from only the Moon, it is anthropomorphized into a Creator Deity to more resemble a real-world God.
Finally, the Parandu sect, found strictly in Asia, is a polytheistic, karmic stream. It is noted for synthesizing more easily with indigenous beliefs of Ancestral worship and polytheism. The Parandu sect teaches that the heavenly bodies and spirits of the dead are one, together forming the "Light" of the Old Temple.
Europe and the Middle-east
About a third of Europe is Archonate, another third Rotaric, and another third (mostly in the Southeast area of the Ottomans) Kaetani.
While Britain, Germany, Austria and Muscovy are generally much more Archonate…. France, Spain, Italy, and Poland are typically Rotaric. The Novari, meanwhile, are only permitted by the Imperium to practice Novari state religion, and the other nations of Europe, observing this menacing non-Old-Temple presence, are less prone to religious warfare amongst themselves.
The Kaetani Persian Empire, bordering the Ottomans on one side and Parandu India on the other, is a major theocratic society in the Mideast, along with their Kaetani Ottoman rivals.
Asia
Asia is typically Parandu, but there is a great deal of variation among the Asian nations. The Paranduism of Shenzhou/China strongly resembles an atheistic school of philosophy, while in Japan it is much more theistic, with a pantheon of homespun deities who share the Light among them. India and parts of Southeast asia share a particular type of karmic Parandu that is extremely polytheistic in nature.
In the Southeast Asian sub-region of Malay, the predominant religion is Kaetani, the result of colonization by Middle East kingdoms during the 11th century.
Afrika
The Ethiopian Commonwealth stretches across most of North Afrika, including Egypt and the Sahara and some Southern holdings. Ottoman land holdings are a narrow strip along the very extreme North of the continent. The combined influence of the two has made Afrika extremely Kaetani in the North. Novare territory on the Ivory Coast forbids any Old Temple faith. This includes the straight of strategically-important Straight of Gibraltar.
Elsewhere
Though most major religions are a part of the greater Old Temple belief system, some "Pagan" beliefs still exist. Novari aggression across the world has halted religious crusades, particularly in Asia and Europe, and Old Temple faiths are more united than the many religions of the real-world Middle Ages were. Parts of Europe still practice their ancient tribal beliefs, and fae typically worship their binary God/Goddess with no interest in the Old Temple's interpretations.
In Stara Ziema there is no Old Temple faith at all, the Rephans largely atheistic and the Zabelians possessing their own distinct fanaticism. Uncolonized Australia practices its own indigenous beliefs, uninterrupted by outside influences. The Yanaka of Elysia, though many have converted to the Old Temple, practice a form of Spirituality that was once seen in Stara Ziema, but has largely disappeared there due to Moloch's regime.
