the
world of micronations is a political world. The central focus, the raison d'etre, of any micronation is its political life, the actions and decisions of its leadership and its body of citizens. Nevertheless, there is a second element to be reckoned with: the world of the Divine.
whatever
the particular nature of the divine element in a nation (Christianity is popular, but Hindu deities and good old-fashioned witchcraft may also be encountered), the degree to which the political and supernatural life are intermingled varies greatly.
some
monarchs rule "by the grace of God" (e.g. the Holy Empire of Reunion), or in a more watered-down version, "by the grace of God and his friends" (Triparia). Other nations consider themselves under the direct monarchic supervision of a deity (to wit, the Inner Realm of Patria). Still others maintain a strictly secular attitude (e.g. Corvinia), allowing freedom of religion but maintaining a complete separation between the divine life and the political.
those
nations who mix politics and religion are often monarchies, for some reason. Perhaps it is just that "Whoever, by the Grace of God, King of Whateverland" sounds so very stylish on a letterhead. Perhaps it has something to do with a common attitude to government in the religious community and the monarchist community - a centralist attitude. It should be said that not all monarchies are divinely "authorized" (Corvinia is not), nor are all monarchies, even the absolutist ones, totally centralized.
Sidebar: Theology vs. politics in selected micronations:
Holy Empire of Reunion
The Holy Empire make no bones about it - their monarch, Emperor Claudio I, rules by direct mandate of God. The only religious community recognized in Reunion is the Roman Catholic Church. Accusations of religious persecutions have been levelled against Reunion by the briefly-annexed Choconians, among others.
The Kingdom of Triparia
King Shawn of Triparia also claims divine authorization, although his formal titulary extends the authorization to include the mandate of his friends: "Shawn, Dei amicorumque gratia Rex Tripariæ". [Worth noting for the Latinists among our readers is the fact that amicus, while generally translated "friend", originally was the term most used to describe either party in the client-patron relationship.]
The Inner Realm of Patria
In what is perhaps the strangest of micronations, the Inner Realm of Patria, the titular head of government is none other than the Hindu deity Saraswati, who is listed as queen of this theocracy. Government is in the name of the deity, by a republican system.
The Kingdom of Choconya
The religious views of the Choconyans, while seemingly bizarre, certainly have a place in micronationalism. With a common, if vague, religion based upon the worship of chocolate (and of Queen Lisa as a sort of living avatar of this deity), the Choconyans clashed with the Reunian state religion of Roman Catholicism, during their brief annexation by Reunion.
The Sovereign Principality of Corvinia
Corvinia is a totally secularized state. It has been part of Corvinia's stated aims, from the very beginning, not to allow matters of religion to intrude upon the political life. To this end, a Minister for Religious Affairs, presently Count Kristian of Bygdøy, is appointed, with the express charge of seeing to it that no religious groups make trouble.
The Free Commonwealth of Penguinea
Founded as a consensus-based semi-anarchic democracy, the Free Commonwealth firmly separates Church from State. Section 4 of the Penguinean constitution, the Instrument of Government, states explicitly: "The Commonwealth shall not make any law for the establishing of any religion, or for imposing any religious observance, or
for prohibiting the free exercise of any religion, and no religious test shall be required as a qualification for any office or public
trust under the Commonwealth."
Nova Roma
Conceived as an attempt to revive the best traits of ancient Roman society, the official religion of Nova Roma is the religio Romana, a form of neo-paganism focussing on the classical Roman deities, and other contemporary forms of worship. No official ban exists on other religions, and Christianity was certainly a Roman phenomenon.
The Principality of Zugesbucht
Zugesbucht considers itself an attempt to bring to micronationalism "what the Vatican is to the real world". The ecumenical Universal Life Church, in the form of the Congregatio Catholice Sine Dogma, forms the state religion of Zugesbucht, which nevertheless "accepts all faiths". |
as
a political issue, religion (or the absence thereof) has always been explosive. Religious conflicts, great and small, have marred human political history. All the same, the ugly specter of religious strife, so predominant in macronational events, has yet to significantly invade the micronational world.
in
my opinion, this is something we should be thankful for, and seek to maintain.
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