Editing Minjian (section)

==Worship and Practices==
===Shrines===
[[File:MinjianShrine.jpg|250px|thumb|right|Minjian shrines vary by region. This example belongs to a wealthy household.]]
The vast majority of Minjian have a shrine within their homes. This shrine will usually consist of a patch of bare wooden floor, with a mat woven of reeds behind it. The shrine typically contains offerings to the Divine Couple, the patron Luminary and ancestors of the house's inhabitants (the ancestors' place within a shrine is evidence that Minjian often blended with already-existing traditions of ancestor worship). Offerings traditionally consist of small plates of food and burning incense, which is placed at twilight on Sundays (the day of rest in Minjian) and then replaced at dawn on the next Sunday. Shrines will typically be decorated with a small statuette or painting of the Divine, which is sacred, and therefore never touched by a non-clergy member. Shrines are dedicated by members of the Minjian Clergy. There is also typically a painting of the patron Luminary present as well. When someone is born, a lock of their first hairs are placed upon the altar and burned within a scented holy candle. When the eldest child of the family marries, an image of the Host or the Lady is traditionally taken with the newlyweds to their new home. The groom brings his shrine's statue of the Host, and the bride brings her shrine's statue of the Lady.

===Minjian Temples===
Organized Minjian worship is carried out at Temples or Sanctums of the Faith. The distinction between the two is that while both offer a place for Minjian to worship the Divine and the Luminaries, a Temple has clergy members in permanent residence, while a Sanctum will only have a caretaker or an itinerant clergy member to conduct services. Temples are located in most towns and cities, while small towns and villages usually only have a Sanctum. Temples are constructed upon places consecrated by a Priest and Priestess, or a similar couple within the clergy hierarchy, who then become the near-permanent administrators of a particular Temple. Temples have two chambers of worship, as well as fourteen smaller shrines dedicated to a particular Luminary.
[[File:MinjianTemple.jpg|250px|thumb|left|Minjian temples, such as the Temple of Sliding Stones in Minsheng, Laeral, are completely symmetrical, to demonstrate the importance of balance between the Divine.]]
Every Sunday, Minjian head to their local Temple for worship. All Minjian Temples have a single entrance, as well as a high balcony or place to look out from. Each Temple has a male and female clergy member present, and each Minjian worshiper is given a choice of which of the two ranking clergy members services' they will attend each Sunday. The Priest's service is supposed to exemplify the viewpoints of the Host, while the Priestess' service centers upon the values and advice of the Lady. As a service begins, a sentry in ceremonial robes carrying an ornamental spear or glaive will stand in front of the door to the Temple, while another will ascend to the highest point of the Temple and 'stand watch' for danger or enemies. This tradition dates to sectarian conflicts within Minjian, when services were sometimes attacked by members of other sects. Services usually begin with the singing of a hymn, followed by the recitation of various creeds. At this point, the ceremonial sentry posted outside the door to the chamber of worship will enter, and the Priest(ess) will ask 'How is our assembly shielded from harm?'. The sentry will reply 'By the grace of the Divine and by the vigilance of their creation.' At this point, the service can proceed. The leader of the service will then deliver a sermon based upon the ideals of their patron member of the Divine Couple.

Once the sermon is complete, a period of silent meditation is held to reflect upon the teachings of the sermon. Then, each worshiper is given a candle, and they then proceed to the individual shrine within the temple devoted to their patron Luminary. They are given time to pray for guidance before the shrine of their patron. After this is done, worshipers can return home or they can alternately begin to study the Minjian canon. All Temples are charged with making copies of the holy scriptures of Minjian available to their worshipers for their own reading. This is consistent with the Minjian belief that all should be able to analyze and draw their own conclusions from the Dialogues and the Book of Luminaries. Later that night, the Temple will host High Table. All Minjian are invited to the Temple, where the Faith will provide a free meal. There will be one table set higher from the rest, where the Priest and Priestess will sit. This table has 14 places set. Two are for the Priest and Priestess, who will ceremonially serve the food, and the remaining twelve seats are filled randomly. Anyone, from the richest person in the city to a homeless person, could be seated at the High Table, to be served by the Priest and Priestess themselves. The remaining tables are open to anyone who attended the worship service earlier in the day.


===Birth===
The Minjian religion treasures children. As stated in the Dialogues: "Humanity, greatest of the Divine Creation, be thankful of your young! The sweet laughter of a child is as calming birdsong to the Divine." (Chapter 8, Conversation 5, Verse 3). 
As such, the Faith often trains its clergy in midwifery, and preventing child mortality is one of the chief aims of the Faith. Nine months after a baby is born, the Temple will host a large Haizi ceremony. The child is dressed in elaborate clothing, and then carried to the Temple. At the Temple, the majority of people in the community will be present, and there will be ample food and music. The baby sits upon the lap of the mother, and is shown a tray containing fourteen small objects crafted in silver or jade. Each object represents a different one of the Luminaries. Whichever object the baby grabs first is made into a necklace or bracelet worn by the child until their Biaoji ceremony at age 15. Additionally, the object grabbed defines the Luminary it represents as the patron and guide of the child until they come of age.

===Biaoji Ceremony===
According to Minjian belief, children become adults at the age of 15. The Biaoji ceremony marks the child's transition to an adult in the eyes of the Faith. A celebration is held at the local Temple. A member of the clergy (a Priest if it is a boy's Biaoji, a Priestess if it is a girl's) leads a ceremony which includes meditation and the ceremonial asking of questions to the child. Those who know the child best, often including parents, siblings, and close friends, deliver short speeches about the child. The child then takes off their bracelet/necklace, and then selects a new ornament from a ceremonial selection box, choosing who their patron Luminary shall be for the rest of their life. That night, a celebration is held, with dancing and food. The child, now an adult, is then led to the Temple's shrine to their chosen Luminary. They spend the night in that shrine, reading of the Book of Luminaries by candlelight. When they emerge in the morning, they are considered an adult in the eyes of the Faith. However, at the Temple of the Peaceful Rock in [[Slokais Islands]], the child must climb the 567 steps up the temple to "See the Divine Couple" before the actual celebration begins.

===Marriage===
Priests and Priestesses are authorized to wed couples in the eyes of the Faith. Minjian marriage customs, never fully codified, has adopted elements of the Roman Catholic wedding ceremony. While arranged marriage is not condoned by the Faith, Minjian have historically practiced it, and a small minority still do. The Faith has not taken a stance on same-sex marriage, despite much debate, although the vast majority of Minjian clergy will perform a same-sex wedding ceremony. The couple is asked to spend the night before the wedding together at the Temple, contemplating the Faith. Wedding ceremonies are conducted by a Priest or Priestess, with the friends and family in attendance. The presiding clergy member will recite passages from <u>Dialogues</u>. Aspects of a wedding ceremony include the ceremonial release of two birds, the exchange of flowers, the scattering of ashes, and a ceremonial kiss. 
[[File:MinjianCelebration.jpg|200px|thumb|right|Minjian clergy at the celebration for Gaolin's Day.]]
===Funerals===
Minjian teaches that death is not the end for a human soul and that those who die may join the Divine and the Luminaries in the afterlife. 
Funerals typically feature eulogies written by those who knew the deceased well, addressed to the Divine and to the patron Luminary of the deceased, asking for the deceased to be taken into the care of their divine patron. The body is then cremated, and the ashes buried.