Ambonar Church of God

Ambonar Church of God
Simbahan ng Diyos sa Ambonar
Highest Church of God, Ambonar, Xulin, Slokais Islands
Structure	Connexional
High Priest	Peter Rizal
King of Ambonar	Sri Hanni Samrajong II
Region	Hesperida, IDU
Language	Ambonar, English
Headquarters	Xulin, Ambonar, Slokais Islands
Founder	Sri Darma Ferindad I
Origin	1687 Cirebon, Ambonar
Branched from	Catholic Church of San Fernando
Members	4,180,000
Other name(s)	Church of God
Official website	Church of God.org

The Ambonar Church of God is a religious denomination of Christianity. The Church of God primarily is located within the Ambonar Province of Slokais Islands, however has members throughout Hesperida. Founded in 1687 by Sri Darma Ferdinand I of Ambonar, the faith became the state religion of the Kingdom until 1825. Since then the Ambonar Church of God has had a significant political, social, and economic impact on the Ambonar people, and several hardline groups of the faith are considered "cults" by general society.

Name Dispute

The Ambonar Church of God is called the Church of God by most of its members although is officially listed as the Ambonar Church of God in religious statistics. Members of the Church of God refer to themselves as Revivalists, a term that is used sometimes to describe the entire movement or followers of Church of God.

History

In 1684, King Sri Darma of Ambonar was visited by Francisco de Valer on a diplomatic mission from the San Fernando colony. One of his gifts was a copy of the Bible which Sri Drama took to heart and was led upon a three-year "faith quest". According to Sri Drama, he was given 14 lessons over the course of his three years as king by God. With each lesson intended to help Sri Drama re-found "The Kingdom of God". In the final lesson, Sri Darma is believed to have been contacted by Ra-Gunna, the manifestation of the serpent of the Garden of Eden. To prevent Ra-Guna's arrival, Sri Darma founded the Church of God in 1687 with several hundred followers. As King of Ambonar, Sri Darma declares the Kingdom as Christian and removes all traditionalists and Minjian believers from positions in the Kingdom. Sri Darma also takes upon the name "Ferdinand del Este" and establishes strong trade relations with the San Fernando Colony.

Kingdoms Era

The Church of God would grow rapidly across the Ambonar Kingdom, as other faiths soon became socially and politically unacceptable. The Church of God's promise of greater status for converts led to the mass conversion of Minjian and Traditionalists by a popular militia known as the Army of Salvation. Acting independently of Sri Dontak, who was a reformer compared to his father, the Army of Salvation forced thousands of Minjian to take refuge in the Pindai puppet state of Wojiang, leading to a series of border skirmishes. Not seeking a full-out war with the might of the Pindai State, Sri Dontak called on the Army to arrest the Army of Salvation's leadership. This decision led to the foundation of the Order of the Faith, a council of Sri Darma's personal scholars who worked to remove Sri Dontak. In 1725, Sri Dontak was couped by his cousin, Sri Darma Ferdinand II, a more radical king who gave several state powers to Order of the Faith members. The Order of the Faith formalized the Church of God's beliefs in 1733 and divided the Ambonar Kingdom into 22 districts known as Estates, with each corresponding to a local cathedral. The prominent theological idea was the Church of God should focus on enlightening the Ambonar Kingdom and largely ignored the Catholic conversions in neighboring states. In this era, the Church of God funded infrastructure and development projects in the name of building a perfect Kingdom.

In the 1800s, settlers from the San Fernando Valley ventured into Ambonar in search of land for farming, a decision that was met by violence from locals. In response to these attacks, the San Fernando Colony demanded payment for property damages from the Ambonar Kingdom. In return, the Church of God declared Catholicism a "betrayal of Christendom" and expelled the few remaining Catholic traders in Xulin, the capital of Ambonar. This expulsion led to the San Fernando Militia capturing the Port of Xulin and declaring a "free-trade zone", critics called for a full-scale holy war, however, Sri James Paul Gamara simply granted their request. This decision led to the First Great Schism, an internal power struggle within the Church of God which destabilized Ambonar as a result. In 1817, when San Fernando was given to Sanctaria, the Church of God surprisingly approved of the decision. In 1819, Sri James Paul declared Sanctaria "an ally of the faithful" and began diplomacy with the nearby state. Yet it soon became clear the Ambonar Church of God presented a major threat to colonial control. In 1822, the new Dominion of Slokais forged an alliance with Isaias Samson, a moderate leader who called for an end to the Ambonar Kingdom in favor of a new democratic government who could be more aligned with Sanctaria. By 1823, Samson's followers armed with Slokasian weaponry had largely deposed the weaking kingdom's government. Fearing a revolution could lead to the collapse of the entire Church, John Paul declared the end of the Ambonar Kingdom and the new Republic of Ambonar. Instead of the leader of the Ambonar Church being the head of state, there would be a elected Prime Minister and a assembly with the Church of God being allowed to continue there practices with an end to Catholic missionaries entering the new Republic. The Church of God was also gifted several islands from the Dominion in the Bimhjar region.

Republic Era

In 1826, the title of Sri was dropped with the leader of the faith taking upon the title High Priest. The first to assume this title was Job Surendra who was widely considered one of the first leaders to adopt a policy of conversions. Surendra argued the faith would not survive and that all deserved a chance to be saved and enter the "kingdom of heaven". Surendra's tenure lasted until 1856 when he passed away. There was a crisis within the Church of God as several leaders claimed to be the High Priest. Eventually the crisis was ended when Paul Gunawan agreed to create the position of Scholar of Faith to rotate every 5 years. Paul Gunawan would see the Ambonar Republic fall in 1871 and be replaced by the Xulin Colony. Gunwan actively called out the colonial government in his sermons and would be instrumental in the movement for Slokasian independence. Unlike, other leaders Gunwan was never arrested by the government for "deceptive speech" as Gunwan had the widespread of most Ambonars. In 1885, Gunwan organized a "March of Healing" walking 150 miles from Xulin to New Liverpool with around 75,000 joining him. Upon reaching New Liverpool, Gunwan joined a meeting of independence leaders demanding a new "Federation of Free States", with various faith's and ethnic groups having there own states under a loose federation model. Howard-Prince Gonzalez described the event as a "loud but needed reminder". Soon however, Gunwan would be killed by a Catholic militia while walking between congregations on July 2nd, 1886. His funeral would be attended by over 100,000 in Xulin with a special burial in the grounds of Highest Church of God. Ezikel Sudomodo, the new High Priest would attempt to stop sectarian violence as Rivivalists began attempting to sever justice blaming the Minjian Faith for his death. This would lead to the 1888 War of Religion, where Catholic militias clashed with Revivalists in Xulin, San Fernando and New Liverpool. The war would be ended when Ezikel Sudomodo agreed to stop conversions and called for all faithful to "return to the holy land of Ambonar". When Slokaisan independence was achieved, Ambonar was granted status as a Territory as the Church and the region largely withdrew into isolation.

Modern Era

In the wake of the Slokasian Civil War, the Church of God urged for peace and was rewarded with a province of it's own under the new Federation. As part of Second Great Slokasian Reformation, the Ambonar Church of God gained large numbers of new membership mainly from Catholics in provinces such as Valleres, South San Fernando and Halls. In addition, having large numbers of children became a key moral responsibility and calling for many young Revivalists. In 1970, Hanni Simanjorang became the youngest High Priest after the death of his father. This was a extremely controversial ascension as he was largely advanced due to his father's position. Despite this the Simanjorang Clan soon became more influential as Ruth Simanjorang was elected as the first female governor of Ambonar Province. This family control led to the reintegration of the Church with the government, with the King of Ambonar becoming the head of the faith for the first time since the 1800s.

In 1987, Sri Hanni Simanjorang made several proclamations which changed the value of women in society as not only mothers but also key tenant's to the faith. This coincided with the 1990 Census revealing Ambonar had an average of 27.5 birth's per 1,000, above the national average of 18.7. His cousin, Daniel Jesu-Kah also launched international missions in Kabo Geshaan, Kolda and Lao Sansong with the Kabo Geshaan mission reaching 600,000 members by 2015. When Daniel Jesu-Kah died in 2016, he left a contentious race for High Priest as a popular election occurred for the first time among all members. This led to a massive push for membership ahead of the election with some criticizing the process in the end. Peter Rizal ended up winning after 4 rounds after courting the delegates of overseas Church's. Rizal has been accused with his ties to organized crime and in politics. He has also sued multiple news groups for deformation and had been criticized for Islamophobic statements. Yet Rizal has also grown the Church to it's greatest size in history and helped organize a Ambonar political takeover over the New Right Party.

Structure and Organization

The Church of God operates under a dual-structure of a High Priest who is meant to represent the primary spiritual authority on Earth, while the King of Ambonar is the primary authority of God's chosen kingdom of Ambonar. The King of Ambonar is a position that is inherited from father to son, while the High Priest is an elected position. Both give decrees often as answers to great social questions, yet the King of Ambonar is an official state position. The High Priest also presides over the College of the Elect, a group of 12 men who are tasked with interpreting scripture as well as make policy decisions in the operation of the Church of God as a organization. To be a member, one must be nominated by the King of Ambonar and approved by a majority of existing members. Additionally, Ambonar itself is divided into 12 regions known as Protectorates managed by both a protectorate appointed by the King of Ambonar as well as Priest of Faith who manages the operations of all Churches within the Protectorate.

On a global scale, the Church of God is divided into several dozen Congregational Territories led by a Priest of the Faith whose primary goal is to develop policy that makes Revivalist teachings more known by more people and facilitates the immigration of Baptized members to Ambonar specifically so they can live in God's chosen kingdom. This system has only come into practice since the 1980s as High Priest, Daniel Jesu-Kah decreed a new interpretation was revealed to him in a dream that ethnically non-Ambonari people could become part of God's kingdom on Earth and therefore be saved if they joined and immigrated to Ambonar.

Culture and Practices

Due to the faith being historically centered in only Ambonar, the province's culture is based upon Church of God beliefs. Common practices shared with Christianity as a whole include church attendance, daily prayer, participation in Church programs, and a belief in the divine trinity. However, the most significant deviation is moral ideas, with the Book of Divine Communications considered as of greater value than that of the Bible when answering moral questions. In addition, the conversion while not originally valued as a practice until the 1970s, is considered a duty by some Revivalists. These conversions have often been successful in areas without a large Christan presence such as Kaijan, where several Revivalist communities have appeared.

Book of Divine Communcations

Revivalists consider the Book of Divine Communications to be of the same or even greater value than the Bible. Although much shorter than the Bible, being divided into three "Communications", the 14 lessons within are quoted and referenced by Revivalists. The First Communication, received to Sri Darma in a series of dreams tells the story of the Kingdom of God or the "Rajani Rana" which was founded by God after Adam and Eve where exiled from the Garden of Eden. In addition, the Communication states most famously "Power not given by those of Heaven or the Kingdom of Heaven upon Earth should be questioned". Politically, the quote is often used by traditional Revivalists to discredit the authority of non-Christian government officials and argue against the separation of Church and State. Overall, First Communications also known as Accompaniments is meant to supplement the Old Testament, with the Ambonar people being created and thus becoming chosen.

The Second Communication outlines practices and morals such as a belief in only "one divine creator" and that life must only be taken if one has been "lost to hell fire". This communication influenced law and justice in the Ambonar Kingdom, with some principles remaining in law within Ambonar Province. God also speaks to multiple Kings of Rajani Rana giving them guidance and strength but also punishment for those who undermine the moral foundations or lead the people toward darkness. In Lesion 9, which is the 5th lesion of Second Communications, God tells King Bojokano that "authority of God is passed to you and those who come after you, but most importantly those who serve in my name, those who believe in my name but most importantly those who act in my name". This forms the basis of the Pledge to the Kingdom of Heaven on Earth, which is key tenet of a Revivalist service and is used in schools and other institutions.

The Third Communication is directly from the perspective of Sri Darma who writes in first-person. The events taking place just months before the book was originally written. Sri Darma is traveling at sea when he is visited by the spirt of Ra-Gunna who reveals himself to the serpent of the Garden of Eden, Ra-Gunna offers Sri Darma a chance to enjoy maximum pleasures in the present if he rejects the way of God. This is within Lession 13 which was written a year after the rest of the Book and describes Ra-Guna as described as a demon who will be born in the future and inhabit the body of a human and if enough believe in him, will end the world and only Chruch of God members past and present souls will be saved from Hell. Ra-Gunna remains a controversial figure, as many claim Ra-Gunna was a character created by Sri Darma's son, Sri Dontak, and published as such. However, many within the Church of God view the prevention of Ra-Gunna as a greater life goal than living by Revivalist morals.

Sri Darma returns to Xulin in Lesson 14 before setting out upon a walk from his place. When he reaches the Springs of Cebuliani, God as well as Jesus and the Holy Sprit visits directly with him. God speaks first telling Sr Darma that he must found a "Church in my name, and a kingdom for my people". Jesus then speaks to Sri Darma stating "I shall return to fight the evil and darkness of Ra-Gunna when he returns, all of your people who served the Kingdom of Heaven on Earth shall be rewarded with a place in the true Kingdom of Heaven". Finally, the Holy Spirt speaks "Fight all those who attempt to inhabit the spirit of Ra-Gunna, and I shall heal those willing who have excepted his gift of this spring". Sri Darma then is driven to found the Church of God and move his palace to just beyond the Spring.

A Ra-Gunna costume used in a theatrical retelling of the Book of Divine Communication.

Theological Views

Divine People

Sri Darma originally wrote in the Jahn Agri Hanni, that God's chosen people were the ethnic Ambonar. However, in Divine Communications, this is translated as those of the land of Ambonar, and those who believe in God's word there. This was interpreted by early Revivalists as meaning that only those who lived in Ambonar and accepted the word of God and the teaching of the Revivalist faith could be saved. Therefore, those who did not accept should be removed. The Army of Salvation, which began in 1714, took it upon itself in 1735 to either convert or remove all who did accept "the true testament of God and the promise of an enlightened kingdom". This was known as the Great Expulsions and saw the killing of mainly Minjian faithful, but also the deportation of Muslims, Traditionalists, and even other Christians. By 1750 it's estimated that the ethnic makeup of Ambonar was 95-99% ethnically Ambonar Revivalists.

In recent decades, the views of the Church of God have shifted to proclaiming that all who accept a place in the heavenly kingdom shall be considered part of the kingdom, regardless of ethnic background. However, to join if not ethnically Ambonar, baptisms at birth can not be accepted, and all who join must pass an exam or receive a degree from a Church of God approved theological institution. Additionally, those of the Koldan ancestry are considered to be close to enlightenment, and thus, in recent years, the Church of God and Ambonar Province as a whole have encouraged Koldan immigration to the province.

Messengers and Prophets

These are two tiers of spiritual people. Messengers are considered a lower-tier and are various figures who may not have received the divine word, yet are recognized as key spiritual teachers. The title of Messenger is bestowed by the King of Ambonar via decree as a form of recognition. Today, there are around 500 living messengers throughout the world, including both clergy and regular leaders. Critics have claimed the position of Messenger is a form of political and economic appeasement as Elizabeth Kamarani, Governor of Ambonar was granted the title in 2023. The higher tier is a Prophet, which can only be given after death and includes almost every former King of Ambonar and High Priest of Faith, as well as several people killed or persecuted for their faith, such as early Revivalist leaders, such as Gideon Kuni Rahjkah.

Baptism

The Ambonar Church does not believe in baptism at birth; instead, it must be a personal choice, which can occur at any time and may be performed by any confirmed priest. Additionally, ethnically Ambonari people are automatically viewed as receiving all the decelerations and gifts of baptism upon conception unless they leave the faith or convert. However they may receive a second baptism if a person is of mixed-ancestry or feels as if they strayed from the faith.

Sinfulness and Repentance

Sinfulness is viewed as not only a moral negative upon oneself, but upon society as a whole, as if there is enough sin, Ra-Gunna will rise and destroy the world, with only those living in the Kingdom of God (Ambonar) being saved from the rapturing of the entire world. Therefore, if a person sins they must pray for redemption or reject the presence of Ra-Gunna through the Pari Ra-Gunna Kah (Prayer of the Defeat of the Evil and Fallen One). Additionally, bathing in the waters of the Lake of Salvation is believed to wipe all sins from a person's body.

Social Views

The Ambonar Church of God has had evolving social views throughout its existence, as religious leaders within the faith have modified the ideas of Sri Darma to address modern social questions. However, the religion generally holds to the founding principles outlined in the Book of Divine Communications.

Women's Rights

The Ambonar Church of God only allowed women to hold positions as nuns and has only allowed women to hold other positions since 1987 and still today are outlawed from holding senior positions such as High Priests and women over 14 are officially banned from entry to the Highest Church of God, due to the belief they will “tempt the minds of our greatest scholars”Revivalists generally believe women’s role in society is producing the next generation of revivalists and to find a suitable wife, other pursuits such as non-religious education is considered secondary with Ambonar Connexional University, the premier Revivalist institute only accepting women into non-theological degrees after 2004. The Church of God outlaws abortions of “elective choice” and pushed against the legal protection of abortion in the 1980s, although states abortion in cases of the life of the mother, rape or incest is permissible. Women are also expected to be modest in public spaces, especially those who are married with many wearing religious coverings over there head similar to in Islam.

Family Structure

Revivalists believe the primary role of the family is to act as the building block of society’s path to creating a “kingdom of heaven” on Earth. Thus activities which would break this family structure such as divorce and same-sex relations are considered impermissible. When divorce became protected by law in 1983 and same-sex marriage in 2002, the Ambonar Chuch of God actively protested and passed a motion in the Ambonar Provincial Assembly in 2007 to allow ministers and business owners to refuse services. This law held until 2015, when the Ministry of Justice made it a criminal offense to deny services solely based on marriage type or status.

Polygymy

Contrary to the idea of family structure, several Revivalist communities practiced a form of Polygyny, where men would have multiple wives in order to grow the number of Revivalists. This practice was outlawed by a 1924 law, as an effort to combat armed Revivalist rebels in the Eastern Hills War. Despite legal polygamy being illegal and the Church of God not endorsing the practice, several prominent Revivalists have sexual open relations with multiple people such as billionaire Robert Qiagara.

Robert Qiagara, a prominent supporter of polygamy within the Ambonar Church of God leads a prayer.

Modesty

The Church of God has stated immodest dress such as short skirts or clothing which does not cover the full chest is immoral and will lead to the “servants of hell” gaining power on Earth. Modern revivalists have even argued that modern social standards have already led to the arrival of Ra-Guuna, and that he inhabits the body of a human being. The Church of God also encourages its members to not wear all-black clothing or undergo body modifications such as tattoos or body piercings. This has led to some Revivalist women wearing similar head-coverings to Muslims although this varies and is not required.

In addition to modesty in terms of dress is modesty in terms of behavior. Public displays of affection by those who are unmarried is considered taboo as well as gestures or action which suggest sex between unmarried individuals. Physical references to the devil or hell are considered to let in the presence of Ra-Gunna, thus the common Slokasian symbol of "rock on" is considered a promotion of the devil. Due to these requirements, radio stations in Ambonar often play edited versions of songs beyond what radio versions of songs already include.

Interracial Marriage

Prior to the 1900s, marriages were only permitted between members of the Ambonar ethnicity in order to maintain “god’s people”, however the realties of demographics and other factors led to permitting of Revivalists to marry other “Chrtistian people’s” however there remains a racist view of marriages of Ambonar to those not of the ethnicity. This has led to Ambonar ethnicity which accounts for a large majority of membership of the Church of God being ethnically homogeneous with few people of mixed ancestry. In addition these principles apply less to converts to faith which have grown from almost none to about 30% of the faith since 1970. However recent immigrants to the province have reported feeling excluded or discriminated by older members of the Faith.

Punishment

The Church of God believes punishment is justified if a person sins and refuses to state the Pari Ra-Gunna Kah. Until the 1920s, stating the Pari Ra-Gunna Kah in the presence of a Priest in a courtroom with perfect accuracy was viewed as redemptive justice. Additionally, soldiers or police officers who are Revivalists often recite the Pari Ra-Gunna Kah after killing another person as a form of expelling themselves of sin. Failing to do so in the eyes of the Church of God makes one fully responsible to the law.

Education

Education has been a key tenet of the Revivialist faith due to the belief that education leads to a “greater society”. In addition to the founding of Ambonar Connexional University or ACU in 1714, the oldest non-catholic college in Slokais Islands, the Ambonar Church of God has funded the creation of schools, initially these schools were public, however after 1925 founding of the secular Ambonar Ministry of Education, these schools became private. These schools often remain the premiere institutions with better services and support than regular public schooling, thus even non-Reviavists intend these schools to improve their education. In addition, the Ambonar Church of God was an instrumental force in the founding of Provincial Polytechnic University of Xulin or Xulin Provincial Poly in 1988. Teaching is also considered a noble profession among Revivalists with many becoming both secular and non-secular educators.