Tikism

Tikism (/tiːkɪsm/) is the dominant religion in Kolhar, and the ethnic religion of the Kolhari people. It generally isn't practiced outside of Kolhar, with the exception of places with large communities of Kolhari diaspora.

Theology

Ancestor worship

Tikists worship their ancestors rather than any deity. This is because all gods and goddesses are believed to have been destroyed in Tikism, with humanity taking their place in the afterlife. Tikists believe that by worshipping their ancestors they increase their chances of being sent to Stov, a paradise that is believed to be where all good souls reside.

To this end, many Tikist places of worship also feature many graves. It is at these graves that individual families give offerings and ask for luck.

Deities

The Tikist word for god is "Qun". In Kolhari, it is a gender-neutral word used to mean both "god" and "goddess", though it has also been used since in Kolhar as a word for "God" in other religions..

There are 5 Qun's in Tikism:

• Tal - Creator of light and dark
• Tek - Creator of the planet Earth
• Ter - Creator of water
• Val - Creator of heat, fire, and lava
• Ver - Creator of air and the wind

However, none of these deities are believed to still be alive. Tikism teaches that these five deities were killed by the first humans to inhabit the planet.

Tikist texts do not portray these deities in a positive light. Tikists believe that the deities created the world for nothing more than their own personal entertainment, and after creating everything it is believed that they toyed with humanity for the same reason. It is thought that to stop this the first humans, Mirar and Kiv Elas, fought and destroyed the five deities.

Kokja

In Tikism, the purpose of life is called kokja. It is generally seen as a test that one takes, that starts the moment one is born and ends the moment one dies. The test is to see if one can live their life with honor. Tikists believe that when one dies, their spirit will be taken to meet with all of their ancestors and will be judged by them. If the spirit is judged to have lived their live with honor, Tikists believe that they are granted entry into Stov, a paradise for those who have been honorable. On the other hand, Tikists believe that if one lived their live with dishonor, they will be send to Greth, a hell where one will be tortured for all eternity. Should one be judged to have not been able to properly complete the test, it is believed that the person has their memory erased and is reincarnated to give them another chance.