“What is objectionable, what is dangerous about extremists is not that they are extreme, but that they are intolerant. The evil is not what they say about their cause, but what they say about their opponents.”
― Robert F. Kennedy
The Holy Church of Romanto in the past 80 years has changed the world through religion, politics, social order, and war. The origins of the church are a mystery, but one thing is for certain. It began in the Australian outback in the year 2024. Christina Cullen made a desperate phone call to the local outback rangers to report her husband Robert Cullen missing since yesterday. A search was organized, and for two weeks the search party found no signs of Robert Cullen alive or dead.
It was decided that he must have died by unknown means, and his body carried off by a pack of dingoes or something. Christina Cullen was getting her husband’s affairs in order on the 40th day of his return. Robert Cullen came back a changed man, claiming to have seen the face of God. A god whose name was Romanto, and that he was chosen to be his prophet. Robert Cullen might have been ignored by others like most men who have claimed to have found a new religion. But Robert Cullen was never ignored because his new god Romanto granted him the ability to perform miracles.
Robert Cullen could perform magic, all sorts of magic. He became the Prophet of Romanto and his wife became his first convert. She became a Priestess of Romanto, and together they turned their farm into the first Holy Church of Romanto. Over the next decade, Robert and his wife converted first dozens, then hundreds, then thousands, then hundreds of thousands, and in time millions. The world might have gone on ignoring this new religion, but the 21st century was a digital age. The internet, social media, Youtube, and all manner of communications were used by the new church to get their message across the globe. In time, there were millions of Romantians all over the world.
By the end of the year 2034, Australia’s religious and political system was dominated by the Holy Church of Romanto. For the first time in a long while, a democratic nation was taken over by a theocracy. Australia was ruled by Robert Cullen and his Archbishops in the name of Romanto. With Australia under their full control, the Romantians began to spread their reach into other countries. They used magic to convert, threaten, persecute, and dominate others. At the time, the world did not know the true aim of the Romantians. But it was discovered that the Romantians did not tolerate other religions or beliefs.
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They say that all other religions that do not worship the one true god Romanto are false and must be eradicated. Those who survive the purges told the world of the Romantians cruelty. The murders, rapes, and theft. Video evidence was smuggled out of Australia in 2038. The video shows the total disregard for individual rights and decency by the Romantians. The lack of humanity shown by them when they burned two hundred people. Men, women, and even children were burnt at the stake for blasphemy and heresy. The world was stunned by these images. Across the globe people were shocked and horrified by such ancient barbaric practices.
The United Nations condemned the actions of the Australian Romantians, and sanctions were issued. Trade with Australia was outlawed, the religion of the Romantians was banned in almost every nation across the world. But the Prophet Robert Cullen made a statement to his people and to the rest of the world.
“This world is ruled by corrupt men and women who worship false gods. The one true god Romanto has come to us, he has shown us the way. We will walk the path he has laid down for us, and we will lead others on that path. Those who refuse will be forced or cast aside.”
The world did not know it yet, but that speech was a declaration of war. When the Romantians struck in the year 2045, they used powerful magic and modern warfare. The world was stunned, and when armies of Romantians invaded Mexico and the western parts of the United States. The world was horrified, and they mobilized for war. But the Romantians had the initiative and over the next 30 decades. World War III was not fought with nuclear arsenals, but with magic and technology. The Romantians rendered nuclear weapons useless against them with the aid of magic.
Hard lessons were learned during the course of the war. When it was revealed that the Romantians had magic, real magic. Most world leaders did not believe it, even after the war began. They continued to deny the obvious, and such stubbornness cost the rest of the world. The Romantians took advantage of the confusion and miss information. They conquered country after country and subjugated the population, converting and executing. By the time Tabitha Elaine Pearson was born, the Romantians controlled half of the world. The largest empire since the Mongol Empire ruled by Genghis Khan. It is a world filled with pain and suffering. If nothing is done, it will only be a matter of time before the Holy Church of Romanto controls the entire earth.