Dammitic Creed
From LanceaSanctum
I will place no other God before Him, nor offer up my prayers to idols or messengers, for as it has been said: The Lord God is One, and His Name shall be One.
I recognize Longinus as a Prophet of the Divine, who was granted insight into God's greater purpose in order that he might teach the children of the night how to serve their Creator.
I believe that the purpose of vampires upon this earth is to temper the souls of mortals as the steel of a sword is tempered, to test the faith of the devout, and to open the eyes of sinners that they might repent.
My service to God is not offered with expectation of mercy or forgiveness, or of any reward on earth or in Heaven, save to do His Will.
(ooc: Written by Celia Friedman with assistance from Ron Walrath and Wade Racine)
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[edit] Background
Founded in the eighteenth century, the name of the creed is derived from the two Hebrew characters that mean "life" and "death," symbolizing the vampire's existence beteween these two states. Although the Dammitic Creed does not accept the portions of the Testament of Longinus referring to the divinity of Christ, they largely accept that Christ was a prophet (much like the Iblic Creed) and that Longinus was still Damned by God for killing him. For the Dammitic Creed, God's Holy Plan for the Damned is still central to the faith. The Dammitics are particularly renowned for their knowledge of the Theban miracles and their study of the Book of Eschaton. A subfaction of the Dammitics known as the Acharait Hayami consists of Hasidic Jews who are students of the Kabbalah.
[edit] Notes on Playing a Dammitc Creed Sanctified
[edit] Unclean
ooc: These notes were written by Celia Friedman, who does not play a Sanctified, but helped Ron Walrath and Wade Racine in further developing the creed to take into account actual Jewish practices while keeping the creed from automatically being declared heretical by the other creeds. I took the liberty of cleaning up the notes a bit so they read more as an explanation rather than an e-mail discussion.
For a Dammitic Sanctified, the vampiric state is not "Damned" in the Christian sense, but it is ritually Unclean. While this alone does not presage any terrible fate in the afterlife, it is very difficult for the devout. The vampire cannot enter the mikvah (ritual bath), and thus cannot prepare himself properly for many important religious rituals and Kabbalistic ceremonies; dead flesh is anaethema in all such operations. Also, as a blood drinker, he forces sin upon mortal Jews if he even stands in their presence, and his nightly existence depends upon breaking that cardinal rule. Some Dammitics would argue that if God created vampires, then they are obviously permitted to drink blood, as God does not require his servants to follow rules that would cost them their lives. Others argue that this is not the case for such unnatural creatures as vampires, and the fact that they must break God's Law nightly is in fact the central tenet of their condition. This point is said to foster great debate among the Dammitics, though rarely are outsiders permitted to witness such discussions. Regardless, all accept that the mere fact that the vampire exists in a body of dead flesh is an offense to God's Law, and until that is corrected he can never be properly purified.
Thus, whlie not the Dammitic Sanctified does not see himself as "Damned," per se, the vampire is still in an extremely unclean state in which he cannot approach the divine.
[edit] The Dammitic Path
OOC: These notes were written by OOCly by Kathy Bunt, with thanks to Judaism 101 for much of the source material used here. This information was provided ICly by Eva Carvalho.
[edit] The 13 Principles
Rabbi Moshe ben Maimon articulated 13 principles of Jewish faith. These all remain true.
- G-d exists
- G-d is one and unique
- G-d is incorporeal
- G-d is eternal
- Prayer is to be directed to G-d alone and to no other
- The words of the prophets are true
- Moses's prophecies are true, and Moses was the greatest of the prophets
- The Written Torah (first 5 books of the Bible) and Oral Torah (teachings now contained in the Talmud and other writings) were given to Moses
- There will be no other Torah
- G-d knows the thoughts and deeds of men
- G-d will reward the good and punish the wicked
- The Messiah will come
- The dead will be resurrected
To these, the Dammitic Sanctified add the following:
- The Damned have been given dominon over the kine, as man was given dominion over cattle. They are cattle to us in every possible sense.
- The Damned do evil to make the good more visible by contrast. This is the will of G-d.
- We are kareit; we will not be resurrected, nor given a final resting place in Gan Eden or Olam Ha-Ba. There is no mercy for us.
[edit] How should we interact with the kine?
The kine are cattle to us; therefore we can follow the Mitzvot (law) that govern interactions between man and cattle as relevant to interactions between Damned and Kine. In the Torah, humanity is given dominion over animals, and has the right to use animals for legitimate needs. We believe that the Damned have been given similar dominion over the Kine, and have the right to use the kine for legitimate needs.
[edit] Beliefs about feeding
Humans are permitted to feed on animals when there is a genuine, legitimate need, and must do so in the manner that causes the animal the least suffering. We must feed on the kine to survive. Therefore, feeding is a legitimate need.
Kosher slaughtering is designed to be as fast and painless as possible, and if anything occurs that might cause pain (such as a nick in the slaughtering knife or a delay in the cutting), the flesh may not be consumed. Hunting for sport is strictly prohibited, and hunting and trapping for legitimate needs is permissible only when it is done in the least painful way possible. The laws regarding treatment of animals are referred to as Tzar Baalei Chayim, prevention of cruelty to animals.
The Dammitic Sanctified tries to follow a Tzar Baalei Chayim for the slaughter of humans. Do not feed on humans who have died of natural causes (Deut. 14:21) or that were killed by other humans. Do not feed on humans who have diseases or flaws in their organs at the time of slaughter. A Dammitic Sanctified is the shochet (one trained in kosher slaughtering techniques) performing the shechitah (ritual slaughter).
The method of slaughter – as for humans with their cattle -- is a quick, deep stroke across the throat with a perfectly sharp blade with no nicks or unevenness. This method is painless, causes unconsciousness within two seconds, and is widely recognized as the most humane method of slaughter possible. An average human of 150 pounds will drain 12 pints of blood in this manner, a small woman of 100 pounds about 9 pints. Be prepared with containers to catch all the blood.
Note how in this ritual our Damned nature is emphasized. The mortal kosher shochet drains the blood from a cow because it is against the law of G-d to consume blood. We, who are the dark mirror of the kine, perform the reverse function. We only drink the blood – we only consume that which is forbidden. Truly, we are monstrous.
The Torah prohibits consumption of blood in Lev. 7:26-27 and Lev. 17:10-14. Of all the dietary laws in the Torah, this is the only dietary law that has a reason specified in Torah: we do not eat blood because the life of the animal is contained in the blood.
Our existence proves the wisdom of this law and makes the sin of breaking this dietary law manifest as a true horror – monstrous – to teach the kine to recoil from breaking any law of G-d.
After feeding, remember to always recite a prayer for grace after feeding, a birkat ha-mazon. Some Dammitic Sanctified have adopted the following text to this purpose:
- Blessed art thou L-rd, our G-d, King of the Universe, who damned us and sanctified us, holy monsters, so that the evil we do by your command advances your will in this world.
[edit] Guidance for all other interactions with kine
The kine are as cattle to us and should be treated as they themselves have been instructed to treat animals. The traditions of our faith demand that animals be treated with respect. Our Tzar Baalei Chayim, guides us in the prevention of cruelty to animals, and we must adopt a parallel Tzar Baalei Chayim as our new guide in the prevention of cruelty to kine. The process for ritual slaughter (shechitah) described above is specifically commanded because it inflicts the least possible pain on the kine.
Our traditions have always honored those who care for their cattle and flocks with respect and kindess, rather than unnecessary cruelty. The Torah describes the great patriarchs of our history –- Jacob, Moses, and David – all as shepherds, people who cared for animals. The Talmud states that Moses was specifically chosen for his mission because of his merciful care of his flock of sheep – The Holy One, Blessed Be He, said 'Since you are merciful to the flock of a human being, you shall be the shepherd of My flock, Israel.'" Kindness to animals was also the sign of a good wife, as in the case of Rebecca the wife of Isaac and one of the wives of Abraham (the servant who volunteered to water his camels as well.) Hunters in our tradition are by contrast portrayed as villains. Consider Nimrod and Esau.
Historically in Jewish law, animals had many of the same rights as humans (from which we can infer that the kine should have many of the same rights as we Damned.) Animals rest on Shabbat, as humans do. The ox working in the field cannot be muzzled so that it can glean as it works, just as human workers are afforded this same right. Mortals are not permitted to kill an animal in the same day as its young, and are specifically commanded to send away a mother bird when taking the eggs. So, too, we should never feed on more than one generation of a kine family in a single day, nor should we slaughter a parent kine in front of its young or vice versa.
[edit] Why would G-d want us to be holy monsters?
First, we accept that G-d’s plan is unknowable and good. We do not have to understand his plan in order to follow his command. While it is useful to meditate on our purpose so that we might better do G-d’s will, there will always be aspects of the divine plan that are beyond our understanding.
We are holy monsters because G-d made us so. That is enough for us to know.
Having said that, some Dammitic Sanctified make further speculation based on their own prayer and meditation.
G-d is the Avenger of Blood. The more blood we spill, the more they will call on him and the better he will be able to fulfill his role as Avenger. By doing evil, we make the good more visible by contrast, and advance G-d’s will and plan in this world. The harm he does to us – by denying us his mercy for eternity – proves that he will judge those who do evil.
Consider this prayer also for general devotion on G-d’s role as the Avenger of Blood:
- Uv'keet'vey hakodesh ne'emar, "Lamah yo'm'ru ha-goyeem, 'ayey Eloheyhem?' Yeevada ba-goyeem l'eyneynu, neekmat dam avadekha ha-shafookh." V'omeyr "Kee doreysh dameem otam zakhar; Lo shakhach tza'a'kat anaveem." V'omeyr "Yadeen ba-goyeem malay g'veeyot, Machatz rosh al eretz rabah. Meenachal ba-derekh yeesh'teh, al keyn yeereem rosh."
And in the Holy Writings it is said,
- "Why should the nations say, 'Where is their G-d?' Let it be known among the nations, before our eyes, the avenging of Your servants' spilled blood." (Psalms 79:10).
And it says,
- "For the Avenger of blood has remembered them; He has not forgotten the cry of the humble." (Psalms 9:13).
And it says,
- "He will judge the nations filled with corpses, He will crush the head of the large land. From a river along the way he shall drink, therefore he may lift up his head." (Psalms 110:6-7)</DD>
Our traditions teach that only the very good and righteous go to Gan Eden. The average person goes to Gehinnom (some say Gehenna or She’ol) to be purified. The most wicked human who ever lived requires no more than twelve months of purification in Gehinnom and G-d keeps this promise in his own way. Those who cannot be purified within the twelve months do not arrive in Gehinnom, but rather wander immortal in this world – the Damned (some Damned are directly cursed by G-d for their sins in their lifetime; others bear the curse because of the sins of their vampiric progenitor).
The resurrection of the dead will occur in the messianic age, a time referred to in Hebrew as the Olam Ha-Ba, the World to Come, but that term is also used to refer to the spiritual afterlife. When the messiah comes to initiate the perfect world of peace and prosperity, the righteous dead will be brought back to life and given the opportunity to experience the perfected world that their righteousness helped to create. The wicked dead will not be resurrected. We who are neither dead nor living will experience no mercy on that day. We are “cut off from the people” (Gen. 17:14 and Ex. 31:14) – kareit; our souls have lost their portion in the World to Come.
Why do we keep any of G-d’s laws, or follow his will to be evil made manifest in this world, if we know that we have no hope of reward? We perform the mitzvot because it is our privilege and our sacred obligation to do so. We perform them out of a sense of love and duty, not out of a desire to get something in return. In fact, one of the first bits of ethical advice in Pirkei Avot (a book of the Mishnah – our oral tradition, the basis of the Talmud) is: "Be not like servants who serve their master for the sake of receiving a reward; instead, be like servants who serve their master not for the sake of receiving a reward, and let the awe of Heaven [meaning G-d, not the afterlife] be upon you." We who serve knowing there will be no reward love G-d best.
[edit] Reconciling the story of Longinus with the Dammitic Creed
The following passages in the Jewish scriptures are the ones that we consider to be messianic in nature or relating to the end of days. These are the ones that we rely upon in our understanding of what the moshiach (messiah) will be.
- Isaiah 2, 11, 42; 59:20
- Jeremiah 23, 30, 33; 48:47; 49:39
- Ezekiel 38:16
- Hosea 3:4-3:5
- Micah 4
- Zephaniah 3:9
- Zechariah 14:9
- Daniel 10:14
Jesus of Nazareth did not do the things the moshiach will do, according to our scripture (listed above). Therefore, he is not the moshiach. We do not dispute his historical existence, or that he was a messenger or prophet of G-d.
Likewise, we do not dispute that Longinus was also a real historical figure who interacted with Jesus of Nazareth in the last hours of his life. We do not dispute that he stabbed the prophet with a spear, nor do Iwe dispute that the life he had lived up to that point was remarkable for the depth and breadth of sins committed.
It is well known that kindred existed before the days of Jesus of Nazareth and of Longinus. These kindred may also have been descended from a single progenitor, or series of progenitors, who were directly cursed by G-d for lives of unusual sin. It is entirely consistent with the will of G-d that the extraordinary sin of one individual merits a curse that is inflicted upon all future generations born of that one cursed individual.
- I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation. (Exodus 20:5 , Deuteronomy 5:9)</DD>
- A bastard shall not enter into the congregation of the LORD; even to his tenth generation shall he not enter into the congregation of the LORD. (Deuteronomy 23:2)</DD>
- Their blood shall therefore return upon the head of Joab, and upon the head of his seed for ever. (1 Kings 2:33)</DD>
- The leprosy therefore of Naaman shall cleave unto thee, and unto thy seed for ever. (2 Kings 5:27)</DD>
Therefore, it is entirely consistent with our faith that
- Longinus was cursed by G-d to become a Damned (to become a kindred).
- Longinus was cursed because of his lifetime of extraordinary sinfulness and wrong-doing, up to and including stabbing one of G-d’s prophets with a spear.
- G-d is the Avenger of Blood. He cursed Longinus for spilling the blood of one of his prophets (and for a host of other sins).
- G-d’s prophet was not Damned. He did not “embrace” Longinus by bleeding on him.
- G-d frequently curses one individual with a malady, burden, or punishment that afflicts all of their children and their children’s children. He likely cursed other individuals like Longinus who themselves are the progenitors of many Damned. All Damned who have ever existed are likely descended from a small number of individuals who were directly cursed by G-d during their lifetimes.
- It is not necessary to be a direct descendent of Longinus’ childer specifically in order to follow Longinus’ teachings. Whether Longinus himself sired a line of cursed kindred or not is irrelevant to the statement that all Damned are descended from progenitors who were directly cursed by G-d, of which Longinus may simply be the best known example.
Why would G-d send his angel to Longinus to proclaim the path of the Lancea Sanctum (in lieu, for example, of some orthodox Jewish rabbi kindred)? Here again, G-d’s purpose may not be knowable, but we must trust that his plan is perfect and good. Here we simply speculate that G-d wished for his message to reach all future kindred, and therefore chose a spokesperson who was predestined to carry and document this message in a way that led to the existence of the Lancea Sanctum today. It was G-d’s will that as many kindred as possible understood their role as his Sanctified Damned. Not all kindred are of the Chosen People. Therefore, G-d in his infinite wisdom selected a messenger from outside of our faith.
[edit] High Holy Nights
ooc: These notes were also written by Celia Friedman, with assistance by Ron Walrath and Wade Racine
Once a year come the High Holy Days (September 23* - October 2, 2006, 1 Tishri - 10 Tishri 5766, *begins sundown September 22). Celebrated by mortals, they are also the most imoprtant observance of the Dammitic Sanctified.
The Jewish High Holy Days are observed during the 10 day period between the first day (Rosh Hashanah) and the 10th day (Yom Kippur) of Tishri, the seventh month of the Jewish calendar.
Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are the most important of all Jewish Holidays and the only holidays that are purely religious, as they are not related to any historical or natural event.
Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, is celebrated the first and second days of Tishri. For mortal Jews, it is a time of family gatherings, special meals and sweet tasting foods.
Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, is the most solemn day of the Jewish year and is observed on the tenth day of Tishri. It is a day of fasting, reflection and prayers. These 10 days are also the most important religious observance of the Dammitic Sanctified.
During the High Holy Nights (fortunately also beginning at sundown), the Dammitic Sanctified conduct several rituals. These rituals are not discussed with non-Dammitics, and only Dammitics may attend them, as other Sanctified might well consider portions of them to be heretical. The High Holy Nights are a time for repentance, wherein the Dammitic Sanctified contemplates all his sins and his failings for the past year, and does every thing he can to make them right. This means apologizing to people he has wronged, returning stolen items, replacing things he destroyed, fixing relationships, and so forth. In effect, the Dammitic Sanctified is doing everything within his power to be worthy of the forgiveness of every person he has treated improperly. Keep in mind that the Dammitic Sanctified also believes that his purpose on earth is to test the devout and open the eyes of sinners, and therefore acts he commits towards these ends are not improper, and do not require repentence. But such acts should not be used as an excuse for other poor behavior.
In preparation for Yom Kippur, in order to be as completely cleansed as possible, the Dammitic Sanctified fasts for as long as he can during the High Holy Nights, recognizing that a key component of the vampire's unclean state is the drinking of blood. Many vampires would not be able to go 10 full nights without feeding, but this is understood by God, and therefore they are expected to go as long as they can without endangering themselves and others.
On Yom Kippur itself, the Dammitic Sanctified "afflicts the flesh" and then gathers together with others in group confession. Afflicting the flesh can involve any number of practices, including exposure to the light of the sun, enduring fire, or anything else that is painful to the undead body (this is done only by vampires, not mortals observing Yom Kippur).
During the ritual confessions, the moral of the story is that every Jew is guilty, and that there not one human being on the face of the earth that had not offended against God at some time. Frequently, among both mortals and vampires, the he ritual confessions leave the participants in tears from devoting an entire day (or night, for vampires) to the examination of guilt. At the end of the confession, just before dawn, the Dammitic Sanctified believes that if his repentance is genuine and that he did everything he could to be worthy of forgiveness by his fellows, then he is forgiven by God of everything...a completely clean slate.
For a mortal, the end of Yom Kippur would be a celebration. For the Dammitic Sanctified, it is time again for another choice. At dawn on Yom Kippur, he can surrender his life to the sunlight and go to heaven in a state of complete cleanliness and forgiveness, or return to being a vampire, an unclean state, for yet another year (consummated the next time the vampire feeds). By the High Holy Nights, the Dammitic Sanctified must annually recommit himself to the purpose God has set out for him in his unclean state, or die.
Most of this practice is unknown to outsiders, who know only that there is a ritual recommitment on Yom Kippur involving fasting and religious trials (which would not bother the other creeds in the slightest). They certainly do not know that the Dammitics believe they could die being forgiven by God (as eternal damnation is not a Jewish concept).
[edit] Known Members
Eva Carvalho
Status : 1
Reputation : Shochet of the Kine. Eva has been openly Dammitic since after WWII. In recent years, she has been on a missionary tour of the United States looking for kindred in small rural areas who are ripe for conversion. Prior to that, she served as a legate for Cardinal Mackenzie Dumont. She typically encourages new kindred to follow the Westminster Creed; she only specifically promotes the Dammitic creed to others who were Jewish in their mortal life. She is currently residing in the Pacific Northwest, south of Seattle.
Faction : None
Creed : Dammitic Creed
Clan : Daeva
Location : Seattle, WA
Alistair West
Status: 2
Reputation: Prince of the Tri-Cities, TN
Faction: Unknown
Creed: Dammitic Creed
Clan: Mekhet
Location: Jonesborough, Tennessee
Samael
Status : 2
Reputation Young Dammitic who takes great delight in explaining to all LS regardless of creed his beliefs about the pepectually unclean. Known to be a formidable opponent in combat. Has never spoken his birth name or his life before his embrace.
Faction :None
Creed : Dammitic Creed
Location : UK
