Kamism
Kamism is the official religion of Cardinal, and is also the world's most popular overall religion. Kamism is actually the Earth term for the actual, existing theistic structure in AltDBZ. This article covers both localized Kamism on Earth as well as the broader organization of deities.
Kamism on Earth
On Earth, Kamism is largely centralized in the country of Cardinal. This is due to several factors, including the large, free population resident there, the existence of actual holy landmarks within its borders, and the official sponsorship from the government of this religion. Outside of Cardinal, however (especially in D'hennex), Kamism has some representation in every civilized country on the planet.
About the Kami
Earth Kamism largely rotates around the planet's overseeing sub-deity, known as the Kami (after whom the religion was named). Earth's Kami resides on a floating, hemispherical platform known as the Earth's Lookout, upon which a luxurious palace and a sparse garden sits. The Kami, as with all Kamis throughout the mortal universe, is typically Namekian, and gains certain fantastic powers through the assumption of his mantle, which is assumed through a special ritual of ascendence. Such gifts include mastery over the many magical relics that lie within the Lookout, phenomenally far-reaching sight and senses (for which devout Kamists revere him most), and, of course, the creation of the Dragonballs. Some theologists believe that the presence of the Kami is essential to reproduction of life on the planet. The Kami retains his position until he dies. At that point, or slightly before that point, new Kami candidates arrive upon Earth from the Namekian homeworld and are chosen anonymously by the reigning Kaio of the West Sector of the Universe, who remains anonymous throughout the proceedings. Part of the ritual ensures that Earth's Kami is always pure of heart.
Religious Establishment
As previously stated, Cardinal has the largest body of Kamists in the world. As such, it also holds the strongest Kamist church, and theirs is considered to reign over all other Kamist churches, though the physical and political distance between nations makes this a tenuous chain of command, at best. Cardinal's central establishment of Kamism is the Korine Cardo Aula, situated in Central Capital. The top of the Kamist clergy, the Grand Cardinal, delivers mass there every week. The Grand Cardinal is considered the most powerful man in the world, since he not only captains Cardinal's Kamist faith, but is also a powerful tie-breaking figure in Cardinal's democratic, law-making Directional Council.
In Cardinal, the Grand Cardinal sits in the church's chain of command above the Council of Oversight, who make many wide-reaching decisions in the religion. Beneath them are various Arch-Clerics, Clerics, Rectors, Vicars, and Padres (in descending order of power), who manage and preside over progressively smaller districts of faith.
In D'hennex, the world's second most populous Kamist country, the Council of Oversight and the Arch-Clerics are wholly replaced by a congregation of the heads of two special religious orders; the Order of Ma'Shas and the Order of Leth-Kemii. Since the entire region is in a constant state of political turmoil, the followers of these two orders train specifically and intensely in their given aspect of the religion (Ma'Shas to crusade, defend, and fight against the enemies of the church, and Leth-Kemii to reinforce and invoke the Code.
The Code is administered by the Code of Insight, which is said to be written by the pioneers of the Kamist faith, under the direct guidance of Earth's first Kami. The original version was written in a very old dialect of Common known as Vulgus, and was later translated into modern words as society evolved. However, Cardinal's freedom-loving people tend to translate it's words very loosely, satisfied with the belief that so long as one acknowledges the Kami's benefits in the world, and respects all life on Earth, that they will pass on to Heaven when they die. On the other hand, D'hennex's people, who are in need of stronger guidance, follow the original, Vulgus-written passages of the Codex Acumai to the tee. Members of the two Orders go even further, and epitomize upon the Codex's suggestions, creating postulated self-requirements to make themselves fully given to the will of the Kami.
Tragically, for the southern devotees, the current Kami, Kami Oracle, isn't all that uptight about the Codex, and merely places his own faith in the people of Earth and their defenders. His view is obviously much more aligned to the views of the typical Cardinal resident, much to their relief, when they visit him. Luckily, D'hennexian devotees (especially members of the various orders) revere the Kami and his place of residence far too much to even bother paying him a visit. If they wouldn't be set back by the Kami's somewhat laid-back attitude, they'd certainly be thrown for a loop by the fact that he's a member of an alien species.
