Over +70,000 years of human occupation, Lemuria boasts a variety of indigenous religions. During both Indian and European colonial rule the indigenous faiths were persecuted, but they still endure strongly and extensive syncretism between them and Buddhism, Christianity and Islam hs occured.
Lemurian Folk Religions
This is an umbrella term for the indigenous practises of Lemuria. Due to competition from Buddhism and later Christianity and Islam they have been semi-codified into Boa Ino/Ra Mani (literally “Way of the Sun” in Werer and Atratra respectively), helped by the existence of the formative text of The Drama of the Moon.
It’s unclear if pre-Austronesian Lemurians actually had a religion, as the related Andamanese people do not worship natural phenomenon and there is no evidence of unambiguous temple complexes or cultic items besides solar iconography. Further, Austronesian invasions are credited culturally with the introduction of religious rituals. The Drama of the Moon, however, seems to imply that recognition of natural personifications and possibly rituals were already known to the original Lemurians.
A pantheon of deities is worshipped alongside human ancestors, with the Lemurian Sun Goddess being the most omnipresent and important figure with the Moon Prince being almost as important. Historically blood sacrifices, human or otherwise, were used to satisfy the deities and get rid of criminals, but since the Indian Era and the introduction of Buddhism they have been abandoned save for some isolated communities. Funerary rites are immensely diverse, from sky burials to cremation, but all hold the belief that the soul returns to the Sun Goddess while the body returns to the earth. The construction of large temples has often been impeeded by Buddhists, Christiand and Muslims in the odern Era, but the Sun Temple of Am-gar stands are a surviving mass temple complex from the War Era, and numerous local shrnes exist.
Lemuria constitutionally lacks a state religion, but the folk religion has often been co-opted by nationalist groups. It is currently regaining popularity due to its libertine attitudes towards the environment, sexuality and gender roles, preserving Lemurian culture in the face oc colonialism while eing exapted for the modern world.
Chakravartin Buddhism
Buddhism was likely already present in Lemuria due to trade since early in the religion’s history, but it became the state religion of the Indian Era. Chakravartin Buddhism most closely resembles Theravada Buddhism, differing mostly on the emphasis of a demiurge figure, the Chakravartin, which must be overcome in order t attain enlightement.
While hakravartin Buddhists initially persecuted the indigenous beliefs of Lemuria and ended several temple complexes, after the Indian Era both it and the folk religion have achieved an equilibrium of sorts, wth a large portion of the population indentifying both as Buddhist and Boa Ino/Ra Mani. A famous quote is “the gods for the living, meditation for death”, and indeed Buddhism is mostly concerned with the funerary rites, barring local areas where traditional religion still holds sway over local matters.
Christianity
Like Buddhism Christianity was likely present before the Indian Era, but if it was it was largely replaced by a syncretic form of Catholicism introduced by the Portuguese. Here, the Sun Goddess is often equated with the Virgin Mary and the sun-cloaked woman in Revelation, and traditional beliefs claim that that Garden of Eden was located in the Sun, much as with the Betsimisaraka christians in Madagascar. This has offerred a degree of harmony with the folk religion, and a large majority of individuals indentify both as Christian and Boa Ino/Ra Mani. Unlike Buddhism, Christianity isn’t quite just reserved for funerary practises, as its salvanionist beliefs require more extensive practise in life.
Islam and Judaism
Islam most likely arrived during the Indian Era, and remains a relative minority in spite of its dominance in nearby Asian countries. Judaism might have arrived during the final stages of the War Era, but it seems largely absent from Lemurian history, having arrived in modern era diasporas. Both groups see some friction with the established religions, but for the most part remain relatively popular in the larger urban centers.
