Editing TROS in the Hammer:Setting Religion (section)

==Kapitalism==
Kapitalism is the religion of the Niarchs, and is pretty much unique to that culture, for historical and cultural reasons.  The religion does not offer much to non-Niarch persons.  However, there are some converts among the People, and high ranking arbeiders in the Gezag power structure will often act like they are converts when dealing with their superiors.

===Where did it all come from?===
In the time before the Sky Fire, people lived much as they do now.  However, as time went on, people turned more and more away from the true knowledge of God, called kapitalism.  God became very angry about this, and decided to destroy all human kind.  However, one group of people still pleased God with their ways; the Amerks.  God sent them some warning as to what was about to happen, and the Amerks hid themselves deep in the Earth.

Then, God sent the Sky Fire, and burned the world, making it new.  For a time after that, the world was unclaimed; in fact, humans didn't even understand the value of things.  They grubbed around, scraping up a meager existence, beating up on their neighbors, etc., with no real purpose in life.  

Then, from deep within the Earth, the Amerks returned.  These people were different from the other humans; they wielded great magics, such as chariots that would travel under their own power, and staves which could shoot fire.  But they were very weak; a horrible, disfiguring disease had taken many of them, and scarred many others (it is from this that the practice of wearing masks among the Niarch is derived).  The Amerks believed that this disease was the last weapon used against them by their God-hating enemies.  The Amerks took women and men from among the locals, the Niarch, and bred with them, and taught them many of their secrets.  More importantly, the Amerks brought the philosophy of kapitalism with them.  In time, the original Amerks all passed away, but their blood still flows in the Niarch, the Amerks' heirs.

Its important to note the position of kapitalisme on Spirits.  According to the ancient teachings of the Amerk, Spirits are products of God, placed in the World to be servants to humanity.

===What's the point of it all?===
Kapitalisme has several key points to it.
* First, all of the World was once belonged to the Amerks, and only the Amerks have the right, given by God, to own all things.  
* Second, you CAN take it with you; the Amerks spoke of a paradise built by God beyond the grave, the Persoonlijkheidopslag (a difficult word to translate into other languages, perhaps best translated into Speech as soul storage).  In the Persoonlijkheidopslag, all of the possessions and wealth you have acquired in your life in the World are yours for all eternity.
* Third, your life in the World is your ONLY OPPORTUNITY to stock your overschot (reserves, supplies, again, a difficult word to translate into Speech) in the Persoonlijkheidopslag.  What you do here provides you with all that you will have in the afterlife.
* Fourth, your WAYS of living here in the World also translate into the afterlife, the Persoonlijkheidopslag.  Therefore, it is not enough to simply amass wealth and power, because then in then in the afterlife you will have all this stuff but not know what to DO with it.  The well balanced kapitalistisch knows that both the acquisition, and the ENJOYMENT of power and wealth are equally important.  

Therefore, the goal of all Amerks (and by right of blood, the Niarch that have followed in their ways) is to amass as much personal wealth as possible, so as to be as well set up and comfortable as one can be for eternity, and to enjoy that wealth and power as much as possible to train their psyche for the afterlife.

===Why does bad stuff happen?===
To the kapitalistisch, there is no such thing as evil.  There is only circumstance, and the actions of other people.  Bad stuff happens to you because a) you just have rotten luck or b) you aren't powerful enough to keep people from doing bad things to you.

===What happens when I die?===
See above for what the Niarch believe happens when they die.  Non-Niarch, on the other hand, have no afterlife.  At death they simply cease to exist.  But see below for one possible way out of this situation for the non-Niarch.

===How should I live my life?===
As stated above, the point of existence is to both amass power and wealth, and also to enjoy it.  Only the descendants of the Amerks (the Niarch) are capable of true ownership, and only the kapitalistisch are the beneficiaries of a place in the Persoonlijkheidopslag.  

This does not mean that they are unruly and chaotic, constantly at each others throats.  Far from it.  The kapitalistische also learned another lesson from the Amerks, which was that a rising tide causes all boats to rise.  Therefore, kapitalism requires a strong government, and powerful organized institutions, to regulate the flow of resources.  Hence the rise of the Gezag.  Moreover, kapitalism also requires constant expansion; all the World should ultimately be claimed again by the kaptitalisticshe, the heirs of the Amerks.

There is simply no such thing as conversion to kapitalism.  However, there is a "lesser" form of kapitalism which is available to non-Niarchs.  Only the Niarchs themselves have the birthright that enables them access to Persoonlijkheidopslag, but, through service to the Niarchs, a non-Niarch can earn a place there in the service of a Niarch, either as arbeider (worker) or bezit (property).  In fact, many Niarch believe that claiming bezit is almost a charitable activity; at least as bezit the human will have SOME kind of afterlife, rather than complete destruction.