The Cesidian Church is an institution established by the founder of Cesidianism, the Hon Most Rev Dr Cesidio Tallini. The institution was founded on 17 November 2001, and through this action the HMRD Tallini became both a heretic and a schismatic. These are offences for which one incurs excommunication.
According to the Catholic Church, he who has incurred occult excommunication (latae sententiae) should treat himself as excommunicated and be absolved as soon as possible, submitting to whatever conditions will be imposed upon him by the local Bishop. Tallini has never sought absolution for his action of founding the schismatic Cesidian Church. On 12 December 2005 Tallini also became a legally ordained minister through Rose Ministries, a non-denominational ministry committed to the rights of the individual to experience the divine according to their own personal beliefs. By this action Tallini became an apostate, another offence which in the Catholic faith incurs excommunication.
It is clear that Tallini was excommunicated lata sententia, having committed the triple offences of heresy, schism, and apostasy, yet under the Catholic Church's Code of Canon law Tallini is still considered a Christian, simply because he was baptised as a Catholic as an infant, even though he completely rejects the authority of the Pope, and even the authority of the writings of Paul of Tarsus. Tallini believes this is clear evidence that Roman Catholicism is a false religion.
Later the Hon Most Rev Dr Cesidio Tallini also became the real Bishop of the Cesidian Church, through an independent Church Charter granted by Saint Luke Evangelical Christian Ministries, a non-denominational church, and a Saint James College Certified Professional Chaplain (CPC).
Religious beliefs
Cesidianism is a political, economic, and religious philosophy. While this may seem a bit strange, it is not strange to a Cesidian. If one's religion is in contradiction with ones political and economic views, then integrity suffers. While this was the original belief of Tallini himself, he recently found evidence of the truth in this through a kind of "Holy Calculus" called Analytic theology.
Cesidianism is a fairly complex crede. The neophytes may find it a little strange in the beginning since images or statues of both the Christ and the Buddha are treated with reverence by Cesidians, yet this oddity is easily explained. Cesidians believe that Christ and the Buddha are in actuality the same person, the same soul, who has lived in different places at different times. The Cesidian custom of reverence for both Christ and the Buddha are therefore fully rational in light of these views.
Cesidians have their very own calendar, the Cesidian calendar. This calendar is very different from the Gregorian calendar, and since it is also the basis of the Cesidian Sabbath, it is considered sacred. The Cesidian calendar is far more regular and perfect than the Gregorian calendar currently in use worldwide. This calendar is so ingenious and advanced that it has also produced cultural offshoots: from a Martian calendar, to Bucksfanian astrology, to a Fifth World Chronological Standard.
Cesidians don't believe so much in monarchy as a form of government, but in amphiarchy. Amphiarchy means "government of both kinds," that is, democratic and monarchical at the same time. Amphiarchy is like a marriage between the Monarch and his/her People, and like in any good marriage, there is a lot of give and take.
Cesidians' economic beliefs do not incline them to favour either Capitalism or Marxism. Their economic ideas are now heavily derivative from Analytic theology, which predicts the possibility of paradisaical currencies and utopian socioeconomic conditions. Analytic theology is a new field of human endeavour with promising applications in many of the social sciences — Anthropology, Economics, Geography, History, Law, Linguistics, Medicine, Political Science, Religion, Sociology —, and of course, Theology.
Cesidians believe that individual or family sovereignty is superior to corporate wealth or national welfare, and behave accordingly. Sovereignty costs little per se on the environment, yet provides a greater freedom. Those who believe wealth is more important than sovereignty ultimately lead their lives in a very materialist way. Sovereignty helps one appreciate the simpler things in life, so one can be largely happy and content without a great deal of wealth.
Cesidians also believe in the purity of the food they eat, like Jews or Muslims, but for Cesidians it is not pork that is necessarily bad, but Genetically modified (GM) foods. Cesidians find these unacceptable, and possibly even dangerous to the environment in the long term.
People who believe the dogmas of Cesidianism are part of the Cesidian Church at least informally, and are called Cesidians.
Cesidian Credo
The words of the Cesidian Credo are a broad summary of the Cesidian faith:
- I believe in God, King of the Gods, Lord of the Universe, Creator of Man.
- I believe in Christ, King of Kings, Lord of the Earth, Father of Mankind. He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit, and born of the Virgin Mary. He has lived before as Adam and Buddha, and shall live again as Messiah.
- I believe in Angels, Holy Spirits, Workers of God, Guardians of the Earth.
- I believe in Adam, Buddha, Christ, and Messiah; four men, but one soul.
- I believe in reincarnation, and in everlasting life.
- Amen.
Cesidians also pray the rosary, and are allowed to use the Catholic Rosary (59 beds), the Ecumenical/Anglican Rosary (33 beds), and many kinds of Buddhist rosaries.
Religious syncretism
From a religious perspective Cesidianism is a syncretic religion, since it incorporates beliefs and customs that can be found in several major religions. Cesidians, for instance, celebrate Hanukkah just like the Jews, although they have slightly different customs in this regard, and follow the Cesidian calendar, not the Jewish calendar in pinpointing both the dates for Hanukkah, and when the Sabbath occurs. Cesidians also celebrate Christmas and Buddha's Birthday, although Christmas is not celebrated in December, but in October.
Yet Cesidianism is also far too novel in its credo to be a syncretic religion, so its syncretism is not deliberate theological adaptation, but simply the establishment or re-establishment of ritual which is suitable to encourage prayer and devotion. These, in turn, help one focus on Cesidianism's rational and brilliant truths.
Cesidian law
The 14 Commandments form the legalistic basis of Cesidianism, one that has real world applications, since by following the 14 Commandments one ensures 12 basic, yet comprehensive, human rights.
Despite the similarities here with Judaism, the 14 Commandments are also quite revolutionary, since they clearly define through derivative Bathetic (8), Fundamental (3), and Ultimate (1) rights what is truly important to a self-sufficient family, and to a self-sufficient nation. In turn, the 14 Commandments also speak about the rights specific to an individual, to a family, to a nation, and even the rights specific to God(s). Cesidianism actually states, and in an impressively rational way, what rights are most associated with an individual, family, nation, and Divine Being, thus providing some entirely rational legal foundations which are applicable even in the political or non-religious arena.
The Bathetic Star
Cesidianism is also similar to Paganism since it has 8 basic elements (traditional Pagans mention 5), and these elements are called Bathetic elements. The Bathetic elements also form the basis for the symbol of Cesidianism, just as the symbol of Christianity is the cross: the Bathetic star. Like many Pagans, Cesidians also have a high regard for natural law, and they believe that religious rules that go contrary to natural law cannot be the products of an advanced or divine mind.
Cesidianism claims that there are 7 principle virtues (Cesidian virtues), and most people are wrong in defining things like duty, prohibition, or ideology as virtues, since they are actually Cesidian virtues without love, so they aren't virtues at all. Cesidians argue that hope is a virtue, but the sense of entitlement with which it is often substituted today is not a virtue at all, or a virtue without love. Love is the Ultimate Virtue, and the Ultimate Right as well, according to Cesidians.
Cesidians believe in reincarnation just like Buddhists, but unlike Buddhists, they are also fully aware that men were created by advanced beings, and are thus subject to their authority and judgment. That which one creates, one rules, it is simply natural law, and it applies also to our Creator(s) in the view of Cesidians.
Cesidians believe that polygamous groups have the same rights as monogamous couples just like Muslims, so they view the current absolute ban on polygamy in Western countries as only one of the examples of government interference with religion. There are others even contained in the US Constitution. Cesidians have a low view of official world governments for this reason, and for other human rights violations, and predict that these governments don't have a future, because they have actually set themselves up against the will and wisdom of our Creator(s). It is only by his(their) will that governments are considered legitimate, and allowed to exist and prosper.
Cesidians also believe that human beings at their most virtuous are more like Gods than men, and in fact they have the same rights as children of God(s). They also believe that human beings today are falling far short of perfection, and in fact they are headed towards an environmental catastrophe if God(s) don't step in.
The Pre- and Post-Christianity of Cesidianism
Although Cesidianism appreciates the significance of the wisdom, humanity, and sacrifice of Jesus of Nazareth, Cesidianism cannot be considered a form of Christianity. Cesidianism actually reinvents Judaism through the 14 Commandments; it reproduces and exalts the divine wisdom of Jesus in the last or 14th Commandment; it produces the most advanced form of Buddhist-like dharma through the Cesidian law that derives from the 14 Commandments; it accepts the values of polygamy in a more balanced way than Islam, without forgetting that women have rights also; it believes that God was not alone when he/she made man, just as the Hindus hold polytheistic ideals; and finally, Cesidianism even produces a more advanced form of Paganism through the Bathetic Star and the dharma associated with it.
Cesidians are not Christians, but part of a greater religion that accepts ideas and beliefs common to many different religions such as Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, even some Confucian and Native American eschatological beliefs. The Coming (or Second Coming) of the Messiah/Christ/Imam/Maitreya/Kalki/Perfect Man/Pahana is not just a Jewish or Christian eschatological belief, but in fact part of Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu, Confucian, and even Native American eschatological beliefs. Cesidians also hold beliefs that are original to their religion only. Moreover, Cesidians completely reject the authority of the writings of Paul of Tarsus, which are part of the Holy Bible of all Christians. The great majority of Christians, at least 99.99% of them despite the differences in the beliefs of the many sects, can be classified as Christians simply because they accept the writings of Paul of Tarsus as authoritative and representative of the true faith of Jesus of Nazareth and his Apostles.
The writings of Paul that are rejected by the Cesidian Church are specifically the Acts of the Apostles (authored by Luke, but he wrote down the narrative of Paul), Romans, First Corinthians, Second Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, First Thessalonians, Second Thessalonians, First Timothy, Second Timothy, Titus, Philemon, and Hebrews. In other words, in the New Testament part of the Bible Cesidians only accept the Gospels, the General Epistles after the book of Hebrews, and the book of Prophecy called Revelation. In the New Testament they refute the authority of the book of History (Acts of the Apostles), and all the Pauline Epistles (or Corpus Paulinum). Cesidians can at best be considered pre-Christian by their beliefs, and are probably post-Christian in many other respects.
Cesidians also accept the Gospel of Thomas as the "Fifth Gospel," and the Gospel of the Nazirenes (aka "The Gospel of the Holy Twelve") as the "Sixth Gospel." These latter scriptures were never included in the Holy Bible, and only some theologians consider the Gospel of Thomas as the Fifth Gospel. Other scriptures that seem to have been tampered with (the Christ and the Antichrist cannot possibly be the same person), especially the Pauline Epistles, have been included in the Canon despite the fact that the author, Paul, carried beliefs very inconsistent with the beliefs of Jesus (e.g., Paul was a sexist while Jesus clearly was not; Paul believed that slaves should submit to their master, while neither the Jews, nor Jesus ever held such beliefs), despite the fact that he lacked any authority to preach, and had never received his authority from either Jesus or his Apostles. Christianity today, as a result of these inclusions in the New Testament, and the burning and exclusion of other writings, is more the false religion of Paul of Tarsus than the true religion of Jesus and his Apostles, and Cesidians have rejected the writings of Paul in their entirety.
Cesidianism not only isn't a form of Christianity, but may in fact be the most advanced religion that ever existed, and Cesidians consider it the only true religion.
Saint René Descartes
Saint René Descartes silver medal
On 28 November 2007, the Cesidian Church beatified René Descartes ― also known as Renatus Cartesius (latinised form), the famous French philosopher, mathematician, scientist, and writer who spent most of his adult life in the Dutch Republic ― and issued a "Saint René Descartes Declaration" urging support for his canonisation.
The "Saint René Descartes Declaration" emphasised the fact that René Descartes was Catholic and spiritual enough to attract the attention of Cardinal de Bérulle; a pious Catholic named Claude Clerselier who knew him well, even tried to turn him into a saint after his death; yet the Catholic Church placed his books on the Index of prohibited books (Index librorum prohibitorum) in 1663, and the Index was itself indexed only in April 1966 (on 31 October 1992, Pope John Paul II expressed regret for how the Galileo Galilei affair was handled, but no official expressions of regret were ever issued for René Descartes, even though he was far more religious than Galileo ever was, and he may have even been fundamental to Queen Christina of Sweden's conversion to Catholicism).
The Declaration also emphasised the fact that René Descartes glorified reason and advocated religious tolerance and the rights of man; lived a single, secluded life, yet he opposed all vows, even religious ones, that restricted liberty; practiced medicine without charge, and expressed optimism about the ability of science to improve the human condition; he honoured women as equals, even dedicated books not once, but twice to Protestant women; yet his Cartesian philosophy was condemned at the University of Utrecht, bastion of Calvinist thought, and the university lifted the ban on the teaching of Descartes only on 23 March 2005, a good 363 years after it had been instituted.
In response to the Declaration, several persons from various walks of life and different denominations, even an atheist, signed the petition in favour of Descartes' canonisation, and together with the bishop of the Cesidian Church, two bishops and one archbishop expressed their favour for Descartes' sainthood.
On 13 December 2007, Saint René Descartes was consecrated the First Saint of the Cesidian Church.
There is also a micronational university named after Saint René Descartes, Saint René Descartes University.
Saint René Descartes University is an accredited seminary college of the Cesidian Church, a member in good standing of the Micronational Professional Registry (MPR), and is accredited by the Fifth World Accreditation Agency (5WAA).
Besides the seminary college, Saint René Descartes University also has a law school, the Centre for Cesidian Law, and a health school, the Salubriology School.
The book, All Religions Are Cults
All Religions Are Cults
On 17 October 2009, the HMRD Cesidio Tallini published the book, All Religions Are Cults: And What a Few Good Priests, Monks, Rabbis and Mullahs Can Do About It [ISBN-13: 978-1449553555]. This book is not Cesidian, but is actually ecumenical, interreligious, and metareligious in nature, and by itself even provides some indirect evidence that while Cesidianism may be considered a micronational religion, Cesidianism is by no means a cult.
The book may have a provocative title, but it is the subtitle that says what the book is really about. The book is not simply an attack on religion, but offers ideas for improving religion, any religion.
Tallini's book defines what makes a true religion, in the most positive meaning of the term, and what makes a cult, in the most negative meaning. Rather than just pointing fingers, however, his book introduces the six criteria that make a religion, even a minority religion a true religion, and these ideas can be used to improve every religion by its believers.
This book was really written for everyone, and has religious ideas applicable to all religions, even Islam — in fact, Tallini justifies the applicability and necessity of the book by citing both the Qur'an and Muhammad.
There is strong evidence that with greater publicity, Tallini's book can foster an increase in interreligious dialogue, and in a way that does not offend anybody's religious credo. This could give, in turn, new lustre to all religions with followers and clergy with an open mind.
References
- Cesidian Church urges support for canonization of Descartes or Cartesius, OpenPR.com, 29 November 2007
- Descartes becomes Cesidian Church's first saint, PRLog.org, 13 December 2007
- Descartes becomes Cesidian Church's first saint, openPR.com, 14 December 2007
- Descartes becomes Cesidian Church's first saint, by "Sotto Voce", Clerical Whispers, 15 December 2007
- All Religions Are Cults: And What a Few Good Priests, Monks, Rabbis and Mullahs Can Do About It, by HMRD Cesidio Tallini, 17 October 2009
External links
- The XIV Commandments
- Cesidian Church website
- Centre for Cesidian Law website
- Saint René Descartes Declaration, Most Rev Dr Cesidio Tallini, 28 November 2007
- Latae sententiae