Holy Light

The Holy Light is a non-theistic religious form of philosophy in Blizzard Entertainment's Warcraft Universe.

Followers of the Holy Light use churches, but do not worship any gods. Its followers are trained to seek perfection within themselves. It is very much an active practice of virtue rather than a passive worship. Those who follow it closely gain spiritual awareness and guidance, allowing them to lead others.

The Holy Light teaches that there is a connection between the self and the universe. This connection manifests as what we feel through both senses and emotions. When a person is moved, either through seeing something breathtaking or feeling love for another, child or lover, that emotion connects him to the universe. Experiencing the emotion ensures that he exists, as something within him felt the emotions or processed the sensual awareness. Because he exists, so must the universe that gave him that feeling. From there, he can act upon the universe, causing more changes to create feeling in others. Thus, the followers of Holy Light seek to make the world a better place by being true to their own emotions.

The next step in recognizing this connection between the self and the universe is developing the goodness within and without. If one wishes for happiness, one must work to better the universe to make others happy. Experiencing the glory and beauty of the world will in turn tap into the inner beauty and glory within one's soul. However, giving in to greed, despair, and unhappiness will only darken the universe. The Holy Light is the glory of the universe reflected upon the soul and mirrored back onto itself.

Holy Light practitioners consist mainly of humans. There were once many high elves and dwarves practicing the philosophy, but their numbers have dwindled in recent years. Feeling that the light had abandoned them to the Scourge in their hour of need, the High Elves turned their focus upon other, more suspect, sources of power. At the same time, many dwarves have replaced the Light with the study of their progenitors, the Titans. The night elves are too new to the Alliance and too entrenched in their own worship of Elune and the other Ancients to consider the Holy Light in large numbers, and it is unheard of to think of Horde races following the philosophy.

The Three Virtues

The philosophy of the Holy Light boils down to the three teachings, called the Three Virtues. These virtues - respect, tenacity and compassion - are each defined into a principal and a lesson.

The first virtue taught is respect. While the Holy Light teaches that awareness of the self and the universe is a goal, one must also see the connection between others and the universe. Destroying other's happiness and severing another's connection with the universe is not serving the world's well being, and therefore not your own. The practitioners of the Holy Light are not naive, however, and understand that trial, conflict, war, and suffering do happen; but they strive to make the universe a better place in spite of these hindrances.

The second virtue is tenacity. The adherence to this virtue is, incidentally, the part of training under the Holy Light that weeds out the unfaithful, as true dedication takes years. Fresh-faced acolytes often lose hope and the true meaning of the Holy Light when they realize that it takes a lifetime to serve the philosophy. The world is much bigger than one lone soul; and while the world can change a soul in a day, it takes much more time to change the world. Only through tenacity can a servant of the Holy Light hope to affect the universe. If some young students feel like this is an impossible task, others take heart in the realization that if you truly believe there is a connection between the self and the universe, one cannot help but affect the other, no matter the size. Affecting the world can include anything from teaching and instilling hope in others to joining with other like-minded individuals to work together to create a bigger change.

After the first two concepts are mastered, the student can take on the final virtue: compassion. The connection between the self and the universe is strong, but it still is only one connection. If a follower of the Light serves another to increase his happiness, his bond with the universe grows stronger. The happiness he receives by helping someone also strengthens himself and the universe, and he is able to affect the universe even more.

Compassion is perhaps the most powerful - and most dangerous - virtue. If someone is too compassionate, he can give help where none is needed - or wanted. This oversight can hinder one's growth and happiness. Some helpers can be awkward and do more harm than good with their actions, increasing the suffering and unhappiness in the world. This is why compassion is taught last; only the wise and compassionate can identify who is truly in need and who can grow on their own.

Worship of the Light

Lordaeron was the home of the Church of the Light, influencing both Lordaeron and Quel'Thalas with its teachings. After the first Human - Orc war, the Church birthed the Knights of the Silver Hand in order to protect their missionaries; but the Knights and the Light were unable to stop the Scourge, as Lordaeron and the Knights fell underneath the decayed boots of the undead. The Church now has a new central location in Stormwind, but there is little in the form of organized study and worship of the Light on Kalimdor.

Many remaining paladins who served the Silver Hand and now make their home in Kalimdor are attempting to form a new Church, but the going is slow. As the study of the Holy Light was more of a philosophical pursuit than a faith, the destroyed Church in Lordaeron resembled a library instead of a house of worship. Its texts were destroyed along with the Church, many of them burned, most of them buried under thousands of pounds of rubble. What with the wars, settling a new Alliance stronghold and dealing with frequent skirmishes, the remaining scholars and priests have found little time to work on transcribing old information into new books for initiates. Most young followers of the Holy Light learn by experience at the heel of a more experienced person instead of in libraries surrounded by texts.

Some self-appointed sages are taking up the mantle of rewritting the pontifications on the Holy Light, but there is no regulation or overseer. There are fresh looks at old ideas, as well as old ideas copied word for word by diligent old priests with perfect memories. As one would expect, sometimes these old scholars clash when someone realizes that the texts are beginning to contradict one another. This is the tension within the Church; younger priests feel the Third War gave the Holy Light a chance to renew itself just as the Alliance was renewing itself on Kalimdor, while others demand to keep the old traditions.

Secular citizens care little for the debates but prefer their rituals to remain the same. With everything around them changing, faith represents one of the few constants.

The Naaru
The Naaru is a race of sentient energy beings bent on stopping the Burning Crusade. They are responsible for the uncorrupted Draenei becoming paladins and followers of the light. "The Naaru explained that there were other forces in the cosmos that would stand against the Burning Legion. One day the Naaru would forge them into a single unstoppable army of the Light."

Nothing official has been said other than that quote but it is very possible that The Naaru are in some way responsible for the concept and morals that certain humans put forth in order to form the first order of paladins on Azeroth. They are spreading their concept of 'the light' across countless worlds to forge all who would stand against the legion into an "unstoppable army of the Light."

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