Omegans

A Sect of Christianity formed in Blackwood, Wale in the 13th Century. Declared heretical by the Catholic Church and barely recognised by the Church of England. It is unknown how many followers it has, but it is thought to be no more than three or four hundred. Mostly concentrated in Wales.
History
Omegans are a small sect of the Christian Church now alinged with the Church of England after supporting seperation from the Catholic Church which had ruled the beliefs of the Omegan Church heretical. First originating in the valleys of Blackwood in Wales, the Omegans are a deeply spiritual sect who believe that life is shaped by the constant battle between unseen forces of Good(God) & Evil(Satan). They stand seperate from many other Christian sect in their belief that the Bible is not the Word of God, but the Inspired Word of God.
The sect was first formed in 1223 after a returning Knight from the Crusades trained as a Priest and taught the villagers his beliefs. The Omegan Church grew quickly in the valleys around Blackwood and found many converts in the North of Wales. However, the Church was to be dealt a blow when an Inquisitor from the Catholic Church arrived in 1477. Armed with English troops the Inquisitor set about finding all he could about the Omegan beliefs. After only a few days the burnings began. The exact number of Omegans burned is unknown, but Omegan Lore puts the number at between 6,000 - 12,000 Omegans, including women and children. The Omegan Church was declared heretical and the work of Satan by the Catholic Church. As such the Omegan Church was driven underground, known to only a few hundred.
In recent history the Omegans have all but disappeared. Several families have always been associated with the sect the surnames of Belth, Gynne, Ithell, Llewelyn, Morys, Preece and Yorath are well known to have been the most prominate members of the sect. The seven names correspond to the seven leaders of the Omegan Council, which the head of each of these families is said to sit on. The Omegans have no church now, but celebrate Communion within the Church of England.
Beliefs
While the actual beliefs differ little from that of the Church of England, there are several details that are worth mentioning.
Creation: It is the belief of the Omegans that God did create the world in seven days. However, it was seven of God's days. This would by if modern theories are correct about the age of the universe put a single day to God at 2,000,000,000 Earth years.
Evolution: Omegans believe fully in the truth of evolution and were one of the first churches to embrace it. They believe that the creation story is laced with hints of this. Especially with God creating Adam from the mud (all the elements needed for life) and then breathing life into him (the spark of life).
Jesus Christ: Omegans fully believe that Jesus was made incarnate. However, they believe he was capable of human flaws too and would most likely have taken a wife as most Jewish men would have. It is debated amoung Omegans who she was, but many believe Mary Magdalene would have been his wife.
Resurrection: Omegans believe fully in the resurrection of believers. They however do not believe humans go to heaven when they die. Instead they believe your soul sleeps and knowns the peace of Gods love until judgement day. They also believe that by asking a dead relative or any dead person to pray to the Lord with them they can have a greater effect on prayer.
Saints: Omegans have a large Saint culture, however they do not accept any of the Saints the Catholic Church has declared since the 18th Century. Omegans tend to pray with the Saints from the Bible and there own Saints which are kept secret.
Homosexuality: The Omegan Church is the only known sect to never have condemned Homosexuality in its entire history. From its very begining the Omegan Church has preached that the bible was Inspired by God, but written by Man. As such it was bound to have some of the writers own views broadcast into it. As such, holding true to Jesus Christ's instruction to "love everyone as yourselves" and "Judge not lest ye be judged". Thus, the leaders of Omegan church have always noted that it was for God to decide what would happen to Homosexuals, not Men.
Demon Possession: Omegans fully believe in the existance of Demons (fallen angels) and their ability to take over a human. It is in fact perhaps an Omegans greatest fear to fall victim to Demonic possession.
Traditions
Perhaps the only real differences in the traditions of the Omegan Church and the Church of England is that of Funerals, Mysticism and Prayer.
Prayer: Omegans pray in a variety of ways, however they usually do so by calling upon a Saint or dead relative to aid them in bringing their prayers to Jesus and God.
Mysticism: Omegans believe that they are in a constant battle with the forces of Satan. As such they must mark themselves out as special soldiers of God. Many Omegans have a symbol of a Cross Intertwined with an Omega Symbol tattoed somewhere on their body. Wrists, upper arms, chests and backs are the most popular spots to have them. The symbol means "Every ending is a new begining". This shows to Omegans that for everything that ends, something new will begin from it.
Funerals: Orininally the Omegans would have funeral pyres when the sect first established. However, as modern times do not allow this, they have made do with cremation. The Omegans grieve for three days once someone has passed on. These three days involved a day of silence in respect of dead, a day of fasting and a day of prayer. The Church Service is usually held in a Church of England Church as with most services for the Omegans.
Modern Day
There are few Omegans left today. It is thought to be less than two hundred in the world. They are private and it seems as though they are a sect that is doomed to eventually die out. Most Omegans will be in the UK, mostly around Wales, however it is known that a section of the Preece Family moved to London in the early 20th Century. As such there could well be some Omegans worshipping there. Although there is no guarantee that the family still practices the Omegan Way any longer.

Main Menu

See Also

Main Menu