New Church of Bailey

The New Church of Bailey is an organized Bailic monotheistic religion. The belief system of the church is sometimes called Bailism. Adherents to the New Church of Bailey, known as Bailists, worship Bailey as the goddess of the Universe and the spiritual mother of all the living, as revealed through the Book of Bailey. Bailism remains the dominant religion in the United Island.

The players MayorSamuel, backpack5689, kit_kat_27, Synyster_Sl0th, and S1CS all adhere to the teachings of the New Church of Bailey.

Revelation
Adherents of the New Church of Bailey believe that a divine message from Mother Bailey was revealed through the Archangel Mahalalel to MayorSamuel on December 18, 2016, which he subsequently transcribed into the Book of Bailey. This message confirmed the beliefs of the ancient religion of Bylism: that the goddess Bailey had been in a heavenly struggle with the divine couple, Kyle and Laci. However, this new revelation declared that Bailey had finally detached herself from "the woes of Kyle and Laci," and now remains as the sole and rightful goddess and queen of the world (Book of Bailey 2:14, 2:16).

Prophecy
According to the third chapter of the Book of Bailey, Mother Bailey will one day return to the physical world as an earthly queen, "when heathens shall be struck down and believers lifted up" (3:6-7). This chapter also includes harsh condemnations of infidels—those who do not believe in Mother Bailey—and grants Bailists the right to kill them (3:15). Although the New Church of Bailey stands by this doctrine, these verses are some of the most controversial among adherents.

Worship
Adherents to the New Church of Bailey typically meet in local congregations on a weekly basis. The priest delivers a sermon on a certain topic in the Book of Bailey, and the congregation listens to the reading of the Book. In order to be admitted as a member of the New Church, one must make a confession of Bailey as the one true goddess and agree to spread her message. A priest appointed by MayorSamuel will then touch his sword to both of their shoulders—a rite known as anointment. The person is then a member of the New Church of Bailey, and is classified as a believer in Bailist theology.

Origins
The origins of Bailist theology can be traced to the ancient city-state of Byle, a primitive civilization on a server before the current world was generated. This is hinted in Book of Bailey 2:13, which states that a 5,000-year-old prophecy has been fulfilled. This is referring to Bylism, an extinct religion practiced in ancient Byle which says that Bailey, Kyle, and Laci are locked in some kind of eternal struggle. According to the New Church of Bailey, Mother Bailey has since overcome the struggle and taken up her rightful place as queen of the Universe (2:14-18). This doctrine was allegedly revealed to MayorSamuel on December 18, 2016 as he was gathering wood north of Eden.

Early Church
On December 18, word quickly spread in colonial Eden that MayorSamuel had recorded an account of some kind of revelation. He read the original Book of Bailey to the townspeople, and many were converted. The community center at the center of town was quickly converted into the first church of the New Church of Bailey: Eden Church of the Revelation. MayorSamuel appointed Malachi_Brown as priest of the congregation. On December 19, the First Continental Congress met across the river from Eden. This meeting established the United Island as a sovereign state. Proposition VII was also passed, declaring Bailism as the official national religion of the infant country.

Spread
The first Bailist church outside of Eden was established among the NPC villagers in Big River. On December 20, 2016, MayorSamuel converted the local Tribalist temple into the Bailist Church of the Divine Mother. Many of the native NPC villagers were anointed. The second Bailist church was planted on December 21, 2016, when Horseland was settled. Also on December 21, Malachi_Brown made the second religion-related proposition in Congress. Proposition XIV attempted to grant Bailists the legal right to murder infidels, excluding atheists. Congress was split 2-2, and the proposition failed. As a new network of infrastructure began to take shape across the country, Bailism spread rapidly throughout the outlying towns. Church on the Sand, a modern megachurch in Island City, was established on December 26.

Decline
Sometime in the following days, public opinion of Bailism began to decline, especially in elite circles. Despite his prior zeal, Malachi_Brown, priest of the church in Eden, renounced the faith on December 29. This was enough to sway majority opinion in Congress against Bailism. Proposition XVII, which urged the legislation to repeal Bailism as the national religion, was passed on that same day.

Resurgence
Despite rising opposition in Island City, church attendance was still on the rise and growing steadily. On December 30, the Church of the Heavenly Mitts was planted in the new city of Havana on the northern coast. Construction of a massive Bailist cathedral in Staufenberg began on January 2, 2017. The Cathedral of the Holy Mother was completed by S1CS five days later. The cathedral remains the largest structure in the world. On January 19, the Church of the Covenant was established in Sýnoros. On January 31, Synyster_Sl0th converted to Bailism and established the Church of Mahalalel in the city of Tesla. Bailism remained influential in Staufenberg during its secession in early February.

List of Churches
As of January 31, 2017, eight Bailist churches have been established in towns throughout the United Island. Most are named after a specific doctrine in Bailist theology. This is a list of the eight churches, in the order that they were established:


 * Church of the Revelation (Eden, Forest Province)
 * Church of the Anointment (Horseland, Eastern Province)
 * Church of the Divine Mother (Big River, Delta Province)
 * Church on the Sand (Island City, Federal District)
 * Church of the Heavenly Mitts (Havana, Jungle Province)
 * Cathedral of the Holy Mother (Staufenberg)
 * Church of the Covenant (Sýnoros, Forest Province)
 * Church of Mahalalel (Tesla, Eastern Province)

Updated March 1, 2017