Saganism
| Pansolar Association of Universal Intelligence | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Abbreviation | APIU (from Standard Apollonian) |
| Classification | Secular religion |
| Theology | Physicalism |
| Governance | Congregational |
| Region | Ecumene |
| Founder | Rvd. Mdr. Anamaria Koch |
| Origin |
January 2349 CEC Nuvem Grande, Apollo |
| Merger of | CUIU, CVU, ALCA |
| Separations | Bronowskism, Harmonicism |
| Congregations | 791 million |
| Members | 197 billion |
| Other name(s) | Saganist Church |
The Pansolar Association of Universal Intelligence (Standard Apollonian: Associação Pansolar de Inteligência Universal; commonly referred to as the Saganist Church or more broadly as Saganism) is a social movement and religion-adjacent organization prominent across Ecumene space. Founded on Apollo in the mid-24th century CEC, the Saganist Church venerates the teachings of 20th century author and polymath Carl Sagan. Although Saganism possesses religious characteristics, such as feast days, holidays, and spiritual meditation, the Pansolar Association of Universal Intelligence does not explicitly define itself as a religious organization.
The body of thought immediately preceding the establishment of the Saganist Church is now referred to as Protosaganism, which spread across the Earth continents of America and Africa in the post-War 21st century CEC. During the colonization of Apollo in the late 22nd century CEC, much of the immigration from America to Apollo was sponsored by Protosaganists, creating a high concentration of these individuals relative to the total colonial population of the planet. Several early attempts at the creation of a pan-Protosaganist organization of individuals occurred throughout the late 22nd century into the next, but often these early conferences failed to reconcile the disparate interpretations of Sagan's life and work among the various interested congregations. In 2349 CEC, the modern Pansolar Association of Universal Intelligence's immediate predecessor, the Apollonian Association of Universal Life and Intelligence, was founded after the merger of the three largest Protosaganist organizations on Apollo active at the time.
Saganism and the Saganist Church remained highly active on Apollo into the 27th century, when the Capitulatory War ended with the establishment of the pan-solar Ecumene. Viewing the precepts of Saganism as potentially valuable to the contribution of social cohesion among the Ecumene's myriad worlds, the Ecumenical Synod gave special approval and assistance to the establishment of missionary programs to Earth, Mars, and other major inhabited celestial bodies. As the Ecumene established its first interstellar colonies into the 4th millennium, the Saganist Church expanded alongside it. By the time of the Octopoid War in the 33rd century CEC, the Saganist Church was estimated to be the largest, most expansive pseudo-religious organization in human history. Despite a marked decline in membership during the political period of Astroinsularism, the advent of microwormhole communication in the 38th and 39th centuries saw a major resurgence in the movement's popularity across Ecumene space.
The Pansolar Association of Universal Intelligence advocates positions of empiricism, humanism, philosophical and moral universalism, physicalism, scientific progressivism, interstellar colonization and space exploration, and above all, the search for extraterrestrial intelligence. In addition to the works of Carl Sagan, the works of Immanuel Kant, Jacob Bronowski, Stephen Jay Gould, David Hume, Charles Darwin, Pythagoras, and Aristotle feature extensively in the Saganist Canon. The Saganist Church focuses much of its teachings on honing a distinct perspective of humanity and its relationship with the larger cosmos that emphasizes humility, the use of reason, and open-mindedness. This is achieved through daily meditation and the reverent application of the mind towards the expansion of subjective understanding. Academic and philosophical achievement is considered by the Saganist Church to be most correctly formatted as a process of social engagement with peers and mentors, and so Saganist congregations often meet regularly to discuss literature and reconcile consensus between potentially oppositional viewpoints.
As of the 41st century CEC, there are 791 million congregations with registered membership in the Pansolar Association of Universal Intelligence comprising nearly 197 billion total members. This figure represents roughly 9.86% of the total population of the Ecumene, making Saganism the second most widely practiced pseudo-religious denomination after Abrahamicism. The Saganist Church is closely associated with the planet Apollo and, consequently, many of the highest-level members of the Ecumenical government are practitioners. The Pansolar Association of Universal Intelligence has been noted as a significant agent in the process of social amalgamation that occurred throughout the Sol system in the earliest centuries of the Ecumene's establishment. After nearly five centuries of declining membership, the Saganist Church has been experiencing a major resurgence in the last century, and if new memberships continue at their present rate over the next century, it is expected that Saganism will eclipse Abrahamicism to become the Ecumene's largest religion once again.
History
Structure
Congregations
Missionary organizations
Schools
The complementary human experiences of learning and teaching are typically treated with utmost reverence by congregants, and these activities are considered to be best rendered in highly social environments. The individual congregations of the Saganist Church often sponsor gymnasia (for children and young adults) and academia (for adults) for usage by congregants, their families, and the general public. Saganist schools would often be established impromptu before any official Ecumene-sponsored educational facilities during the early interstellar colonisation period of the early 4th millennium. As the Ecumene's colonies matured, Saganist schools became respected institutions in every human-inhabited star system, anchoring both its influence and presence in the realm of public education. In the 41st century CEC, many of the Ecumene's most notable public intellectuals and scientists were educated in, or have been affiliated with, the expansive system of Saganist academia.
The gymnasia is typically composed of several large areas oriented around a circular tented area, with the other components lined with as much vegetation as possible. On planets such as Earth and Mars, the gymnasia is entirely outdoors and comprises roughly one acre of grassed surface. In environments with limited habitability, a gymnasia resembles an arena-sized space with a simulated Earth sky-like roof. Teaching at a gymnasia is facilitated by the students of the academia, with lessons provided in broad range of subjects such as algebra, astronomy, calculus, ethics, geometry, history, the humanities, natural science, and philosophy. Saganist gymnasia possess a positive reputation in the greater Ecumene for encouraging productive learning habits and personal enthusiasm for intellectual pursuits in its students.
The academia is comparably more integrated into the built structures of any habitat, regardless of location, a tradition of locale that stems from the early colonial era. In early interstellar colonies, the academia would be hosted in general quarters or mess facilities. In the contemporary, academia are vernacular freestanding buildings with a number of faculties separated by realm of science or learning. The size of the academia typically correlates to the size of the sponsor congregation and general demographic of the respective location. The largest academia are on Apollo, with the Academia Universal alone home to over a million regular students and one quarter million tenured academics. Academia typically include a diverse range of fields of study that are encouraged to be taught and learned alongside one another.
Beliefs
Rev. Pdr. Carl Sagan 
Rev. Pdr. Jacob Bronowski 
Rev. Mdr. Anamaria Koch
