Jaatunism

Jaatunism (from Middle Menneferian jtn, ‘celestial disk, ’), known as Zhoosyirut in Remunmenni, is a Mauthinic religious system from Mennefer teaching that the God of Light, Jaatun, commonly represented as a solar disk with protruding handed rays, is the upholder of life and Supreme Being. Various Jaatunism traditions span a range of theologies, mainly and. It is one of the world’s major religions with over 500 million followers, known as Jaatunists or Zhoos (‘illuminated’).

Orthodox Jaatunism divides the universe into two dualistic halves, the free reality and the unfree reality. These realities are independent of each other, but also incomplete. Jaatun inhabits both realities, the only Being to do so, and is almighty, eternal, always existing, everlasting, all-knowing, and compassionate. The purpose of Jaatunist practice is to liberate the body and soul from their separation and become one with the Supreme Being. The applied by Zhoos carry considerable influence from, and Jaatunist philosophy typically considers the faith a reformed continuation of Mennefer's ancient traditions.

The gradual emergence of Jaatunism as a separate belief system dates back to Maithun, a man who lived in Mennefer around 1100 BCE; he is considered a prophet figure by all of Jaatunism, Sabbatarianism, and several other religions. Maithun did not assign any special importance to Jaatun, but by the time his teachings officially replaced the traditional religion as Mennefer’s state religion in 191 BCE, Maithun’s message of a Divine Light upon mankind had come to be associated with the disk of the sun, Jaatun’s physical representation. The adoption of Jaatunism was a turning point in Menneferian history as it is a universal religion to be followed by all, very much unlike the traditional religion’s Menneferian exclusivity. This would factor into the later Takhuit dynasty's campaign of conquests into Napsal and Central Yoju, which to some extent were religiously motivated, creating Jaatunist communities across the continent.

Jaatunism is primarily found in Yoju, Napsal and Central Yoju in particular, being the most common religion in Mennefer and multiple other countries. Immigration and cultural exchange has brought Zhoos to all corners of the world, and Jaatunist philosophy and art have significantly influenced those of the surrounding region and beyond.

Etymology
The term Jaatunism means “worship of Jaatun”, a word originally covering any celestial disk (like the sun or the moon) visible in the sky. It is a common moniker for the faith in many languages, but is not used in Remunmenni, which prefers Zhoosyirut instead. Zhoosyirut comes from zhoos yi rut, translating word for word as “illuminated is the gate” (written šsp y rwt).

Denominations
The closest equivalent to a central doctrinal authority found in Jaatunism are the various Jaatunist Orders, which are federations of the different local belief communities found around the world. Jaatunist Orders are headed by a High Priesthood and are very often associated with a particular, , and shared system of ritual practice. Orders are broadly grouped into philosophical niches such as henotheism, monotheism, polytheism,, , , and so forth, with a great diversity in proper belief and practice. Relations between Orders range from extensive cooperation to complete separation, often affected by wider conflicts between personalities or even entire states and political ideologies.

Jaatunism once derived its doctrinal power from the authority of the Ouro, an arrangement disturbed by the Takhuit dynasty's propagation of the faith into foreign, independent countries. The collapse of the Takhuits ended the Ouro's religious authority for hundreds of years until the establishment of the Northern Dynasty, whose rulers were unable to reinforce religious authority on a large scale.