The Imperial Cult of the Imperium of Man is a vague and, in many ways, inconsistently-defined religion. It is very certain that it is a huge religion with man, many local variations. However, the Cult's entries on Lexicanum and the Warhammer 40,000 Wiki (and our familiarity with the 40K setting) provides enough detail to surmise its general structure and central tenets. The Imperial Cult is a state church - that is, it is intimately connected with the civic government. Adherence to the cult is required for citizenship, and doctrinal heresy is not merely an ecclesial, but a civil crime. In the violent and dystopian universe of Warhammer 40,000, heresy is punished by death and rival cults (or even sections of the Imperial Cult) who deviate from orthodoxy are persecuted to destruction.The central belief of the Imperial Cult and the Imperium (for the two are indistinguishable) is the supremacy of the Imperium of Man. All humans must be brought into the Imperium and mankind's manifest destiny is to conquer the galaxy. More than that anything which does not conform to the human ideal - xenos aliens, but also mutants, psykers, heretics and perhaps even the disabled and infirm - is to be purged. All humans are in service to this mission, and are expected to not only serve in their particular capacity, but to do so until death. It may be that people can shift occupation due to infirmity or age, but one gets the impression that there is no such thing as "retirement" as we understand it. "Only in death does duty end" is a common phrase. It is entirely possible the Imperium practices euthanasia of the infirm and unfit.
The Cult teaches that sacrifice of oneself - following the example of the Emperor himself - is meritorious and laudable. This is expressed most strongly in obedience to superiors and the goals of the Imperium, but also in sacrifice of pleasures, time and resources to the Imperium. Members of the armed forces (and civilians when necessary) are expected to lay down their lives in battle. Dying fighting the enemies of the Emperor is considered martyrdom and is actually extolled as a virtue. Much is made of the vast size and manpower of the Imperium; many battles are "won" by the sacrifice of thousands if not millions of warriors for a minor victory. The Imperial Cult teaches a collectivism where human life is individually cheap but humanity is infinitely valuable.
It is a bleak, dystopian universe; a religion which teaches hatred of the different, hypocrisy concerning selected classes of the divergent, a government who demands unquestioning obedience and agreement under penalty of death, a grotesque utilitarianism which rejects the aged, infirm, or unfit, and an expectation of sacrificing everything for tawdry gains. There is no inherent worth or dignity in a human being in the Imperium of Man. It is a universe of the most corrupt communism, where a proclaimed equality of all men hides the truth that "some animals are more equal than others".I think most people familiar with 40K will not disagree with any of my statements or conclusions here. They are intended to represent a basic overview of the Imperial Cult, rather than an in depth analysis or a description of specific religious practices on a particular planet or sub-cult - which differ significantly. However, significant Imperial institutions - Astartes, Inquisition, Ecclesiarchy and Sororitas, even the Guard - these tenets and beliefs are likely to be closely adhered to.
This brief exploration of the basic structure and beliefs of the Imperial Cult (and, indeed, Imperium) is the starting point for all my theological musings. I will be referring back to this post in many of them. For now, however, let me know what you think of this simple overview!
=][= Danforth Laertes
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