The key tenants of Imperial Creed

At the current time in the Imperial Cult, all sects of the Imperial Creed must adhere to the following five key tenets, or risk being branded as heretical and purged:

The Emperor once walked among men, but He is, and always has been, a god.

This tenet is absolute doctrine within th r denied His own divinity during the Great Crusade.
The Lectitio Divinitatus was the first form,al doctrine to proclaim His godhood and remains a foundational text of the Ministorum.
Any attempts to claim the Emperor was merely a man are considered high heresy, punishable by execution.

The Emperor is the one true god, regardless of what past faiths any human may have worshipped.

This tenet enforces the monotheistic structure of the Imperial Cult, which does not tolerate deviation or polytheistic traditions
In many cases, the Imperial Creed assimilates non-Imperial human religions, reshaping their myths to align with worship of the Emperor, primarchs and saints .
The Adeptus Ministorum and the Missionarus Galaxia work to eliminate any surviving competing beliefs, forcibly converting or exterminating those who refuse to renounce past faiths.

Purge the heretic, beware the psyker and mutant, and abhor the alien.

A central tenet of the Ecclesiarchy’s military arm, particularly the Adepta Sororitas and Redemptionist cults.
Psykers and Navigators are considered necessary evils, with sanctioned psykers closely monitored by the Adeptus Astra Telepathica and Navigators governed by Paternova.
Mutants are categorized based on local Imperial Creed; those deemed abominable mutations are purged, while others (like Ogryns and Ratlings) may redeem through a service to the Imperium.
Xenos are considered an inherent threat to humanity and must be destroyed, though some Imperial organizations (like the Rogue Traders) have limited leeway in dealing with them.

Every human being has a place within the Emperor’s divine order.

This tenet enforces the strict social hierarchy of the Imperium, where every person has a role in His divine plan.
The Adeptus Terra, Imperial Guard, and Mechanicus all justify their rigid structures through this tenet.
The lowest of humanity (such as serfs and hive-world workers) are taught that their suffering is a sacred duty and that service is the highest form of worship.

Unquestionably obey the authority of the Imperial government and one’s superiors.

The Imperial Creed functions as a tool of control, ensuring absolute obedience to the High Lords of Terra, the Ecclesiarchy, and other Imperial authorities.
Disobedience, even if made in the name of faith, is considered sedition, and such actions are met with swift retribution.
This tenet is ruthlessly enforced by the Adeptus Arbites, the Commissariat, Ordo Assasinorum and various Inquisitorial factions.

The soul

The Imperial Creed teaches that the soul is a divine gift bestowed upon humanity by the God-Emperor. This belief underscores humanity’s perceived superiority over other subspecies and particularly xenos, who are often considered soulless or spiritually inferior.

Core Belief: The Human Soul

Divine Endowment: The Imperial Creed holds that the Emperor granted humanity souls, linking each individual to His divine will.
Mutants have tainted souls: Sanctioned Abhumans may gain absolution through servitude and sacrifice, others have to be purged.
Witches, apostates and heretics have corrupted their souls: Their treason has tarnished their souls and severed them from the light of the God-Emperor.
Xenos are Soulless: Non-humans are lacking this divine connection, rendering them soulless and unworthy of the Imperial grace.

Afterlife

The predominant teaching of the Imperial Creed is that the souls of the devout are united with the God-Emperor upon death. This union is perceived as an eternal reward, where the faithful, if worthy, continue to serve the Emperor in the afterlife, basking in His divine presence. This belief offers solace to many, assuring them that their piety and service will be rewarded beyond mortal existence.

Eschatology and the End Times

A recurring theme in many emerging sects of the Imperial Creed is the notion of the End Times, a belief that gained widespread momentum in the final centuries of M41.

Many eschatological sects believe that the current age of strife and disaster is a prelude to the great cataclysm which leads to the Emperor’s resurrection.
Some believe the Emperor will rise from the Golden Throne to lead humanity into a final crusade, purging all xenos, heretics, and traitors from the galaxy.
Others hold a more apocalyptic view, seeing the Emperor as a final judge, where only the most devout will be spared eternal damnation in the Warp.

The Imperial Creed serves as both a faith and a mechanism of control, binding the Imperium of Man together under the worship of the God-Emperor. While its five key tenets remain non-negotiable, the interpretation of faith, the nature of the afterlife, and the prophecies surrounding the End Times remain sources of internal conflict and theological debate.

Despite these schisms, one truth remains absolute—to question the key tenants of Creed is to invite destruction. The Inquisition, the Adeptus Ministorum, and the faithful zealots of the Ecclesiarchy stand ever ready to execute the apostate, burn the heretic, purge the unclean, and spread the Emperor’s divine will across the galaxy.

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The Sacred Imperial Tithe

One of the most fundamental duties imposed upon all Imperial worlds is the Imperial Tithe, a solemn obligation decreed by the High Lords of Terra. This practice, rooted in ancient feudal customs and reinforced by the Imperial Creed, dictates that every planet must provide resources, manpower, and materials necessary for the continuation of the Imperium’s war machine and governance.

Theological Justification: The Adeptus Ministorum teaches that the Emperor’s divine rule extends to all things, including wealth, labor, and sacrifice. Failure to meet the tithe is considered both treason and heresy, punishable by mass purges in extreme cases.
Forms of Tithes: Worlds may contribute in different ways—Agri-worlds offer grain and sustenance, Forge Worlds supply arms and machinery, while Hive Worlds provide endless legions of conscripts to the Astra Militarum.
Tithe Collectors: The Adeptus Administratum, in conjunction with the Ecclesiarchy, ensures compliance to the Black Fleet. Planets failing their quotas may find their leaders replaced, their resources stripped, or their populations forcibly conscripted into penance legions.

The Cognomen: Population Census and Psychic Screening

The Black Fleet must know its flock, for both administrative efficiency and the unending war against warp-witches. To this end, every Imperial world is subjected to the Cognomen, a dual-purpose census and psychic screening conducted under the authority of the Adeptus Administratum and the Adeptus Astra Telepathica.

Purpose of the Census: Every individual is accounted for, their labor potential assessed, and their habitats tithe classification determined. This vast undertaking occurs every few decades, ensuring the Imperium extracts all it requires from its population.
Psychic Screening: The Cognomen is also an opportunity to identify psykers, who are either sent for sanctioning, disposed of, or sacrificed to the Golden Throne.
Spiritual Justification: The Ecclesiarchy supports the Cognomen as a sacred duty. To be recognized by the Imperium is to have one’s soul accounted for, ensuring proper salvation after death. To be unknown to the Imperium is to be forgotten by the Emperor—a fate worse than death.

Conquered Lands as Holy Ground

The Imperium’s endless wars of expansion are not merely military conquests—they are crusades, and every world brought under the Emperor’s dominion is considered sacred ground.

Doctrinal Origin: This tradition is inspired by the earliest expansions of the Imperium, where the Great Crusade was framed as a divine mandate to reclaim the lost dominion of mankind. Planets conquered in His name are sanctified, bound forever to Imperial rule. To abandon them is to defy the Emperor’s will.
Sanctification of New Worlds: Once a planet is brought into compliance, the Ecclesiarchy formally declares it as hallowed territory of the Imperium. Monuments to conquest are erected, and shrines to the Emperor mark the planet’s induction into the faith. Cathedral-cities and martyr’s tombs become permanent symbols of the Imperium’s divine claim over the world.
Repercussions of Apostasy: To reject Imperial rule is to defile holy ground. Rebels, secessionists, and apostates are not mere traitors—they are blasphemers, and their lands are subject to purging through holy war. Worlds that attempt to resist the Imperium’s rule often suffer the wrath of both the Adeptus Astartes and the Ecclesiarchy’s militant arms, ensuring that heretical uprisings are quelled with righteous fury.
The Price of Purity: Many puritanical Imperial commanders and Ecclesiarchal zealots have sacrificed millions of lives in the pursuit of reclaiming planets of little value—desolate wastelands, ruined colonies, and resource-depleted worlds—solely because they were once claimed in the Emperor’s name. To abandon such planets is seen as an act of heresy in itself, for no world may be willingly surrendered once it has been marked by the Imperium’s dominion.
Theological Note: Worlds condemned to Exterminatus or designated as Quarantine Worlds are exempt from this doctrine. They are deemed irredeemable by Imperial law and faith, their defilement too great to warrant reclamation. Once the Emperor’s gaze is turned from them, they are forever lost.

Confession, Penance, and Mortification of the Flesh

Corruption is an ever-present threat to the souls of mankind, and the Imperial Creed demands constant vigilance. To maintain purity, all citizens are expected to undergo Confession and Penance, purging their transgressions against the faith through suffering and self-sacrifice.

The Ritual of Confession: Regular confession is mandated by the Ecclesiarchy, overseen by auto-confession shrines, ordained Confessors or if wealthy and powerful even cardinals. Those who conceal their sins may find themselves denounced by their peers, for a hidden sin is an open door for heresy.
Penance Through Suffering: It is not enough to repent—one must atone. Flagellation, fasting, and even self-immolation are considered righteous acts, proving devotion to the Emperor. Many Imperial cults take this to extremes, forming orders of self-mutilating zealots who display their faith through scarring, branding, and ritualistic amputation.
Imperial Doctrine on Pain: Pain is seen as a holy teacher. Suffering purifies the soul, drawing one closer to the Emperor’s divine will. Those who endure much and live on are seen as blessed, while those who perish in agony are believed to be granted a place beside Him in death.