Seven Tenets of the Starry Faith

These are the tenets put forward by the Starry Septon called "the Openhanded One", who also praised the Hammer Uprising. He galvanized the latent divisions, and inspired in many a renewed return to the teachings of the Starry disciplines which had continued throughout the realm due to the zealous and dogged teachings of those Septons who followed it, and the popularity of the ideals with the smallfolk.

Repentance is Paramount
Men may draw closer to the Father and the Seven only by repenting if their sins and seeking absolution. Repentance must come first, for only the truly clean may ask anything of the gods, and only the truly clean may receive their blessings. Honouring the gods is not enough. Honour without worship is naught; worship without purity is naught; purity without sacrifice is naught; sacrifice without repentance is naught. We must seek forgiveness while we yet live - for there is no repentance in the grave.

The Purpose of Power is to Aid the Weak;
It is the will of the gods that all men know peace and plenty. They have granted us the trappings and mechanisms of wealth and power not for our own gains, but for the advancement of all. This is why the oldest and most ancient of our institutions - the system if knighthood, granted to the Andals upon their holy hills - charges the sworn to defend the weak, and uphold truth. This is not a suggestion, but a condition and a command, from which all others must surely stem. The existence of the ideal of a true knight denotes that all other images of knighthood are false; we must therefore strive to achieve that lofty goal, and to stand against all other temptation. He who uses all his wealth, and power, and strength, and influence, to guard against the tyranny of evil men, must surely stand closest to the Seven.

The Greatest of These is the Father;
For it is known that in any relationship, there must be a dominant and subservient partner. One who maketh decisions, and one who carries them out; one who rules, and one who councils; one who holds the sword and spear, and one who bears the shield. So on earth, thus too in heaven - for does the Sun not rule the Moon? Does night not yield before day? In such a manner do the gods therefore govern themselves; with the Father at their head, as first amongst equals, whose judgement ruleth over all.

No Man is Incorruptible, No Truth Cannot be Made to Decieve;
The gods have among us an avatar, but that does not make him their equal. Think of a vessel: into it may be poured wine most sweet, as red and pure as candle flame. But if the cup is not clean, the wine is thus spoiled, and is no longer as it once was. This does not make the wine false, nor the skin from whence it came; it is a failure of the vessel, which must be cleansed or otherwise replaced. One may only know the untainted wine from tainted by the taste; and even so in the natural world, for by our deeds are we known.

Good Works are the Purpose and Pride of Faith;
More important than prayer is good deeds. Lip service and formal observation alone only invites the wrath of the gods. To give to the poor is better than ten thousand hymns. To defend the innocent is better than a hundred donations to the Faith. To safeguard the interests of the weak and downtrodden is better than all else, in the eyes of the gods.

There Are No Exceptions in the Matter of Faith
No one is exempt from the teachings of the Seven, even should circumstance or tradition dictate otherwise. Intent, history, force of arms - none should stand between the faithful and their serving of the Father and his will.

Incest is the Greatest Abomination
Sins between kinfolk are the greatest of all ills: to sin against one's own body, and the body of the Faith, and the body of the realm, is surely the greatest of abominations - perhaps more so than kinslaying. No man, no woman, no commoner, no noble, no peasant, no king, is exempt. Such unions fly in the face of the gods, who view such unions as vile and abhorrent. Those who participate in it are fit only for death; the fruit of it worse than bastards. The Starry Septons often point to Maegor the Cruel as an example, but ignore other kings with a hand wave staying that the gods took mercy for the sake of the realm, lest all men be destroyed.