Shane Allan

Religion 101
1232166
Janet Klippenstein

Religious Overtones of the Warhammer 40,000 Universe

“In the grim darkness of the far future there is only war.”

-cover of the WH40k Main Rulebook

Warhammer 40,000 (or WH40k) is a tabletop wargame set in the 41 st century. The

game is played by two or more people who have collected an army of small, plastic miniatures.

What sets WH40k apart from it’s competition is the rich and diverse background which it has

developed over its 23 year history. Each separate race has their own background information

(called “fluff”) which helps to tie them into the larger universe. What is interesting to note is

that many of the races in WH40k are directly tied to a religious worship of some kind, bearing

distinct resemblance to the religions found in today’s world; the primary examples of these

being the Imperium of Man and the Legions of Chaos.

This representation is particularly fascinating and interesting primarily due to the

background created for this game. The game is introduced by the main rulebook, which

provides a general backdrop for the universe and the races which inhabit it. There are then no

less than 16 separate army books, each of which provides further information on its specific

race. There are also a large number of fictional novels written in this universe. When combined

together these element form a deep and engaging world for the player to exist in.
 The Imperium of Man is a galaxy sprawling empire, consisting of millions upon millions

of planets and trillions of citizens. The Imperium is led by the God-Emperor of Mankind, an all

powerful, all knowing being who watches his territory from his Golden Throne. The Emperor

does not, however, rule, or for that matter, communicate directly with his subjects, for he was

crippled by his traitorous son, Horus. Instead, governance of the Imperium is left in the hands

of the High Lords of Terra, who represent the primary facets of imperial life, including military,

religious, technological, intergalactic travel, and bureaucratic aspects.

The Emperor, and the organization created to venerate and worship him, the Adeptus

Ministorum, otherwise known as the Ecclesiarchy, is an obvious parallel to modern-day

Christianity. The Emperor, akin simultaneously to God, Allah, Buddha and other supreme

deities, is all-powerful, masculine figure dedicated to the protection of Mankind. He fashioned

twenty sons, called Primarchs, in his own image, to lead his armies in a great crusade to unite

Man into a great interstellar empire. This is very similar to the birth of Jesus in that Mary

conceived him while she was still a virgin. The Primarchs were created in a laboratory, using the

Emperor’s genes as a base. In essence we have the story of God (the Emperor) creating his son

(sons in this case) to be his representative on Earth, the Bible story with a science fiction twist.

Like Christianity, the Ecclesiarchy, has a strict hierarchy starting with the Ecclesiarch (the

Catholic Pope), then below him are the Cardinals, who perform similar duties to our own.

Below them are the Preachers, who have various ranks but are limited to the religious affairs of
a single planet, making them similar to the parish priests and pastors who run individual

churches. The Ecclesiarchy encourages devotion firstly to the Emperor (God), however, there

are other lesser deities that may be worshiped as well. These beings are called Saints, similar

again to our modern idea of the term: Individuals who represent the faith through

extraordinary acts. Examples would include Saint Mary or Mother Teresa. The difference

between the two lies in the fact that imperial saints are, with very few exceptions, martyrs who

died defending the Imperium from its many foes.

There are a number of different factions in the WH40k universe that also hold the

Emperor in high regard but do not worship him in the same fashion. One of these factions is the

Space Marines, genetically modified supermen. Space Marine worship has similar lines to

Judaism in that many of the Space Marine Chapters worship the Emperor as a truly magnificent

man, but a man nonetheless. The Chapters have their own systems of worship, each specific

and personal to the individual Chapter. Many of these would be considered heretical by the

Ecclesiarchy and as such are kept secret from most outsiders.

Another organization that is directly tied to the defense of the Imperium are the Ordos

(or Orders) of the Inquisition, the Ordo Hereticus, Malleus, and Xenos. Each of these Ordos deal

with a specific and serious threat to the very survival of mankind; Hereticus dealing with traitors

and betrayers, Malleus defending against the predations of the Warp, and Xenos protecting the

citizens of the Imperium from contact with alien races. Like the Spanish Inquisition for which it
is named, the Inquisition in WH40k is characterized by extreme paranoia and xenophobia (the

term, in this case, meaning fear of actual alien races, not just different cultures) and will often

consign an entire world to death at the slightest sign of taint. However, unlike the Spanish

Inquisition, the actions of the inquisition could almost be justified. In the WH40k universe the

Imperium teeters on the brink of annihilation. If a single world were lost to a daemonic

incursion or heretical domination and the Imperium stood by, more might follow, thus by using

such heavy-handed methods, such virus bombing or decimating a planets population, the

Inquistion ensures that other worlds do not suffer the same fate. “Who is to judge what is right

and what is wrong? Great and powerful foes surround us; unknown miscreants gnaw at us from within.

We are threatened with total annihilation. In days such as these we can afford no luxury of morality.”

Directly opposing the Emperor and his realm are the Legions of Chaos. In WH40k there

is the material realm, where biological life resides, and the Immaterium, a twisted mirror of the

real world where emotions become real and evil things reside. This realm is analogous to many

of this descriptions of hell featured in the Bible, the Torah, or the Qur’an. It is governed by four

primary gods each representing a different human flaw or sin. Khorne, who is arguably the

strongest of the four, is the god of anger, murder and blood. He requires nothing of his

followers except an unrelenting desire to kill, maim, and burn. Tzeentch is the god of plotting,

scheming, and sorcery. Nurgle is the god of plague and decay and represents physical

corruption. Slaanesh is the god of sensuous excess, the stimulation of all senses. Taken together

this Parthenon can be seen as a fractured version of Lucifer, the Lord of the Pit. Like Lucifer the

Chaos Gods primary goal is the attraction of mortal souls to their realm. They accomplish this by
making Faustian bargains with those they wish to ensnare. These bargains typically consist of

the mortal acquiring some form of temporal power over his or her peers. One the bargain is

concluded (with a time limit on the deal or the mortal’s death) his soul is absorbed into the

Chaos God’s body, slowly increasing its power.

In conclusion, Warhammer 40,000 is a game which provides both an examination of

Christianity and a tongue-in-cheek criticism of it. It provides us with all the major aspects of the

religion in general, i.e. God, his son(s), the church, variations of worship, but also exaggerates

the flaws of it to galactic proportions. Forced conversions at sword point, the razing of

planetary bodies, sacrifice of entire population, this is the Christianity of the Dark Ages, now in

the “grim darkness of the far future.”

 Bibliography

Cavatore, Alessio, et al, Warhammer 40,000 Rulebook, 5th edition Nottingham, England, 2008

Chambers, Andy, et al, Codex: Daemonhunters Nottingham, England, 2002

Thorpe, Gavin, Cavatore, Alessio Codex: Chaos Space Marines Nottingham, England, 2007

Ward, Matt Codex: Space Marines Nottingham, England, 2008