The Rebellion Burns Bright

Richmond, Virginia, the United States of America
October 2nd, 1789

Sometimes, George Washington wondered if he was ever going to catch a break. He was nearing sixty years in age, yet he was stuck with more responsibilities then he would've liked. Sure, he knew that the nation "needed" him, but he would've killed to get one peaceful day back at his farm. Before he was "called into duty," he was enjoying his "retirement" (he was still the de-facto head of the National Intelligence Service, but he only responded to a few letters and reports per month). He was getting to know his slaves a bit better (he regretted that he was never able to settle the issue during his lifetime in the other history) and was expanding his estate so that his former slaves would be well off after he was gone. However, that all changed when the Philadelphia Riots (or the Riots of the States) started two weeks ago.

He watched with his own eyes as the nation that he and the others so carefully built, slowly collapse into disorder and chaos. Jefferson spent a tireless amount of hours attempting to restore order to the nation and was barely successful in preventing the worse. He managed to slowly rebuild the people's trust in the government by speaking out in front of the people and touring the entire nation to speak with disgruntled individuals. There were far too many times where Washington was afraid that his fellow Virginian was going to be killed or assassinated by angry mobs, but thankfully, that never came to pass. Instead, Jefferson's efforts helped restore a sense of trust towards the government and the presidency. Many individuals likened Jefferson to Kim, but much more proactive in that he stepped out of Philadelphia in order to mend the rifts that were appearing in the nation.

Still, it wasn't enough. There were plenty of dissenters to the current president and the government as a whole. Critics that were subdued during the Kim presidency was now more apparent than ever. Slave owners that were dissatisfied with the government's slavery policy were making their voices heard, racists that wanted the sudden influx of immigrants (especially those that were being rescued from slavery in the Caribbean) stopped were protesting, and Christians that were abhorred by the "legalization of sodomy" were on a knife's edge. Despite Jefferson's best efforts, he wasn't able to meet or speak with everyone, the nation was getting larger day by day after all. And with the sudden political turmoil the administration faced, the cracks were growing day by day.

Which was why he was here, in the capital of Virginia, for an important speech. A crowd of a few thousand had gathered before him, composed mainly of Virginians, but a few Americans from other states as well. He announced publicly that he had something important to speak about Christianity in the city and it had garnered attraction from many religious individuals across the state. At first, he harshly declined any attempts to make him a public figure again, whether it was a cabinet position or even a local sheriff. Even when Jefferson asked him for assistance, he reluctantly gave a message to a newspaper in support of the current administration and remained on his farm. However, his steadfast fixation on retirement was broken when Samuel (it was always Samuel that got him into these messes) personally visited his estate and delivered something shocking to him.

Samuel gave him his personal "message carrier" to God.

At first, Washington was surprised and confused at why Samuel gave him such a priceless piece of treasure. After all, while Samuel no longer used the parchment as often, he still used it occasionally to communicate with God and ask for necessary materials to change the United States (Washington knew that the Korean-American asked for some guides on the Mandarin and Manchu languages, as Samuel was hoping to visit Asia after the crisis was over). It was invaluable, in fact, Washington considered the parchment holy. It allowed Samuel to act as a "messenger" of God and was the reason why the United States had changed so radically in a short period of time.

But Samuel was insistent that he was to take it. Apparently, God wanted something from, something urgently.

So with great reluctance, as always, Washington took it.

For a week, the Virginian went on a spiritual journey and connected with God. The being that was responding to him never stated that he was God, but Washington was all but certain. He knew basically everything and everyone. And he was omnipresent as well. During the week he had the parchment, God warned him of a divisive future, where Christianity would be perverted and be used as a justification for some of the most terrible atrocities the world would ever see. The reason why he sought out Washington was that he wanted the man to take up the mantle of finding a new branch of Christianity: a branch that would uphold the greatest commandants and counteract any radical Christians that desired to impose their doctrines on the nation and government. After many prayers and affirmations, Washington was determined. He was always a devout Christian at heart, and now he had a calling given to him by God himself. Not through Samuel, but directly to him.

"I had a vision," Washington stated calmly as he scanned the members of the crowd. The crowd reacted in surprise and anticipation but didn't call him out for heresy so he continued, "A vision that one day, our faith would be perverted by those that seek to gain political power and use their "faith" to justify slavery, murder, racial cleansings, and destruction. These heretics would use the Lord's name in vain and exploit those that believed in him to further their agenda. It was a horrifying vision, a vision of a potential future if our nation continues down its current path. As a devout Anglican, I was aghast at the fact that our faith, which promotes brotherhood, respect, and generosity would morph into a monstrosity as I saw in that vision."

He took a deep breath and continued, "As you know, many devout Christians were outraged by the Supreme Court's ruling on sodomy, and I can see where the justification comes from. However, we must remember that the scriptures themselves stated that the greatest commandment was "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind" and the second greatest commandment, "Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself." As the Lord himself stated, "All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."

"Perhaps we need to start anew and begin following these commandments. The vision I received was due to the potential for exploitation of the faith, a potential that could see the faith weaponized into something political and disastrous. Therefore, I have set forth on establishing a new branch, a new Christianity where we accept those that are different than us, yet treat them like ourselves as Christ commanded. Where we worship the Almighty, yet do not attempt to impose our faith on others. Actions speak louder than words, do they not? If we follow the Almighty's doctrines and benefit the nation collectively, then people will follow naturally. Together, we will build something that the Lord would have wanted: a church that accepts all and that worships him with all."

As the man spoke, people had mixed reactions in the crowd. Some jeered him, others looked up to him as a leader. Some in the future even claimed that Washington had a holy light surrounding him as he spoke. However, from that moment forward, a new chapter of American history and religion began. One that would shake the nation and morph Christianity into something radically different. Named "Vicinusm" (Latin for "neighbor), the new branch would attract followers rapidly (especially amongst immigrants and minorities) and change the course of the Second Great Awakening...