Bajoran Religion
- "That's the thing about faith... if you don't have it, you can't understand it. If you do, no explanation is necessary."
- - Kira Nerys (DS9: "Accession")
The Bajoran Religion was centered around the Prophets, the Bajoran name for the aliens who resided in the Bajoran Wormhole, which the Bajorans believed was the Celestial Temple. Bajorans thought of these aliens as gods, and they often prayed to the Prophets for guidance. They also believed that everything happened for a reason, as it was the will of the Prophets and that starships were guided by the hands of the prophets when passing through the Bajoran wormhole. (DS9: "In the Hands of the Prophets")
The word of the Prophets guided Bajor for tens of thousands of years, and over the years, ten orbs, or Tears of the Prophets, had emerged from the wormhole. The spiritual leader of Bajor was the Kai. (DS9: "Emissary"; VOY: "State of Flux", "Flesh and Blood")
In 2369 Vedek Winn accused Keiko O'Brien of blasphemy because of her scientific way to teach knowledge to her students at her school aboard Deep Space 9. (DS9: "In the Hands of the Prophets")
Charity, humility and faith were seen as the keys to enlightenment in the Bajoran faith. (DS9: "Covenant")
Organization[edit]
Over the centuries, a stratified system had developed by which the Bajoran faith was organized. Although the Emissary took precedence above all others, the Kai was the spiritual leader of Bajor, elected from and by the Vedeks in the Vedek Assembly. The Assembly ruled alongside the Bajoran Provisional Government and its Chamber of Ministers. Vedeks normally presided over religious ceremonies, assisted by Ranjens.
