History Main / SaintlyChurch

* The Belkan Saint Church in ''MagicalGirlLyricalNanoha''.

* The Zedem church in ''{{Startopia}}'' is [[TheFundamentalist old-fashioned and moralistic]] but seems genuinely well-intentioned, spreading the word by evangelism and its adherents being nonviolent ascetics. Much more importantly, [[ScrewTheRulesIHaveMoney they pay the administrator a]] ''[[ScrewTheRulesIHaveMoney lot]]'' [[ScrewTheRulesIHaveMoney of moolah]] if you let them set up a church on your biodeck and bring in converts -- a more high-risk, high-reward alternative to [[{{Brainwashed}} more secular alternatives of dealing with sinners]].

[[DragonQuestHeroesRocketSlime http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/rocket_slime_church.jpg]]
[[caption-width:260:Saves your soul, and your game.]]

CrystalDragonJesus optional. ChurchMilitant also optional because, hey, [[GoodIsNotNice just being good doesn't mean you can't kick ass.]]

Most RealLife churches would see themselves this way, and [[TruthInTelevision some are even right.]]

[[AC: {{Anime}} and {{Manga}}]]

* ''TrinityBlood'' [[spoiler: YourMileageMayVary as in the manga various characters keep pulling it closer to the CorruptChurch end of the spectrum.]]

* For the most part, the Catholic Church in ''{{Warrior Nun Areala}}'' is portrayed very positively, as being an organization working directly under the authority of Heaven, empowered to hunt down and battle the forces of Hell, and optionally more mundane villainy such as Nazi masterminds. The order of Warrior Nuns is armed with weapons that, while lethal to demons and the undead, do not harm humans.

* The Omnian religion in ''{{Discworld}}'', once Brutha [[spoiler: becomes Cenobiarch]] at the end of ''Discworld/SmallGods''.
** Implicitly (re)combined with ChurchMilitant in ''Discworld/UnseenAcademicals'', in which Mightily Oats is mentioned to have brought "Forgiveness" to the wild places of Uberwald, both in the literal sense, and in the, um, [[ICallItVera sense of a large axe]].

** In the ''ForgottenRealms'' setting, Ilmater tends to be this especially, but then, he is CrystalDragonJesus more than most. Also the divinely-granted spells of the worshippers of Sune, Goddess of Beauty and Love, are the closest thing to weaponized love in the setting.

* The Brotherhood from ''MutantChronicles''. They run charitable hospitals, schools and soup kitchens, maintain the only universally recognised bank and currency, and mediate in corporate disputes. Granted, they also torture suspected devil-worshipers and assassinate dissidents, but in a time when the legions of Hell have already conquered 2/3 of the Solar System once, were only driven back because the Brotherhood intervened, and are looking to infiltrate human society and make a repeat performance [[AndItWorked this may not be a bad thing...]]

* The Air Nomads in ''AvatarTheLastAirbender'' are heavily implied to have been a Buddhist-inspired variation of this, mostly according to the backstory and a lot of WordOfGod. They used all the money they made to support others, they fought only in self-defense, and the last surviving Air Nomad, the eponymous Last Airbender, makes reference to various Air Nomad wisdom from time to time. It's notable that as a whole, they were so spiritual that their entire culture could Airbend, while in the other Nations only a certian percentage can, though this may be related to their small population.

** The Catholic Church runs orphanages, schools and hospitals all over the world, and spends more money and manpower on humanitarian aid than any other organisation, including the Red Cross and the UN.

** The Religious Society of Friends, commonly known as the "Quakers", have a long history of this sort of behaviour, with a strong dedication to charity, social justice and [[ActualPacifist pacifism]], with not a black mark on their record. They are particularly well thought of in Ireland, unusually for a strongly Roman Catholic country with a traditionally dim view of Protestantism, owing to their exceptional devotion to charitable works during the Great Famine, during which, unlike most protestant denominations, they refrained from proselytising during the process.

* The Brotherhood from ''MutantChronicles''. They run charitable hospitals, schools and soup kitchens, maintain the only universally recognised bank and currency, and mediate in corporate disputes. Granted, they also torture suspected devil-worshipers and assassinate dissidents, but in a time when the legions of Hell have already conquered 2/3 of the Solar System once, were only driven back because the Brotherhood intervened, and are looking to infiltrate human society and make a repeat performance [[AndItWorkedthis may not be a bad thing...]]

* The Light of Kiltia in ''FinalFantasyXII''. Benevolent, politically-neutral (their priests are forbidden to engage in matters of state,) and deeply protective of refugees and pilgrims. It is implied, however, that in the [[TheVerse mythology it shares]] with ''FinalFantasyTactics'' and ''VagrantStory'' its diminished political power allowed the [[CorruptChurch Church of Glabados]] and the [[{{Cult}} Müllenkamp cult]] to appear from within its ranks.

* The Church of the Holy Maiden in LaPucelle; although the game actually questions the notion of faith in gods at some points (and even [[spoiler: their goddess, Poitrene, herself claims not to be perfect at one point]] ) the Church is still largely a force for good that cares for the people. On the other hand their rivals, The Church of the Holy Mother, turns out to be a [[spoiler: ReligionOfEvil in disguise]] but [[VillainWithGoodPublicity has more worshippers]].

* The Temple of Palfina in HexyzForce. When they learn that Cecilia inherits Palfina's power, they throw all their support behind her despite her reputation as a [[IJustWantToBeNormal slacker]].

* The Light of Kiltia in ''FinalFantasyXII''. Benevolent, politically-neutral (their priests are forbidden to engage in matters of state,) and deeply protective of refugees and pilgrims. It is implied, however, that in the [[TheVerse mythology it shares]] with ''FinalFantasyTactics'' and ''VagrantStory'' its diminished political power allowed the [[CorruptChurch Church of Glabados]] and the [[{{Cult}} Mallenkamp cult]] to appear from within its ranks.

* The Holy Den Mother is almost universally worshiped by the Vulpine in [[Terinu]] and is generally portrayed as a benevolent MotherGoddess.

* DavidWeber's ''{{Safehold}}'' books has the Church of Charis, created in book two in response to the [[CorruptChurch corrupt]] [[PathOfInspiration Church of God Awaiting]], headed by Archbishop Maikel Staynair.

** Implicitly (re)combined with ChurchMilitant in ''{{Discworld/UnseenAcademicals}}'', in which Mightily Oats is mentioned to have brought "Forgiveness" to the wild places of Uberwald, both in the literal sense, and in the, um, [[ICallItVera sense of a large axe]].

* The Zedem church in ''{{Startopia}}'' is [[TheFundamentalist old-fashioned and moralistic]] but seems genuinely well-intentioned, spreading the word by evangelism and its adherents being nonviolent ascetics. Much more importantly, [[{{ptitle2rgn9vunopna}} they pay the administrator a]] ''[[{{ptitle2rgn9vunopna}} lot]]'' [[{{ptitle2rgn9vunopna}} of moolah]] if you let them set up a church on your biodeck and bring in converts -- a more high-risk, high-reward alternative to [[{{Brainwashed}} more secular alternatives of dealing with sinners]].

* The monk and his church in the second KingsQuest help Graham a great deal. [[spoiler: The FanRemake? Not so much...]]

* The Air Nomads in ''AvatarTheLastAirbender'' are heavily implied to have been a Buddhist-inspiried variation of this, mostly according to the backstory and a lot of WordOfGod. They used all the money they made to support others, they fought only in self-defense, and the last surviving Air Nomad, the eponymous Last Airbender, makes reference to various Air Nomad wisdom from time to time. It's notable that as a whole, they were so spiritual that their entire culture could Airbend, while in the other Nations only a certian percentage can, though this may be related to their small population.

* In observance of the {{Rule of Cautious Editing Judgement}}, let's stick to giving or reinforcing examples that we ''do'' believe truly belong here instead of trying to pick examples apart when we ''disagree''.

** This is so much a part of airbender culture that in one late episode, when Aang is conferring with his past incarnations to try and find a relatively peaceable solution to the problem of Fire Lord Ozai, he almost has a HeroidBSOD when even previous Air Nomad Avatars counsel killing Ozai as the best solution.

CrystalDragonJesus optional. ChurchMilitant also optional because, hey, just being good doesn't mean you can't kick ass.

** The Church of God (supported by Operation Compassion) runs the [=DreamCenters=]. One (the Appalachian [=DreamCenter=]) located in Holden, West Virginia is the go-to site for FEMA and the Red Cross. It also houses people when necessary. The other (The First American [=DreamCenter=]) helps out the Navajo Indians by repairing their houses and such. Both have free hot meals on weekdays, have give-aways when we have the product, and are non-profit.

** In the book ''Who Really Cares?'', author Arthur Brooks analyzes data about charitable giving and argues that one of the four major ''predictors'' of personal charity is religious faith. This isn't to say that atheists ''don't'' give to charity, or that any given atheist gives less than the average Christian -- but statistically, people of faith give more regularly and more abundantly than others do. (Of course, religion hosts a number of people who donate ''way'' above average, which does raise the bar a bit.)
*** It's also slightly biased by the fact that donations to religious bodies, such as tithes, are counted as charitable donations; in this case, a "charity" is any non-profit organisation, and not just a charity in the colloquial sense.

* The Air Nomads in ''AvatarTheLastAirbender'' are heavily implied to have been a Buddhist-inspiried variation of this, mostly according to the backstory and a lot of WordOfGod. They used all the money they made to support others, they fought only in self-defense, and the last surviving Air Nomad, the titular Last Airbender, makes reference to various Air Nomad wisdom from time to time. It's notable that as a whole, they were so spiritual that their entire culture could Airbend, while in the other Nations only a certian percentage can, though this may be related to their small population.

*** '''Brutally''' averted by the [[{{Troll}} Westboro Baptist]] [[InNameOnly Church.]]

* The Air Nomads in AvatarTheLastAirbender are heavily implied to have been a Buddhist-inspiried variation of this, mostly according to the backstory and a lot of WordofGod. They used all the money they made to support others, they fought only in self-defense, and the last surviving Air Nomad, the titular Last Airbender, makes reference to various Air Nomad wisdom from time to time. It's notable that as a whole, they were so spiritual that their entire culture could Airbend, while in the other Nations only a certian percentage can, though this may be related to their small population.

* The Light of Kiltia in ''FinalFantasyXII''. Benevolent, politically-neutral (their priests are forbidden to engage in matters of state,) and deeply protective of refugees and pilgrims. It is implied, however, that in the [[TheVerse mythology it shares]] with ''FinalFantasyTactics'' and ''VagrantStory'' its diminished political power allowed the [[CorruptChurch Church of Glabados]] and the [[{{Cult}} Müllenkamp cult]] to appear from within its ranks.

** Implicitly (re)combined with ChurchMilitant in ''{{Discworld/UnseenAcademicals}}'', in which Mightily Oats is mentioned to have brought "Forgiveness", both in the literal sense, and in the, um, [[ICallItVera sense of a large axe]].

* The Church of the Holy Light in ''{{Warcraft}}'' 'verse. Their offshoot, the Scarlet Crusade, is [[FantasticRacism less]] [[ReligionOfEvil so]]. Disgruntled members of the Scarlet Crusade also have their own reformist organization, the Argent Dawn, which is an equal-opportunity employer and even has high-ranking ''undead'' members.

** The Church of God (supported by Operation Compassion) runs the [=DreamCenters=]. One (the Appalachian [[=DreamCenter=]) located in Holden, West Virginia is the go-to site for FEMA and the Red Cross. It also houses people when necessary. The other (The First American [=DreamCenter=]) helps out the Navajo Indians by repairing their houses and such. Both have free hot meals on weekdays, have give-aways when we have the product, and are non-profit.

*** ""Brutally"" averted by the Westboro Baptist Church.

** The Church of God (supported by Operation Compassion) runs the {=DreamCenters=]. One (the Appalachian [[WeWillUseWikiWordsInOurFuture DreamCenter]]) located in Holden, West Virginia is the go-to site for FEMA and the Red Cross. It also houses people when necessary. The other (The First American {=DreamCenter=}) helps out the Navajo Indians by repairing their houses and such. Both have free hot meals on weekdays, have give-aways when we have the product, and are non-profit.

** Also the un-named church which employs Yoko and Arikado in the ''Sorrow'' games.

Compare GoodShepherd. This will be replete with Good Shepherds, but the GoodShepherd can also be found in the CorruptChurch. A single good priest or religious figure falls under that trope rather than this one.

These are the Churches where you can find religious people good with children, animals, and the elderly. [[GoodShepherd Kindly priests]] and other religious types ready to give help or good advice to any troubled heroes are to be had here, and in the more fantastical types of setting, clerics willing to give healing of both the physical and spiritual to the wounded adventurer and resurrect the occasional dead team mate. Should the heroes ever meet the Pope or local equivalent of this church, more often than not, they will find themselves standing before a ReasonableAuthorityFigure very ready to hear what they say.