Atela: Notes on Religion

The Last Kingdom is dominated by a monotheistic, sun-based religion known simply as the Church.
The Church has existed for centuries and there are numerous records of angelic messengers communicating God's will with the Kingpriest.
This hasn't happened in a long while.
The religion is akin to the real world's Christian Old Testament. In Atela, God does not forgive or forget. This is a God that punishes those who break his commandments.
The religious commandments are pretty simple:

1) You shall not worship false gods. This is the literal truth in this setting. The God of the Atelan Church is the one true God; all other gods are pretenders or worse.

2) You shall not murder. Basically, it's okay to kill in self-defense or during war, but coldblooded murder is a sin.

3) You shall not steal. Pretty self-explanatory.

4) Husbands honor they wives.  The phrasing on this and references in the Holy Texts seems to indicate that God is fine with polygamous marriages. Or at least, that's how it's been interpreted by certain individuals. Legally, in Atela, a man can have a wife and concubines. 

5) Wives honor they husbands. Again, the phrasing on this has led to interesting theological discussions and arguments. On the Cold Coast, some women have more than one husband since sailors and seamen die so often.

6) Children honor they parents. This is one of the foundation-stones of Atelan society as children are expected to respect and care for their parents. A child who abandons or mistreats an elderly parent will be looked down upon by everyone and may be called before a Church court.

7) You shall not lie. Yes, this is a Divine Commandment and the reason parents punish their children severely when they lie.  It's not uncommon for witnesses who purger themselves in secular and Church courts to have their tongues cut out.

God is never depicted as human in religious artwork, but as a sun or solar disc.  Halos adorning the heads of saints and paladins are representation of God channeling his divine power through them.  The symbol of God is a stylized sun and the image is prevalent in church artwork and design. Religious services are always held during the day.  Heretics and diabolists are burned at night for a reason.

Although it hasn't been explicitly stated, most Atelans, including the clergy, believe that the reason the world is getting so cold is because God has turned his face from the world.  (This is actually true. God has turned away from the world to work on other projects, but no one in the Church knows this.)  It is widely believed that if all the people adhere to the Commandments then God will look favorably upon the world again and the long winters will stop.