Character from Hyperion by Dan Simmons
A religion built around worshipping a monster — the Shrike Church venerates the Lord of Pain and correctly prophesied that Brawne Lamia's child would be the One Who Teaches.
The Church of the Final Atonement worships the Shrike as the Avatar — the Lord of Pain who will judge humanity at the end of time. Their theology holds that pain is the path to transcendence and the Shrike is its instrument. They organize pilgrimages to the Time Tombs where one pilgrim's wish is granted and the rest die. Remarkably, they were right about some things: they correctly prophesied that Brawne Lamia's child would be 'the One Who Teaches.' Their theology of pain as transcendence connects (uncomfortably) to the Tree of Pain's function of broadcasting consciousness into the Void. They understood the Shrike better than the Hegemony or the TechnoCore — not intellectually, but spiritually.
Clergy in blood-red and black. Central temple in Keats on Hyperion: over 150 meters tall with a sharpened spire. The aesthetic is deliberate — worship through suffering, architecture through intimidation.
Also known as: Shrike Church, Church of the Final Atonement