Religion of Crime
The Religion of Crime is a group that features in DC Comics.
Contents |
History
The Religion of Crime
During the 1880's, adherents from the Dark Faith had come to Gotham City where they intended to turn it into their equivalent of the Vatican and began to consecrate it by murdering prostitutes. Their activities were threatened by the discovery of their group by Jonah Hex and Dr. Amadeus Arkham. (All-Star Western v3 #2) Around this time, they were challenged by another secret society in Gotham which was the Court of Owls. (All-Star Western v3 #10)
In the United Kingdom, the family of King Coal were linked to the global network of the Religion of Crime. (Batman and Robin v1 #7)
Bruno Mannheim sought to fulfil the prophecy that spoke that the twice-named daughter of Cain's murder would bring about a new age for their faith. Thus, he moved his operations to Gotham City and believed that the vigilante known as the Batwoman was the person named in the prophecy with him seeking her capture. Unaware of her true identity, they later determined that the person named in the prophecy had a variation of Cain in her name and thus sought out such an individual in the city. (52 v1 #47) After Batwoman survived, a schism erupted among some members of the Dark Faith leading to the Cain Heresy. This was because prophecy held that the twice-named daughter of Cain murder would bring about a new age. The fact that Batwoman survive led to the hybrids questioning this prophecy and some came to revere Batwoman as a holy figure. (Detective Comics v1 #859)
Within Gotham, there were at least 13 covens linked to the Religion operating in the city. With the choosing of a new leader, the Religion of Crime released the white smoke to indicate that they had a new head who was going to come to Gotham City. Batwoman tracked the location where the gathering took place and confronted the Religion's new leader named Alice. (Detective Comics v1 #854) Batwoman barely survived the encounter after she was poisoned by Alice but was saved by the intervention of Abbott and a group of hybrids that were seen as heretics by the Dark Faith. (Detective Comics v1 #855) Alice had come to Gotham City because she deemed it a holy city for their faith and wanted to rule it unlike the Prophet Mannheim who sought it destruction. (Detective Comics v1 #856)
In the modern age, a lecture by Professor Stanton T. Carlyle in London was made on the Religion of Crime and the Crime Bible though he concluded it as being a hoax. Renee Montoya would question Professor Carlyle about the book and the Religion of Crime but he claimed that they were a myth whereupon he asked her not to bother him again. In reality, Stanton was a member of the Religion of Crime claiming that the cult did not exist yet disseminating the contents of the Crime Bible to listeners thus inducting them into its beliefs. He also intended to murder his wife to create controversy that adherents of the cult killed her and generating more readers into buying his book about the Religion of Crime. This plan was thwarted by Montoya as the Question but she was ambushed by Brother Flay of the Order of the Stone who planned to induct her into his sect. (Crime Bible: Five Lessons of Blood v1 #1)
The Order of the Stone looked to redeem themselves by eliminating Renee Montoya in Portsmouth, England but in her guise as the Question she managed to escape. (Final Crisis: Revelations v1 #1) At the same time, they managed to recover the Spear of Destiny after which they sought to release the spirit of Cain. This involved them tracking down Vandal Savage who was stabbed with the spear allowing Cain to manifest in his body. (Final Crisis: Revelations v1 #2)
It was suspected that one funder of the White Market was the Order of the Stone of the Religion of Crime. (Batman Secret Files: The Signal v1 #1) During the Fear State, Batwoman looked to dismantle the Religion of Crime in Gotham and use them against the mysterious Seer leading to her enlisting the aid of her sister Beth Kane. She resumed her previous identity as Red Alice and pretended that she as returning to her old position as the High Madam. However, the Religion of Crime cultists refused to accept her as they saw her as a traitor to their organisation. The Seer who was aware of Batwoman's plan came to notify the Peacekeepers who were sent onto the scene with the Religion of Crime not intervening as they had hoped that the authorities would arrest Beth Kane. (Batman: Urban Legends v1 #9)
Overview
It consisted of a global network of covens. (Batman and Robin v1 #7)
They claimed that their origins were traced to the dawn of time and that they worshipped gods of evil. (Batman and Robin v1 #8) To these cultists, they believed that the Cain Bible was perfect in its cruelty and in its crime. (52 v1 #47) They offered their thanks and prayers to Cain. (Detective Comics v1 #855) Its followers operated according to scripture from the Crime Bible itself. (All-Star Western v3 #10)
A high ranking position within the Dark Faith was that of the High Madame. (Detective Comics v1 #859)
The structure of their organization was in such a way that it was always divided with five different houses each devoted to a different criminal discipline namely; thievery, assassination, extortion, prostitution and terrorism. To destroy the cult, one needed to root out the heads of the different houses to eliminate them and their potential successors. (All-Star Western v3 #10) Congregations of the Religion of Crime were known as a coven. (Crime Bible: Five Lessons of Blood v1 #3) One of the many sects included the Order of the Stone. (Crime Bible: Five Lessons of Blood v1 #1) The Cain Heresy saw a number of hybrids come to revere Batwoman as a figure that would free them and as such they were hunted by the Dark Faith. (Detective Comics v1 #859) Lilith's Daughters were said to had converted many to their faith. (Crime Bible: Five Lessons of Blood v1 #2) The Daughters of Lilith were effectively nuns within the Religion of Crime. (Lois Lane v2 #11)
In a religion that venerated sin, feelings such as love were crimes and warranted punishment. (Lois Lane v2 #11) In the Book of Lilith, the blasphemies spoke of a prophecy that the murder of the twice-named daughter of Cain would herald a new age. (Detective Comics v1 #859)
One of the practices they used was that of divination that required a sacrificial offering though this rite produced uncertain results. (52 v1 #47)
Members
- Flay : a male member of the Order of the Stone who intended to induct Renee Montoya into his sect. (Crime Bible: Five Lessons of Blood v1 #1)
- Mr. Paste :
- Mr. Bronson :
- Mr. Montrose :
- Doctor Dupree :
- Colonel Hammersmith :
- Old King Coal :
- Renee Montoya :
- Whisper A'Daire :
- Kyle Abbot :
- Bruno Mannheim :
- Alice : She became the new High Madame of the Religion of Crime. (Detective Comics v1 #855)
- Elicia Sanchez :
Notes
- The Religion of Crime were created by Geoff Johns, Grant Morrison, Greg Rucka, and Mark Waid where they made their first appearance in 52 v1 #11 (July, 2006).
- In an interview on Newsarama, Rucka commented on the groups view of story of Cain and Abel, "For the Religion of Crime, it’s the moment of creation, the genesis of the First Crime. And so Cain is alternately referred to as “the First” in the Five Books, because he is, literally, the first criminal on Earth. Cain’s murder of Abel defines the religion, and we saw that as far back as “Week 16” of 52, with the mention of “the rock and the red rage” – or the murder weapon and the motive. So all of that is very loaded in regards to the religion. The rock – or as it becomes, “the red rock,” because once it’s been used as a murder weapon, it’s stained with its victim’s blood – is a very potent symbol. Hence “the Order of the Stone.”"
In other media
Video games
- In DC Universe Online, it was said that Intergang had created a new organization namely the Religion of Crime that followed the Crime Bible in Gotham City. At Gotham, they were commanded by Whisper O'Daire and Kyle Abbot who were seeking the twice damned daughter of Cain. The heroes would dispatch Batwoman and the Question to leading heroes against the Cult of Crime. However, once there, Batwoman was ambushed and captured revealing it to be a trap as she was the objective whilst Renee Montoya tried to save her.
Appearances
- 52 v1: (2006)
- Batman and Robin v1:
- Detective Comics v1:
- Crime Bible: Five Lessons of Blood v1:
- Final Crisis: Revelations v1:
- Lois Lane v2: (2020)
- Batman Secret Files: The Signal v1: (2021)
- Batman: Urban Legends v1:
External Links
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