Sin, Confession and Punishment
Acolytes will make mistakes. Sisters will encounter failures as they attempt diligently to achieve Submersion. The Order of our Rubber Devotion recognises the human capacity for Sin, and a vigorous system exists to churn it out and leave nothing but perfect devotion to rubber in its place.
Sin
To disobey the will of the Void is Sin. To deny the virtues of devotion to rubber is Sin. To reject rubber is Sin. To display arrogance or pride when fulfilling one’s duties is Sin. To be ignorant of the Doctrine of our Order is Sin, as is disrespect or negligence towards it also. To complain, or fear, or become jealous or envious, all are Sin.
To break a Vow is Sin. To lie or cheat through a Vow is Sin. Failure is Sin.
All Sin serves to achieve is added obstacles to the pathway to Submersion. Once Submerged, once the Void has taken control and left a hollow uniform in its wake, the capacity for Sin is greatly, if not fully, diminished. For a Sister in perfect synchronicity with the Void is naught more a droplet in its streams, helpless to its flows.
Confession
Confession is a central component of Reconciliation, it is the vehicle by which Sin is judged and Punishment administered. In the Order of our Rubber Devotion, a Confessional is a small, padded container, barely large enough to fit a body even when hogtied and thoroughly forced into place. Regardless of if a Sister or acolyte is eager to Confess, or if they are resisting the necessity to confess, the statement of Sin will always be dragged out from the claustric embrace of this container.
If a Confession is taken willingly, then the allocation of Punishment will be swift. Often this is the case, for the one being judged knows that to do otherwise would only occur a lengthy time spent in the Confessional and a more severe Punishment administered by the Sisterhood. But were one to resist the inevitable for too long, then their Confession may be deemed futile. They will be marked as Expunged, fit only for eternal Punishment, and dragged down to the lower chambers to begin their infinite time as nothing more than writhing masses of rubber.
Punishment
Once the Confession is made, it is time for the Punishment to be distributed. Punishment serves as the mirror image of the Vows, it enforces a similar sentence but its purpose could not be more the opposite.
Sisters undergoing strict Vows of Restriction might be displayed in the upper halls as a virtuous example to all of what they strive for. Their bodies positioned like statues, arranged with grace and poise. Acolytes being Punished for their Sin might be restrained with similar severity, but they will be arranged in humiliating displays. Made to understand the lowliness of their actions, made to endure this Punishment and have their repentance and humility thoroughly branded into them.
Like with the Vows, Punishment can take make forms. It can be painful, it can be mind-numbing, it can be long and strenuous. Once complete, the acolyte or Sister will return to their duties, the Sin purged from them and ready to return to their duties within the Order of our Rubber Devotion.
