Rapture Family

The Rapture Family is a religion created by Simon Wales, used by Sofia Lamb to recruit more Splicers to her cause. Its primary teacher is also Father Wales, who resides in Siren Alley.

History
Father Wales' chapel.Added by GardimuerThe Rapture Family had its genesis in the philosophies of Sofia Lamb. She gained many supporters for her collectivist ideals through her attention to the troubles of the poor citizens in Pauper's Drop. During the economic depression, she offered free counseling sessions there, and she encouraged any of the patients who were interested in her ideas to wear a butterfly pin. This would become one of the most revered symbols of the Rapture Family.

Simon Wales was one of the down-on-their-luck citizens who attended these sessions. He was dramatically affected by Lamb's counseling and adopted the name "Father Wales." He began to conduct services in Siren Alley, initially with the promise that all faiths and creeds were welcome. However, as the Civil War in Rapture developed, the Family became more powerful, and it began to persecute other faiths. The bodies of nonbelievers in Siren Alley were often left next to their bibles under the scrawl "Nonbelievers are not welcome here anymore."

After Jack's journey through Rapture in 1960, Father Wales adopted him into the religion as a god-like figure who punished the wickedness of Andrew Ryan. It was also after 1960 that Sofia Lamb began to present her daughter, Eleanor Lamb, as a savior. The death of Ryan and the collapse of his economic system left a leadership vacuum in which the citizens of Rapture struggled to find something to believe in. As a result, the membership of the Cult grew enormously. Even some of the brightest remaining minds in Rapture, such as scientist Gilbert Alexander, turned to Sofia Lamb for the hope she offered.

Philosophy
A ritually decorated Little Sister vent.Added by GardimuerThe Rapture Family was made very simple, so that the Splicers could comprehend it. Many of their beliefs are heavily modeled on Christianity, including the reverence for a single god, but the cult also draws upon Gnosticism, especially its concept of the "Demiurge". Sofia Lamb published her philosophies in the book Unity and Metamorphosis, and this is treated as a religious document by the Rapture Family.

The core belief of the religion is that every citizen of Rapture owes each other a sense of unity and brotherhood. This is a stark contrast to Andrew Ryan's objectivist philosophy which extolled the virtues of one's own happiness or rational self-interest. This religion promotes a cult of personality, dedicating shrines to Sofia and Eleanor Lamb, as well as putting emphasis on the theme of rebirth, using butterfly imagery as well as evangelical graffiti on the walls of Rapture. To the Rapture Family, the Blue Morpho butterfly represents rebirth, or "Imago". The people of the Cult strive to be released from the self, and be reborn as a selfless being in service of the family, ultimately leading to the salvation of Rapture and its inhabitants.

The Rapture Family also reveres Jack, viewing him as an incarnation of their god. Simon Wales preaches that this god "smote down the false Father, Andrew Ryan -- who tempted us away from (his) radiant graze." Throughout Rapture there are numerous shrines with murals depicting the events of Jack's travel through Rapture, including his chain tattooed wrists in the act of injecting a hypo, and the plane crash at the Lighthouse.

Another main theme is the worship for Eleanor Lamb, who is revered as a holy vessel by members of the cult. Throughout Siren Alley, the central location of the cult, there are sealed cases holding items allegedly belonging to Eleanor, including a Big Daddy plush toy (bears the inscription "Her vanquished captor's effigy"), an ADAM extraction needle ("By which we are saved") and a white dress ("Her purgatorial vestments"). Murals of a woman in a flowing dress with a butterfly for a face can be seen prominently throughout Rapture, showing the Splicer's worship of her as a holy vessel of their salvation.

Members of the Rapture Family revere all Little Sisters and often decorate the Little Sister vents like sacrificial altars. Members (more likely if not commonly Splicers) of the cult that wish to sacrifice themselves for the greater good go to these vents and offer themselves up to the Little Sisters, who harvest their ADAM, thereby returning it to the great cycle.

BioShock 2
The Rapture Family encompasses the majority of Rapture's declining population by the time of Delta's resurrection in 1968. Several of its leaders play roles as significant enemies, and each one possesses resources necessary for Delta's progression to the next level. Grace Holloway and Simon Wales are both within this category, although Simon is the only one to pose direct physical harm to Delta. Delta also encounters many Splicers of the cult, although their only difference from normal Splicers is the butterfly insignias upon their masks and pinned to their clothing.

Members of The Rapture Family

 * Sofia Lamb (Co-Founder)
 * Simon Wales (Co-Founder)
 * Grace Holloway
 * Stanley Poole (Only as a sleeper agent.)
 * Gilbert Alexander
 * Nigel Weir
 * Gideon Wyborn
 * Earl Manley
 * Mike Novak
 * Jackie Rodkins (Likely convert)
 * Numerous annonymous splicers