The Church of Inner Light was founded on the teachings of Paraceln, a mystic visionary who lived more than two hundred years ago. It gained substance and power through the tireless efforts of Shiliya, Paraceln's first disciple. Shiliya codified Paraceln's teachings, and presented them in a format that even a serf could understand. Church doctrine holds that the universe is created from light, and that the light is the purest form of existence. Since the creation of the Cosmos, the universe's light has grown tainted and become trapped in crass material form. By freeing light from the constraints of matter, humanity can again be one with the Cosmos. To that end, Paraceln reshaped the world, giving it the chance to cast aside its material existence and become pure light once more. Paraceln predicted that the End Times would come a hundred years after his death, searing the shadows away from the world and plunging its souls back into the light.

Shiliya preached that an individual human could grow towards the light and cast away the bonds of shadow. Personal enlightenment could be reached through contemplation of the power within the human soul. Theurgy, the magical sacraments invented by Paraceln, were the surest route to enlightenment. Theurgy was not for everyone, though; in its place, prayer, meditation, asceticism, and celibacy could also bring one nearer to enlightenment. Shiliya taught that women were closer to the light than men, and should be allowed to pursue lives of personal enrichment while men concerned themselves with material matters. The Church of Inner Light has produced many fine female scholars over the last two centuries, but the church hierarchy remains equally open to both genders.

At its root, the Church of Inner Light is an atheist political organization dedicated to protecting humanity from the threat posed by the use of occult knowledge. The current leader of the Church of Inner Light is the Principal Light Reyhari, who has held the title since before the Interregnum. He is said to be a thoughtful man, more concerned with the souls of humanity than with material power. Rumor suggests that the Bellatrix noble family encouraged him to seize the throne during the Interregnum.