Chapter 890 God’s Partner

In addition to praying, the Benedictines were also assigned personal tasks. Some were strong enough to dig the ground and grow vegetables, while others knew certain crafts and techniques and did some manual work. Everyone took turns to work in the kitchen.

Group life is given an order, and everyone has a fixed time to hold ceremonies, read holy books, and work. This is also the way of life expressed by Christians in the early church, and it has been this way for fifteen hundred years.

When they found the retired priest, he was picking tomatoes in the greenhouse in the backyard. There was a chicken shed next to the greenhouse, and a younger monk was picking eggs.

At first glance, there was nothing special about the white-haired old man, but when he noticed someone and turned his eyes, she was still startled.

She subconsciously hid behind Severus, and then she felt that she was older and could not hide behind someone younger than herself, so she had the courage to stand next to him. The old priest kept staring at him with a smile on his face.

Smiling, she felt like she was being laughed at.

"Father Stein..."

"I am no longer a priest." The old man interrupted the secretary-general, "I am just an ordinary monk now."

"I need your help." The secretary-general said. "A young man went to Poveglia Island and encountered a strange thing. Someone threw powder on his face, which caused him to hallucinate."

"He went to the hospital?" Brother Stein said.

"Yes."

"Did the doctors at the hospital collect evidence?"

The Secretary-General did not answer.

"The purpose of doctors is to save people. They usually don't check all the traces on the body to find clues like forensic doctors." The old monk continued to pick tomatoes. "I don't think I can help you."

"Even if you know someone is doing evil?" Severus asked. "I thought monks liked to save lost sheep."

“If God has planted a tendency toward good deep in people’s hearts, then the devil has planted a tendency toward evil deep in people’s hearts. In the eyes of some people, bread is bread and wine is wine, but in the eyes of others, bread is bread and wine is wine.

In people's eyes, the Holy Body is human flesh and blood. Even baptism cannot wash away the original sin on their bodies." The old monk picked a tomato and threw it into the basket. "They are following the call of nature and they are hunters.

, I am neither a lost lamb nor in need of saving, not to mention that I have retired."

"Priests your age are still working."

"I am different from them. There are very few people who are truly possessed. Most people just feel that they need to be exorcised. This will help them regain their confidence. If a person has a mental state problem, it is a terrible thing.

"

"You think those priests are just going through the motions?" Pomona asked.

"No, the exorcism ritual is only an aid. To resist the devil, you still have to rely on the believer himself. What can he do if he doesn't believe it?" The old monk smiled coldly and helplessly. "People in our era are too deeply influenced by nature.

.”

"How did you end up in this situation?" Severus asked.

"Who are you?" the old monk asked.

"A wizard," Severus said. "How about we have a frank chat?"

The old monk said, "People outside also say that this monastery is like a lunatic asylum."

"I am someone else's godfather." Severus smiled wickedly. "It is part of the tradition for children to have godfathers and godmothers."

"It's just a temporary cooperation." The secretary-general explained helplessly and awkwardly.

"I believe that creators are the people closest to God." Severus said, "Creativity is not given by God. It must be cultivated by people themselves and constantly explore their own potential. How about let us create some miracles?"

"It's like partners." Pomona said, "We don't need to trust and love each other, but we can feel the connection with God in the process of creation. God said let there be light, and the brightest angel may fall,

But angels are always bright."

"Although the villains all appear to be loyal and good, they must still retain their true qualities." The old monk then said, "You are British."

"You don't have to be British if you can recite Shakespeare's famous lines." Severus said with a smirk.

"Americans can't speak with an accent like yours." The old monk also smiled and said, "I have been possessed by the devil, and it prompted me to commit terrible sins. Although other priests exorcised the devil for me, I know that it is still there.

If you don't leave, I can't help you."

A free person, who comes from a good background, receives a good education, and associates with good people, will naturally accumulate virtues, do good, and stay away from bad habits. But is this really the case?

"Do you believe in saving others before helping yourself?" Pomona asked.

"I'm just doing what I can. The devil in my heart still has an influence on me. I don't want to cause you any trouble."

"What did you do?" Severus asked.

"I ran naked." The old monk shrugged. "Obviously not everyone wants to see that scene."

Pomona didn't know what to say.

Everyone comes into this world naked. Anyone who wears clothes at birth must be a freak. Jia Baoyu holding a piece of jade in his hand is regarded as a strange thing.

Some people take to the streets naked, usually to promote public welfare ideas, such as not using oil, protecting the environment, and returning to nature.

So, what the hell is “nature”?

In the Prague throwing incident that triggered the Thirty Years' War in Germany, the Protestants were the first to rush into the palace. If these three people fell on the gravel road, no one would survive. Fortunately, the sanitary condition of the city at that time was very bad.

Even around the castle there was a lot of rubbish. The officials who were thrown out of the window all landed in the rubbish heap. In addition to being frightened and shocked, only one of them broke his leg.

There are two reasons for "Prague thrown out the window". Bohemia maintained a great deal of autonomy after being reintegrated into the territory of the Holy Roman Empire. The Congress and the Protestant Church continued to play an important role, and the Bohemians continued to play an important role in religion and state.

Arguing with the Habsburgs over the issue, Emperor Rudolf II chose the lesser evil in order to quell early movements for Czech independence, allowing Bohemia to practice Protestantism freely, however Rudolf's ambitious younger brother Marcosiamy

Seeing this as a weakness, Lyon managed to expel Rudolf in 1612 and began a strict Counter-Reformation in all Austrian provinces.

The Habsburgs were Catholics, and they used the Inquisition to force Protestants to believe in Catholicism. After the religious reform in the 1630s, another political revolution occurred in the Holy City where Calvin lived. At that time, there was an atmosphere of terror, and people generally

Believe that the plague was a conspiracy spread by hidden poisoners.

Later, these poisoners became sorcerers, and the content of the so-called religious trials changed from climate magic to black magic that cursed people with illnesses.

After the founding of the country, Protestantism continued to expand, and Geneva became the Rome of Protestantism, and Calvin was called the "Pope of Geneva."

In order to prevent the activities of separatist forces, it is understandable that the Habsburg family did this, but the common people at the bottom did not think so. They felt that this was a persecution and that the Habsburg dynasty was eliminating the nobles of Bohemian descent.

In Münster, Archduke Maximilian, who was hated by Prague's Protestants but was beloved, died of an unexplained sudden death in 1618.

Nowadays, Western countries do not easily establish a state religion. Even though almost all U.S. presidents are Protestants, Protestantism is still not a state religion.

The establishment of Protestantism as the state religion in England was decided by the king. In 1534, the "Supremacy Act" was passed that "the king is supreme", declaring that King Henry VIII of England is "the defender and the only supreme head of the British church and clergy". All subjects are under the rule of law.

When necessary, they had to take an oath of allegiance to the Supreme Being, recognizing Henry VIII and denying the Pope's status as a religious leader.

In other words, Britain did not recognize Rome.

Calvin's predetermination points out that since the creation of the world, God has divided people into those who are chosen and those who should be discarded. Some people become rich not because of their character, wisdom or hard work, but because they are people whom God has long avoided.

The chosen ones, as well as those who are poor and needy, are meant to obey the irresistible will of God.

This is inconsistent with what Erasmus proposed: "I hope that fate will grant me the same degree of freedom as nature has given me."

In other words, if you are born poor, that is God's arrangement. Stop struggling and listen to the rich.

It's different for the wealthy bourgeoisie. They have a mission to take the world away from the decadent old religion.

The earliest theory of predestination was preached by St. Augustine in the fourth century. God created all things and made all things move because of God's will. He had chosen saints in eternity before the creation of the world. He was not

It was decided when the first man was created, but was decided in eternity before the creation of heaven, earth, and sea. But God’s will already includes His will to allow creation to have free will. Precisely because God still

The independent will of creation is completely retained, so although God has sovereignty, humans have responsibilities. The theory of predestination means that whether a person is saved or not has nothing to do with poverty, wealth, or honor. God has not only determined salvation, but also everything.

People can't understand it.

The predetermined conclusions of Protestantism deprived people of their "free will", which was in line with the interests of the bourgeoisie. In the early days, church members controlled everything and prohibited dancing, games, singing, and even wearing beautiful clothes. Anyone who violated the rules and was lazy or greedy

Everything you eat must be handed over to the court for trial and punishment.

In his "Instruments of Christ", when discussing the relationship between man and God, he mentioned: Because of our inherent pride, we always think that we are just, innocent, holy and wise, unless we have conclusive evidence to understand our own

Unrighteousness, evil, stupidity, and despicableness cannot be judged if we only focus on ourselves and not on the Lord.

Natural justice is an ancient concept of justice. No matter how you look at it, in the eyes of some people, it is unjust for the illegitimate son of Rudolf II to kill his mistress, dismember her and throw her out of the window, and then the officials act as if nothing happened.

Yes, the Protestants threw those officials out without killing them. Compared with the girl who died tragically, they were all lucky. Scum should stay with garbage. This is the second reason for the window throwing incident in Prague.

.

Even if she is a vain girl, she should not be cut into pieces in front of everyone and then thrown on the street like garbage.

Justice should not be linked to interests, let alone manipulated by words. In 1553, the famous Spanish scientist Michael Servetus came to Geneva by chance. This scientist discovered the small blood circulation between the heart and the lungs.

It was very prestigious at the time. Because Servetus had criticized his teachings in a book and was associated with the Anabaptists, Calvin had the scientist arrested and sentenced to death. This atrocity caused widespread dissatisfaction among the intellectual community

, Calvin had to publish a special treatise to defend himself.

The organizational form of the Calvinist church was more conducive to the rule of the bourgeoisie, and scientists needed funds for research, so the incident ultimately came to nothing.

There is a stone tablet erected on the hillside where Seth was executed. It was erected by people who followed Calvin many years later. It has this text engraved on it in French: "We are the faithful and grateful descendants of the reformer Calvin, especially criticizing

His mistake was the fault of his time. But we believe, in the light of the Reformation and the true meaning of the gospel, that freedom of conscience is above all else."

Plato believed that people have three attributes: reason, ambition, and desire. When reason controls ambition and desire, the person will obtain the virtue of justice. Plato emphasized that law is an external authority, and its power comes from people's inner

good.

Rousseau believed that conscience was the voice of God and the command of the supreme moral commander.
To be continued...