In fact, for Shang Yi, it doesn't matter whether he believes in religion or not. Even if he has really been baptized, it does not mean that he will regard the cause of Catholicism as his own career. In fact, most people who believe in Catholicism and have been baptized
Ming Dynasty officials basically held this idea.
Shang Yi's goal is just Lalong, a group of foreign monks. After all, in China, they are the only ones who have the more advanced scientific and technological knowledge in Europe. This is exactly what Shang Yi needs. It is also the best way to communicate between China and the West. China
If you want to change the tragic sufferings of modern times in another time and space, you must strengthen exchanges with the West from now on and absorb advanced Western scientific and technological knowledge. Otherwise, even if you can change the outcome of the Qing Dynasty taking over China, according to the Ming Dynasty
If this path continues to develop, China's outcome in two hundred years may not be as good as it is. In essence, there is not much difference between the Ming Dynasty and the Qing Dynasty. Even if some places are better, it is just a matter of fifty steps and a hundred steps.
Shang Yi did not believe that China could develop into modern times and modern society on its own without external interference.
Of course, at present, Shang Yi has no need for this, but it does not prevent him from making some preparations in advance. You should never wait until you are about to eat the fruit before you start thinking about planting trees. Shang Yi still understands this truth.
But it’s not the business that’s catching up. Since the foreign monks are asking for something from themselves, they naturally have to be a little tighter. They won’t agree now, but they don’t want the foreign monks to completely lose hope. They will wait until the conditions are right to make a move and try to sell as much as possible.
A good price.
At the same time, Shang Yi was not worried that after the spread of Catholicism in China, it would develop into a huge force that would affect the court's decision-making in the future. Not to mention that in another time and space, even with the giant ships and heavy artillery of the Western powers opening the way, Catholicism could not
Can dominate Chinese people's thoughts, not to mention that at this time, Catholicism itself began to decline in Europe.
Moreover, China itself has two major religions, Buddhism and Taoism. In this religious market that is almost saturated, if Catholicism wants to gain a foothold in China, it will not be possible in less than a few hundred years. Let’s talk more.
It is to intervene in the political field. But after a few hundred years, the world has entered modern society. How much trouble can a declining Catholicism still afford?
But for Tang Ruowang's question, Shang Yi had to give a reasonable explanation. Therefore, he said: "The priest knows the situation in our country. He should know that there are many Buddhist believers living at home in our country."
Tang Ruowang was stunned for a moment, but he understood immediately and said, "Is the general referring to lay people?"
Influenced by Father Matteo Ricci's missionary strategy of "combining Confucianism and super-Confucianism", when Tang Ruowang and his companions first arrived in China, they not only studied Chinese language and culture carefully, but also concentrated on studying Chinese classics, history and ethics, looking for the fusion point between Eastern and Western cultures.
They will go to the countryside and follow the Romans, take off their religious robes, put on monk clothes, and live in Chinese-style houses to increase their sense of identity with the Chinese people and achieve their purpose of spreading their faith.
When studying Chinese culture, it is inevitable to come into contact with Buddhism, which is almost the biggest potential opponent of the spread of Catholicism in China. Tang Ruowang certainly knows that if you want to become a Buddhist, you must also go through a ceremony similar to baptism. But according to Buddhist theory
, as long as one has a Buddha in his heart, no matter whether he lives in a temple or not, whether he has received a baptism ceremony or not, he seems to be able to become a Buddha, which is recognized by Buddhism. Therefore, in China, there is a kind of people named Lay Buddhists, most of whom are officials.
Literati, scholar-bureaucrats, their daily lives are no different from normal, and they are not bound by any Buddhist rules, but they can still be regarded as Buddhists, another form of Buddhism.
Although in order to develop more believers, the Catholic Church has relaxed many restrictions. As long as they have received baptism, the Catholics are allowed to practice other religions and can hold ceremonies to worship heaven, ancestors, and even worship Confucius in the church. But Tang Ruowang still can't understand According to this rule in Buddhism, accepting baptism is the most basic condition for Catholics. If you don't even accept baptism, what kind of faith can you call it? What's the use of having such a believer? So I am puzzled.
But after hearing what Shang Yi said, Tang Ruowang immediately woke up and had to admit that Buddhism was indeed very clever. Any religion has some canon restrictions on believers, although the Catholic Church enforces these canons very loosely. , basically turning a blind eye, but compared with this system of Buddhism, there is still a big difference. For lay people, it is enough to recite a few sutras at home, and at the same time, they can still enjoy all the worldly life. , without violating the teachings, cats can still eat fish, dogs can eat meat, Ultraman can still fight little monsters, and they can still ascend to heaven after death - become a Buddha.
To put it bluntly, it allows you to register for free first, and then slowly develop VIP members. Naturally, everyone is willing to do such a good thing. Although their beliefs are not firm, at least they have invisibly added a large number of believers to Buddhism. It formed a huge base of believers. With this base, it is natural to develop believers with firm and pure beliefs. At the same time, it also made Buddhism prosperous in China for a long time. Although China had several emperors who banned Buddhism, it still There is no complete ban on the development of Buddhism in China.
Thinking of this, Tang Ruowang was also a little excited, thinking that he had found a new way to preach in China. But after thinking about it, he couldn't help but feel a little discouraged. Not to mention whether the Pope of the Holy Roman Empire would agree to this suggestion, it was the Catholic Church's mission in China. The current president of the district, Father Long Huamin, would probably not agree either.
Compared with his predecessor Matteo Ricci, the current president of the Catholic Church’s mission in China, Father Long Huamin, has more fanatical religious sentiments and more radical missionary ideas. He believes that Ricci is too accommodating to the Chinese and has affected the Catholic Church’s " "Purity", which led to the slow development of believers. Therefore, after Matteo Ricci's death, Long Huamin began to change Matteo Ricci's missionary route, resolutely rejected Confucianism, strictly prohibited Chinese churchgoers from believing in other religions, and engaged in church activities that had nothing to do with Catholicism. activity.
It is a pity that China is not the American continent, nor is it Manila, nor is it the late Qing era of another time and space. Such Catholic practices can only arouse the resentment and suspicion of the public, and the result is that in the forty-fourth year of Wanli (1616) The "Nanjing Mission Case" caused missionaries to encounter great difficulties in their activities in China. In the same year, Shen Yuan, the minister of the Nanjing Ministry of Rites, went to court three times to accuse the Jesuits of evil intentions, but was not allowed. At the end of August, he made friends with other officials. Arrest and imprison missionaries and believers, and launch an anti-church movement.
If it hadn't been for the rise of the Later Jin Dynasty, the Ming Dynasty would still have needed this group of missionaries to help cast cannons. Moreover, thanks to Xu Guangqi and others' petitions and strong arguments, Emperor Wanli lifted the ban and the missionaries could continue to preach. However, the missionary work suffered greatly. Although more than 20 years have passed since the blow, the situation has not returned to the situation created by Matteo Ricci. This is also the reason why Tang Ruowang values Shang Yi. He now urgently hopes that China can find the second Xu Guangqi.
Although Long Huamin was forced to make some changes after the "Nanjing Mission Case" occurred, in essence, he still disapproved of these impure preaching methods. However, Tang Ruowang's religious belief was no less than that of Long Huamin, but he was adaptable
However, he was much stronger than Long Huamin in this regard. At the same time, his influence in the Ming Dynasty was far higher than that of Long Huamin. Therefore, he could completely bypass Long Huamin and preach in the way he thought was correct. In Chinese, this is called
"The sky is high and the emperor is far away, no one can care about it."
After thinking about this, Tang Ruowang said to Shang Yi: "So, General Shang, since you are willing to help our missionary work, what do you need us to do for you?"
When Shang Yi heard this, he couldn't help but laugh. Tang Ruowang had stayed in China for a long time and had learned the truth. He also knew that there is no free lunch in the world.
However, it is easier to deal with if it is made clear. On the point of "no profit, no early arrival", foreigners are indeed more practical than Chinese people. They clearly state the real price and never hide it, even foreign monks are not exempt. Therefore, the two
After some negotiation, the people immediately reached an agreement on several points:
1. Shang Yi will provide all possible favorable conditions for missionaries within his own jurisdiction and scope of authority, and designate areas for building churches for missionaries, who can enjoy the same benefits as their jurisdiction changes.
Conditions. Shang Yi will not interfere with the missionary's missionary methods, but he must abide by Shang Yi's orders and is obliged to cooperate with Shang Yi to deal with the court's decrees.
Second, missionaries are allowed to preach in public places under Shang Yi's jurisdiction, but without Shang Yi's permission, missionaries are not allowed to preach in government, military, schools (except those run by missionaries themselves) and within a 300-meter radius. At the same time,
Residents must not be forced to believe in religion. Any conflicts with other religions must be handled by the government and must not be resolved with violence in private.
Third, missionaries are obliged to teach designated knowledge to students, soldiers, and workers in various colleges under Shang Yi's jurisdiction, help factories improve production technology, and help Shang Yi collect and translate designated books and hire them in Macau, Manila and other places
The required European skilled workers and other tasks ordered by Shang Yi can be completed, but they are not allowed to take the opportunity to preach or spread religion during this period.
Fourth, Shang Yi will give missionaries reasonable remuneration depending on the size of the work they have completed. However, the payment form of remuneration can be expressed in various forms and must be negotiated by both parties in advance.
5. If missionaries commit illegal acts in Shang Yi's jurisdiction, Shang Yi will have the right to punish the missionaries in accordance with the "Ming Dynasty Laws", and the church has no right to interfere.
The five-point agreement was drawn up by Shang Yi after careful consideration, and basically took into account the interests of both parties. And under the current conditions, Tang Ruowang could not ask for too much, and even Long Huamin could not raise any other objections after reading it.
. Just add one article: In Shang Yi's jurisdiction, churches other than the Catholic Church of Jesus are prohibited from preaching, and it will still be in effect as Shang Yi's jurisdiction changes.
Because the Catholic Church is divided into many large and small churches, the missionaries operating in China are originally the Church of Jesus, but there are also other churches in some places in Southeast Asia. Tang Ruowang obviously does not want other churches to come to China to get a piece of the pie.
After hearing this, Shang Yi couldn't help but say: "We have an old saying in China, 'Where there are people, there will be rivers and lakes, and where there are rivers and lakes, there will be struggles.' It's absolutely true."
Tang Ruowang was startled for a moment, and then smiled awkwardly.