Krafft's Anomaly Notes

Chapter 408 Extra: Tea Party
What do you think our world is like?

“Good question.” Raymond moved his chair closer to the fireplace, scooped up some sugar and cinnamon with a medicine spoon, and added it to the boiling goat milk.

Back in Tun Ling, he had never been particularly interested in these kinds of nourishing drinks. Perhaps it was because he had officially entered middle age, spent less time outdoors, and the weather had become increasingly cold, that his habits had gradually changed.

Sweetness, calories, and a touch of just the right amount of psychological comfort can invigorate the body and mind, and help us better handle this topic that's unlikely to end anytime soon.

"This all started with Genesis."

"Before everything existed, there was only the Father—invisible, eternal, and full of wisdom. He created all things without materials, without hands, and without tools, but with words alone."

"The Lord said, 'Let there be light,' and there was light. This light was not sunlight, but the manifestation of the Lord, marking the first moment of time. From this, order was born from chaos, day and night were separated, time flowed, and the world was divided into above and below. Above was the dome, and below the waters receded, revealing the land."

"The Lord also set up luminaries on the dome, the greater ones governing the day and the lesser ones governing the night, and many stars arranged in a fixed orbit, embodying an eternal rhythm."

"With the basic rules established, the Lord commanded that the earth should produce living things, and grasses, trees, birds, and beasts should be born according to their kind, each placed in its corresponding domain, filling the sky, the sea, and the land."

"At this point, all things are interdependent and the world order is perfect, but there is still a problem: who will reflect His wisdom and share His joy?"
"So the Lord formed man out of the dust and stones of the ground in his own image, and breathed into his mouth and nose the breath of life, and man became spiritual, able to think and create."

"Therefore, humans are different from other living beings. They are the product of the combination of the upper and lower realms. The soul is born tending upward to return to the Heavenly Father, while the body is destined to return downward to matter."

"This also explains why those who are addicted to desires find it difficult to ascend to heaven, because sensual desires originate from the flesh and are an extension of its downward nature. Submitting to them obscures the soul's inclination to ascend to heaven, preventing it from returning to the source, which is the Lord."

He lifted the goat milk jug from the stove, holding the still-warm handle, and poured it into each cup in turn. Steam rose from the rim of the cups, carrying a slightly pungent, sweet aroma, like wood chips burning in the air.

He blew on the cool air, took a small sip, and then suddenly changed the subject, “Similarly, the attachment to life and the desire to hold onto life are also a kind of ‘physical obsession’.”

"It is our duty to alleviate suffering and provide care. However, being overly attached to physical survival, and forcibly trying to hold on to life in a way that goes against nature out of fear, pride, or obsession, will prevent the spirit from returning to its origin. It is a test of His power by going against His will."

These words seemed to have a hidden meaning. It appears that, despite his busy work, the abbot of the monastery had not lost his sensitivity and was still aware of certain things that would not be discussed openly.

But there's nothing strange about it.

The fact that a priest was on the verge of death and recovered, with many monks and believers witnessing it, should have been recognized as a miracle and reported and publicized, but it was quietly glossed over.

All participants maintained a low profile, and it goes without saying who authorized them.

Combined with the recent unexplained relocation of the laboratory and the transfer of supplies, it's hard not to suspect that something is amiss.

“If the Father calls me and He does not want me to succeed in healing, I would never know the method.” The doctor, unusually interested in doctrinal debate, or rather, he was also troubled by similar questions, trying to find answers: “If the method is in my hands but I cannot use it, why would the Father let me know it?”

"Perhaps what I'm doing is in line with some kind of divine will?"

The assistant nodded in agreement. His experience in medical work had given him a great sense of accomplishment, and he had personally witnessed many patients who were considered hopeless improve with perseverance. He could not agree with the attitude of letting nature take its course.

“Reason is a lamp, not a road,” Raymond retorted without hesitation, whether due to his profound knowledge of classical texts or because he had prepared his response beforehand.

"The lamp does not distinguish between good and evil; it only teaches you to see, but it does not tell you where to go. Just as when you walk at night with a lamp, being able to see more and farther does not mean that you should choose your own destination. We should still walk on the path given by the Lord."

"If you rely on a lamp as your primary source of light and stray from the right path, you will still get lost in the darkness."

"The brighter a person's light shines, the more likely they are to make this mistake. Morrison is a prime example. He overly trusted his own opinions, believing that the path was not protecting him but restricting him, which led him to the very outcome he least wanted."

Having known each other for a long time, he no longer gets flustered by the questioning of his faith, but calmly states his views.

In fact, similar arguments have been going on for a long time, and people can even guess what the other side will say next. Sure enough.

The doctor eagerly raised the crucial question: "But how do we know which choice is the path given by God?"

"The will of the Lord is not always manifest, but there are still traces to follow. If you believe that your actions are out of goodwill, give people dignity, and bring light, then you are walking on the right path."

"Isn't this a bit too subjective?"

The answer to the question was already prepared: "Spirituality is the breath of the Lord. Therefore, although humans are limited, they naturally have the ability to distinguish between good and evil. If we look into our hearts, we can naturally hear His voice."

“Even if a person is not baptized and has never entered a church, if he can still do good, it undoubtedly shows that God’s righteousness and reason live in his heart, but are not fully recognized.”

"In other words... you believe that there is a natural morality, or order, that exists in all things and is originally 'good,' belonging to a fundamental worldview?"

“Yes,” Raymond said, a slight hesitation in his confirmation. “Otherwise, what do you think?”

“On this point… at least on this point, I agree. Judgments of right and wrong are ultimately based on our understanding of the world.” Kraft held the glass, watching the milky white liquid slowly cool and be covered by a solidified film.

The conversation returned to its starting point, and Raymond finally vaguely realized that today's chat was not a spur-of-the-moment thing, but rather that Kraft had something to say.

Just like many people who come to church do not need faith itself, but rather want to find answers in faith.

"If it were six months ago, I might have said some strange things, such as the earth is a ball or the stars are a more distant sun. Anyway, the church doesn't really care about one or two crazy people who occasionally pop up, as long as they don't spread these views widely."

Browsing about seemingly unrelated things is usually a prelude to the truly important content.

Raymond suppressed his urge to argue, quieted down, and did what a clergyman usually does most often—listen.

"But now, I think the Bible is right, and may even be closer to the essence."

"The world has levels, which can be divided into upper and lower, but 'upper' is not above our heads, and 'lower' is not under our feet."

"The latter is material and real, perceptible to the senses; while the former is a kind of... metaphysical existence, a place, a concept, more ethereal than spirit or spirituality. Our perception of it is merely a projection of one aspect of it into our consciousness."

"Your recent study of doctrine has been very fruitful?" It's hard to imagine that such contemplation comes from someone whose bookshelves are nearly new with scriptures.

“No, no, no, but right here, there’s a small disagreement between us,” Kraft shattered Raymond’s illusion.

"The classics believe that the distinction between above and below originates from the creation of the Father and is essentially the result of a will. However, I believe that above and below are innate, and at least so far, I don't know if there was a will that created this situation."

"Sounds like eternityism?" Raymond commented. "There have been similar ideas within the church in the past, that God is not the creator but the eternal structure of the world, but now it is heresy."

“But there exists a will within ‘above’ and ‘below’, or more precisely, there exists a will separately.” The narrator continues to express his point of view, becoming increasingly fluent and absurd.

"It is not a personalized will, perhaps it is more reasonable to express it as a 'tendency,' but the influence projected by some extremely grand things. They are not the entirety of above and below, but for us tiny lives in the middle, it is not a big problem to say that they are the whole world, just as a pond is everything to the fish living in it."

"These two wills have no goodwill toward us or anything else, let alone any malice. It's like you bump into a stranger and both of you tumble into a stinking ditch, and you're both looking for stepping stones to climb back up."

"We—unfortunately enough—are that disposable stepping stone. Because we possess both physical and spiritual qualities, we are suitable for both going up and down."

"We don't know exactly how long it will take, but as the power they can use increases, it will only get faster and faster."

"Now, if you hold up the lamp and see this scene, which direction would you choose?"