Red Mansion: Seizing Jiangdong, starting with pirates

Chapter 378, I am the Lord

Add or subtract from the Bible...

Morey began to ponder.

He hesitated for a moment.

Adding or subtracting from the Bible is undoubtedly a betrayal of the Lord.

However, this kind of thing is not without precedent.

As one of the bishops of the church, Mored is very familiar with the history of the church, and the Bible has actually been revised many times in the course of the church's development.

In the earliest times, the church did not have a unified Bible, and various teachings of the Lord circulated, making it difficult to distinguish which were true and which were false.

It was through rituals and communication with the Lord that some authoritative figures deleted false and superfluous documents, and the remaining ones were compiled into the Bible we know today.

Secondly, in the fourth century, the Church became the state religion of the Roman Empire, a widely recognized turning point in its prosperity. However, in order to adapt to the rule of the Roman Empire, the Church also made some compromises regarding the content of the Bible.

But it was this compromise that truly led to the prosperity of the church.

Therefore, some compromises with power are acceptable in order to better spread the church and let the glory of the Lord spread throughout the world.

Most of those who once represented the church in compromises have become figures who have made their mark in church history. They have made outstanding contributions to the development of the church, and even the Lord acknowledges their achievements.

Bishop Mored then secretly made up his mind and looked at Fang Yong, saying:

"Your Majesty, I am willing to represent the Church in obeying your will. What content would you like to add?"

Fang Yongdao:
"The Lord loves all things and believes that all things are equal, and that humankind is just one of all living beings..."

Bishop Mored was shocked by what he heard and couldn't help but interrupt:
"All things are equal? ​​No, no, Your Majesty, are you mistaken?"

In church propaganda, the Lord has always favored humanity, rather than claiming that all things are equal.

In a sense, the theory that Fang Yong put forward is a complete betrayal of the entire human race.

If all things are equal, then what does human achievement count for?
Morey couldn't believe how the public would view this theory if it were released.

Such content will not only fail to consolidate rule, but will also attract a large number of opponents and shake the existing rule.

He was more inclined to believe that His Majesty King Fang Yong had made a mistake, perhaps in the incorrect use of a certain word.

However, Fang Yong shook his head and said:
"The Lord loves all things and is just and selfless. But the Lord has two sides. The positive side is full of divine radiance, majestic and mysterious; while the negative side is the manifestation of humanity. The existence of mankind is the result of the Lord's creation based on His own human nature. Therefore, the Lord has boundless favor towards mankind, bestowing upon them fire, agriculture, navigation, animal husbandry, and other skills, making mankind superior to all things. And I, not long ago, had a dream..."

Upon hearing this, Morey swallowed hard.

Fang Yong's words continued to give him a great deal of mental shock.

Divinity and humanity, two opposing sides.

If that's the case, believers will naturally be more inclined to follow the humane God.

This is equivalent to creating two masters, undermining the original master's divine authority, and transferring a large amount of power to this newly added master.

Fang Yong just said he had a dream. Could it be that His Majesty the King is trying to solidify his rule by saying that he is the "son of the Lord of Humanity"?

If that were the case, it would undoubtedly be a huge overstepping of authority.

He really found it hard to accept...

Fang Yong then said, "I am the reincarnation of the Lord of Humanity on Earth!"

Morey: ? ? ?

Upon learning Fang Yong's ultimate goal, Bishop Mored's eyes widened in disbelief.

He originally thought that Fang Yong wanted to use the church to consolidate his rule. If that was the case, it would be understandable for the church to make some changes to adapt to the local situation.

But what Mored didn't expect was that Fang Yong didn't want the church to help him consolidate his rule, but rather the church itself, or even to directly replace the Lord.

Good heavens, what audacity! What a presumptuous act!

Do the Chinese people have no reverence for the gods at all?

Bishop Morey immediately refused to cooperate.

Fang Yong sighed.

My heart is filled with disappointment.

He's already a bishop, how can he still be so naive?
Now that he has revealed his purpose, how could he allow anyone to refuse?

Can't we just cooperate properly?
Fang Yong waved his hand and immediately ordered the Imperial Guards to imprison Bishop Morey.

Whether Bishop Mored agrees to cut the Bible is not up to him.

I heard that this bishop had four disciples in Da Xi...

Bishop Mored struggled to say:

"No, Your Majesty, you are wrong. The Lord is the creator of everything, and you should have the most basic respect for Him!"

He was quickly taken away by the Imperial Guards.

Fang Yong then summoned Bishop Morede's disciples.

The term "disciple" refers to those who follow Bishop Morede in his spiritual practice.

Unlike in the East, there is no system of disciples in the Western church. Followers are essentially obliged to fulfill the duties of disciples, but they do not have the right to legally inherit their positions.

Therefore, the loyalty of these followers is definitely not as strong as that of a traditional master-disciple relationship.

Soon, Bishop Moreid's four disciples were summoned.

Three of them were Westerners, two blond and one red, named Moraun, Wade, and Sibers respectively. Although Wade was a citizen of the British Empire, his homeland was actually the July Dynasty.

In addition, there was another person from the capital named Hong Si, who was influenced by Bishop Morede's teachings and voluntarily joined the church.

However, according to the investigation by the Embroidered Uniform Guard, the facts are slightly different.

Hong Si is not old, just twenty-eight years old this year. He is a native of Beijing and comes from a poor background. He has been struggling to make a living since he was a child. Perhaps due to his talent, Hong Si learned a few tricks during this time and made a name for himself, becoming a glorious street thug.

Hong Si was considered to have a bottom line among thugs. He never engaged in the business of harvesting wild animals, trafficking people, or selling opium, and he would not bully families who were struggling financially.

According to Hong Si himself, doing so was utterly immoral, and he feared retribution in his next life.

But a gangster is still a gangster. The brothers need to eat and have income, so Hong Si still participated in collecting protection money and the casino business.

Later, after Fang Yong arrived in Beijing, he carried out a large-scale overhaul of the city's security.

The living space for thugs has been greatly squeezed.

Afterwards, Fang Yong stirred up several major cases, and Cheng Fan and Prince Zhongshun were killed one after another. The crackdown in the capital became even more severe. Hong Si was so frightened that he dared not show his face. He disbanded his gang and went into hiding, fearing that he would be arrested and executed by the Huaiyin Army.

In reality, the Huaiyin Army at that time was mainly focused on eliminating heinous criminals and corrupt officials. Small-time hoodlums like Hong Si were not a high priority for arrest, and even if they were caught, they would at most be sentenced to forced labor.

However, Hong Si was unaware of all this. In order to avoid being captured, Hong Si changed his name many times and outwitted the air. In the end, he sought refuge under the command of Bishop Morey, who had just arrived in the capital.

　I'm out of money, so I'm planning to start a new book.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)