At this sight, the Knights eagerly began to seize their spoils.
The more clever among them, however, started searching for other Holy Images and toppling them. As expected, the clatter of Gold and Silver Coins soon filled the Church’s empty space.
The sound of sin filled the supposedly holy Church.
"Elrond taught his followers that they should return to the Bible, that they should worship a God of spirit, not a god carved from a block of wood.
Faith built upon Holy Images is fragile, superficial, and irrational, as it leads followers to misinterpret the original teachings and fosters greater ignorance. Now, the believers’ obsession with Holy Relics has reached a shocking level.
What’s even more outrageous is that the Clergy, who are supposed to be intermediaries between God and the faithful, frequently use the worship of Holy Images as a pretext to amass wealth. The number and complexity of the sacraments, which were originally pure and simple, grow by the day. It’s simply absurd.
How far have we truly strayed from the Bible?
"In truth, as the Bible states, the sacraments consist only of baptism and communion. Therefore, we should gradually eliminate the others. All material things ought to be cast aside." Jesuade looked at the bowed heads of the Patrin Sect Monks, then picked up a Silver Coin from the ground and glanced at Eric. "Shortly after Elrond died, divisions formed within the Patulin Sect, but initially, they all held firm to this belief, and for a time, they truly acted on it.
They collected all the gold and silver and made a show of destroying some of it, attempting to re-establish the fellowship of the Apostles based on their interpretation of the Bible. But things didn’t go as planned. The townspeople couldn’t understand their actions and were unsettled by the changes in the city.
The Baron Turin invited the Marquis of Provence, and together with the Marquis’s army, they attempted to reclaim their lost lands. The city quickly fell into famine.
They tried to resort to violence, but the townspeople’s resistance was exceptionally fierce, so they eventually compromised. A portion of the gold and silver was kept to buy wheat and ale, and even to attempt hiring Mercenaries.
However, they kept this matter a secret. Only a select few of the Patrin Sect Monks were aware of it."
"It was merely a compromise! For the Lord’s will, for the Lord’s kingdom! It is not our fault! The world is at fault! This is a world created by the Demon! To defeat the Demon and grant our Lord victory, we must be more evil than the Demon!" a middle-aged Monk shouted, stumbling out from a side door of the chapel. "Just as our Lord said, ’Every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit!’
And any tree that does not bear good fruit should be cut down and cast into the fire!" (Gospel of Matthew 7:17)
His head appeared to be injured; blood from his forehead streamed down the left side of his face.
A nearby Patrin Sect Monk steadied him.
He was the leader of the Monks here, their elder.
"You, who are born to do evil, have no right to accuse us!" the elder said, looking at Eric. "You run rampant in the material world, forsaking God, relying on your Swords for endless slaughter, ignoring God’s commandments! You brazenly destroy God’s dwelling place!
Yes, you’ve won. So go on, cheer! Rejoice! Clutch your Gold and Silver Coins and sing! Because the Devil is on your side! That is why you are victorious!
You take whatever you want here, plundering and destroying as a matter of course, and you never face God’s punishment. I know you rejoice in this. You use it to mock the pious, trample on the Lord’s servants, and question God’s power and glory, treating faith as nothing more than a tool...
But this isn’t how it will end, Normans!
I tell you this: everything you have gained in the material world, the spiritual God will strip from you in the Spirit Realm! Your souls will be boiled in the cauldrons of Hell! And you will be damned for eternity! Damned for eternity!"
"I wasn’t aware ’the ends justify the means’ had become one of the commandments bestowed upon us by Christ," Eric said. "If a man has his possessions stolen on the street, is the solution to become a thief himself?
If that principle holds true, then you might as well toss the Bible into the fire, for its every line reveals your arrogance and ignorance.
Let’s hear what Peter says: ’Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing.’ (First Peter 3:9)
Let us hear what Christ says: ’You have heard that it was said, "Love your neighbor and hate your enemy." But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.’
’You have heard that it was said, "Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth." But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also.’ (Gospel of Matthew 5:38-44)
In the name of the Lord’s work, you wantonly violate His commandments! You make excuses for your sinful deeds, shamefully cloaking your despicable behavior in a veil of sanctity. You do everything in the Lord’s name, yet everything you do blasphemes His glory and His name!
Now, let’s see who stands before us. Who is this, spouting such arrogance in the presence of my Lord? Are you the faithful Saint Peter? Or the wise Saint Paul?" Eric walked up to the Monks. They lowered their heads. He seized the elder by the collar. "Tell me, you fanatic! Who are you?"
"You treat God’s children as if they are worthless, you see them as tools! When you let the Arrows fly, you kill not enemies, but the very brothers in faith spoken of by the Apostles! The meek lambs spoken of by Christ!
Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!
Use arrow keys (or A / D) to PREV/NEXT chapter
