The Fragility of Faith

[ReveredOwl 5314]

 

 

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The Fragility of Faith

11th of Sun’s Smile, 12 SA

Providence

 

Dear esteemed brothers and sisters in the cloth, it is with a heavy heart that I pen this letter to you, private letters that I pray you keep to yourself. Rather recently it came to no surprise of anyone that the pagan state of Norland has issued a formal decree that would force all members of the cloth to pay a 280 mina tax for simply breathing. On top of this they have hired mercenaries to murder all men in clerical garbs who travel on the roads of the Rimevald, it is truly a sad day when the pagans can not gather enough tax from their own empty city that they have to extort members of the cloth whose mina go wholly to the needy. 

 

The church is in a dangerous time in its existence, perhaps it always has been this way but this recent debacle from the pagans has opened my eyes to what I was previously blind to. These are the pagans who lack any legitimacy and believe that God was turned into an egg, lost souls indeed. My eyes are now open to the precarious situation we now find ourselves in. The church lacks heavily in military might as it is mainly a source of charity and spreading the Lord’s teachings so it can not defend itself from any pagan aggression so naturally it must rely on the canonist states. But its reliance on these canonist states are entirely misplaced, let us not start believing in our own delusions. In the realms current state, no canonist state would ever give us their official backing nor protection from such aggression. Soldiers from both Haense and Oren took part in the massacre in the Basilica of Karosgrad, butchered defenceless clergymen where they stood. They committed sacrilege and both have no shame or regret nor attempt to make any recompense. They both like to forget that it ever happened and ignore that both men who ordered their soldiers and their own soldiers doing their bidding are condemned to an eternity in the void lest they repent. Such is the fragility of our church.

 

Many people from both nations call themselves canonists, even their leaders, but if their leaders gave an order to cut us all down and burn every church in existence, they would without hesitation. This is not canonism. Haense are too focussed on their alliance and warring ambitions against the Orenian Empire to care for its faith, Oren, Fidei Defensor, is too scared to protect the church for fear of giving both Haense and Norland a reason for war. We are simply placeholders, there to simply legitimise them.

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So how do we continue, brothers and sisters? Things appear fine on the surface but when you start to think you realise how fragile our place is. We lack any military might to defend ourselves from pretend canonists. My friends, do not let us be used as pawns in the war machines of the realm. No war is to be started on our account, if these aggressive factions wish to have war between each other then let them find legitimate reasons other than seething hatred. I advise all clergymen to abandon the pagan state of Norland, not to return to this lost state. It is saddening that both major canonist states care so little for their faith and more about a war between each other but let us not let this aggression between them hinder our efforts at spreading the good truth of God and his teachings.

 

Let us continue to preach the good word of God and show those pretend canonists the right path. Let us for fill our oaths to the Lord Almighty in the knowledge that at any moment, like the martyrs of St. Henrik’s Basilica, we could be cut down by those we thought were the Lord’s followers. We must continue our mission and if war would break out, we must continue it also. Do not allow ourselves to be used as pawns for a war between the canonist states and instead promote peace and unity as best we can even if it feels like you are shouting into the wind.

 

Father Basil Moroul

 

[[IF YOU ARE NOT A CLERGYMAN ON THE LIST THEN YOU DO NOT HAVE KNOWLEDGE OF THIS LETTER!]]

Edited February 22, 2021 by Basil Moroul

[Timer 1389]

Francisco would pen a letter back to the father the context of it would read, "Fear not dear brother, new knights had been knighted previous to you penning such a letter, I will urge both Holy Sirs Santiago Chicote and Alfonso Altamirano to take squires under their wings. I'd imagine that with new knights making up the order, our military will grow plenty men strong."

 

@Basil Moroul 

[rep2k 2477]

Reading Father Basil's @Basil Moroul very informative letter, Patriarch Alfred nodded several times from his bedridden state before taking his pen to write the answer, his hand still trembling a little at the illness he had contracted.

" Father Basil, brother first of all, greetings and God help you. Reading your sentences rich in blissful meanings, I sympathize completely. The times have come that I feared, but also sidelined because I thought our “faithful” rulers and nations were aware enough to see the problem and solve it. However, I see that this is not the case. As a patriarch, including the Kingdom of Norland, I want us to have patience. I am currently compiling a very informative text, which will solve this problem, slowly but surely. Until then, may GOD help us to be alive and healthy. "