Saturday 19 January 2013

The Right To Worship II


I thought that King Haakon was being perfectly reasonable in his promise that I quoted from Poul Anderson's Mother Of Kings (New York, 2003) in the previous post but not according to his co-religionists at the time. For her own political reasons, Queen Gunnhild informs the bishop that Haakon:

" '...promised them they may henceforward carry on their devil worship unhindered.' " (p. 348)

The bishop agrees that:

" 'This is - a grave matter indeed.' " (p. 348)

So other people's gods are devils and they should not be allowed to worship them unhindered. Worse, the bishops order Haakon to leave his threatened kingdom to make a pilgrimage of penance and he is excommunicated for refusing.

The bishop also states that, if Haakon had been killed for refusing to share in a Pagan sacrifice, then:

" 'He could have gone straight to Heaven, a martyr.' " (p. 347)

It strikes me as arrogant to claim to know, first, that there is definitely a hereafter and, secondly, to which part of that hereafter any individual will go, especially since another branch of Christianity claims with equal certainty to know that he would go elsewhere.

Meanwhile, Gunnhild's Christianity remains hypocritical:

if Haakon were her ally, then she would not have denounced him to the bishop;
she buys masses for her dead son's repose while planning vengeance against those who had killed him when he had attacked them;
she seduces a celibate priest from whom she can gain information about Haakon;
she continues to practise witchcraft.

2 comments:

Sean M. Brooks said...

Hi, Paul!

But I do believe there is a hereafter. And I also believe we can that because I believe it was revealed to us thru both the Prophets of Israel and the completion of that revelation in Jesus Christ. But I do realize you don't agree!

Btw, take a look at John Wright's blog, if you wish. His latest essays is an interesting discussion of SF and Fantasy. And I deposited a note in the combox discussing Poul Anderson.

Sean

Paul Shackley said...

I don't think the conflict between faith and knowledge has ever been resolved? If you believe there is a hereafter, then you don't know it. And if, like Spiritualists, you claim to know it, then it becomes a matter of evidence, not of faith.