Chapter 951 950 [Pope Zhou Hexuan]

Facing Tolkien's question, Zhou Hexuan said: "Of course there are devout believers in China, but perhaps due to the influence of polytheism, Buddhists are very likely to worship Taoist gods when they see them, or at least show the most basic Respect."

Tolkien commented: "A very secular view of faith."

Zhou Hexuan smiled and said: "Yes, it is very secular. Whether it is monotheism or polytheism, most of the gods in the world are born. Let alone monotheism, God created the world. Let's look at Egyptian mythology, Greek mythology and Nordic mythology. These are polytheistic systems, but the gods are either born naturally or are descendants of the father god. But China is different. Our mortals can also become gods, and most of the gods are cultivated by mortals."

Tolkien seemed very interested in this: "Can you tell me more about it?"

Zhou Hexuan said: "The highest deity of Taoism is the Jade Emperor. There are many theories about the origin of the Jade Emperor, but the basic situation is the same. Before he became a god, the Jade Emperor was the prince of the Miaole Kingdom. He gave up his throne, learned Taoism, and helped all people. After hundreds of millions of calamities, he became the supreme god. The more typical example is Guan Dijun. Anyone who knows something about Sinology knows that Guan Dijun was a general in the Eastern Han Dynasty of China. Because of his loyalty, bravery and integrity, he died after his death. Became a god.”

"In other words, mortals can become gods through hard work," someone suddenly asked, "How is this different from the heroic spirits in Nordic mythology?"

Zhou Hexuan smiled and said: "Who is this gentleman?"

The man said, "My name is Clive Staples Lewis."

Well, this guy is also a big shot and a close friend of Tolkien.

Lewis was originally an atheist, but he became a Christian under the influence of Tolkien a few years ago, but the former joined the Anglican Church, while the latter joined the Catholic Church. Their literary works all contain strong Christian ideas, and they often study theology.

Zhou Hexuan said: "The gods in China who are cultivated by mortals are naturally different from the heroic spirits in Northern Europe. Warriors must believe in the gods and die in battle before they can be taken into the Hall of Heroes. The purpose of their existence is only to help the gods fight. But in China, they do not Which god you need to believe in does not require you to be a warrior. They may be ordinary gentlemen. Because they have noble moral character and are respected by others, they can become gods after death. There were many City God temples in ancient China, and the City God gods enshrined in the temples were great. That’s part of it.”

Lewis frowned and said: "Don't you Chinese think this is blasphemy against God?"

"Of course not," Zhou Hexuan said with a smile, "We respect all gods. Even if they don't believe in any religion, most Chinese people still maintain awe of the gods. Even after Buddhism was spread to China, the gods of Buddhism and Taoism They can also communicate with each other, and some gods also have part-time jobs in both religions."

"A very interesting view of religion and theology," Tolkien said with a smile.

Lewis asked: "Do the Chinese believe that gods created the world?"

Zhou Hexuan shook his head and said: "No, the Chinese only believe that gods created human beings. As for the world, it originally existed. It was originally a chaotic universe like an egg. An ancient god split it with an ax, and it rose lightly to become the sky, turbid. It descended and became the earth. In Chinese myths and legends, this is called 'Pangu opened heaven and earth'."

Lewis asked again: "Does Mr. Zhou think it is possible that the world was created by God?"

Zhou Hexuan did not say that he was an atheist. He just smiled and said: "Who can tell? Maybe the world was created by a noodle monster after being severely drunk. He is the only true god in the universe."

"Noodle monster?" Lewis's cheeks twitched.

"Yes, the noodle monster." Zhou Hexuan used chalk to draw a monster made of noodles on the blackboard. "Let's call it the 'Flying Noodle God'. He created the universe in a daze because of alcoholism. He is the only true god who can Call him 'Zhu'. As for this religion, it can be called the 'Flying Noodle God Cult'. It also has heaven and hell. In heaven, there is a volcano erupting beer and a striptease hall full of beautiful women. Those who believe in it can ascend to the heaven after death. Enjoy the wine in heaven. Unbelievers will go to hell after death. There are also volcanoes and strip clubs in hell, but the volcanoes erupt with horse urine, and the women in the strip clubs are all sexually transmitted diseases."

"Ha ha ha ha!"

After listening to Zhou Hexuan's narration, many casual believers and atheists laughed, while devout believers like Tolkien and Lewis looked strange. There are even some fanatics with angry faces, but they have not competed with Zhou Hexuan on the spot.

In 1940, Britain was still relatively traditional, but relatively open in terms of religion—compared to continental Europe.

For example, Lewis was a Christian apologist and founded the Socratic Club at Oxford University. He was obviously a believer. But Britain's most famous atheist philosopher, Anthony Fourw, became famous after publishing "Theology and Forgery" in the Socratic Club, a club that particularly likes to engage in friendly debates with atheists.

Lewis was not angry after hearing Zhou Hexuan's nonsense. Instead, he smiled and said, "It seems that Mr. Zhou is an atheist. How can you prove that gods do not exist?"

Zhou Hexuan said: "Let me tell you a fable. Two explorers came to the Secret Garden. One of the explorers said that the garden was built by a gardener. The other explorer said that there was no gardener at all. The two explorers came to the secret garden. I watched the garden day and night and found no gardener. So, what does this mean?"

What does an apologist do?

Those who specifically defend Christianity use their words to deceive unbelievers.

Lewis, an apologist well versed in philosophical debates, concluded: "In Mr. Zhou's parable, the gardener represents God and the garden represents the world. If the gardener does not appear, then he may or may not exist. Just like God is dispensable. Yes, if you believe it, there will be it; if you don’t believe it, there will be nothing. Is that so?"

Zhou Hexuan said with a smile: "It can be understood this way. But it can also be understood that gods are created by people. For example, explorers created gardeners. And in the same way, I can also create the Flying Noodle God and the Flying Noodle God Cult."

An engineering student seemed to be interested in the Feitian Noodle Cult. He raised his hand and asked, "Mr. Zhou, can I apply to become a believer in the Feitian Noodle Cult?"

"Hahahaha." The classroom burst into laughter.

Zhou Hexuan nodded and said: "Of course, if you are willing to join, then congratulations, you will be the living saint of the Flying Spaghetti Cult, and I am the prophet of the Flying Spaghetti Cult. We can compile "The Gospel of the Flying Spaghetti" together. Yes. Now, we can also set down the Eight Commandments of Moses."

There was another burst of laughter in the classroom. The so-called "Moxi Bajie" was obviously making fun of the "Moxi Ten Commandments". Except for a few fanatical believers, most of the people here were just watching the show and didn't take the Flying Spaghetti Cult seriously at all. Even Lewis and Tolkien were laughing.

The engineering student was very fond of compliments and immediately asked: "Sir, what are the eight commandments?"

Zhou Hexuan said: "The first commandment, I hope you won't be so self-righteous when preaching. If some people don't believe it, that's okay. Your noodle god is not a vain and jealous god."

"Ha ha ha ha!"

The atheists here are almost laughing crazy. This is again a satire on some fanatical believers who force others to believe in religion.

Zhou Hexuan continued: "The second commandment, I hope you will not persecute, conquer, or punish others in my name, and do not do evil to others. I don't want your worship. Purity is related to water, not people. The third commandment, I hope Don't judge people by their appearance. All people are created equal. Of course, when it comes to fashion, I'm very sorry. Only women and some extremely talented men can accept the noodle god's enlightenment... The fifth commandment, I hope you can eat when you are not full. For stubborn people and hateful people, ignore them, eat first, and then go to settle accounts with them after eating..."

What the hell are these eight commandments, all kinds of nonsense and satire, with a little cleverness at the end of each commandment.

Lewis was completely speechless. He had no interest in debating this kind of scum-fighting sect as an apologist. On the contrary, Tolkien found this very interesting. If he hadn't believed in Catholicism, he would probably join the Flying Spaghetti Cult for fun.

"The Eight Commandments of Moses" can easily attract young, highly intellectual atheists, at least many of the Oxford students present were ready to do so.

Another student raised his hand and said, "Sir, can I join too?"

Zhou Hexuan immediately said: "Congratulations, this classmate, you are now a member of the church. No need to pay fees, no need to worship God, no need to swear oaths. At the same time, the Flying Face God Sect also welcomes people who do not know the truth to join the religion for free. You can try to believe If you are dissatisfied within one month, you can quit the religion at any time without any adverse consequences or side effects. At the same time, I also welcome church members to establish branches of various sects. For example, those who like to eat pasta can create the 'Flying Spaghetti Sect' Episcopalian', I will appoint him regional archbishop!"

After these words were spoken, many people went crazy. The president of Oxford University regretted inviting Zhou Hexuan here.

The main reason was that the questions Lewis asked were too embarrassing, and Zhou Hexuan was too lazy to answer them directly, so he simply made a joke and used the Flying Spaghetti Cult as a shield.

The Feitian Noodles Cult was founded, and this day became the "holy day" (Friday) of the religion. Zhou Hexuan was also revered as the first pope and the Great Prophet of Flying Noodles. After decades of development, by the 21st century the number of Flying Noodle believers had exceeded one million, and it was later recognized as a legal religion by governments such as the Netherlands.

Throughout the history of the Flying Spaghetti Cult, there have been many great figures.

For example, Stephen Hawking became a Christian when he was in college and was elected as the Archbishop of the British Diocese of the Flying Spaghetti Cult.