The Ascension Ceremony is the most important ritual within the Church.
The most important holiday for the Holy Church is the weekly Mass, and the most important ceremony is the Ascension Ceremony—no conflict there.
Norton sat on his bed, spreading open two books in his hands.
One was titled "Ascension," the other "Resurrection."
The covers were still made of that slightly greasy, human-like leather, but the content was something he'd never seen before, which piqued his curiosity.
The book "Ascension" ended abruptly right there. But these few short sentences made Norton's eyebrows dance with excitement.
Holy crap—if this book hadn't been delivered by a missionary as authentic Church literature, he would have thought it was written by some heretic!
Just look at what it described! God mating with sheep, getting so absorbed that his youngest son ambushed and killed him.
Then the eldest son tied him to a cross to bake in the sun, glorifying it as ascension.
These few short sentences were enough to fry Norton's CPU.
Although previous writings had mentioned God's interspecies mating, they all contained the great divinity of creation. Only this book focused entirely on depicting God's filth.
Yes, filth. In this book, God seemed to shed his divinity and gained human desires.
This was a very abnormal representation.
Various theological texts generally shared a common point: gods only possess divinity. And divinity is typically manifested through creation, great love, and destruction. For example, God thinking humans were too greedy and thus unleashing the Great Flood. Or God saying "Let there be light," and the sun appearing. This manifestation of divinity usually doesn't incorporate much human thought or desire. Human nature, however, is often depicted through sex and desire.
But this book portrayed God with human desires—mating urges.
"The Holy Covenant" also described God's mating but interwove it with creation, thus maintaining some divine representation. For example, God mating with animals produced various species, which described the birth of these creatures rather than God's desires.
But in this "Ascension," God and the lamb were purely releasing their inner desires without any creation or divine representation.
If "The Holy Covenant," containing elements of creation, could still be considered proper Church literature, then this "Ascension" was completely a heretical product that obliterated God's divinity and highlighted human nature.
This was practically impossible forbidden literature in a faith-based Church.
This was what really fried Norton's CPU.
Simply put, the Church had written a book that undermined its own foundation. It was as abstract as a capitalist country like those in Europe and America having communism as its national guiding principle.
Simply put, the Church had written a book that undermined its own foundation. It was as abstract as a capitalist country like those in Europe and America having communism as its national guiding principle.
What really baffled him was Divine Cause's subsequent actions.
Nailing God's corpse to a cross to bake in the sun? What kind of heaven-defying operation was this?
Are we sure this isn't some MVP results screen?
"The Holy Covenant" stated that God created death, suspending it high in the sky. The sun symbolized death.
Now God's corpse was baking under the sun—this didn't look like preparation for resurrection, but more like using death to suppress God's revival.
A human-like God killed by his own son, then hung on a cross to bake in the sun—if this isn't forbidden literature, what is? How could this be authentic Church material?
Norton felt he understood this so-called Church less and less.
Their various operations seemed brainless at first glance, but upon deeper thought, became terrifying—this place was practically a collection of contradictions.
"Looks like I really need to find a chance to escape soon!" Norton felt he truly had to run.
This place was just too strange.
Norton placed "Ascension" on the table, then picked up "Resurrection" beside it.
"Resurrection": Death separated from the divine body, the divine spirit never withers. The divine corpse hangs high on the wooden stake, divine consciousness revives in heaven.
The messengers exterminate the earth, Jonah imprisoned within the sun. Divine Cause suspends the divine corpse, Eden isolated from heaven.
The content in "Resurrection" was pitifully scarce—just these few short lines, totaling three and a half pages (large characters, vertical arrangement).
But the information contained was terrifyingly abundant.
First, heaven appeared. Second, God wasn't dead—his divine consciousness revived in heaven. Third, the primordial death god Jonah made his first appearance, but was imprisoned within the sun by God's messengers, also called angels. Fourth, Divine Cause used God's corpse to isolate heaven from Eden.
If Norton hadn't misinterpreted the meaning, then this book essentially conveyed these points.
Norton frowned deeply, feeling completely baffled.
The Church worshipped God, so they must stand with God. Divine Cause was God's eldest son, yet he nailed God's corpse to a cross to bake in the sun, calling it resurrection. So Divine Cause should actually be on God's side too.
But the subsequent operation involved God's messengers in heaven sealing Jonah within the sun, letting death eternally erode him. Meanwhile, Divine Cause used God's corpse to isolate heaven from Earth—what did this mean?
Norton felt he completely couldn't unravel these relationships.
But that wasn't important—what mattered was that these two books didn't write anything about the steps for the day after tomorrow's Ascension Ceremony!
After reading them, he didn't even know what he was supposed to do the day after tomorrow. What if he violated Church law like a clueless idiot?
He really didn't want to be chopped to death by Church Knights with their greatswords!
No, he had to ask the Church Knights at the door.
Norton placed the books on the table, stood up from the bed, walked to the door, and somewhat nervously pulled it open.
If not for the threat to his life, he wouldn't dare have any interaction with these Church Knights.