Shadow of great britain

When Arthur heard this, he stared at the other person's face seriously for a while, and then he stood up with a smile and brought a tea set from the table next to him.

He placed the tea cup in front of Newman, poured him tea and said, "Mr. Newman, you'd better drink some water first. Because I guess this may be a long topic."

Newman looked up at the sky outside the window and nodded: "It doesn't matter, Mr. Hastings. If there is not enough time, I can continue to come tomorrow, no, even the day after tomorrow."

Agares took advantage of Newman's attention to Arthur, took a piece from the candy jar and threw it into his mouth.

The red devil sneered: "Arthur, do you know why I went to hell in the end? It's because heaven is full of such one-sided things. He is not in a hurry, but I am still in a hurry."

Arthur ignored Agares and just smiled and sat back in his seat.

He put his elbows on the desk and said, "Mr. Newman, it seems that you really want to know the answer. People like you should not go to Oxford."

"Why?" Newman wondered: "Oxford provides the best education in England."

Arthur shook his head and said: "Really? But Cambridge said the same thing. This argument is too contradictory. Just like a real Oxford priest cannot recognize Thomas Paine, it is impossible for England to have two first universities at the same time." "

Newman looked confused and asked, "Why can't an Oxford clergyman approve of Thomas Paine?"

Arthur asked: "Then may I ask you, what is your opinion of Mr. Paine?"

Newman was stunned by Arthur's question. He thought for a long time before he said hesitantly.

"I can't say I hate some of his remarks. At most, I disagree with him. But for the rest of his remarks, I highly appreciate them."

Arthur held the teacup and warmed his hands: "Then have you ever thought about why this phenomenon occurs?"

"this……"

Newman's expression looked like he was struggling, and veins popped out in his right hand that was holding the cross on his chest, but after a moment of silence, he seemed to have given up halfway, and slumped back in his seat weakly.

"I am a devout believer, and I appreciate Paine, but he is an atheist, and I would rather die than betray God. If I lose my faith, what is the difference between me and death?"

When Arthur heard this, he couldn't help but smile.

He waved his hand and explained: "Mr. Newman, you may have taken the problem too seriously. There is no inevitable connection between appreciating Paine and betraying God.

Although Mr. Paine has always claimed that he is an atheist, judging from what he has done, I think that far from being an atheist, he is actually a perfectly qualified Protestant believer. "

When Newman heard this, he seemed a little surprised. His mouth opened slightly and he jumped up from the chair almost immediately, as if he had seen a miracle.

He asked: "Mr. Hastings, how do you say this?"

Arthur shrugged and said with a smile: "Maybe it's because I have different standards from you in judging whether a person has faith. I think whether a person has faith must be judged based on his behavior and the logic of his behavior.

As you said, Mr. Paine was an idealist who got rid of vulgar tastes, did not have any selfish interests, and practiced the most difficult but also the most correct path.

But haven’t you noticed that in his short but great life, the ideals he adhered to included both Calvinism and Lutheranism?

From my perspective as a Catholic fundamentalist, Mr. Paine is the culmination of all the fine traditions of Calvinism and Lutheranism.

Calvinism does not pay attention to material life before death, but has extremely high requirements for the moral standards of believers. It is also enthusiastic about participating in various social charity and poverty relief activities.

Judging from our Scotland Yard statistics, in the Greater London area alone, there are hundreds of active relief and help groups formed voluntarily by Calvinists.

And every time when social donations are raised, the most active and enthusiastic participants are also this group of Calvinists, most of whom live a poor life themselves.

They are the only remaining lights in the darkest areas of London. Although these lights may not be dazzling, they can give the poor people who are about to fall into the abyss and struggle on the edge of life and death a glimmer of hope.

From a certain perspective, these believers have contributed even more to reducing the crime rate in London than Scotland Yard. They are a group of people worthy of admiration, just like Mr. Thomas Paine.

Lutherans, on the other hand, are strong supporters of equality for all.

You should know better than I do that Lutheranism has always adhered to the spirit of "all believers are priests" and believes that every Christian has equal status and rights in the church, can hold the priesthood, and should not have any privileges .

Isn't this the most important point emphasized by Mr. Paine in "The Rights of Man"?

Calvinists and Lutherans both support "justification by faith" and believe that only with pure faith can a person become a true Christian and receive salvation.

Mr. Newman, you know Mr. Paine's life better than I do. Can you find anyone with a purer faith than Mr. Paine?

You are simply deceived by Mr. Paine's reputation as an atheist, thinking that all he has is an ideal.

But in my opinion, ideals are not enough to support him through the British countryside, American prairie and French fields. Only when ideals are purified into faith can they bring him such tenacious strength.

As a devout believer in God and a Catholic fundamentalist, I don’t care what Mr. Paine said during his lifetime, but I will also feel honored for his attempts to redeem himself and the public during his lifetime, and I will also feel heavy sadness for his passing.

His body has been corrupted, but his soul will ascend to heaven with his lofty faith.

I seemed to have seen him swimming in his heavenly abode, the seraphim standing beside him, and the immortal light blooming from the depths of his soul. "

Newman listened quietly to Arthur's words. At first, his eyes were a little dim, but by the end, there was a glimmer of light in his pupils.

The rain on the street gradually stopped. Pastor Newman looked out the window. Through the colorful water droplets, he seemed to see the lonely back of Thomas Paine and his indomitable figure among the retreating dark clouds on the horizon. of strong arms.

Arthur looked at him with a smile, just took out the handkerchief from his pocket and handed it over.

Only then did Newman realize that at some point, tears had already wetted his cheeks, flowing down the bridge of his nose, and falling bit by bit on the "Human Rights" and "Common Sense" placed on his desk.

"Mr. Hastings, I'm sorry..."

Newman took the handkerchief, wiped the wet corners of his eyes, and said with tears in his smile.

"What you said is so good. Now I finally understand why you were able to convince the judge and jury in court. Your words are like magic and can make people fall in love with you at any time."

Unexpectedly, Arthur shook his head when he heard the words, and he said: "My words have no magic power. The reason why my words can move people is just because I reveal what they are thinking in their hearts.

It is precisely because you think so yourself that these ordinary words can evoke your thoughts and make you feel happy and sad.

The reason why you are confused is because there is no consensus between what you see, think, and learn and what you think and accept in your heart, which makes you fall into the abyss of pain.

It is precisely because of this that I say that Oxford cannot be regarded as the number one university in England. Even though the knowledge they teach is beautifully decorated, it has ultimately been torn apart from the world.

Maybe when students like you were in school, they would be confused by the Babylonian Hanging Gardens they carefully built, but no matter how beautiful the garden is, it is ultimately a castle in the air without a foundation.

When you graduate from school and enter this society, all illusions will collapse. If you don’t break free from change in silence, you will gradually die in silence.

Don’t forget what Thomas Paine emphasized in his writings: Times are changing, and everything must change with the times.

The good times of the past will eventually pass, and the prelude to the new century is right in front of us.

Although I don’t think that all the beautiful past that remains in civilization will disappear, but if they can still survive, they will definitely be presented to the public in a new look. "

Arthur stood up with a smile and stretched out his hand towards Pastor Newman. His eyes flashed with the red devil's unique light red look.

"Mr. Newman, I am very happy to chat with you today."

Newman also stood up in a daze, and he held Arthur's hand.

"Mr. Hastings, I also had a very happy chat today. However, I think I may not come tomorrow, or the day after tomorrow, or the day after tomorrow. If I come again, it should be next month? No, no. No, maybe next month? I...I have to think carefully about the issues you just mentioned."

There was a snap.

Newman walked out of the office in despair and closed the door behind him.

Agares watched him leave and muttered: "What a madman."

Arthur walked to the window holding the teacup. When he heard Agares' words, he just shook his head slightly.

"He is not a madman. He is just like me, a poor man who can't find his place in the new era."