Hmm... [He takes a seat across from Gray, crossing his legs and drumming his fingers on the arm of the chair.] Like I said before, I'm pretty fascinated by this sorta stuff in general, and I'm really curious to hear about how things differ between worlds. Could you give me a brief overview of what you usually preach about first? It'll give me a better idea of how it compares to what I'm familiar with.
[Like sure, Gray looks like a normal priest aside from his super strange (and pretty cool) eyes, but you never know. Maybe his religion is like wildly different because of his world, which is also fun!!]
Many of the sermons I've given relate to how to live a life that would be seen as acceptable in the eyes of God. What that means comes down to the individual. Themes that I often see with regards to those interpretations include moral purity and freedom from sin, the pursuit of self-actualization, or merely living as best they can. I do not discourage any of these interpretations, as I find them to be equally valid, and I fail to see why God would reject the pursuit of individual ideals.
Honesty is of the utmost importance, however, especially with regards to one's faith. There's no sense in doing anything with deception in one's heart, and if you cannot be honest with God Himself, then I believe that He will not hear your intercessions. Honesty with oneself is also a virtue not to be disregarded.
I do not tell people what to believe. I merely encourage what faith is already present. I accept that that's the most that can be done; anything further will do nothing but alienate those that one is trying to assist.
[Ryuunosuke considers that, leaning back in the chair and folding his arms behind his head.]
I definitely agree that there are many different forms of worship and it comes down to how an individual wants to go about it.
[It's kind of weird that Gray didn't put a lot of emphasis on being "pure" or "good", but rather on the individual deciding to interpret his words that way...]
Honesty, though... I know it's important, and I've definitely heard as much before, but it sounds like that's a big deal to you. That's a good way of putting it, though. Lying to oneself is pretty awful.
[He hums for a moment before settling.]
It sounds like you're a pretty calm guy, sir. Not really a "fire and brimstone" sort of preacher, huh?
Fire and brimstone has its place, when a situation warrants it. For the most part, however, I believe in self-discipline. That includes restraint. There's a time for all things, as they say.
That would depend on the driving force behind the lack of self-discipline. There's a difference in never having been taught, and having been taught but choosing to ignore until now. The former is simpler to handle; the latter involves changing patterns of behavior. All things that cannot be forced, mind. Another thing that ultimately comes down to the discretion of the individual.
I believe largely in the power of choice, just as much as I believe in the power of faith.
I preach in a small community, a good ways outside of any cities. It's where the message of God was required, and so for the time being that's where I remain.
[So not quite the large congregation you're likely imagining.]
As for why, I was raised as one of the faithful. As a result, it's something that's always interested me.
Well, honestly I'm still trying to figure out what my personal one is. We've got a ton of different religions where I'm from and I'd be here all day listing them all out! But I think it's really important to figure out what works best for you, and I'm still figuring that out for myself.
Oh, we've got Catholicism too! It's not something I'm super familiar with, though. Mostly just through reading and stuff.
Your message does seem pretty different, but I think it's a good one. It feels more... tailored to the individual, instead of trying to appeal to as many people as possible? I guess? Not that that's a bad thing, just not something I'm personally interested in.
An individual's relationship with faith is just as important as that of a congregation's, if not moreso. Many people will do things in the name of their God, simply because their congregation tells them to... Meanwhile, their own faith may be lacking, if not absent altogether. It comes back to lying to oneself, in that way. If individuals choose not to believe, then it is what it is, but they should be honest regarding their lack of belief.
Oh yeah, I definitely get it. I think it depends on what the individual wants out of it. I know there's like... a social aspect to it, sometimes. So it isn't really about belief at all there, which always strikes me as kind of weird? Maybe it's because I place way more importance on worship and one's relationship with God over that kinda thing.
[ryuunosuke is also entirely unable to relate to normal people, but shhhhh.]
I'd like to, but that kinda ties into what I was saying before, that I'm still working out how exactly to go about it. It's something that really fascinates me though, so I love hearing about other people's thoughts!
I don't believe there's an objectively correct way to go about it.
[So you're probably not going to hell regardless of what you're doing. At least as far as worship is concerned, there are a lot of other reasons people may go to hell.]
In the end, your faith is between you and God. Others can offer guidance or information, as you're seeking, but ultimately the answer is going to be one you find for yourself.
[he's already destined for hell and he's only five minutes into his canon!!!]
Yeah, definitely! I'll definitely figure it out eventually, but for now I'm content just hearing from other people and figuring out what will work for me.
Thanks, Reverend. You're really good at this! Can you tell me a bit about where you come from?
Oh yeah, no problem! I'm from Fuyuki, in Japan. It's a big city, though ultimately not anything too special. My world seems kinda boring compared to a lot of the worlds represented here. We don't run around with swords and we've got like... humans and animals and that's about it. Nothing really supernatural, I guess?
[Except for whatever the fuck happened immediately before he arrived here, but that demon definitely didn't look like a demon. Just a weird-looking guy.]
The technology's way different than what we can find here too. The stuff this world's got is super advanced! It's really cool! Hmm, let's see... I can't really talk much about the world outside of Japan, since I've never left, but I guess I can try to answer any other questions you have?
Yeah, probably. I've dabbled in a few languages here and there, but I'm usually better at reading than speaking. Who knows, maybe I'll consider it further whenever I end up back in Fuyuki!
[But just like with everything else, he doesn't seem particularly worried about that.]
Oh, and speaking of that - how do you like it here? It's pretty crazy, right?
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divinesight) wrote2020-02-21 08:46 pm
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Hmm... [He takes a seat across from Gray, crossing his legs and drumming his fingers on the arm of the chair.] Like I said before, I'm pretty fascinated by this sorta stuff in general, and I'm really curious to hear about how things differ between worlds. Could you give me a brief overview of what you usually preach about first? It'll give me a better idea of how it compares to what I'm familiar with.
[Like sure, Gray looks like a normal priest aside from his super strange (and pretty cool) eyes, but you never know. Maybe his religion is like wildly different because of his world, which is also fun!!]
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Many of the sermons I've given relate to how to live a life that would be seen as acceptable in the eyes of God. What that means comes down to the individual. Themes that I often see with regards to those interpretations include moral purity and freedom from sin, the pursuit of self-actualization, or merely living as best they can. I do not discourage any of these interpretations, as I find them to be equally valid, and I fail to see why God would reject the pursuit of individual ideals.
Honesty is of the utmost importance, however, especially with regards to one's faith. There's no sense in doing anything with deception in one's heart, and if you cannot be honest with God Himself, then I believe that He will not hear your intercessions. Honesty with oneself is also a virtue not to be disregarded.
I do not tell people what to believe. I merely encourage what faith is already present. I accept that that's the most that can be done; anything further will do nothing but alienate those that one is trying to assist.
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[Ryuunosuke considers that, leaning back in the chair and folding his arms behind his head.]
I definitely agree that there are many different forms of worship and it comes down to how an individual wants to go about it.
[It's kind of weird that Gray didn't put a lot of emphasis on being "pure" or "good", but rather on the individual deciding to interpret his words that way...]
Honesty, though... I know it's important, and I've definitely heard as much before, but it sounds like that's a big deal to you. That's a good way of putting it, though. Lying to oneself is pretty awful.
[He hums for a moment before settling.]
It sounds like you're a pretty calm guy, sir. Not really a "fire and brimstone" sort of preacher, huh?
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That's fair! What about people who are really bad at self-discipline? What do you suggest for them?
[...It's curiosity, not self-awareness that drives him to ask.]
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I believe largely in the power of choice, just as much as I believe in the power of faith.
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[Hmm...]
So what made you decide to preach? You've definitely got the temperament for it; I bet you've got a ton of really devoted followers.
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[So not quite the large congregation you're likely imagining.]
As for why, I was raised as one of the faithful. As a result, it's something that's always interested me.
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[But then again, Gray's message is a bit different from the usual.]
That makes sense, though. I'm glad you've been able to share that with other people, especially those who needed it!
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You mentioned different forms of worship earlier - tell me about yours.
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Your message does seem pretty different, but I think it's a good one. It feels more... tailored to the individual, instead of trying to appeal to as many people as possible? I guess? Not that that's a bad thing, just not something I'm personally interested in.
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[ryuunosuke is also entirely unable to relate to normal people, but shhhhh.]
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[So you're probably not going to hell regardless of what you're doing. At least as far as worship is concerned, there are a lot of other reasons people may go to hell.]
In the end, your faith is between you and God. Others can offer guidance or information, as you're seeking, but ultimately the answer is going to be one you find for yourself.
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Yeah, definitely! I'll definitely figure it out eventually, but for now I'm content just hearing from other people and figuring out what will work for me.
Thanks, Reverend. You're really good at this! Can you tell me a bit about where you come from?
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[Except for whatever the fuck happened immediately before he arrived here, but that demon definitely didn't look like a demon. Just a weird-looking guy.]
The technology's way different than what we can find here too. The stuff this world's got is super advanced! It's really cool! Hmm, let's see... I can't really talk much about the world outside of Japan, since I've never left, but I guess I can try to answer any other questions you have?
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[We have no city or state that isn't redacted, but we do have confirmation on America.]
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[YOU DON'T SAY]
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I'm told it's difficult. You would likely learn soon enough if you had the mind to, however.
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[But just like with everything else, he doesn't seem particularly worried about that.]
Oh, and speaking of that - how do you like it here? It's pretty crazy, right?
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