Chapter 1,223 The Dilemma of the Weak Divine Power Church

Most of the churches in Lost Land have the same class system.

Let us not mention the special titles used by individual churches. Belief in a certain god, regardless of the depth of belief, can be called a believer.

Those who are willing to take refuge in a certain god and abide by the teachings and precepts are monks. Such people can usually perform elementary miracles, that is, use divine magic. It doesn't necessarily require magic talent, anyway, there is a big boss behind you.

When your faith reaches a certain level, you can directly communicate with the gods. No doubt, it is indeed a 'direct' conversation. The gods of the lost land are not as reserved as the gods of the earth. They are happy to talk and show their abilities, provided there is reward, that is, those who have a firm belief, or are willing to change their beliefs. Especially the latter, they always give preferential treatment, although the betrayed party will be furious.

Those who can communicate with gods are priests. They can use higher-level magic, depending on how deeply the gods' blessings are.

Above the priests is the bishop, who is the agent of the gods in the human world and is of course responsible for managing the church on earth. It is not limited to one person. If there are multiple people, there will be separate zones. And these divisions will not be like the enclosures of noble lords, where adjacent areas are circled together and managed by one person. Basically, it depends on whoever is in charge of each region is willing to follow, and whoever is in charge will be under the jurisdiction.

Although this distribution method completely ignores the various administrative advantages of regional management. But the church is not an ordinary country, and people’s thoughts are more important than land.

Above the bishops there is also the pope. There is only one person, but there is no vacancy, and not just anyone can be the one who wants to be. Basically, it must have the fact of religious establishment, that is, it must have territory and be recognized by all bishops and priests. It also needs to be widely recognized by other churches of the same camp in order to have such a title.

Speaking of which, the Pope is almost the same as a King. It is worth mentioning that for a long time, no church in Midland has had a pope. Although there is a Papal State in Lost Land today, its name is a bit unrealistic. No one can call you Your Majesty except themselves. As for titles such as Mianxia and Nixia, someone in Lost Land has never heard of them.

The above is the classification of civil service. The classification of military positions is the system of the Templars. A templar captain is equivalent to a bishop, and a templar is equivalent to a priest. Then monks are still monks, it's just that the subjects they study are more liberal arts or martial arts, or they study both civil and martial arts. As for the warrior monks, they are closer to ascetics who do not use weapons, and are not within the general church system.

As for the mission of the church in the human world, in addition to spreading the belief in gods, they also have two major social functions. That is to care for orphans and provide education.

There is no special orphanage in Lost Land. Moreover, before someone started the craze of academies and provided a continuous fund to the academies in various places - that is, the income from the sales of browser magic stones by each district's magician association - there was no such organization as a school in Midland.

Nobles could hire tutors, or have knowledgeable members of the family teach their children knowledge. But if ordinary people want to learn knowledge, the easiest way to achieve it is through the church of God on earth.

Of course, when churches do these things, it is not because they have a noble consciousness or because they believe they are shouldering social responsibilities. Just doing this is convenient for spreading faith. Whether they are orphans or people who come to the church to learn knowledge, it is impossible to escape the fact that the church will bring in some private goods in the process of teaching them. As someone said before time travel, it is placement marketing.

So no matter where you are in the church or temple, you can always see some young children living in them. Moreover, in addition to receiving care and education, they can also do some simple tasks, not just eating and doing nothing. In Lost Land, there are no restrictions against child labor, and basic education is not compulsory. Everything has a price.

But when the children grow up, they can choose their own future, and the church will not interfere too much at this time. Whether they want to stay or leave. Those who stay will naturally enter the church system and develop step by step; those who leave can only remember this incense and repay it if they have the opportunity in the future, and they will owe it if they don't have the opportunity, and then they will live and die on their own.

Some doctrines are more in line with children's delusions of being heroes, or churches that are relatively wealthy can certainly easily attract these children who have just entered adulthood to stay and develop. It is a pity that neither the teachings of the Gold Coin Goddess nor the current situation of the church are that attractive.

Therefore, although children are constantly being brought from other places to the Temple of the Gold Coin Goddess in the Imperial City of Nineveh, most of them will choose to leave after they grow up to an age enough to stand on their own. That's why the church of the Gold Coin Goddess is in such a state of decline, showing a lapse in talent.

Moreover, as the old priests get older and become more and more powerless in all aspects of affairs, the problems faced by the temple become more serious. According to Lin's chats with the old priests, this dilemma is not only true in the temples in the Nineveh Imperial City. The Goddess of Gold Coin also faces the same dilemma in churches all over the land.

In other words, this is a common phenomenon shared by gods with weak divine power in churches on earth.

In the temple of the Imperial City of Nineveh, the only girl who was barely close to being an 'adult' was Lucrecia. It was at the age when she was facing a choice that she showed such hesitation before. The final words were more like a decision to stay in the church. More than her future, she cherishes the "family" who grew up with her in the church.

To be fair, the old priests hope that the girl can leave the church and develop on her own. Maybe as you get older and there is no other better place to go, then you can come back to the church to help. Rather than wasting the best time of his life on the church of the Gold Coin Goddess.

After all, the daily affairs of their local churches do not require young people who can be active on the front line. Some elderly people with limited mobility can also easily get started, because there is nothing difficult and nothing important...

By the way, this is really a common phenomenon among weak divine churches. The church of the Gold Coin Goddess, in addition to providing a place for gamblers to pray before gambling, is only visited once a year by businessmen. Normally it would be a crowded place, but it would be a bit too lively. The reality is that even sparrows don’t bother to visit...

The reason why we had such an inexplicable conversation was that these priests, who seemed to be too old to be useful, were implicitly hinting that even if they were replaced by the Goddess of Gold Coins, they would only inherit a person who was so pathetic that I don’t know how to describe it. Priesthood. Therefore, if you have any ideas about becoming a god or godhood, it is best to find other gods instead of bullying Ms. Ke Yin.

……All right. Everyone felt that they could see the cunning wisdom with dark eyes and red eyes in the kind old faces. Sure enough, in Lost Land, people who can live to this age will not be stupid or weak.

Someone thought to himself that this was the reason why the other party speculated that a certain magician was visiting, maybe because he wanted to harm the gods they served. That's why I wanted to show weakness to try to dispel my thoughts.

Lin felt that even these old men wouldn't believe it if he directly said the bold words that he was here to save them from the fire. As for those who are younger, at most they think of themselves as storytellers or bragging.

He looked helplessly at the 'hot tea' in his hand, which was just brought to him by the girl Lucrecia. She showed a little temper and stood behind the old priests. It seems that he believed the subtext of the old man who raised him and regarded himself as an enemy.

It is said that the high-quality dried flowers of the elves are brewed with holy water. Drinking it can beautify the skin and maintain youthful vitality. In fact, it was just the girl who dug a well in the backyard to boil water, and then threw away a few flower petals she picked from nowhere. No taste or fragrance.

Moreover, when making tea with 'holy water', a certain time-travelling person always wants to go to the Eighteen Forbidden Road, let alone drink it. Even if you know where the water comes from...

There is no good way for someone to deal with the hostility of this family. Except for the local nobles of Nineveh Imperial City who were captured to lead the way, who were considered pure human beings, who were the 'people' who were traveling with them. No wonder the other party's hostility is so obvious.

Starina, a true evil. Although it changed its appearance, it did not try to cover up anything from its smell to its sounds. As long as you are not blind, you will know that this product is not a good thing. Maybe men will be temporarily confused by Starina's appearance, but that definitely does not include those cunning old men in their seventies or young girls who are just starting out.

By the way, this big demon did not enter the temple. The relationship between the temple and the church is like the relationship between the magic tower and the magician. It is difficult for outsiders to know how much power left behind by the gods is hidden in this building. It is not impossible to destroy demons with a single thought. Of course, Starina didn't want to test whether a god with weak divine power could kill it with one finger.

And the fourteenth prince Azad Kazalnia is recognized as a walking natural disaster in the Gwana Empire. Wherever it goes, it either brings destruction or death. This guy followed someone into the temple to receive hospitality.

Lin had to admit that although he could use his status as a prince to build his reputation, he also ignored the negative impact of Azad's reputation. You might as well come here secretly, ask for directions from low-ranking people, and be careful not to expose your identity in front of the nobles, and you won't be in so much trouble.

Seeing that these old men looked indifferent and the younger ones were obviously hostile, Lin felt helpless. As for the younger ones, they hid behind the benches, thinking that no one could see them. Maybe these children are not hostile, but just curious, but of course they are of no use in front of them. What right to speak do they have?

Therefore, the classic old method clears the way.

Lin took out a small silk bag from his arms and shook it, making a jingling sound like coins knocking against each other. Said: "Let's do this. I am willing to donate a sum of money and offer an offering. I will ask a few priests to help me hold a prayer ceremony and say something to His Majesty in heaven. No matter what kind of reply I get after that, or simply If there is no reply, I will accept it and leave. Is this okay?"