By G.K. Chesterton
This novel follows a Catholic and an atheist across the British countryside as they duel in the name of beliefs they hold to the point of death. In a landscape of apathy and indifference, each man finds that their greatest enemy is not the other, but a tolerant society that considers martyrdom absolutely intolerable.
Excerpt:
“At least,” said Turnbull, savagely, “it
was your Jesus Christ who started all this bosh about
being God.”
For one instant MacIan opened the eyes of battle;
then his tightened lips took a crooked smile and he
said, quite calmly:
“No, the idea is older; it was Satan who first
said that he was God.”
“Then, what,” asked Turnbull, very slowly,
as he softly picked a flower, “what is the difference
between Christ and Satan?”
“It is quite simple,” replied the Highlander.
“Christ descended into hell; Satan fell into
it.”
“Does it make much odds?” asked the free-thinker.
“It makes all the odds,” said the other.
“One of them wanted to go up and went down;
the other wanted to go down and went up. A god
can be humble, a devil can only be humbled.”
p. 147
Doctrine: God's existence, faith and reason, natural law, absolute truth
No comments:
Post a Comment