Chapter 314: The initiation ceremony must follow tradition
What does a traditional conversion ceremony look like?
In Sam’s impression.
When he handed over 40 silver coins and participated in the ceremony at the branch church of the Glow Theology in Ceylon, the process went like this:
They had to arrive at the monastery near the church one day in advance and stay in a temporarily provided room there for one night. They had to recite the teachings of Glory silently before going to bed.
In the early morning, the nuns in the monastery would wake them up and take them to bathe and cleanse their bodies to show their physical purity and piety.
Next, uniform dressing will be carried out.
They have to put on a pure black tight robe and wear the same black sacrificial mantle.
These clothes are temporarily provided by the Glow God Cult, and they need to be taken off and returned after the ceremony.
When the first ray of light fell, a devout prayer was conducted under the leadership of the abbot of the monastery.
At the end, head to the monastery’s dining room to eat a portion of the Eucharist that has been prepared in advance.
The content of Holy Communion is simple.
A small piece of bread and a small glass of wine.
Sam didn't quite know what these steps represented. He only knew that these were also part of the ritual process and must be executed meticulously.
If someone makes a mistake during the process, everyone has to do it again the next day.
After these processes are completed, people need to line up in a neat single file in silence, and then set off from the monastery to the church where the actual ceremony will be held.
Upon arriving at the church, the first thing to do is to receive a branch dipped in holy water and touch your forehead.
Subsequently, the formal conversion ceremony process was also very solemn and sacred.
The priest will first preach to them the glorious doctrine and gospel.
Everyone praised the God of Radiance three times in unison.
Until the time comes and the church bells ring.
Under the leadership of the priest, they recited prayers and offered their faith.
Sam heard that when reciting prayers and offering faith, the mortals favored by the God of Radiance and those with a high affinity with Him will directly receive gifts belonging to the gods.
The body is completely transformed and becomes extraordinary.
There is no need to grind your teeth and exercise like a warrior training day after day. In just a few breaths, the blessing will make the mortal body strong, the mind clear, and the mind firm, and he will also receive the radiance God bestowed by the gods. technique.
Such a chosen person will basically join the Glow God Religion after the conversion ceremony and become a new priest in the church.
Whether you take the administrative and business route and stay in churches and monasteries to develop;
or you take the combat route and accept the unified training and practice of the candidate Crusaders.
They can make their own choices.
Of course, people like Sam have no chance to make a choice at all.
Because he was not blessed.
It's not just him.
None of the dozen or so people who participated in the ceremony with him received the blessing.
People like him can only be regarded as "believers of the God of Glow".
It is more than one level different from "members of the Glow Church".
Those who want to be a member of the Church of Glow, except for those convent nuns and handymen who are no different from slaves.
Even the most ordinary priest must have been blessed by the God of Glow and mastered the magic of Glow.
At this point, Seeking Knowledge Church appears to be very unique.
Although the members of the Seeking Knowledge Church are the same as the Glow God Cult, they are all believers of the corresponding gods and have been blessed by the great gods.
But they will not preach to foreigners.
To be more precise, it should be: they do not develop “believers”, only “church members”.
There is no conversion ceremony for believers like the Glow God Cult.
The initiation ceremony that Sam was qualified to participate in was equivalent to combining the two things of dedicating his faith and joining the church.
It seems that they are not worried at all that someone will not receive blessings after offering their faith.
It is acquiesced that everyone will surely receive His gifts after believing in the God of knowledge.
…Not only is the target audience unique, but the entire initiation ceremony is also unique.
There is no such thing as silently memorizing teachings, bathing and changing clothes.
Sam also specifically asked the believers who were seeking knowledge in the preaching room.
“When you offer your faith, are there no other requirements?”
The other party answered very firmly: "Don't worry, there are no additional requirements, just come over!"
"But I personally recommend that you take a shower and change into clean clothes before coming."
"Also, it's best not to eat foods with strong smells at night."
"Like the stinky dried beans sold on the roadside in the territory."
Sam said oh, indicating that he understood this.
"You have to respect the gods, right?"
The other party was startled for a moment, then shook his head.
"Huh? Oh, no no no!"
"It's not that complicated, simply because now 50 people are offering their faith at a time."
“The venue may be a little small to keep with tradition.”
“If you have a strong smell, other people may have a bad experience.”
"I'm afraid that after you join the religion, they will beat you to death directly to vent their anger."
Sam was stunned for a moment.
He still listened to the advice. On Fire Sunday, he barely touched anything for dinner, only ate a few pieces of fruit, and put on his cleanest and most complete clothes, which he had washed in advance.
The timing of the ritual for joining the Church of Seeking Knowledge is also peculiar.
It is not done when the sun has just risen like the Glow God Cult.
But at midnight when the night is thick.
Sam came earlier and sat on the bench in the quest hall and waited for a long time before it was time for the ceremony.
The seeker who led them to the ceremony site, wearing a black robe that could cover his face, first stuffed a note into each of them.
Sam could only make out part of it: "Dear—Sam Doug."
"I want to... admire... professionals..."
"……destiny……"
"...Sunday, midnight..."
The rest of it was unrecognizable to Sam.
He was literate in a limited number of words.
I wanted to ask what was written on it, but seeing that no one around him said anything, Sam was too embarrassed to ask.
Fortunately, the Qiuzhi believer explained to them: "It doesn't matter if you have any doubts about the ritual process. Please rest assured that these are the traditions of the Qiuzhi Church."
"Don't think too much, you will understand when the time comes."
Somehow, Sam always felt that the other person's voice was vaguely familiar.
He seemed to have heard it when he was a child?
The specific location of the initiation ceremony surprised Sam even more.
Not the sacred gospel hall or preaching room he had imagined.
Rather, it's more like an...underground wine cellar?
Sam clearly saw the barrels stacked horizontally by the wall, and even smelled the aroma of ale!
It seems a bit like the kind he drank at Money’s Tavern!
It’s still a small one!
The 51 of them squeezed in, and the space in the basement was packed to the brim.
The flat floor of the wine cellar was carved with the appearance of a rune circle, and the magic paint exuded a faint blue fluorescence. However, because there were too many people, Sam could not see the entire circle clearly.
"Welcome everyone, please be prepared and think carefully about whether you really want to join the Church of Knowledge."
A beautiful girl in black robe was sitting cross-legged in the basement. When she saw everyone arriving, she smiled and spoke.
…
(End of chapter)