But whosoever lives
outside Dogma, serving God purely and preaching truth,--him we
crucify!--but our Robber,--our murderer of Truth, we set at liberty!
Hence, as I said before, the power of the Church!"
Carried away by his thoughts, he rose, and pacing the room, talked
more to himself than to Gherardi.
"The Church supports the robber, because he is always a coward and
cannot stand alone. The murderer of his fellow-men's good name is
naturally a liar, and fears lest his lies should find him out. Fear!
That is the keynote on which we of Rome play our invincible march of
triumph! The Church appeals to the ignorant, the base, the sensual,
the false, and the timorous; and knowing that they never repent, but
are only afraid, retains them by fear!--fear, not love! Christ
taught love--but hate is the more popular virtue! Hence again, the
power of the Church!"
"Your argument is perfectly orthodox!" said Gherardi, with a smile.
"Hate is a grand, a strong quality!" went on Moretti, "It makes
nations, it builds up creeds! If men loved one another what should
they need of a Church? But Hate!--the subtle sense which makes the
ultra-respectable thank God that he is not as other men are!--the
fierce emotion which almost touches ecstacy when the wronged
individual thinks his enemy will go to hell!--the fine fever which
sets father against son, creed against creed, nation against
nation!--hate is the chief mainspring of human motives! From hate
and envy spring emulation and conquest--and we of the Church
encourage the haters to hate on! They make Us!--they emulate each
other in the greed of their gifts to us, which give them notoriety
and advertise their generosity,--WE fan the flame and encourage the
fury! For the world must have a religion--it crucified Christ, but
the Church, built up in His name, takes just and daily revenge for
His murder! We do not save--we kill! We do not rescue--we trample
down! We humiliate,--we crush wherever we can, and it is well and
fitting we should do so! For Humanity is a brute beast, and serves
us best under the lash.
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