> The only people who claim that the true understanding of Hrestol's
> message has been lost are the Perfecti. Given that their claims
> are used to justify cultic practices that are demonstrably non-
> Malkioni in origin, orthodox Malkioni have little difficulty in
> dismissing them as deluded idiots.
> IMO the RW parallel would be to say that the gospels are completely
> wrong and that Jesus said something different based on following
> mediation practices from the Tibetan Book of the Dead.
Perhaps fairer to compare to the old-fashioned school of thought that pagan "precursors of Christian thought" (e.g. Socrates; Virtuous Pagans, etc.) and/or "parodies of Christianity" (e.g. Tammuz; Aztec rituals) demonstrated the universal nature of the Truths expressed in the Christian faith. If there are Satanic corruptions of Xtianity on undiscovered continents, prefigurations of Jesus Christ's redemptive sacrifice in ancient mystery-cults, then *surely* our beliefs must be the only True ones. Reverting to the Gloranthan parallel, if you can learn about our "Western" God of Malkion using the weird practices of the Dark South or Distant Orient, it proves that our God is universal, not parochial. No?
Sulfraginis, you will recall, used the alien techniques of Silent Meditation to understand Hrestol's Vigil. As a true Malkioni believer, he could transcend whatever (lesser) revelation was accorded the Pamaltelan followers of the Silent Prophet. We decided to make him atypically open-minded and tolerant to other foreign beliefs as a result of this experience -- this doesn't mean he follows the Tibetan Book of the Dead, though he would, perhaps, be prepared to try his hand at commenting on it in the light of the Gospel according to Saint John...
IMO (speaking as their Creator), there *is* some religious validity in the beliefs of the Perfecti -- just as I believe there is some to be found in those of the Rokari, the Hrestoli, the Flagellants, etc. etc. None of them have the Whole Story, that's all.
Nick
:::: web: <http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/Nick_Brooke>
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