Gratillonius founds a Mithraeum. Maximus condemns him for founding a temple of Antichrist. Other demands prevent Maximus from immediately recalling Gratillonius as prefect, occupying Ys and extirpating demon worship so instead he requires his prefect to install a new Christian pastor in the city! Ironically, Gratillonius himself had promised the dying pastor that he would find someone to replace him and it is only more pressing obligations that have prevented the prefect/King from keeping this promise until now. The contrast between the Mithraist Gratillonius honoring a promise to find a new Christian pastor and the Christian Maximus denouncing Gratillonius could not be more complete.
Energy that should have gone into the preservation of civilization is instead channeled into the persecution of witches and heretics. While googling for an image to represent "Antichrist," I came across denunciations of the Antichrist spirit in the current President of the United States. Are we here and now experiencing the decline of a civilization?
6 comments:
Kaor, Paul!
I agree, the energy and effort Maximus put into prosecuting or persecuting heretics and witches would far better had been used for bolstering and defending civilization. Preferably along the lines Gratillonius had sketched out.
Sean
I forgot to add what while I would not call Barack Obama the anti-Christ, I have only contempt for him as President of the US. He has shown himself to be a bungling incompetent, at best.
Sean
Sean:
Whatever Obama's capabilities or lack of them may have been, he wasn't at all helped by the way a number of Republicans vowed from the start to oppose EVERYTHING he tried to do.
The statement, in 2008 or '09, that the most important task ahead of Congress was to ensure that Obama was only a one-term President (Really, guys? There's NOTHING more vital?) is the most egregious example of this. And don't get me started on the "Birthers."
David,
I wouldn't dream of getting you started on the "Birthers"! (What are they?)
Paul.
Hi, David!
I agree it was foolish of some Republicans to declare their most important task was to make sure that TERRIBLE President, Obama, had only one term in office. The proper task of an Opposition is to oppose the bad ideas and policies of the incumbent president or PM and party in office. And Obama has been a DISASTER as President.
Paul, "birthers" were those in the US who argued that Obama was illegally and unconstitutionally president because he had not been born in the US. The US Constitution mandates as one of only two conditions a would be president needs to fulfill is to have been BORN a citizen of the US.
Obama did not help matters for himself because of the curious reluctance he had for publishing his Hawaiian birth certificate. That would have settled the matter!
Sean
Sean,
Thank you.
Paul.
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