Poul Anderson - Father Axor;
SM Stirling - Father Ignatius;
HG Wells - the Curate in The War Of The Worlds and a vicar in In The Days Of The Comet.
That comet changes everyone for the better - but Wells does not show us its effect on the vicar.
I mention this because of a short passage in Stieg Larsson's The Girl Who Played With Fire. The title character cannot get anyone in authority to hear what she has to say, not even a pastor who wants her to pray with him. That has to be a text book example of how not to work as a pastor or as any kind of counselor. Either Axor or Ignatius would have listened and responded. Each would have prayed for Lisbeth but not with her unless she asked them to.
6 comments:
Kipling generally showed Christian missionaries in an unsympathetic manner -- he really didn't like them. There's one poem he did about the African Lakes Company (an organization owned by Scottish missionaries) which goes:
Father of mercy, Who has made
The Sun by day, the Moon by night
To show the course of British Trade
And cheer the Gospel-teaching white
Tho' we attack with fire and sword
The heathen press us hard, O Lord!
A Minister of Christ, I kneel
Before Thy altar to beseech
One seven-pounder -- rifled -- steel
Ten-grooved and loading at the breech:
Thereto, for Thou dost all things well
Much ammunition -- shot and shell.
Creator of the countless suns,
We spread the Gospel of the Cross,
Grant that we smuggle safe those guns,
And horribly avenge our loss!
So shall we teach, by death and dearth,
Goodwill to men, and peace on earth.
Kaor, Paul and Mr. Stirling!
Paul: I agree, the proper way for a priest or minister to react in the situation you described would be to first listen and respond. I agree with how you described how Fr. Axor and Fr. Ignatius would have acted.
Mr. Stirling: I'm slowly rereading Kipling's KIM, and I recall how the Church of England minister, Mr. Bennett, seems to have been, in some ways, the kind of clergyman Kipling disliked. But, the Catholic priest, Fr. Vincent, was shrewder and more sympathetic in how he treated Kim and his Lama. Fr. Vincent behaved more like your own Fr. Ignatius.
Sean
I also thought that Vincent was a better type.
Kaor, Paul!
I don't want to be unfair to Mr. Bennett! He struck me as rather unimaginative and insensitive, but not a bad man.
Sean
Kipling was raised in a Methodist family; he more or less never mentioned Methodism, which is significant; I think he occasionally attended Anglican services later in life.
His basic attitude seems to have been that first, local religious sensibilities should be strictly respected even when unpleasant to British eyes, within limits (suttee, human sacrifice and so forth excepted) and secondly that there were holy men in all faiths.
His portrayal of the Lama in "Kim" for example, is extremely affectionate.
Dear Mr. Stirling,
I had not known of Kipling's Methodist origins. I've never seen any direct references to Methodism in his works, that I recall. I did get the impression that Kipling thought of himself as a Christian, from poems of his like "Cold Iron," which I recently had occasion to quote from. And I also got the impression that he had a generally more favorable view of the Catholic Church than of the various Protestant churches.
Yes, I agree with you and Kipling on the desirability, within limits of the kinds you listed, of showing respect to different religions. Which does not mean AGREEING with them, simply showing them decent courtesy and respect. I would include Muslims who preach or practice jihad as also putting themselves beyond the pale.
I agree with what you said about KIM, the Lama in that book was certainly a very good man!
Sean
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