Kindle Edition
Amazon
Category:
Literary Fiction
ISBN-10: 1519169043
Type: Fiction
Pages: 243
Copyright: Nov. 7, 2015
ISBN-13: 9781519169044
Price: $3.49 (eBook)
After failing to eradicate religion, an idea is hatched to bring religion back under control of the Empire.
A satirical look on how a religion is formed, how narratives can be manipulated, and how people will see what they want to see.
Excerpt
Prologue
On an isolated planet in an isolated sector of the universe, an isolated event took place that would change the planet and its inhabitants’ lives forever. Close to a hundred years ago (no one was sure of the exact date so your guess is as good as mine), an unknown spacecraft from unknown origins crashed on the remote colony planet of Terra. Thousands of simple hard working Terrans from the local villages made the pilgrimage to witness the strange occurrence. A thousand stories from a thousand different perspectives were born that day, but the one common standard in all the tales was what the people found in that unknown spacecraft.
Well preserved from the damages of terrestrial decay were twelve deceased cosmonauts. In comparison to the domestic Terrans, the extraterrestrials were slightly taller, slightly thicker, slightly paler in skin tone, and had different hair colors and hair styles. Many Terrans who were close enough to see the corpses with their own eyes remarked that the aliens were remarkably similar or more perfect versions of themselves.
Along with the bodies of the cosmonauts were their personal effects and equipment. This included their weapons, means of sustenance, and clothing. But what captivated the audience the most was a book. The majority of Terrans could not read, and most had never seen a book before as reading had become an archaic method of gathering information since holograph screens were invented several centuries ago. The few Terrans that could read were well advanced in their years and were too absorbed in their scholarly pursuits to attend the discovery. All except for one, a humble old geezer with a vivid imagination named Simon.
A hush fell over the crowd as Simon was ushered to the unknown spacecraft to take possession of the unknown book and decipher its unknown contents. From this moment on, the story becomes murky. What is known is that over the days, the weeks, the months, and the years the accounts of Simon’s revelations spread far and wide. Most accounts had Simon recanting the story of a person named Joshua or a name that sounded vaguely similar. A few accounts had Simon recanting the story of a person named Chris or a name that sounded vaguely similar. Regardless of the name of the main character, the audience was enthralled by the exploits of the mythical man.
In all the four corners of Terra, everyone came to know the fable of the man now dubbed Joshua Chris. As the fable spread by word of mouth, none could remember the original tale as it had been altered and modified to better suit the particular interests of the storyteller and their audience. Nor could anyone gain access to the original book as it had been quickly confiscated by the Terran Central Authority (who were really just cronies for the much larger and much more powerful Empire) and placed in a secret heavily guarded vault in an undisclosed location.
Over time, numerous retellings of Joshua Chris were forgotten, driven underground, or suppressed by the Central Authority till only a small fraction of the retellings remained. These few fables, while essentially identical in message, varied in minute inconsequential details which caused institutions and supporters that held the fable close and dear to their heart to squabble and eventually wage war on one another. These conflicts escalated and became more violent over the years as the institutions and supporters became more zealous.
|
