~
"So you think it is god's will the Empire uses religion as a method of control of it's citizens?" Zell retorted into the small space of silence and Bishop Gregor's eyes scanned the soldiers of different types facing him knowing the Sith was smirking behind him.
"I believe the Will of God has not changed since the times before the Force and I believe it is his will for all to know His Truth. I cannot help it if you also suppose to use this as
your method of control but it
is His Will being carried out through religion."
"The Azguards and Coalition have religion. Do you say they have truth?" an Admiral asked and Gregor grinned.
"They have a type of Truth. Do not confuse religion with Truth. Just because a person believes something does not, in and of itself, make it true. It must be tested as if for impurities and I can tell you, after their time of testing, the truth the Azguards face is that their gods are not True Gods nor is their religion the one true religion!"
"Based on?"
"Based on the lack of success of their gods against a temporal enemy, the Galactic Empire. Those who hold to the Azguard faith do not understand the fundamentals about God and so follow these 'gods' who are hungry for war and death. In the end, this faith of their followers will be burned out of their hearts with failure after failure."
"Well, I could have told you their gods were bullshit." Zell remarked. "I also can tell you that your god is bullshit. All Citadel beliefs are a conglomeration of various different religions that used to be found within the Empire and now are not. Each new 'belief' is not set into your canon law until approved by a department in INS."
Bishop Gregor merely looked at the retired Moff and said, "A fool can tell you that Emperor Palpatine was killed by Darth Vader and yet because you were told this by a fool does not invalidate the truth.
It is God's will that we live in peace with our respective governments and obey these 'superior authorities'. And so, legally, for the Citadel to be officially recognized by the Empire, it needed a COMPNOR charter. With this officiality also comes a responsibility to pass divine truths through an INS office. Does this invalidate the truths?
I think not.
You think because the Water of Truth is drawn from various cisterns the water is somehow contaminated?
This grand Empire you vaunt to the galaxy sits on edifaces and structures many of which drew their beginnings from the Old Republic and what came before. Does this fact invalidate Imperial Law and the foundations from which the Galactic Empire stands upon?"
Azrael Zell's eyebrows raised at the comments and shifted uncomfortably. He turned to the Admiral, a man named Jaeder, and the military man cast his stern visage to the Citadel man before them. "Your water of truth being drawn from different sources may not contaminate but it does dilute."
Zell looked at his friend impressed despite himself.
Fight the fucker on his own terms!
The Bishop Gregor blinked at first not expecting the military mind to respond in kind. His surprise turned to delight and he excitedly replied, "Not if you did not have Truth to begin with.
Haven't you ever wondered: why
now? Why now of all times has God deigned to turn his attention to the Empire and bless it with such prosperity?"
"No..." Zell answered sarcastically.
Gregor ignored the interruption, "If anything was a testament to the existence of God, it is the Empire!"
"How the fuck do you figure that?"
And suddenly the Bishop's features changed to one of rage and his walking stick rose, "To use your obscenities, old man, how the fuck does a galaxy spanning civilization get kicked on it's ass by A HANDFUL OF MILITANTS?!"
The sheer disgust and contempt the Bishop Gregor showered at the panel made those observing draw back. The soldiers stood a little straighter wondering if, at any moment, they would be ordered to cut the religious man down.
If there was one thing that embarrassed the Empire.... If there was one thing that had the elite and powerful of the Empire looking around in confusion it was 'getting kicked on its ass' by the Rebellion. The Imperial leaders, elite citizens and their various organizations like INS all sought to throw light on the great rise out of the darkness from Darth Exceron to Azrael Zell to Daemon Hyfe to Simon Kaine raising these figures to near demigod preportions. All the while, however, ignoring the fact that the Empire
had been kicked into that darkness to begin with by just a handful of insurrectionists Rebels. These Rebels would go on to create a New Republic and would be a source of personal hatred by the retreating Empire until they would return later to beat the living stuffing out of them.
"We had a top-heavy government!" a voice rang out in defense of the Old Empire.
"We had no Fleet Oversight and the Moffs cared for their own position rather than their territories.." came another shout.
No one would verbally call Palpatine a fool out loud but all thought that an entire legion of his best troops and a significant portion of the Imperial Starfleet, not counting an operational Death Star, should have been enough to defeat a shuttle-sized company of soldiers, native Ewoks and the handful of Mon Calamari and Nebulon B rustbuckets that were thrown at them.
"NO!" Gregor shouted back. "You did not have God's blessing! You thought to make yourselves gods! You thought yourselves the Masters of the Universe and for your presumptuousness, you were laid low."
"Are you saying God declared war on the Empire?" Zell asked incredulously.
"What war?" Gregor responded in a flippant manner.
"Oh, you sorry son of a bitch.." Zell muttered feeling an urge to punch the smug officiant in his face.
"GOD IS NOT ONE TO BE MOCKED!" the Bishop shouted back. "Yes, the Citadel beliefs stem from the religions of various peoples for the Empire sits in a cradle of near infinite diversity in infinite combinations. The Census Bureau was set up to run through the beliefs of all these entities and create one simple yet appealing organization to capture the people's hearts!
Well, guess what, oh glorious planners of the Empire? It worked! It was not only appealing but it was compelling for in each religion was found a gem of Truth and when they were all drawn together, the mosaic began to take on a life of it's own!"
In the grip of passion, Gregor's voice entreated the leaders seated above him, "Do you know why the greatest denial of God exists? Do you know what the greatest cause for disbelief in God is?"
"Besides fanatical faggots?" Zell snorted.
Bishop Gregor looked at him in sincere agreement. "You've hit the nail on the head, Moff Zell. In another word: religion.
Just about every species in this galaxy has some system of belief that talks of a divine power, a divine hope and galactic eventuality. Every species.
But we creatures of the universe are inherently selfish and so we begin putting our own versions of truth into the mix and soon what we have is unappealing, uncompelling and, even moreso, repulsive and degenerate.
You see, all species talk of a divine creator and of a divine hope. A hope that things will get better and yet, take a look outside you see how we all throw ourselves into violence with a glee that pleases no one but the Dark One.
But species go to war and commit such attrocities in the name of a divine being and so rather than attribute such actions to the fools who perpetrate them, people attribute the actions to God.
Then, because God does not act to counter or circumvent the actions of these fools, people profess disbelief in Him.
And so they walk blind in a galaxy gone mad.
That is, until someone decided to put together the greatest research project in the galaxy and put it in the hands of a truly active organization. The Census Bureau takes its responsbilities seriously. So many similarities of thought between species, even those with little interaction, tends to speak to Truth."
Admiral Jaeder frowned, "But that is not exactly...proof."
The Bishop shrugged, "The Empire shouts to the galaxy over holonet regarding it's superiority and supremacy but just because you shout the loudest does not make it true either."
"That could be interpreted as treason."
"To the ignorant, perhaps. But I did not say the Empire was not the most superior government in the galaxy. I just said that being the loudest in shouting does not make it fact."
"You split hairs like a lawyer." one person grumbled.
"You think your god is stronger than the Sith? You think your faith will protect you from my wrath?" The Sith standing behind Gregor had finally spoken albeit in that tiring but effective menacing voice.
Bishop Gregor turned slightly, "You think your powers greater than the creator of the Universe?"
The Sith activated it's lightsaber with the familiar snap-hiss and the panel shifted nervously. Bishop Gregor stood firm.
"The ability to take life is not a great one and is something even domesticated animals can do. But, tell me Sith, can you give life?"
"You want him to fuck a girl?" Zell asked acting confused.
The laughter around the panel simply served to anger the Sith more. The Bishop kept eye contact with the force user and simply said, "In the time before the Force, God was."
"THERE WAS NO TIME BEFORE THE FORCE!" the Sith shouted back. "The Force is! And the Sith control it!"
"No.." Gregor whispered. "Life creates it. Makes it grow. Without life, there is no Force and so, before life was created, there could be no Force.
So, then, is not the Force yet another gift from God?"
Zell barked out a laugh, "Call me a pussy and fuck me silly! The bastard's got a point!"
The Bishop turned his back on the Sith to address the panel, "I assure you, I
know who my parents are."
The sheer hubris of the Bishop refreshed the old man Zell and he nodded approvingly. THIS is what made people stand up and take notice.
Strength!
Not the fucking mewling about that Jedi or lesser beings are known for. Always whining about the good ol' days and usually the whiners were those too fucking young to remember the good ol' days.
Like the fucking Sith! Zell looked at the mewling Sith newborn wondering through narrowed eyes who the fuck had him in attendance, Vance or Lupercus?
Wait! Vance has some 'Darth' name now.... fucking Sith. Can't keep their fucking names straight. As if coming up with some new name makes them more badass or competent!
"So you denounce the Jedi?" another asked.
"Do you mean the true Jedi, the Corps, or do you refer to the disbanded Order from Naboo?"
This Bishop is smart! Zell grinned.
"The latter."
"Of course. The Jedi follow false gods, the whims of microscopic parasitic creatures residing in their bodies and in doing so, set themselves up in a position that only God should have."
"What position is that?"
"The position to absolve accountability. God has a set of standards that do not change and have never changed. The Jedi Code changes with the times and it doesn't matter what people do, whether they rape a girl or commit mass murder on a planetary scale, join the Jedi and they not only are absolved and forgiven but they are given the authority of 'Master', as if the slaughter was some benchmark to reach Mastership.
And then they wonder why the people ... the victims ... hate the Jedi? They wonder why no one trusts them."
Zell cackled in agreement, "All fucking Lupercus has to do is apply for membership and they'll fucking forgive him and make him a fucking Jedi Master!"
The panel went a round of laughter at the obsurdity that was the old Jedi Order.
Zell leaned forward, "But tell me, Bishop, doesn't your belief in god directly clash with the Imperial ideology of Evolution?"
"It is not ideology, it is fact.." Admiral Jaeder remarked.
