Thou Shalt escorts Bodhi around a bend and into a gothic cathedral where an old sheep sits in the first row. He says to Bodhi:
i am original sin
and let me confess
how i found jesus christ
and was freed from my mess
when i was your age
i surrendered to lust
until one day under a tree
i heard a voice in a gust
told me to open a bible
and by chance i turned
to a letter from saint paul
lust and shame spurned
said if you abandon reason
and place in god your trust
your sins will fall away
with all your hate and lust
Bodhi responds to Original Sin:
i know faith is important
but god provided each being
with the ability to reason
to help us in seeing
Original Sin smiles gently and answers:
god reveals wisdom
but not through the mind
reason deceives us
and leaves the soul blind
Bodhi responds by questioning:
what about killing
justified in his name
jesus taught otherwise
are you not to blame
Original Sin answers, frustrated:
oh don’t be so literal
of course we must defend
help the flock flourish
his message we bend
They sit in silence and then Bodhi says:
are you saying it doesn’t matter
if we treat others ill or fine
as long as we believe
jesus is eternally divine
Original Sin responds:
well not exactly
but yes to be brief
god ultimately judges
not actions but belief
otherwise anyone
can claim eternal bliss
from any path they choose
our authority dismissed
As Original Sin finishes speaking, Zarathustra bursts into the cathedral carrying his lit lantern and sings “Eternal Rest for God.” He exchanges a quick glance of reassurance at Bodhi and confronts him, snarling:
you are not of christ
only one died on the cross
what use is this cathedral
other than sepulcher for your boss
sheep on this ridge
breathe the foulest air
your enlightened burden
causes suffering and despair
increases misery through guilt
because of your creed
tricks us into believing
animal selves must recede
what you call truth
is often a frame
and those who believe it
are bound to its claim
Zarathustra faces Original Sin and whispers to him:
worst of all
this guilt you sell
your will to power
i know it well
Zarathustra runs out the cathedral while Thou Shalt shouts after him:
be gone antichrist
to your cave retreat
don’t come back again
or your flesh we will eat
A sheep soldier soon enters and stations himself inside the cathedral door. Thou Shalt turns to Bodhi and says, calmly:
the lion followed you here
his treachery we discern
now the doctor is here
the beast shall not return
Another sheep arrives from the vestibule, sits next to Bodhi, and says:
i am doctrine’s doctor:
with thou shalt at my side
we give reason to faith
not merely fear or guide
through cause upon cause
no endless chain can move
an unmoved mover must be
this we can clearly prove
god made all from nothing
and orders what must be
and if force serves his will
then force can set us free
Bodhi responds, thoughtfully, to Doctrine’s Doctor:
i thought jesus taught
to turn the other cheek
when confronted by evil
not the ill you speak
Doctrine’s Doctor answers, somewhat frustrated:
oh don’t be so literal
of course we must defend
help the flock flourish
christ’s message we bend
goal is to guide all animals
to the beatific vision
after death they shall see
what we define as heaven
therefore we are obligated
to use or condone force
help future sheep
experience the source