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.Reverend Sluggard laid his handupon the man's abdomen and shouted to the rafters.He pronounced the mancured.The Master of Sinanju noticed a blind man in one of the lines.He was alone.He was asking to be brought before the Reverend Eldon Sluggard.He wanted tosee again.His voice was pleading.Only Chiun noticed him.Then two of the white-clad acolytes discovered the man and took him by thearms.Quietly but firmly they led him out of line and out of the Temple ofTribute.Even over Reverend Sluggard's shoutings, Chiun heard them promisethat they were taking him to Reverend Sluggard, who would cure his vision.An hour later, when the last person threw away his crutches, the blind man hadnot returned.Chiun knew why.You could convince anyone he was cured of aninner ailment, or that his feeble limbs were empowered once again-at least aslong as his euphoria was maintained-but no one could convince a blind-man thathe could see color and shape.Chiun frowned as he left the Temple of Tribute.Was this what passed for faithin America? he wondered.Was this the faith that Remo clung to despite havinghad his vision cleared by Sinanju, his senses made whole?Remo and Victoria joined the Master of Sinanju in the quadrangle.Thecongregation was returning to the buses.Chiun noticed that one of the personswho had left their wheelchairs behind had to be helped into the waiting bus."Wasn't that inspiring?" Victoria said, squeezing Remo's arm."You know how I feel?" Remo said."I feel exactly the way I used to feel whenI would come out of confession.""Stupid?" asked Chiun."No.Sort of.purged.""Ah.I know that feeling," Chiun remarked."You do? I didn't know they had anything like confession in Sinanju.""We do not.We have something equally efficacious.""Yeah? What's that?""Chamber pots."Chapter 14The Master of Sinanju wore his concern on his gracious face.Not that anyone cared.Especially Remo.A week had passed.Remo was standing in the wings of the studio where ReverendEldon Sluggard was taping the latest edition of his Get with God program.Chiun did not understand the meaning of the name and had asked Remo to explainit."It's slang," Remo had replied."It means.to be one with God.These peoplein the studio audience want to be one with the Lord.""They wish to die?""No, of course not.""I am confused.Is it not said in Western religions that in order to be onePage 58ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.htmlwith the Supreme Creator, death must first occur?""Well, yes.But some people believe that it's possible to know Godspiritually.""How?""I don't know how it works.But the nuns used to talk about it all the time.""Ah," said Chiun, "the nuns.And you believed them, although they offered noproof to you?""This is faith, Chiun.You don't need proof.You need faith.""In what?""In God.""Have you ever spoken to this being you call God?""No.But the nuns told me all about him.Just like Reverend Sluggard is doingnow.""Do you have faith in Reverend Sluggard?""Sure," Remo said quickly."And why?""Because he's the leader of an important movement.He does good for people.Heshows them the way to become the best they can be.Everyone says so.""And if everyone told you he was a false prophet, would you believe that aswell?""If he's not the man of God everyone says, why would the Iranians single himout for attack? Answer that.""And that is your proof of this man's holiness?""What else could it mean?" Remo demanded."It could be that he angered them.""Sure he has.He's been warning us about the Moslem threat for years.He toldme so.Besides, why would Smith send us to protect him? Huh?""I see your newfound faith extends also to Smith," Chiun said quietly."It isunfortunate." And while Remo's attention remained on the Reverend Sluggard,the Master of Sinanju departed in silence.He repaired to the quarters thathad been set aside for them.The quarters were in the great boat that EldonSluggard used for his living place.It was explained that Remo and Chiun hadto stay close to Reverend Sluggard at all times to protect him from thegodless Moslems.Chiun had replied that the Moslems were not godless.Otherwise they would notbe Moslems.Victoria Hoar had countered that Moslems believed in the wrongGod.Chiun had started to ask her how she knew there was a right God, when herealized the stupidity of his own question.There was only one SupremeCreator.Only the name by which different peoples addressed him differed [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]