"But this is also a misunderstanding." Guo Ponu said bluntly: "You also know that we don't have such rules here."
"Yes." Guo Kang nodded: "I told her at that time that if she really wanted to be a priest, she might as well join the Tianfang Sect. Their upper limit is much higher."
"How high can it be?" Guo Ponu asked curiously.
"It can go as far as the caliphate." Guo Kang told him: "There are many examples of Tianfang religious regimes where women became sultans and even competed for the caliphate."
"Why can they accept it?" Guo Ponu felt a little strange: "I always thought that they, Catholicism, Orthodoxy, etc., all religions should be similar."
"Maybe it's because of the chaos over there." Guo Kang thought for a while and said.
"That's it..."
"Since the Tianfang Sect was first established, their civil strife has never stopped." Guo Kang gave her a brief introduction: "After the prophet who worshiped the Sect was gone, most of the disciples were still able to cooperate with each other and develop the religion at that time. It was still just a civil society organization. But Tianfang Sect was already an organization with very complex military and political forces at that time, so the competition between them became more intense."
"Besides, I feel that the political level of the Arabs at that time was not as good as that of the Mongols." He shook his head: "Since the death of their prophet, the disciples have begun to fight against each other."
"First the caliphs attacked and killed the Prophet's daughter, and then many leaders began to assassinate and attack each other. Three of the four orthodox caliphs were killed."
"Not only these people, but Aisha, the youngest wife of the Prophet, was also involved. After the third caliph Osman was attacked and killed by the rebels, she openly opposed Ali's succession and wanted to take the opportunity to gain power herself."
"So early." Guo Ponu was also a little surprised: "But in the civil strife, how can we participate in the fight without an army?"
"Yes, there is." Guo Kang said: "Many people neither like Osman nor Ali, so she has the support of forces led by Zubair and Talha. In addition, she has served as an imam before, so He was also famous and successfully attracted a large number of people to attack Ali."
"The decisive battle between the two sides was called the 'Battle of the Camel' because Aisha sat on a camel during this battle and constantly encouraged the soldiers. However, Ali's side was more capable, so they were still defeated. Zubair and other major military The leaders were killed and Aisha was driven back to Medina.”
"Had it not been a military failure at a critical moment, women might have held the highest power during the orthodox caliphate." Guo Kang said, "If you look at this situation, you will know how chaotic it was at that time."
"What I have read before are the stories about the founding of a country in white clothes and food. Many Tianfang believers particularly like to emphasize these. Their sectarian conflicts seem to have started at that time." Guo Ponu thought for a while and said: "The previous I don’t know much about the situation.”
"It was actually the same before, but the intensity was not as great as it was later. But the impact on believers and the damage to sanctity started very early." Guo Kang corrected:
"For example, Zubair, he is one of the highest-status disciples. It is said that he was the first batch of people to join the religion, ranking fourth or fifth. Another leader, Talha, was also ranked in the top eight. Moreover, they were also recruited back then. He was given the responsibility of reciting the classics and was one of several elders who specialized in maintaining the orthodoxy of the scriptures. As a result, this was only the first round of the civil war, and two of these figures, who were equivalent to the twelve disciples of the God-worshipping religion, were killed at once, or were killed by others. The disciples killed him. It can be said that 'the heavenly father kills the heavenly brother, and the caliphate will never end'."
"By the time the Umayyad family, which established a white-clad empire, came out, it was already the second round. This round was more fierce. In order to suppress the rebellion of the residents in their hometown, the Umayyad army made two expeditions to Mecca and plundered the holy city. After one pass, they smashed all the black stones in the temple. So to this day, the high-level sacred objects in the world of Tianfang Sect are set in silver frames and fixed."
"Looking at it this way, the Arabs are quite... tolerant. After all this trouble, they can still maintain a caliphate." Guo Ponu muttered: "Do they really still believe it?"
"Others don't know, but the senior officials of the Umayyad Dynasty estimate...that's it." Guo Kang thought for a while and said, "Later, the Umayyad Dynasty's army chased Ali's second son Hussein, and also killed Ali's second son Hussein. Massacres were committed in the former capital of Kufa.”
"Hussein's sister Zainab was arrested by the Umayyad governor. The governor showed her the heads of her two sons and laughed at her and said, 'What do you think about Hu Da and You's brother and family members?' All that has been said is that this job is done, and the only thing left is to directly say, 'The agreement between your family and Hu Da is nothing, and the caliphate is the one with strong soldiers and horses.' Do you think they really believe it? I don't think so anyway."
"So I agree with you on this point. They may not really care about legality." Guo Kang finally concluded: "I suspect that it is for this reason that the upper limit for promotion of female clergy over there is higher."
"Does this matter?" Guo Ponu asked.
"Compare it." Guo Kang reminded: "What do the Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church during the period of Rome's dominance have in common? What are the organizational differences between the various sects of the Tianfang Sect?"
"You mean their organization is more chaotic, right?" Guo Ponu thought for a while and said.
"We can add another comparison object." Guo Kang said: "For example, the Seris court, how about comparing it too?"
"How is this comparable? It's too far apart." Guo Ponu was very surprised.
"No, they do have common characteristics." Guo Kang corrected: "The church and the court both have the attributes of bureaucratic organizations."
"I remember you said that the Seris court also has the function of managing theocratic power. So that means that, as the administrative body of theocratic power, they cannot accept women as leaders?" Guo Ponu guessed.
"Not as a leader." Guo Kang shook his head: "In the world of worshiping God, there are many saints and nunnery leaders, many of whom have influence on the religious and secular world. The same is true in Seris, not to mention that there are There are also many queen mothers and queens who directly participate in sacrificial activities, as well as folk fairies. These people can indeed serve as religious leaders."
"As for other aspects, it is not impossible. For example, in Europe, there are a lot of female lords, and there are also powerful people among them. But the church cannot. Because the lord is not a bureaucrat, and the church is a bureaucracy."
"Similarly, the same is true for the churches in the Eastern Empire, and needless to say, the Serris government - it is the template for the bureaucracy." Guo Kang analyzed: "I think the real connection is here."
"You mean, this kind of organization is the reason why women are prohibited from joining?" Guo Ponu reacted.
"Yes, when other customs and environments are similar, the higher the degree of bureaucracy, the less acceptable it is for women to serve." Guo Kang nodded: "Actually, this is the case in Seris. Back then, there was still an aristocratic society. At that time, they also had female lords there. Even in an era when bureaucrats were the mainstream of the imperial court, outside the bureaucratic system, such as in the inner court, chieftains, and the army, there was still the possibility of women taking power."
"Then this is very interesting..." Guo Ponu muttered while thinking.
(End of chapter)
