National Socialist
Active Member
- Jun 24, 2025
- 40
- 19
I don't recommend reading this book.
This book isn't about suffering. I realized Jesus didn't suffer either. Yeah, he was nailed to a cross but that hardly lasted. Likewise the priest who is the main character in this book did not suffer. The priest complains about things that don't merit complaint - the stench of someone's breath during confession("their mouths close to my ear and emitting a stench that almost makes me vomit"), the meals of fried potatoes and water("You couldn’t imagine how wretched it is—a few fried potatoes and water.") that were given to him for free (how ungrateful that priest seems to be). Then the author describes the sunlight as "merciless" as if that caused suffering("The white noonday sun beat mercilessly down on the road and on the village")...
Then there's the fact that this book is about martyrdom. Martyrdom is suicide and I'm against suicide. And this problem is evident in many ways. For example a character said, "You are suffering terribly; but be patient. Padre and all of us are praying. You will both go to Paradise." This is said to Mokichi who was being martyred. I don't think they're really suffering - they're dying though to be fair taken out of context, I think I like this quote but for some reason a part of me doesn't want to admit it. Though I've heard this line of thinking elsewhere so I don't know how valuable this quote is.
Also, one of the things I wonder about this book is that the main character at times hates Kichijirou. I guess that's okay though since The Bible says "despise the despicable." According to this page it's okay to hate evil. There's the idea that Jesus said to not be angry with your brother - though I wonder if they're considered a brother: "anger shook his whole body like a gust of wind. Were he not a priest, he would wring the fellow’s neck." This isn't the only time the priests get angry: "‘Are we really so queer?’ exclaimed Garrpe once, flaring up in anger." I guess what this means is there an exception to loving your neighbor and to not get angry. Then there's this: "His feelings for Ferreira were not only of contempt and hatred; there was also a sense of pity, a common feeling of self-pity of two men who shared the same fate."
This story is also about Catholicism. I don't see the point of confessions or praying the rosary.
I also don't like this quote: "Such were Omatsu’s words of earnest encouragement; but when she tried to put the potato she had brought into Mokichi’s mouth he shook his head. If he must die anyway, he seemed to feel, he would like to escape as quickly as possible from this torment. ‘Give it to Ichizo,’ he said. ‘Let him eat. I can endure no more.’" It provides a case where delaying death might be pointless.
I didn't like that this book had a pro-death character: "‘I don’t know,’ she said. ‘Brother Ishida used to say that when we go to Heaven we will find there everlasting peace and happiness. There we will not have to pay taxes every year, nor worry about hunger and illness. There will be no hard labor there. We have nothing but troubles in the world, so we have to work hard. Father, isn’t it true that there is no such anguish in Heaven?’" And this: "‘Hisagoro is now happy,’ murmured one of the Christians enviously. ‘His suffering is over. He has entered eternal rest.’"
This book just seems to contradict Christianity: "How could he ever forget the dried fish, the burning thirst in his throat. Even if he tried to forgive the fellow, he could not drive from his memory the hatred and anger that lurked there." Jesus said to forgive or was there an exception to that?
This book is sort of pointless since the priest apostatizes anyway: "The priest placed his foot on the fumie."
I'll add some quotes anyways:
I'm quoting this because the book says God is silent but this is the exception where he says something.
This book isn't about suffering. I realized Jesus didn't suffer either. Yeah, he was nailed to a cross but that hardly lasted. Likewise the priest who is the main character in this book did not suffer. The priest complains about things that don't merit complaint - the stench of someone's breath during confession("their mouths close to my ear and emitting a stench that almost makes me vomit"), the meals of fried potatoes and water("You couldn’t imagine how wretched it is—a few fried potatoes and water.") that were given to him for free (how ungrateful that priest seems to be). Then the author describes the sunlight as "merciless" as if that caused suffering("The white noonday sun beat mercilessly down on the road and on the village")...
Then there's the fact that this book is about martyrdom. Martyrdom is suicide and I'm against suicide. And this problem is evident in many ways. For example a character said, "You are suffering terribly; but be patient. Padre and all of us are praying. You will both go to Paradise." This is said to Mokichi who was being martyred. I don't think they're really suffering - they're dying though to be fair taken out of context, I think I like this quote but for some reason a part of me doesn't want to admit it. Though I've heard this line of thinking elsewhere so I don't know how valuable this quote is.
Also, one of the things I wonder about this book is that the main character at times hates Kichijirou. I guess that's okay though since The Bible says "despise the despicable." According to this page it's okay to hate evil. There's the idea that Jesus said to not be angry with your brother - though I wonder if they're considered a brother: "anger shook his whole body like a gust of wind. Were he not a priest, he would wring the fellow’s neck." This isn't the only time the priests get angry: "‘Are we really so queer?’ exclaimed Garrpe once, flaring up in anger." I guess what this means is there an exception to loving your neighbor and to not get angry. Then there's this: "His feelings for Ferreira were not only of contempt and hatred; there was also a sense of pity, a common feeling of self-pity of two men who shared the same fate."
This story is also about Catholicism. I don't see the point of confessions or praying the rosary.
I also don't like this quote: "Such were Omatsu’s words of earnest encouragement; but when she tried to put the potato she had brought into Mokichi’s mouth he shook his head. If he must die anyway, he seemed to feel, he would like to escape as quickly as possible from this torment. ‘Give it to Ichizo,’ he said. ‘Let him eat. I can endure no more.’" It provides a case where delaying death might be pointless.
I didn't like that this book had a pro-death character: "‘I don’t know,’ she said. ‘Brother Ishida used to say that when we go to Heaven we will find there everlasting peace and happiness. There we will not have to pay taxes every year, nor worry about hunger and illness. There will be no hard labor there. We have nothing but troubles in the world, so we have to work hard. Father, isn’t it true that there is no such anguish in Heaven?’" And this: "‘Hisagoro is now happy,’ murmured one of the Christians enviously. ‘His suffering is over. He has entered eternal rest.’"
This book just seems to contradict Christianity: "How could he ever forget the dried fish, the burning thirst in his throat. Even if he tried to forgive the fellow, he could not drive from his memory the hatred and anger that lurked there." Jesus said to forgive or was there an exception to that?
This book is sort of pointless since the priest apostatizes anyway: "The priest placed his foot on the fumie."
I'll add some quotes anyways:
I'm quoting this because the book says God is silent but this is the exception where he says something.
