Angels and Demons

Angels and Demons





第一次讀 丹布朗的 Angels and Demons 天使與魔鬼 時候, 記憶最深的是第九十四章（不同版本可以不同）, Vatican 梵蒂崗的 教皇侍從 the camerlegno 對著 BBC 的獨家電視直播, 他說:　
To the illuminati, "You have won the War" ..................

跟著,他把教廷對科學研究和宗教信仰的對立,人對週圍環境的污染污毀壞,人們對醫藥的依賴,人際關係的隔膜等等﹐等等。。


電影仍由 Tom Hanks 重演 Robert Langdon , Ron Howard 執導, 暫定上映日期2008年12月11日　但選擇誰來演　the camerlegno 呢?


Quoting .....




Now, speaking directly to the camera, the camerlegno stepped forward. "To the Illuminati," he said, his voice deepening, "and to those of science, let me say this." He paused. "You have won the war."


The silence spread now to the deepest corners of the chapel. Mortati could hear the desperate thumping of his own heart.
"The wheels have been in motion for a long time," the camerlegno said. "Your victory has been inevitable. Never before has it been as obvious as it is at this moment. Science is the new God."


What is he saying? Mortati thought. Has he gone mad? The entire world is hearing this!




"Medicine, electronic communications, space travel, genetic manipulation these are the miracles about which we now tell our children. These are the miracles we herald as proof that science will bring us the answers. The ancient stories of immaculate conceptions, burning bushes, and parting seas are no longer relevant. God has become obsolete. Science has won the battle. We concede."


A rustle of confusion and bewilderment swept through the chapel.
"But science's victory," the camerlegno added, his voice intensifying, "has cost every one of us. And it has cost us deeply."


Silence.

"Science may have alleviated the miseries of disease and drudgery and provided an array of gadgetry for our entertainment and convenience, but it has left us in a world without wonder. Our sunsets have been reduced to wavelengths and frequencies. The complexities of the universe have been shredded into mathematical equations. Even our self-worth as human beings has been destroyed. Science proclaims that Planet Earth and its inhabitants are a meaningless speck in the grand scheme. A cosmic accident." He paused.




"Even the technology that promises to unite us, divides us. Each of us is now electronically connected to the globe, and yet we feel utterly alone. We are bombarded with violence, division, fracture, and betrayal. Skepticism has become a virtue. Cynicism and demand for proof has become enlightened thought. Is it any wonder that humans now feel more depressed and defeated than they have at any point in human history? Does science hold anything sacred? Science looks for answers by probing our unborn fetuses. Science even presumes to rearrange our own DNA. It shatters God's world into smaller and smaller pieces in quest of meaning and all it finds is more questions."

Mortati watched in awe.

The camerlegno was almost hypnotic now. He had a physical strength in his movements and voice that Mortati had never witnessed on a Vatican altar. The man's voice was wrought with conviction and sadness.


"The ancient war between science and religion is over," the camerlegno said. "You have won. But you have not won fairly. You have not won by providing answers. You have won by so radically reorienting our society that the truths we once saw as signposts now seem inapplicable. Religion cannot keep up. Scientific growth is exponential. It feeds on itself like a virus.





Every new breakthrough opens doors for new breakthroughs. Mankind took thousands of years to progress from the wheel to the car. Yet only decades from the car into space. Now we measure scientific progress in weeks. We are spinning out of control. The rift between us grows deeper and deeper, and as religion is left behind, people find themselves in a spiritual void. We cry out for meaning.



And believe me, we do cry out. We see UFOs, engage in channeling, spirit contact, out-of-body experiences, mindquests—all these eccentric ideas have a scientific veneer, but they are unashamedly irrational. They are the desperate cry of the modern soul, lonely and tormented, crippled by its own enlightenment and its inability to accept meaning in anything removed from technology."




Mortati could feel himself leaning forward in his seat. He and the other cardinals and people around the world were hanging on this priest's every utterance. The camerlegno spoke with no rhetoric or vitriol. No references to scripture or Jesus Christ.


He spoke in modern terms, unadorned and pure. Somehow, as though the words were flowing from God himself, he spoke the modern language delivering the ancient message. In that moment, Mortati saw one of the reasons the late Pope held this young man so dear. In a world of apathy, cynicism, and technological deification, men like the camerlegno, realists who could speak to our souls like this man just had, were the church's only hope.


The camerlegno was talking more forcefully now. "Science, you say, will save us. Science, I say, has destroyed us. Since the days of Galileo, the church has tried to slow the relentless march of science, sometimes with misguided means, but always with benevolent intention. Even so, the temptations are too great for man to resist. I warn you, look around yourselves. The promises of science have not been kept. Promises of efficiency and simplicity have bred nothing but pollution and chaos. We are a fractured and frantic species moving down a path of destruction."


The camerlegno paused a long moment and then sharpened his eyes on the camera.
"Who is this God science? Who is the God who offers his people power but no moral framework to tell you how to use that power? What kind of God gives a child fire but does not warn the child of its dangers? The language of science comes with no signposts about good and bad. Science textbooks tell us how to create a nuclear reaction, and yet they contain no chapter asking us if it is a good or a bad idea.





"To science, I say this. The church is tired. We are exhausted from trying to be your signposts. Our resources are drying up from our campaign to be the voice of balance as you plow blindly on in your quest for smaller chips and larger profits. We ask not why you will not govern yourselves, but how can you? Your world moves so fast that if you stop even for an instant to consider the implications of your actions, someone more efficient will whip past you in a blur.


So you move on. You proliferate weapons of mass destruction, but it is the Pope who travels the world beseeching leaders to use restraint. You clone living creatures, but it is the church reminding us to consider the moral implications of our actions. You encourage people to interact on phones, video screens, and computers, but it is the church who opens its doors and reminds us to commune in person as we were meant to do. You even murder unborn babies in the name of research that will save lives.


"And all the while, you proclaim the church is ignorant. But who is more ignorant? The man who cannot define lightning, or the man who does not respect its awesome power? This church is reaching out to you. Reaching out to everyone. And yet the more we reach, the more you push us away. Show me proof there is a God, you say. I say use your telescopes to look to the heavens, and tell me how there could not be a God!"






The camerlegno had tears in his eyes now. "You ask what does God look like. I say, where did that question come from? The answers are one and the same. Do you not see God in your science? How can you miss Him! You proclaim that even the slightest change in the force of gravity or the weight of an atom would have rendered our universe a lifeless mist rather than our magnificent sea of heavenly bodies, and yet you fail to see God's hand in this? Is it really so much easier to believe that we simply chose the right card from a deck of billions? Have we become so spiritually bankrupt that we would rather believe in mathematical impossibility than in a power greater than us?





"Whether or not you believe in God," the camerlegno said, his voice deepening with deliberation, "you must believe this. When we as a species abandon our trust in the power greater than us, we abandon our sense of accountability. Faith all faiths are admonitions that there is something we cannot understand, something to which we are accountable With faith we are accountable to each other, to ourselves, and to a higher truth. Religion is flawed, but only because man is flawed. If the outside world could see this church as I do looking beyond the ritual of these walls they would see a modern miracle a brotherhood of imperfect, simple souls wanting only to be a voice of compassion in a world spinning out of control."




The camerlegno motioned out over the College of Cardinals, and the BBC camerawoman instinctively followed, panning the crowd.






"Are we obsolete?" the camerlegno asked. "Are these men dino-saurs? Am I? Does the world really need a voice for the poor, the weak, the oppressed, the unborn child? Do we really need souls like these who, though imperfect, spend their lives imploring each of us to read the signposts of morality and not lose our way?"




Mortati now realized that the camerlegno, whether consciously or not, was making a brilliant move. By showing the cardinals, he was personalizing the church. Vatican City was no longer a building, it was people –people like the camerlegno who had spent their lives in the service of goodness.


"Tonight we are perched on a precipice," the camerlegno said. "None of us can afford to be apathetic. Whether you see this evil as Satan, corruption, or immorality the dark force is alive and growing every day. Do not ignore it." The camerlegno lowered his voice to a whisper, and the camera moved in. "The force, though mighty, is not invincible. Goodness can prevail. Listen to your hearts. Listen to God. Together we can step back from this abyss."

Now Mortati understood. This was the reason. Conclave had been violated, but this was the only way. It was a dramatic and desperate plea for help. The camerlegno was speaking to both his enemy and his friends now. He was entreating anyone, friend or foe, to see the light and stop this madness. Certainly someone listening would realize the insanity of this plot and come forward.


The camerlegno knelt at the altar. "Pray with me."


The College of Cardinals dropped to their knees to join him in prayer. Outside in St. Peter's Square and around the globe a stunned world knelt with them.



讀後掩首好一會兒!　


最後給我找到中文譯本，節錄有關這一章的譯文：

教皇內侍邊朝前走邊直接對準鏡頭講話。“光照派的會員們，”他聲音低沉地說道，“還有那些科學工作者，請聽我說。”他頓了頓，接著說：“你們贏了這場戰爭。”

教堂最遠處的角落裡，這會兒也是一片寧靜。莫爾塔蒂都能聽到自己強烈的心跳。

“歷史的車輪已經轉了那麼久。”教皇內侍說道。“你們勝了也是在所難免。但這個勝利此刻比以前任何時候都更昭彰。科學成了新的上帝。”

他在說什麼！莫爾塔蒂心想。他瘋了嗎？全世界的人可都在聽著呢！

“醫藥、電子通訊、太空旅行、遺傳操縱……我們如今對孩子們說的都是這些奇蹟。我們把這些奇蹟看作是證明科學能解答我們難題的證據。無沾成胎、火焰中的荊棘和過紅海，這些古老的故事已不再有任何意義。上帝已經過時，科學贏得了戰爭的勝利。我們認輸了。”

教堂裡頓時一片混亂，大家如墮五里霧中。

“但是，科學的勝利，”教皇內侍接著說，語氣一下子尖利起來，“讓我們每個人都付出了代價。那可是慘重的代價。”

教堂裡頓時安靜下來。

“科學也許本可以減輕病人的痛苦，減少單調乏味的工作，提供一系列娛樂發明與便利設施，但這讓我們的世界不再有奇蹟。我們看到的日出現象簡化成了波長和頻率問題。宇宙的複雜性被切分成一個個數學等式，就連我們人類特有的自尊也被摧毀。科學宣稱地球這顆行星及其上面的居民只不過是龐大宇宙系統中的一顆毫無意義的微粒，只不過是一次宇宙事故的產物。”他頓了頓，接著說道。“那些技術說是要我們聯合起來，實際上卻把我們分割開來。如今，我們每個人都通過電子裝置與世界建立了聯繫，但我們卻感到極其孤單。我們身邊充斥著暴力、隔離、分裂與背叛。宗教懷疑變成了一種美德，憤世嫉俗與對證據的尋求倒成了開明思想。如今的人們比歷史上任何時候都有著更為強烈的沮喪感和挫敗感，這難道不讓人詫異嗎？科學把什麼東西視為神聖了嗎？科學通過探查未出生的胎兒來尋求答案，它甚至設想重新排列DNA的組合。它把上帝建立的世界分割成越來越小的碎片，就為了尋求一種價值……可結果反倒發現了更多的問題。”

莫爾塔蒂敬畏地注視著這一切。教皇內侍此刻像在催眠狀態中一樣，言談舉止鏗鏘有力，這是莫爾塔蒂在羅馬教廷的祭壇上不曾看到過的景象。教皇內侍的聲音中既流露出一種堅定的信仰又包含一絲無奈的悲傷。

“科學與宗教之間的古老戰爭已經結束。”教皇內侍說。“你們贏了。但你們沒有給出答案，因而贏得並不公平。你們如此激進地重定社會的方向，我們一度視為指路標的真理現在已變得似乎不再適用，就是這樣你們才贏的。宗教無法跟上你們的步伐。科學在以指數級的速度迅猛發展。它以自身為能源，如病毒一般。每一項新成就都為更多新的突破提供了契機。從車輪過渡到汽車，人類歷經千年；而從汽車到太空探索，人類只花了幾十年。現在，每隔幾個星期我們就可看到科學上的進步，其發展速度我們無法控制。我們之間的裂痕越來越深，當宗教被拋置腦後時，人們不知不覺陷入了精神的荒原。我們迫切需要尋求意義。說真的，我們確實需要。我們觀看飛碟，熱衷於通靈術、靈魂接觸、魂遊體外、心智探險活動??所有這些古怪思想都披著一層科學外衣，這些思想真是荒謬至極，他們竟然絲毫不覺羞恥。這都是現代魂靈絕望的呼聲，他們孤獨而痛苦，因為自身的文明發展以及無法理解任何技術之外的意義，他們感到殘缺。”

莫爾塔蒂坐在椅子上身子不覺往前傾。他和其他紅衣主教以及全世界的人都在全神貫注地聽著教皇內侍的每一句話。教皇內侍的言語既沒有華麗的辭藻也不到尖刻的字句，既沒提到《聖經》也沒說起耶穌基督。他用的是一種樸實而純正的現代語言。不知怎的，這些話好似上帝親口所說，教皇內侍說的是現代語言……講的卻是古老的啟示。那一刻，莫爾塔蒂明白了為何已故教皇如此看重這位年輕人。在一個情感冷漠，悲觀懷疑及奉技術為神明的世界，像教皇內侍這樣的人，能像他剛才一樣說話直指人心的現實主義者是教會僅存的希望。

教皇內侍的講話這時更有說服力了。“人們說科學能拯救我們，依我看是科學毀了我們。自伽利略時代起，教會就試圖減緩科學無情的進軍，雖然有時採取了錯誤的方式，但一直都是出於善意。即使如此，人類仍難以抵制巨大的誘惑。我提醒你們，看看你們周圍的景象吧。科學並未堅守自己的諾言。它所承諾的高效而簡單的生活帶給我們的只有污染與混亂。我們只是一個遭到破壞而發狂的物種……正走向一條毀滅之路。”

教皇內侍停頓了好長一段時間，然後目光敏銳地對準了鏡頭。

“這個科學之神是誰？那個給人以才智卻沒有給出道德標準告訴人們如何使用才智的神又是誰？給孩子火卻又不警告孩子有危險，這是什麼樣的神？科學的語言沒有任何善惡標準。科學教材教我們建立核反應堆，卻從不問我們這個主意是好還是壞。

“對於科學，我要說出下面的話。教會已經累了，我們一直試圖做你們的指路標，現在已筋疲力盡。就在你們盲目追求更袖珍的晶片及更高額的利潤的時候，我們為呼籲和諧，已經竭盡全力。我們要問的不是為什麼你們沒有約束自我，而是你們如何才能約束自我？你們的世界轉得那麼快，哪怕你停留片刻思考一下自己的行為所帶來的影響，某些更能幹的人就會以迅雷不及掩耳之勢將你甩在身後。因此，你們不斷前進。你們將大規模殺傷性武器擴散，是教皇雲遊世界懇請各國領導人限制使用核武器。你們克隆生物，是教會提醒我們考慮這種行為隱藏的道德問題。你們鼓勵人們利用電話、視頻、電腦進行交流，是教會敞開大門並鼓勵人們面對面地交流，而這也是我們應該做的。你們打著研究治病救人的方法之名。謀殺尚未出世的嬰兒，又是教會指出了你們的謬論。

“一直以來，你們都宣稱宗教無知。但究竟是誰更無知？是那個無法定義閃電的人，還是那個不尊敬閃電那令人敬畏的神力的人？這個教會正在向你們伸出友牧師愛之手，它向每個人都伸出了友愛之手。可我們越是要去接近你們，你們就把我們推得越遠。你們說，證明上帝的存在給我看看。我要說，拿著你們的望遠鏡謠望太空，告訴我那裡怎麼可能沒有上帝！你們怎麼可能沒看到上帝！你們宣稱如果重力和原子量發生哪怕極其微小的變化都會使我們的地球變成一團沒有生命的薄霧，而不是現在這樣一顆由大片海洋包圍著的天體，可你們難道就沒看到上帝發揮的作用嗎？人們真的就那麼容易相信我們僅僅是在無數張紙牌中抽對了那一張嗎？難道我們已經變得如此空虛，情願去相信子虛烏有的事情而不願相信一種比我們強大的力量嗎？”

“不管你信不信上帝，”教皇內侍審慎地說著，聲音低沉起來，“你都要相信這樣的事實。當我們人類不再相信存在比我們強大的力量時，我們就放棄了自己的責任感。宗教信仰……所有的信仰……都告誡我們有些事物是我們無法理解的，有些 是我們要承擔責任的……由於有了信仰，我們就會對彼此負責，對自己負責，對一種更高的真理負責。宗教的不完美只是因為人的瑕疵。如果外界的人能像我這樣看待宗教……越過宗教儀式這些高牆……他們就會看到一個現代奇蹟……看到在這個飛速發展而失去控制的世界裡，不完美但卻率直的靈魂因渴望尋求同情之聲而產生的一種手足之情。”

教皇內侍把手伸向紅衣主教團上方，英國廣播公司的女攝影師則下意識地跟隨他，將鏡頭對準下面的紅衣主教們。

“我們是不是變成了古董？”教皇內侍問道，“難道這些人都是老頑固嗎？我們是不是呢？窮人、弱者、受壓迫的人還有尚未出世的孩子，難道這個世界還不該為他們找個代言人嗎？有些人雖然本身並不完美，但卻傾其一生懇求我們每個人去理解道德標準而不至於迷失自我，難道我們真的不需要這樣的靈魂人物嗎？”

莫爾塔蒂現在明白了，不管是不是有意識的，教皇內侍都採取了英明的做法。通過展示紅衣主教，他將宗教人性化。梵蒂岡不再是一座建築物，而是一群人??一群像教皇內侍那樣終生都在行善的人。

“今晚，我們身處險境。”教皇內侍說。“我們任何一個人都不可能無動於衷。不管你們認為這是惡魔撒旦，是腐敗，還是道德淪喪……黑暗勢力依然活躍，並且日趨壯大。千萬不要小看它。”教皇內侍的聲音漸漸變成耳語，攝象機的鏡頭推近了一些。“這種力量，雖然強大，但並非堅不可摧。善終將取勝。聆聽你的心靈，聆聽上帝吧，讓我們團結一致走出困境。”

莫爾塔蒂這會兒明白了過來，這就是教皇內侍帶記者進來的原因。雖然這樣做違反了秘密會議的教規，可這是唯一的辦法。他的求助令人印象深刻，但也有孤注一擲的意味。教皇內侍這既是講給敵人聽的，也是講給教友聽的。他這是在懇求每一個人，不論是敵還是友，他都懇求他們意識到這種危險，阻止這種瘋狂的行為。聽他講話的人無疑都會意識到這一瘋狂的陰謀，然後挺身而出反對這個行為。

教皇內侍跪在祭壇旁，呼籲道：“和我一起祈禱吧。”

樞教團的主教們全都跪下來和他一起祈禱。在外面聖彼得廣場上，在世界各地……一個受到震驚的世界在同他們一起跪著祈禱。




伸延閱覽：
在線閱讀中文版 Angels and Demons 天使與魔鬼
在線閱讀英文版 Angels and Demons 天使與魔鬼
The camerlegno speech 教王內侍演說 全文簡體版
The camerlegno speech 教王內侍演說 全文繁體版