Hogwarts: From Selling White Peppers to Becoming a God

Chapter 308 The pursuit of perfection is an obsession that needs to be overcome.

In December, a comprehensive ideological rectification campaign began throughout the Soviet Union.

Starting with government staff at all levels, we should relearn progressive ideas and break free from outdated concepts.

Meanwhile, the KGB conducted an investigation into key figures who opposed the national laboratory program.

With the help of wizards, no one can hide a secret, and under this level of investigation, no one can be considered a saint.

A series of heinous crimes were exposed, the ringleaders were arrested, and the media publicized them extensively.

Soon, the opposition subsided.

In response to the frequent occurrence of so-called "miraculous" events, the state dispatched a special task force. The task force first recorded and collected information about the locations and parties involved in the "miraculous" events through the church. Then, the task force went deep into each event site and took away the "miraculous" images and all the images of the Virgin Mary that could be collected for "study".

At the same time, in order to rectify the religious chaos in the country, the Soviet Union established the Bureau of Religious Affairs and promulgated a new law: the "Act on the Management of Religious Affairs".

Its contents include:

1. No government employee—officials and staff at all levels of government departments, personnel of judicial, military and other agencies—may believe in religion.

2. All churches and other religious venues must apply for registration with the local government within three months. Religious venues that fail to register will be considered illegal and will be shut down immediately.

3. There is no longer a hierarchical relationship between any two places. Religious personnel are selected by the religious institutions within the place. No individual or organization may assign religious personnel to other places; otherwise, they will be banned.

4. No religious venue may engage in commercial activities, participate in commercial promotion, or spread its doctrines in any way that is profitable—such as through movies, TV series, etc. Otherwise, it will be banned.

5. Religious venues must record all donations under the names of donors and pay a 50% religious tax; otherwise, they will be shut down.

and many more.

The bill immediately sparked a strong backlash from the church, leading to renewed protests and marches. However, the leaders of this group were quickly eliminated by the community.

The fact that so many religious leaders have committed numerous atrocities, and whose behavior is not only unacceptable to religious doctrine but also violates the law, fully illustrates the grim situation facing religious affairs in the Soviet Union.

The Religious Affairs Bureau then issued a statement, arguing that the domestic religious atmosphere should be vigorously rectified.

The Bureau immediately organized hundreds of action teams to launch a comprehensive investigation into major religious groups, with the church at its head.

Each action group is accompanied by a wizard from Alkaim who is capable of using Legilimacy or carrying Veritaserum.

A massive purge began.

In one month, more than a thousand senior clergy members were brought down.

Another month later, three thousand people were imprisoned for various bribery, corruption, and sex scandals.

A month later, almost all bishops, and even pastors, began giving confessional speeches on television.

Four months later, the atmosphere in the world was finally cleared up.

The hypocrisy of the church has been exposed. Faced with irrefutable facts and countless bombardments of information, the only people who still maintain a strong faith in the church are fanatics, and they are no longer within Murphy's "can be united" category.

Meanwhile, after analysis and assessment by experts, it was unanimously concluded that the "miracle" incident was an organized and premeditated hoax perpetrated by another country. Enemy spies collaborated with rebels within the church, employing a cutting-edge photochemical technique, supplemented by suggestion, hypnosis, and chemical drugs, to deceive believers.

Its purpose was to prevent the Soviet Union from developing its own technology and to maintain its technological hegemony forever.

Furthermore, the experts even demonstrated similar technological methods to the paranormal events: they used a magical particle discovered by the latest technology called "void particles" to create various illusions, such as fire snakes, wind birds, and other ghostly creatures. They even demonstrated cutting-edge technology that could make themselves and others invisible.

Experts warned the public, "Enemy countries are already ahead in the research of void particles, and they are using this to infiltrate and deceive us."

"The research on this new scientific discovery of void particles will surely bring about a huge leap in productivity. In order not to be left too far behind by the enemy, and more importantly, to improve people's living standards, the country must vigorously promote the research on void particles."

"And this is precisely the reason why it is necessary to build national laboratories."

This time, there were no dissenting voices.

……

"To implement your plans through deception, isn't that leading the people into an abyss of ignorance and delusion?" The Queen asked, somewhat puzzled. "Such behavior seems to contradict your long-held ideal of pursuing the truth."

At this moment, the two are strolling in a royal garden in Al-Kaim.

It's already May again. Six months have passed since the rectification campaign in the Soviet Union, and the results have been remarkable. The entire country, from top to bottom, has taken on a new look.

"Your Majesty, most of the things that form the foundation of our understanding of the world are actually man-made concepts, such as society, morality, law, and the state. People believe in these concepts and live within them, and that's how they gradually become real."

Murphy strolled slowly, casually fiddling with the strange plants in the garden. He picked up a small flower that emitted a shimmering blue light and rubbed it in his hand. "Compared to God, 'void particles'—that is, magic—are at least not so ethereal, and they can't be called complete lies, can they?"

Sofia followed behind him. "You're using a fallacy. I just think your behavior seems a bit inappropriate."

"Your Majesty is extremely perceptive," Murphy smiled. "I did indeed use a fallacy; you were referring to the legitimacy of the action, while I was talking about void particles. Well, sometimes lies are easier to understand than the truth."

"Religion is a lie, and most people who are willing to believe it have not received proper training in thinking and logic. Explaining those dry theories to them, and logically revealing the whole story to them from beginning to end, is both laborious and unlikely to be effective."

"They are more receptive to a story."

"As long as my story is told better than the religious story, they will believe it."

"This is the most efficient way."

"But that's not the most proper way," Sofia said. "Using lies to defeat lies is never the right thing to do."

Murphy stopped and looked at a pond in the garden. He nodded. "You're right. If possible, I would prefer that people open their eyes and see the whole truth."

"But that's difficult," Murphy said. "It's hard to get things done in this imperfect world when you're holding onto the ideals of utmost holiness and goodness."

"Water that is too clear has no fish, and a person who is too discerning has no followers."

"Your Majesty, you must understand that this world is imperfect, and people are imperfect. It is neither possible nor desirable for imperfect people to accomplish something perfect in an imperfect world."

"If something is 80% likely to work and 70% likely to produce beneficial results, I think it's worth doing."

"In the matter we are discussing, it is better for people, for me, and for this country to believe my story and put their enthusiasm into a foreseeable and bright future than to let them waste their energy on some vague and unreal heaven."

"I can't say that using lies is the best approach; there are certainly better ways to solve this problem. But as I said, the pursuit of perfection is an obsession that needs to be overcome. Getting things done is more important than achieving perfection."

Sofia came to his side and suddenly rolled her eyes at him, "Even when you're spouting nonsense, you're always so confident."

(End of this chapter)