Nehrim:Proclamations

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First Proclamation - Shame

Shame

Once, the Creator's messenger spoke on the marketplace of a city and many people came and listened to his words. However, when His messenger had finished speaking, the people were not in awe of the Creator and His work. They spat on His messenger, threw dirt at him and hit him with sticks, and so he had to leave the city. He did not return until weeks later, and with him he brought an endless stream of warriors in silver armour, and these warriors were the guard of the Creator Himself. Thereupon the non-believers realised they had wronged the messenger and they catered to him and his warriors with everything they owned. And the next day they swore an oath to the Creator, yet they were all filled with a deep, biting shame that they could never discard.

Second Proclamation - The Calf

The Calf

A herdsman owned a cow that was soon to give birth to a calf. But when the day came, the herdsman saw that the calf was crippled and already dead. In his anger, he cursed the Creator, for he could not understand why such grief would befall him.
However, the Creator sent his messenger to the Earth, who appeared to the herdsman and asked for a place to stay for a night. The herdsman told him of his dead calf and showed the messenger the pit he had thrown it into. But the messenger climbed down into the pit, picked up the calf and laid it at the herdsman's feet. “Look what you have cursed,” he accused him. “You believed it was the Creator's fault that this creature was born like this. But who are you to apply your puny standards to His creation? You may not start at yourself when you want to separate the ugly from the beautiful. In the eyes of the Creator, you too are an abortion just like this calf here. When you people judge something by its appearance, then that is just a spawn of your despicable inadequacy. “
“But why did the Creator make people so ugly?” , the herdsman wanted to know.
And the messenger replied: “Because people are just the refuse of His creation.”

Third Proclamation - Rain

Rain

A woman was buying goods at the market, but as she began her way home, it started to rain heavily. At once she ran into a nearby temple to get out of the wet. In the temple, she pretended she didn't go in because of the rain, and murmured a false prayer. The priest saw through her deception at once and confronted her. “What do you mean by seeking the house of the Creator just because you wanted to flee the unpleasant? If you want to serve Him, you must search for agony and anguish! If you cannot even stand the rain, how can you expect the Creator to give you a better life after your death?” And he forced the woman to throw her bought goods into the gutter and to crawl back to her house naked and on all fours. And when she reached home, she had nothing to eat and was freezing, but she felt she had come closer to the Creator, and that was all that mattered.

Fourth Proclamation - The Candle

The Candle

One cloudy night, a young priest had an urge to read a book, although he was in complete darkness. So he took a candle and lit it in order to read by its light. However, the abbot noticed this, hurried over and slammed the book closed in the boy's face. “Why did the Creator create night, do you think? For us people to be relieved of the misconducts of our eyes for a few hours and for us to think about our own faults, of course! And you are acting as if the darkness is just an inconvenience you can get rid of with fire! At night you must confess to your own flaws and so pay homage to the Creator.”
In fright, the priest dropped the candle and the book went up in flame. But instead of putting it out, the abbot left the chamber and locked the door behind him. For only then could he be sure that the priest would never again dare to take a candle at night, but rather fathom his own soul in the darkness from then on.

Fifth Proclamation - The Cloth

The Cloth

A young boy wanted to scare his sister, so he wrapped a cloth around his head and waited in a dark corner for her to return. When she arrived, he jumped out and frightened her terribly. The father saw this and wanted to give the boy the strap. But the Creator held out his hand and sent a spark of his power into the cloth that then, alive and like a snake, wrapped itself around the father's neck so that he could no longer breathe. And the Creator spoke from the heavens: “See, your son has done well! He has taught your daughter the meaning of fear and that is exactly what you people should be doing at any time: being fearful and reminding your fellow people of this fear.” And just as the father was about to suffocate, the cloth let go of his throat and was lifeless. Never again did he punish his son for frightening other people.

Sixth Proclamation - The Servant

The Servant

A servant became guilty of something, whereupon his master lost a lot of money. The master then nearly beat his servant to death with a stick. The Creator saw this and did not intervene, for the servant had deserved his punishment and the master was right.
However, months later, the master struck the servant's wife dead in a rush of sweet drinks. But the servant did not dare call his master to account for it. So the Creator sent a messenger who spoke to the servant: “A punishment is fit for anyone, master or servant, as long as they are guilty. Because, for the Creator, the people are all unworthy servants. And because it was your wife who he killed, you can choose in which way you want to punish your master. Just as long as you repay the deed with an appropriate punishment. That is how the Creator wants it.”
And the next day the servant went to the master as he slept and tied him to his bed with ropes. Then he took a stick in his hand and beat his master until he breathed no more.

Seventh Proclamation - The Knife

The Knife

The dwellers of a village decided one day to build a small temple in honor of the Creator. As soon as it was ready, they began praying in it and bringing the Creator sacrifices of fruits and animals.
But the Creator was angry about their conduct and spoke: “Why do you think you honor me by slaying your livestock and letting your harvest rot? These are no sacrifices for you, for you have more than enough of both! If you want to show me your devotion, then prove you are aware of your inadequacy!”
And so the villagers took a knife and cut themselves and disfigured their bodies. For they had understood that they could only show the Creator respect by treating themselves as he had created them, as tainted creatures.