Editing The Church

{{Uncited}}
{{Character|image1 = clergy.png|caption1 = A few modifications, that's all. Art from FL.|name = The Anglican Church|location = [[Fallen London]]|allegiance = [[The Traitor Empress]]|relationships = [[Victoria]] (theological head)
[[Devils]]|notable_members = The Loquacious Vicar<br>
The Bishop of Southwark<br>
The Bishop of St. Fiacre}}''"Churches still hold services, London still has its bishops, the Traitor Empress is still the head of the Church of England. Theology has become more flexible, of course. People are more polite about Hell. A few of the saints seem to have had a change of name."''

[[File:Church.png|thumb|The Church.]]'''The Anglican Church''' still survives in [[London]]. It just has to be more delicate about [[devils]], because after all, it's now ''among'' devils...__forcetoc__

==The Good Book==
Despite London's rather inconvenient relocation, the Church still has a strong grip on the theology of the city. However, due to [[Hell]]'s close proximity to London, it is no longer considered impolite to use infernal curses; even the most proper ladies of the Neath sometimes say "d__n", though it remains censored in writing.<ref name = "sidebar">{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Sidebar_Snippets#Universal|Sidebar Snippets|Fallen London|''A thing about naughty words''}}:<br />''"Before the Fall, gentlemen did not usually say 'damned'. The word is in more common use now. Given the proximity of Hell, it seems coy to treat the word with such caution."''</ref>
While the churches themselves are still considered places of virtue and charity, some of them are also home to various forms of villainy. For example, St. Dunstan's church is rumored to be a base of operations for [[the Soul Trade|spirifers]].

The presence of devils combined with the elusiveness of death means that the Church had to make quite a few changes to the Bible. These changes are overseen by '''Saint Cyriac's Illuminated College''', more commonly known as '''God's Editors'''. They often edit the Good Book to reflect recent events, but they may have certain knowledge regarding a passage of St. Matthew...

==The Saints of the Church==
*'''St. John the Baptist'''
*'''St. Matthew'''
*'''St. George'''
*'''St. Joshua''' - patron of spies
*'''St. Fiacre''' - patron of medicine and gardeners
*'''St. Cyriac''' - patron of learning (this is a definite attribute change)
*'''St. Dunstan''' - patron of smiths of every kind, as well as musicians
*'''St. Meliflua''' - patron of anarchists and devils (ahistorical; we find it rather amusing that the patron saint of devils has a name having to do with honey...)
*'''Saints Gertrude de Nivelles''', '''Stephen-in-the-River''', '''Aegidius''', '''Simeon''', '''Giles''', '''Nathanael''', '''Vincent of Saragossa''', '''Guthlac''', '''Leonard''', '''Cyril''', '''Agafa''', '''Sebastian''', '''Brillifage''', '''Ulrich''', '''Erasmus''', and '''Cadfael '''all are mentioned in events. Some are real, while others are fictional.

==Some Intriguing Snippets==
''"Thou shalt not bind the church-bat's ears; and the labourer is worthy of his reward." - the Book Timorous (changed from 1 Timothy 5:18)''<ref>[https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/A_Professional_Reward A Professional Reward, ''Fallen London'']</ref>

''"Here beneath the earth, we drink dust, we dine with bones. Our mouths are stuffed with herbs. What uncoils in our hearts?" - Proverbs 41:3''<ref>[https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Serve_wine_with_bitter_herbs Serve wine with bitter herbs, ''Fallen London'']</ref>

''"When you lie down, your name is forgotten. In the absence of names, yea, your sleep shall be sweet." - Proverbs 3:24''<ref>[https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Lose_half_your_Nightmares Lose half your Nightmares, ''Fallen London'']</ref>

''"The waters were gathered together, the floods slept in the Sun's blindness, and the depths rose like the Moon, in the light at the edge of the sea." - Exodus 15:8''

''"For I was hungry, and I ate you. I was thirsty, and I drank you" - ALL:SHALL''<ref>[https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Eat._Just_eat. Eat. Just eat., ''Fallen London'']</ref>

''"I was hungry, and you gave me only the pelt of trees. I was thirsty and you gave me only ink." - BE:WELL''<ref>[https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Devour_your_entry_in_Slowcake%27s_as_the_Amanuensis_watches_in_horror Devour your entry in Slowcake's as the Amanuensis watches in horror, ''Fallen London'']</ref>

{{Small peckish}}

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{| class="article-table mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" data-expandtext="show" data-collapsetext="hide" width="100%"
! colspan="3" |Secret revisions, in the Deep Archives
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|
 "''Ask, and all may yet be well. Seek, and we may yet find. Knock, and listen for the echo." - Matthew 7:7''<ref>[https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/&#x22;...yes%3F&#x22; "...yes?", ''Fallen London'']</ref>
                   
 ''"I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink." - Matthew 25:35 (largely unchanged)''<ref>[https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Is_this_it%3F Is this it?, ''Fallen London'']</ref>
                   
 ''POST-FINAL REVISED EXCEPTIONAL EDITION. NOT FOR PUBLICATION. DO NOT TOUCH. DO NOT LOOK. RUN AWAY. (Page removed) - Matthew 25:42''<ref>[https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Yes. Yes., ''Fallen London'']</ref>
|}
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==Notable Clergymen==
'''The Loquacious Vicar''' is, an overly enthusiastic but rather sharp fellow who seeks knowledge about [[the Soul Trade]]. He wishes to publish research regarding such matters, and is willing to include anyone who assists him with this in the dedications.

The [[Bishop of St Fiacre's]] is a rather mysterious clergyman who may harbor certain secrets of his own.

The '''Catholic Church of St. Leonard''' is known for its unorthodox, but highly profitable, forms of penance, issued at the cost of certain stories provided by [[Criminals|criminal]] connections.

The '''Postlapsarian Synod on the Eucharist''' is known for its extensive debates in theology, and the very high consumption of wine amongst its members. One of its members, the '''Affable Monsignor''', deals with visitors and is willing to part with rare vintages in exchange for a large quantity of cheaper wine, or perhaps entire cellars in exchange for Broken Giant '44.
===The Bishop of Southwark===
''"He hammers on your door. "Hurry up in there! It's all pagans and turnips out here! And it's cold.""''
[[File:Southwark.png|thumb|A giant of a man.]]
'''The Bishop of Southwark''' is a wrestler and former cavalryman who hopes to lead a new invasion of Hell (even though the [[The Campaign of '68|Campaign of '68]] failed disastrously). They say his miter is made of iron. Despite his boisterousness, he is highly dedicated towards the cause of the Church, though he's also very overzealous when dealing with nonbelievers and pagans. Naturally for someone as daring as he, the Bishop can often be found roaming [[the Flit]] and other criminal dens. It's rumored that he may possess the very teeth of St George; in his words: ''"Anyone who labours in holy service to England is St George, as far as I'm concerned."''

This Bishop is responsible for the death of his squadmates during the invasion of [[Hell]]. More or less, he literally stopped to smell the roses; he still has the scars from his immortal mistake. Perhaps this is the reason for his zealotry.

He ran unsuccessfully for Mayor of London in 1894.

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