Robert Browning, an English poet, once proclaimed, “Ignorance is not innocence but sin.” Evidently, not all sins are intentional, but the consequence of excessively sinning leads to a step away from religion. For mankind to achieve eternal salvation, one must seek knowledge in the form of goodness, thereby preventing sin. Once informed, mankind possesses the ability to choose a moral trajectory. As a symbol of Christianity, this choice stands as free will, the gift of grace one receives through Christian faith. Relating to the novel, Lord of the Flies by William Golding, the young and naive boys in the story, claim Pagan practice as a valid explanation for why they isolate themselves away from the practice of Christianity. In this novel,
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This represents the acceptance of Paganism and their personal loss of humanity as their faith in Christianity declines. Continuing, as everyone gathers around for the execution of the pig, the boys chant, “Kill the pig! Cut his throat! Kill the pig! Bash him in!”(Golding 114). The image of the ritual for the death of the pig demonstrates the adoption of their Pagan lifestyles. The violent chants prove their comfort with the sacrificial rituals of paganism and their subsequent fall from grace. Likewise, in an article containing Pagan cultures, “Paganism is not based on doctrine or liturgy. Many pagans believe 'if it harms none, do what you will'. Following this code, Pagan theology is based primarily on experience, with the aim of Pagan ritual being to make contact with the divine in the world that surrounds them” (Paganism-BBC). Thus, through the images of pagan idolatry, the boys experience the fall of humanity while attempting to thrive in the evils of paganism. Following the examples of their pagan leader, Jack, the image of the boys in ceremony proves their strong desire to follow the lure of pagan rituals, thus demonstrating their total ignorance of Christianity. Additionally, when the boys encourage each other to kill the
This represents the acceptance of Paganism and their personal loss of humanity as their faith in Christianity declines. Continuing, as everyone gathers around for the execution of the pig, the boys chant, “Kill the pig! Cut his throat! Kill the pig! Bash him in!”(Golding 114). The image of the ritual for the death of the pig demonstrates the adoption of their Pagan lifestyles. The violent chants prove their comfort with the sacrificial rituals of paganism and their subsequent fall from grace. Likewise, in an article containing Pagan cultures, “Paganism is not based on doctrine or liturgy. Many pagans believe 'if it harms none, do what you will'. Following this code, Pagan theology is based primarily on experience, with the aim of Pagan ritual being to make contact with the divine in the world that surrounds them” (Paganism-BBC). Thus, through the images of pagan idolatry, the boys experience the fall of humanity while attempting to thrive in the evils of paganism. Following the examples of their pagan leader, Jack, the image of the boys in ceremony proves their strong desire to follow the lure of pagan rituals, thus demonstrating their total ignorance of Christianity. Additionally, when the boys encourage each other to kill the