Re: The Believer/The Scientist
Being raised by books wasn't necessarily an uncommon thing. Father MacKenzie, back when he was still only Johnny to just about everyone, was a kid who was overly fond of books. His choices ran towards fiction though. Stories and adventures. Tales of people and not of things. He'd always been fascinated by people, wanting to know how they lived and thought and loved. And so he read what he could, and peered at them over the hardbound and paperback covers. And when he wanted to know more about those souls he'd observed, when his questions didn't receive the answers he wanted from his parents, he'd sought out others to give him knowledge.
The church had been a few doors down from his house, and they'd gone obediently once a week. But Johnny had found that the priest there had been willing to sit and answer questions about the world. It had formed a part of him very young, and had created the path for his life that had eventually led to his own congregation. But things had become more complicated at every step, added up to more questions than he'd had when young. And more doubt.
He was caught again offguard by the man across the way - or more accurately, the man now sitting at his same table, spreading out work far more scientific than theological. He wasn't wary or science, but it was true that there was often a tension there between the two worlds of thought. And he wasn't quite in proper form for a debate. But he could give this man the benefit of the doubt, have faith that the man wanted to hear a message and not try to trap him with facts when faith ran thin.
"Of course," he gestured at the seat, even though the man had already taken up residence in it. "Is there anything in particular you'd like to know about?" Hopefully, he thought, something that he was solidly certain of.