"God is merciful. He brought Seeds into the world so that we might reap a bountiful harvest and be spared from Famine..."
Antonio stood on a stone and preached to the villagers gathered around him.
His doctrine was hardly stirring, but every word struck a chord with the villagers.
Coupled with the Golden Wheat Waves, which looked like a miracle, his words were especially compelling.
"He is the Guardian God of farmers, the one all workers can rely on..."
"The one we can rely on? Does that mean we can refuse the officials when they come to collect taxes, like the farmers who grow wheat for the nobles?" asked the chestnut-haired village chief.
"God protects only reasonable conduct. Refusing to pay taxes is not reasonable, and God does not encourage it."
Antonio hastily made that clear.
If other kings heard that he had encouraged farmers not to pay taxes, the Agriculture Church could forget about gaining Believers in their countries.
He quickly added, "But refusing to pay unreasonable taxes is reasonable. God encourages that."
"Now that we no longer believe in the God of Cruel Officials, is the high faith tax the officials charge us unreasonable?" the village chief asked.
So that tax is called a faith tax. Antonio nodded. "Of course it is unreasonable."
Hearing the Priest say that, the village chief grew excited. "Then will you stand behind us?"
You've wanted to refuse to pay taxes all along, haven't you? Antonio looked at the village chief, who could barely go three sentences without bringing up taxes. Keeping his expression composed, he said in the solemn tone of a holy man, "God stands behind all His Believers."
He did not dampen the village chief's spirits any further.
Helping Believers resist taxes could easily earn the hostility of a kingdom's