Negative Witness
In the TV series, Shogun, the fish out of water character, John Blackthorne, a Protestant English sailor on a Dutch ship, finds himself stranded in Japan. Almost immediately, viewers are introduced to his intense hatred of Catholics, particularly the Portuguese priests he quickly encounters in the country. He spews vehement curses at them and stomps on their crosses. The Japanese are confused, of course, about why a professed Christian is behaving that way towards other Christians and their holy objects.
When watching the show, despite having prior knowledge about the tensions and violence between Protestants and Catholics in Europe, I found myself also wondering about the depth of Blackthorne’s disgust for his fellow Christians. I’ll admit, the Shogun TV series never quite satisfied my curiosity in the subject. It wasn’t until I read the novel that the series was based on that I began to understand the source of Blackthorne’s anger at the Catholics. His thoughts reveal that his personal family history primed him for his animus towards the Church of Rome.
What nonsense it all is! Catholic and Protestant and Calvinist and Lutherist and every other shitist. You should have been born Catholic. It was only fate that took your father to Holland where he met a woman, Anneke van Droste, who became his wife and he saw Spanish Catholics and Spanish priests and the Inquisition for the first time. I’m glad he had his eyes opened, Blackthorne thought. I’m glad mine are open.
