CHAPTER TWELVE
CHRISTIANITY
On the island, Robinson Crusoe, was busy converting Friday into a Christian. He had had a very simple baptism ceremony, only getting Friday’s head a little wet as the native was afraid of water. Friday was a bright pupil and continued to pick up words. One day they were fishing and just managed to reach the edge of the jungle when canoes came around the corner of their little cove.
Crusoe recognized them as the same cannibals who had been there before and once again they had two hapless victims tied up in their boats. All the people this time were black and Caruso and Friday sneaked around the cove just to see what was going on.
Friday began gesturing to Crusoe and he finally understood that Friday wanted to capture one of the cannibals for himself for the purpose of eating him. Crusoe shook his head violently no, no and that they needed to go back to their hut.
For the next several days he carefully explained to Friday that cannibalism was wrong and that God and Jesus would not want him to take part in this practice. Friday was absolutely mystified by this position. It was clear he could not understand.
“It is a philosophical problem; thought Crusoe to himself. “He doesn’t understand it now, but maybe in time he will.” Regardless of his understanding level, Crusoe made it very clear to Friday that he was not to kill another person. It was wrong and that was in the Bible. He must not do it or God would be angry with him.
Friday seemed to get the ‘God will be angry with you part’ and seemed to believe that if he did wrong; God or Jesus would come and punish him. Maybe they would come by boat too. That part he wasn’t too sure about. But, eventually, he seemed to accept that he must not do it; whether he ever accepted that it was morally wrong was of course another question.
Crusoe finally decided that it didn’t really matter if Friday believed it was wrong or not; just as long as he didn’t do it, that would have to be enough. Both men finally seemed satisfied with their respective positions on the subject and it appeared they could move on to other things. Crusoe was sending Friday up to the ‘top’ daily to search for ships and then later to gather fruit and help hunt for boar.
Crusoe kept busy devising new ways to protect the camp, improve their life style and find chapters out of the Bible to read to Friday; helping him grasp more the word of the Lord.
Crusoe felt that in saving Friday’s soul, he was making amends for his wrong doings by going to sea against his father’s wishes. His father never wanted him to become a lowly sailor and he knew that he had broken his father’s heart. Now, on this island, he didn’t know if he would ever see his father, mother or brother again. One brother had been killed in the war and now he was lost. He was remorseful for his actions daily. His work with Friday helped him ease some of that guilt.
His lifestyle left him feeling more at peace with himself and that he was doing the work of the Lord.