The Bible warns people of pride in Proverbs 16:18, ¨Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before the fall.¨ (ESV). In this essay ¨The Hammer of God¨ by G. K. Chesterton and ¨The Three Hermits¨ by Leo Tolstoy are the references. ¨The Three Hermits¨ is about the power of prayer. ¨The Hammer of God¨ is about two brothers and ends similarly to the story of Cain and Abel. In “The Hammer of God” and “The Three Hermits” pride is problematic with the Bishop, the Reverend Bohun, and the people these spiritual leaders encounter.
In the Three Hermits, the bishop shows spiritual pride. The bishop has proven in the story that he is nearsighted. While on the ship from Archangel to the Solovetsk Monastery, he could not see the island with the hermits while everyone else could. That is when the bishop announced; ¨Where is the island?[...] [I] see nothing.¨ (Tolstoy). This is pride because it is an example of his limited worldview. Like the
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Bohun reveals his spiritual pride. Town people have seen Rev. Bohun, “...and was founded on his being often found kneeling, not before the altar, but in peculiar places, in the crypts or gallery, or even in the belfry.” (Chesterton 2). This is prideful behavior because he thinks he knows best. To kneel and pray before an altar is similar to kneel and pray in front of God. So to kneel and pray in non-spiritual places is frowned upon, especially for an important member of the church. Rev. Bohum said, ¨…without looking up, "do you ever think that God might strike you in the street?" (Chesterton 3). Rev. Bohun shows spiritual pride when he speaks about God and deliberately looks away from the sky. Usually, when a person talks about the Lord they look to the heavens. The Reverend is like Lucifer (The Devil), he is a higher figure in a place of God but pride blinds him and causes him to be stripped from his high status. Rev. Bohun may be a part of the church but his actions direct