Yeah, it's nice and all, but... well ... a low-bias, intelligent opinion is one of the things pastors are
for. The clergy in the story ... did their job. I may just be spoiled, but I don't find that particularly surprising.
Oh, and Narf? That doesn't solve the alignment debate, as most alignment debates get into specifics. For instance: is the guy that animates one skeleton (casts an
spell) and has it farm food for orphans (usually considered a good thing) for the rest of eternity good, netural, or evil aligned? Is the guy that maintains his personal "no pork" code Lawful or Chaotic when he refuses local tradition that requires him to eat some bacon on his way out of town?