Two weeks later at the midweek Gathering, Caleb
read a brief announcement. After a review of her conduct by the Servants, Gloria
Lighthorse “no longer lived by the conduct expected of a Disciple of The Word.”
He didn’t say so, but everybody knew that this wording meant that had she been
a baptized Disciple they would have Cast her out. This announcement had the
same result, no one could associate with her.
Samuel looked around. Her parents sat in the back
row, looking pale. He did not see Gloria. This one bothered him. The idea
behind expelling members was to teach them a lesson, that bad choices led to
discipline. Discipline led to proper Christian conduct. How was a teenager
supposed to accept total rejection as a learning experience? He also wondered what happened to Ricky
Halbert. He attended a different Gathering, but given the proximity, there
should have been an announcement if his local Servants disciplined him.
He tried to convince himself the review committee
had taken its time. Perhaps the Lighthorse family appealed the decision,
Servants from another Gathering would then have reexamined the case. Gloria
would have had a few days to prove a repentant attitude. He tried,
unsuccessfully, to put the matter behind him and concentrate on the program.
He scanned the room again, he didn’t see Phil
Peterson. Maybe ex-communication didn’t work that well for adults either. A
cold thought crossed his mind. The way he was thinking, the Servants would be
after him next. He had to be careful what he said and did. Whatever happened he
wanted to sort out his thoughts for himself. He needed time, perhaps he could
work to change the problems he saw.
He decided he was going to work hard at being a
good Disciple. The issues that bothered him were not The Lord’s, they were
human faults. He could be a good example, a loving Servant of the Disciples,
teaching them to be better people. That’s what he needed, new purpose and
application of what he’d always known as a Disciple.
**
His new resolve lasted fewer than twenty-four
hours. Thursday evening Caleb called him and told him there would be an
emergency meeting of the Servants in an hour. Luke was settling a problem with
a Servant Committee in the Tri-cities. The current problem couldn’t wait for
his return.
Samuel wondered what could possibly have happened
that required such a sudden response. He suspected, from a hint Judith picked
up from Sophia, that Luke’s trip involved dissent over the new communication
plan. Many questions remained, notably who was going to pay for the equipment.
When he arrived at the House, the other Servants,
Charles Brown, Sergei Ivanov, Allen Moore, and Benjamin Oldendorf were already
there. Nobody knew why Caleb called the meeting. Caleb arrived last, clearly upset.
Samuel didn’t think he’d ever seen him in such an emotional state. He asked
Charles to open the meeting with prayer, and quickly got down to business.
“Phil Peterson hung himself this afternoon. He
left a note, sent copies of it to the Spokesman Review and a TV station. He’s
blaming us for mentally abusing him or some such nonsense.”
Stunned silence created this announcement. After a
moment to collect his thoughts, Caleb continued.
“I’ve notified the legal department at New
Jerusalem, somebody is flying out from Seattle in the morning. In the meantime,
we’re not to say anything to anybody.”
Caleb rubbed his face with one hand, clearly
trying to calm himself.
“The police are at the house, it’s surrounded with
yellow tape, Channel Two has a live broadcast truck in front of it. Donna Peterson
is hysterical. I sent Sophia and Karen Brown over there to try to help her.”
Samuel thought those were the last two women he’d
send on such a task. But then he decided that
Caleb had done what he thought he
could on short notice.
“Do we know what the note said?” Charles Brown
asked.
Caleb shook his head and said he only knew what
Donna had told him, which wasn’t exactly coherent. It sounded like it went on
for a couple of pages about how his friends and family wouldn’t even speak to
him. He claimed he’d done nothing wrong, it was just a misunderstanding, and
the Servants ruined his life.
“Of course Outsiders are going to use this as a
weapon against The Lord’s Word.
Outsiders can’t understand that we have to keep the Gathering free of
sin. Their churches don’t care what people do, but we know The Word demands
good conduct. That’s why we need to be careful what we say to the media.
“The men New Jerusalem is sending out will handle the
media.
“One final matter, one of you can do the memorial
service if you want. I personally don’t think it’s appropriate. Of course, they
can’t use the Gathering House for it.”
Samuel nodded, he had expected as much. The Cast-out could not use property owned by
The Foundation for memorials or weddings. The Word did not allow a memorial for
a suicide in a Gathering House. That was
two strikes against Phil’s family.
“Do you know anything about caring for Donna?” he
asked.
Caleb said that wasn’t a problem for the Servant
Committee. He did not know if Peterson had savings or retirement. Like most
Disciples, he probably didn’t have life insurance, and even if he did, it
probably didn’t cover suicide. He supposed Donna could collect some social
security, and maybe live with her family in Wenatchee. Samuel got the
impression he didn’t care what happened to her. His concern lay entirely with
managing public relations.
The meeting broke up. Samuel seethed as he climbed
into his car. It was all so cold. How could these people call themselves
Christians and treat someone like this. He looked at the others as they headed
home. Who could he talk to? Perhaps Sergei Ivanov, but did he dare?
When he got home, he felt alone and miserable.
Judith’s attitude when he told her had happened didn’t help his mood. She
blithely told him that all the women knew that Phil had been trying to get his
wife to engage in perverted sex acts with him.
“Obviously when he couldn’t get what he wanted at
home he went somewhere else for it.”
“Is that what Sophia told you?”
She didn’t notice the tone in his voice and
answered that yes, she heard it from her sister, but also Karen Brown.
“Now that’s a reliable source of information.”
Again, she seemed not to notice the irony in his
voice, as she agreed that Karen knew what she was talking about. Samuel decided
to give up and do a little studying. He said he had another meeting part coming
up, in fact what he wanted to do was look over some items Ski and Mr. Rommers
had given him. The new job started on Monday and he wanted to be ready.
**
The Sunday Bible Study session covered the topic
“Do Not Stray from True Teachings.” Samuel had only glanced over the study
guide. He’d seen it all a thousand times before. Each month, Disciples received
the study guide for the following month, with a lesson for each Sunday. Each
topic took up a few pages, with references and questions to guide the study.
In the past, the studies covered deep subjects,
mostly prophetic interpretations and the latest results of continuing Bible
research at New Jerusalem. Now the studies were simplistic and rehashed old topics,
most frequently demands for complete obedience to the Apostles and Servants.
Once, when he was a teenager, his parents had
taken him to tour New Jerusalem when the family was in Seattle for a Grand
Gathering. The Foundation’s complex covered an expanse of older buildings
located at the south end of Lake Union, just north of the skyscrapers at the
center of the city. He’d learned how Michael Clifton Adderly unlocked the
secret of Bible prophecy. His recognition of the difference between biblical
prophetic time measurements and the secular calendar enabled him, for the first
time in history, to decode the myriad time prophecies of the Bible. When he
established The Word of God Foundation in the 1930’s he had predicted the start
of World War Two and modern Israel’s founding.
He recognized the need for an institution to study
the Bible diligently and report the results as a warning to the world. When The
Lord finally unleashed Armageddon He would destroy all those that had not repented
and lived as Disciples. After this final war, the Disciples would live in peace
in Paradise.
Teenage Samuel had been awestruck at the huge
machines that churned out millions of books, magazines, tracts, pamphlets, and
Bibles every year. The big brick administrative building housed a library
larger than the Spokane Public Library, Samuel’s only point of reference. The
tour group could not enter the ancient manuscripts area, but looked briefly
through glass at the collection. It looked like they had everything needed to
truly understand the Bible.
But since 2008, the Foundation published less
literature each year. The New Jerusalem reduced staff, more and more Uncle
Harry’s sent home; no longer needed. The printing plant no longer ran at full
capacity, they sold a dormitory for a tidy profit.
But the New Jerusalem complex was still the heart
of Disciple society. The twelve Apostles lived and worked there, directing the
activity of four million Disciples around the world. Today’s study focused on
accepting every pronouncement, every teaching, every commandment, as direct
communication from The Lord Almighty. Failure to accept authority without
question was one of the proofs of genuine Christian faith.
“Well I’m failing that one,” Samuel thought at the
close of the study.
Armageddon’s Slaves © Jeffrey Thomas All rights reserved.
This
is a work of fiction. All events and characters are products of the author’s
imagination.
Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead is purely coincidental.
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