THE NUDITY SECT

NAKED CHURCH: CHURCH OF NUDITY(extract from the Angelic and Demoniac verses part one) EDITED BY JOHANN EVERITT

The Angelic and demoniac verses is the title of this imaginary circumstances novel where the Biblical verses are used as an excuse to suit any excuse.
We hope that this project does not offend anybody because all the incidents and stories are purely imaginary. This novel does not criticize anybody and dois not take sides with any viewpoint.
It about the misinterpretation of the Biblical verses. A disappointed and curious follower, Pablo, seeking for a perfect and good church, ends up in a church (a sect, in fact) where they pray naked, using the same Bible and it was the beginning of trouble in his life.
All the events and names are imaginary.
Although all the new independent churches were all using the same Bible, they all had different philosophies. The small town called Tshale, in Zambia, Africa, experienced the rapid increase of independent churches. Many of the pastors who once were friends were suddenly enemies because they were all fighting for the same followers. Each church was blaming the others of stealing �their� followers.
Over the period of ten years, many people formed their new churches. It wasn't a matter any longer of having a big or a good building. They used all the available buildings, such as houses, abandoned factories, recreation centers and some were even praying in the mountains and outside on open pieces of ground.
The young Pablo, who happened to be very curious about Christianity in 1980, ended up leaving Mzee church because many of the young people had left the church. He followed the wind and end up in a church where there were plenty of young people. It was the church of pastor Paul, who named his church, the Spiritual Combat Church. In short; S.C.C.
Pablo, who was 15 years old when he started praying, was 25 years old in 1990 when he joined S.C.C. He was at the college where he was doing economics. He was much older and took charge of his life. Sponsored by his family, he was living on his own in the north of the city.
Pastor Paul, the founder of the church called S.C.C, had some principles, like hugging his followers and encouraging them to pray day and night. The were also fasting a lot. They were praying on the biggest mountain, five mile away from the city. The church had seven hundred followers and most of them were young people.
The church went on a fast of two weeks where they used to eat only soft food late at night. It was a perfect time to go on that fast just before the Christmas. All the schools were closed and many working people were on their annual leave. Pastor Paul Fatu got married to one of his church followers.
Pablo, the student, was also there. It was a big revival in the church. The first day of the pastor Paul said: �This was what I was waiting for a long time. For many years I have been praying for this revival. I noticed that many churches have no respect for the Bible. They are trying to modify some of the verses. For instance; Matthew 24:29 says that My house will be a house of prayer.� Our reason for praying on the mountain is because it is according the verses of the Bible. In Exodus 3:12 it is written, �Serve God on this mountain.� In Isaiah 2:3 it says, �Let us go to the top of the mountain.� In Isaiah 2:2 we read, �The kingdom will be established on the top of the mountains.� The list is just endless concerning praying on the mountains. People are not talking about these verses because they want to pray in the decorated house, far from the rain on the mountains, far from the wind on the mountains, far from the cold on the mountains, far from the sun on the mountains. They enjoy the comfort in the decorated houses that they call the church. Some of those houses have heaters when it is cold. They pray in comfort and sleep in those house and even snore because of the comfort. Look, show me a single verse in the Bible where our Lord used to pray in a house with a heater when it was cold. You won't find that verse anywhere in the Bible. No verse has told us to be in that comfort. God is still the same. He doesn't change like we humans. At the end of our fast I want us to close down all the hospitals in town. All the hospitals must be closed because we will get the healing power from God and heal all the sick people. We will heal all the sick people in the Name of our Saviour Jesus Christ. We will be powerful like the apostles. We left our beds and our homes to pray on this mountain to change our town for ever. Tshale will be a very different city. After taking Tshale, we will conquer all the world. We will change the world and rule the world with the ten commandments of God. To fulfill our dream we have to start by healing the sick, then when people see the miracles, they will come to Jesus. Once the people come to Jesus, then the world will be ruled on the basis of the 10 commandments. All 10 commandments. The first four commandments are in Exodus 20: 3-7; You must not pray to any other god, except Him. You must not make a carved image of anything that is in the heavens above, or that is on the earth beneath, or that is in waters under the earth. You must not bow down to them. You must not take the Name of God in vain. The other 6 commandments in Exodus 20: 12-17; Honour your elders, your father and mother. You must not murder. You must not commit adultery. You must not steal. You must not lie. You must not envy or desire anyone else's belongings or wife.
Let us be strong in our prays and defeat the devil who was defeated at the cross of Golgotha when our Saviour was crucified. This is why we named our church the spiritual combat church, because we will fight the devil until he seeks refuge in hell. There won't be any place for the devil on this earth.
Pastor Paul Fatu, the S.C.C church founder, had employed only two juniors pastors to help him run his church. He also employed a bodyguard who would look after him. He was afraid that the other church groups might kill him because of the success of his church.
He also had a seventeen year old girl who was his personal assistant. She carried his Bibles and others documents and also used to serve him water when he was preaching. Everybody knew her and respected her. Her name was Kalunga.
After opening the two week fasting session, he looked at his personal assistant and said, �You are really a true servant of God.�
Kalunga respected her spiritual father who was in his early fourties. Paul was everything to her; her mentor as well as her spiritual leader. Hearing these words of praise from him was truly a blessing. �Thank you pastor for your encouragement.� she answered.
�You are always on time and you're also very committed to the work of God.� he continued.
She wasn't married as yet and was always on time at all the church services. She had also never been absent from a single church meeting either. Sick or well, she was always at the church and at all the meetings.
�It's is a blessing to be with the church founder,� she told him.
Then he told her something that shocked her. He told her that if his wife were to die, he would marry her.
She was immediately distressed about what her mentor and pastor had told her. In her eyes he was almost a semi-god, and here he was talking about marriage to her while he was already committed in a marriage relationship.
�Pastor,� she answered, �who knows, maybe you could die before your wife. Death does not have a specific date. You never know; maybe the plan of God is different to your plans.�
�I was just telling you that in case my wife die before me. If she should die before me, you will be my next wife.�
They prayed for a solid week with very little rest. There were some people in the group who were gifted to see what would happen in the future and there was one man who was gifted in translating some of the tongues that were uttered.
They were praying in a abandoned cotton factory with broken windows that they had transformed by painting it white. It was a tall building, about 20 meters high and a hundred meters long. The hall was very big but they only used one quarter of the building.
Everyone wore the red uniform and the women always had a covering on their heads.
Paul, the senior pastor and the founder of the church, always wore a white robe with a red lining. He was tall, light of complection with an authoritarian voice. He had gained his experience from the previous church he had pastored, and now, in the minds of some, he had become their adversary, as they were all competing for the hearts of the masses.
In that first week, a woman who had a gift of knowledge, was speaking in tongues, and a man with the gift to interpretation was interpreting the tongue. She was called Zamajobe, meaning God with us. Everyone believed that she was bringing the people a revelation from God. She was highly respected by everybody, including the pastor and founder of that independant chuch.:
She spoke up and said, �Zambi udi wamba.�
The man translated, �God is saying, Dji ne kalamun.�
Everybody in the church were very quiet and even the babies were taken away so that there could be complete silence. No children were allowed to go to this solemn service, but the small babies were with their mothers. In Tshale, 80% of people attending the churches were women. Men weren't interested in what they called �western religion.�
The woman continued and said that God was saying that He was very angry. Also that the world was not listening to His commandments and that He would burn the world because Satan had blinded the world.
This young Zamajobe, who was speaking, was in her early 20's. People said that she was married to Jesus because she didn't have any husband. She had refused to get married. In this cultural city, there were no boyfriends and girlfriends. Only marriages. She was very committed to the church. People believed that she was speaking to God all the time:
�When you sleep with a woman and use condom, it is not a sin� she said. �If you have sex who a woman and use a condom, it is not a sin because you don't have physical contact with her.�
The year was 1990. AIDS was spreading and the government started the prevention campaign. People didn't know much about condoms. It was a new word in the town.
The woman speaking in tongues, with the interpreter giving the interpretation, continued bringing their revelation while all the church members, including pastor Paul, were listening:
�I am the God who is talking to you. If you don't change, the fire and devastation that the devil is bringing on earth won't change. I want all the hospital to be closed down.�
Paulo became fearful when he heard about closing down the hospitals. The first thing that entered his mind was that if they closed down the hospitals, all the doctors and people working in the hospitals would be jobless. Pablo was a newcomer to this church after leaving his previous church that he had attended for about ten years. He was wondering while the women kept prophesizing...
�After the two weeks of prayer,� she continued, �each and every man must pray for at least two people. Then I will do wonders. I am the God who made heaven and hell.�
Everybody was afraid of God and respected Him. The woman was saying what was from God. She has predicted many thing in the past and most of them were happening. Even the pastor founder had the utmost respect for that woman...
�I am your God,� she said solemnly.
This was the call for the people to go and pray for the sick people after the fast was over. They were to close down all the hospitals by healing all the patients.
At the end of the second week, before a huge meal and a party for all the followers who were in the mountain, the church founder, pastor Paul, took the stand. He was accompanied by his personal assistant at his side when he stood up to close off the two weeks fast at the mountain.
�Satan is feeling the heat now,� he said. �Satan is trying to escape. We prayed, we fasted and God spoke to us through His servants.
He coughed, and immediately Kalunga, the personal assistant, gave him a glass of water. After drinking he continued with the closing speech: �I can feel the power of God. I think that you all feel the power of God. After eating together, I want each and everyone to go and pray at least for two sick people. Our hospital has some hundred beds. I want to see each and every sick person healed. We have the power to move the mountains spoken about in Matthew 17:20. Let us go out there and move the mountains - move what is humanly impossible. The dictionary defines 'miracle' as a wonderful and good thing that happens, especially something believed to have a supernatural or a divine cause. I want to share with you what God showed me in the last three days. I was asking God why the world has different people, different languages and different cultures. All of humanity has one thing in common, regardless of their race or country of origen: they all have red blood. The spirit of God took me to the book of Genesis, chapter 11. God showed me that in the ancient times there was only one language and one culture. In verse 4 of Genesis 11, the people said: Come on! Let us build ourselves a city and also a tower with its top reaching into the heavens, and let us make a celebrated name for ourselves. They feared that they would be scattered over the face of the earth. Then in Genesis 11:6, God said: look! They are one people and there is one language for them all, and this is what they start to do. Why, now there is nothing that they may have in mind to do that will be unattainable for them. And in Genesis 11:6, accordingly, God scattered them from there over all the surface of the earth, and they gradually left off building the city. When God destroyed their tower, they disperse all over the world and were confused, speaking different language, and all got different cultures. It was from there that different culture and people originated. It's like us; we were in on church in 1980 and we were the well respected Independent Christian Church of Mzee, who was a former Anglican priest. When the church was split, many small churches and sects emerged from that split. Even though Independent Christian Church still exists, they are not following the Word of God. All the sects and churches are using the same Bible, but they don't have the Spirit of God to help them understand the Word of God correctly. Many don't even fast, they are unable to fast. Where and how will one get God's wisdom and power if one doesn't fast and pray like we do? We did the right thing. Now that we are full of God's power, let us go and move the mountains. Let us go and do the impossible. Today is Tuesday. Let us meet again on Friday for the new years celebration here in God's mountain.
They ate a meal together and celebrated the end of the two weeks fasting. They sang and danced to the sound of the choirs. They shared each other's experiences. Pablo, with his best friend, Siyaya, also shared in the experience on the mountain:
This is the best thing to have happened to me in my entire life, namely, fasting�
I usually had a problem to fast at home. When I planned to fast, it was normally when my mother used to cook delicious food. But when I didn't plan to fast, my mother cooked ordinary food. For the first time, though, I was able to fast far from the cooking pots.
Pablo was determined to do wonders. He felt like healing every sick person and sending all the doctors and hospital personal into premature retirement. Pablo was hospitalized twice when he was young. He ended up hating the hospital, the smell of medicine and also injections.
He said, �I really feel the power of God with me. After the meal I am going to do wonders at the hospital. The hospitals will close down very soon�
All kinds of food were included in that big meal that day. Two cows and three goats were slaughtered. There was no pork because many people didn't like pork. Rice and African Potatoes were cooked plus several other vegetables.
After the meal, Pablo and Siyaya where heading home when they heard people crying and mourning as they entered the city.
Pablo heard some kind of inner voice speaking to him: �Go and pray for that dead man,� it said, �and I will resurrect him like Lazarus was resurrected when Jesus spoke to him.�
Pablo told his friend what he had heard. His friend did not seem interested. He simply wanted to rest after the two weeks of fasting.
But Pablo was very determined to accomplish God's will: �Siyaya, did you hear what I heard?� he said.
�What?�
�A voice is telling me to go and pray for that man they are mourning over - to go and resurrect him.�
Pablo himself was initially not sure that he had heard correctly. At first he thought it was an insect that had got into his ear. Then he realized that because he had been on a long fast, it must be a divine voice. An inner voice.
It was a risky thing that Pablo wanted to do and his friend tried to discourage him: �What will happen to you if you arrive there and pray and the dead man doesn't resurrect?� he asked.
�If it is God's voice, the miracle will happen,� Pablo assured him. �I feel fire all over my body. I can pray for that man and he will resurrect like Lazarus did when Jesus prayed for him.�
Pablo had read many stories in the Bible and he believed that if others could perform miracle, then there was nothing to stop him for performing miracle too.
Siyaya, however, was scared: �You are old enough to make your own decisions,� he said. �I have been fasting for two weeks like you have, but I don't feel that I have the power to pray and ask for the resurrection of anyone. If I felt like you do, the first person I would pray for to resurrect would be my mother that I miss every day.�
�Let's go and do it...� Pablo urged.
�I won't be a witness to this thing,� Siyaya said hesitantly. �You can go alone...�
Pablo hesitated for a moment. He was thinking. He wanted to follow the sound of crying in order to resurrect the dead person. Siyaya's words were still ringing in his ears. He stopped and saw his friend walking away. Siyaya wasn't ready to be part and parcel of the humiliation if the determined pablo failed in his mission.
In this part of Africa, it was traditional for women to wail and even scream when they were mourning. It was easy to follow the funeral procession simply by following the screams of the women.
Many thoughts were passing through Pablo's mind at once: If I go up to the funeral procession where hundreds of people are mourning and simply tell them not to cry because their loved one will be resurrected like Lazarus, maybe they won't allow me to pray for the dead man. They'll probably think that I am a mad. Maybe the voice I heard was the devil's voice - or was it really God's voice? What must I do?
At that point he decided not to go and pray for the dead man. He joined his friend who was already twenty meters away and told him: �If God really wants me to pray for the dead, I will return. Let's go and have a shower first at my place.�
He went to his room and while he was taking a shower, he felt guilt-ridden: What if I prayed for that man? Maybe he could have been raised from the dead. If I go back at that house I may find that he's already been buried. I should have prayed the moment I heard that small voice speaking inside me. I made a big mistake and maybe God won't forgive me. Really, God won't forgive me. Next time, I can't allow any doubt in my heart. I have the faith to move mountains, just like pastor Paul said...
When Pablo arrived at his small rented room that had been closed for two weeks while he was away on the fast, he found many leaves strewn all around. Tshale had many trees, and especially Mangoes trees. The city was renowned for the many mangoe orchards. In the mangoe season the people in the city were not able to finish all the mangoes and often left many rotting on the ground. Some businessmen used to take some of the mangoes into the capitol city Lusaka.
Now they were soiled with dust. His room was close to the unpaved street and a lot of the dust was mixed into those leaves. His was a single room in a big yard. He was renting that room for about $20 a month. He loved his little place and before even entering the one-windowed room, he took a broom that he always hid in a tree and started cleaning his yard.
When he was finished with the sweeping, he took his shower in the shower cubicle that was on the outside of the small room.
All this time, Pablo couldn't find inner peace. He tried to sleep but couldn't even close his eyes. He tried to forget but couldn't escape that guilty feeling inside. He finally decided to go and pray for the sick people. He was sure that God wanted him to accomplish certain things before He would allow him to sleep.
I really committed a big sin, he told himself. To not have respected the inner voice was really a serious offence. He reasoned that by this time the dead man could have been alive and busy eating food with his friends and family. He decided that he had to go pray for dying people so that God could forgive him.
He put on his best clothes, took his Bible and went to the hospital like any other visitor would. He walked around in the hospital ward, wondering which sick man or woman to pray for.
The biggest hospital in Tshale used to allow Christians to come and pray for any sick person. They had a great respected for God.
It was around eleven when Pablo arrived. This particular hospital had two wards, thirty rooms and one hundred beds. His fellow church members by this time were already in bed and catching up on some well-needed sleep.
When he stood sniffing the smell of medicine, he said to himself; The doctors and nurses of this hospital will join the long list of jobless people in the city. There won't be any sick person any more in Tshale. The doctors will look for sick people instead of sick people looking for doctors. It is just a pity that this hospital is experiencing its last day. The mountains and obstacles will move. They will move and move soon...
This big public hospital in Tshale was left intact by the English colonialists and was currently sponsored by international organizations in conjunction with the present government. They allowed different servants of God to enter the hospital during visiting hours.
He entered a room where he found a number of children with their mothers. He did not stop to pray for those suffering from minor diseases. He told himself; I cannot pray for those young children suffering with fever and curable diseases. It will be a waste of my power from the mountain. Those children will get healed by the wind.
He left the ward in search of other patients. While looking for a better place to pray for the sick, a doctor saw him carrying his Bible and greeted him. There were many pastors in the city in 1990. All the people carrying Bibles walked slowly, like in slow motion, and were called pastor:
�Hello pastor,� the doctor said.
�Hello doctor,� he replied.
He said to himself: It's a pity that respectable people like him will loose their jobs soon. Very soon...
Then he saw a room full of injured and handicapped people. Some had been in accidents, some were amputees and others were paralytics. He praised God; �Thank you God. This is what I was looking for. This is why I went to the mountain for two weeks to pray for this kind of people.
He entered the room that had four beds, four crippled patients and seven visitors.
Once again they greeted him, �Hello pastor.�
He responded with confidence: �Hello.�
They saw him carrying a Bible and knew that he is one of the Christians: �How are you man of God?�
�I am Okay with the blessing of God. The Spirit of God has send me here to come and pray for you. The mountain will move. The Bible says in Matthew 17:20, that with faith, the mountains will be transported and moved.�
He laid the bag he had over his shoulder down for a moment while they continued to watch him. He felt some sense of power in his hand, and then he opened the Bible to Luke 5:24 and said: �I say to you, get up and pick up your bed and belongings and go to your homes.�
The people in the room looked at him and all laughed at him.
Pablo didn't care, he ordered again: �I don't have anything to give you but the healing of God and my Saviour Jesus. In the name of Jesus take your belonging and go home. Walk now and get healed in the name of Jesus Christ.�
Pablo was not concerned about what the visitors and sick people were thinking. He did what he had come to do.
After short moment of silence, he heard people laughed at him.
But one visitor was very angry: �This young man wants to play with us. He is mocking us. Who is he to heal people?�
A man with an amputation who was also amused said: �I haven't laughed for years since my car accident. Let him amuse us with his comedies. He is a new comedian in town.�
The man who was angry said: �I can even beat him. This is a joke!
Someone else said: �Let him give us more comedy.�
Pablo prayed in tongue for five minutes, expecting to see the maimed people undergo a physical change. He opened his eyes and didn't see any change. All but one of the visitors and the four patients kept laughing.
One asked: �Where is this comedian from?�
�I think from somewhere in town.� another answered. �I have never seen his face before, but I believed that he was hired by the hospital to make us laugh. He has a sense of humour.�
The angry man continued to glare at him but Pablo didn't care. He prayed again for another five minutes. Then he opened his eyes and still there was no physical change in anyone.
For a third time he prayed - now confused and upset and crying out: �Where are you my Saviour! I know that you are not dead because you rose from the dead in Jerusalem. Why don't you hear me when I pray? I spent many days at the mountains praying and fasting. Where are you my God?�
When he finished praying, the angry man, who was a huge athletic man with a big beard on his face, told him: �Are you finished? Now take your bag and Bible and vanish from this place. I never want to see you again. If you stand there for one moment longer, I will break your nose.�
Pablo took his Bible and rushed from the hospital, very disappointed. He wanted to get into his room and stay there for days to figure out how stupid or idiotic he had appeared at the hospital. The question that was constantly on his lips was: �God where are you? Why did you leave your servant to be humiliated?�
He felt like he was wet from a stormy rain of disappointed. He wandered around for a while, walking in the street with one objective, and that was to enter his room and sleep. He hoped that he could even die in his sleep and never see the world again. He walked as if nothing existed as he criss-crossed all the unpaved streets. It was a wonder that he was not run down by a car.
The thought crossed his mind that he may have misinterpreted or misunderstood the Bible. He also wondered seriously if the new church he was affiliated to had mislead him.
He finally arrived in his room, closed the door behind him and lay staring at the ceiling for a while. Then he sat up and counted the floorboards and the marks on the planks. When he finally fell asleep, he slept for 14 hours, completely fatigued from the lengthy prayer sessions on the mountain.
When he woke up, he remembered his embarrassment and tried to figure out what really went wrong. He has been attending the church meeting for many years, but had never been this humiliated. He loved God and didn't blame God or the Bible, but blamed himself for not interpreting the Scriptures correctly. He blamed the newly formed church, S.C.C. He blamed the pastors for misleading them. He blamed that women who was giving those prophesies.
He finally decided to leave the church and the people that misinterpreted the Bible and decided to join another church. But it wasn't easy to get a church that suited his philosophy. The people in the church he had just left were wondering what had become of him, after being so totally committed to the church for so many months.
His best friend, Siyaya, visited him after three weeks. He found Pablo sitting under one of the mango trees reading the Bible.
Pablo appeared to be cold towards his best friend who had introduced him to the church.
�Pablo, what happen to you?� Siyaya asked.
The disappointed Pablo answered: �I quit the church and I don't want to hear anymore about the Bible. I was ridiculed in the hospital when I went to pray for sick people. I prayed and prayed, but God didn't answer me. I was mocked and was taken for a comedian, rather than God's servant.�
His friend was convinced that it had nothing to do with the way he prayed. After all, he had tried to prevent him for trying to raise the dead. When he had left Pablo, he had felt that the newfound enthusiasm that Pablo had acquired might get him into trouble. If not, then it could lead him to accomplishing a miracle that the world never heard of...
�Who did you pray for?� he asked.
Pablo was silent for a while and then with a disappointment in his voice he told him; �I prayed for sick people; amputatees, cripples, paralytics - in the accident ward in the hospital.�
Siyaya's worst fears had been realized. He had had a strong hunch that Pablo was going to try to make things happen, but knew that he didn't have the necessary power to accomplish miracles. �I warned you when you wanted to resurrect a dead man, but you went on and prayed for cripples!� he said incredulously. �You should have prayed rather for acne and pimples to start off with. You made a big mistake and you may regret it for the rest of your life. I went to pray for my aunt who had a slight headache. We sang two songs and while she was singing and clapping hands she forgot all about her headache and felt better. My nephew told me, though, that two hours later she was complaining about the same headache.�
Although Siyaya was also educated, he also used his common sense. He blamed Pablo for jumping to unwarranted conclusions. He was disappointed that an educated man like him could do such a thing. �As an intellectual,� he explained, �I quickly realized that she was not cured, but that clapping hands relieved her condition for a while. I am telling you that the hairbrained notion to close down the hospitals was simply a disaster. The biggest disaster, in fact, that I have ever heard of! We went to the hospitals and we prayed, but nothing changed. Apparently very few were cured. I'm beginning to wonder if the few that were healed were purely coincidenal.�
The disappointed man decided not to stay in the church any longer. He made the decision to not accept any excuses or explanations as to why it was a total disaster and also never to return to that abandoned factory to pray again. He suddenly hated that place and all the people there: �I don't want to hear about Christianity anymore,� he said flatly. �I'm finished with that stuff and I don't even want to talk about religion anymore.�
Siyaya didn't want his best friend to quit the church because he was the one that had introduced him to that church in the first place. Pablo had met with pastor Paul many times because before the split of the biggest independent church in the city, Paul was one of the junior pastor there. He decided to try and disuade him; �Pablo, I don't want to hear your quitting story. Quit S.C.C. by all means if you have to, but don't quit on Jesus. I personally think that we misunderstood the whole faith mystery. I remember that in the hayday of Mzee church, Paulo lost his only daughter due to faulty faith theories. Now the same thing is happening again. The operation to close down the hospitals was simply a disaster. We talked about it in the church and many people were divided. You are not the only one who is disappointed. My advise to you is to look for another church or congregation.�
�I don't want to be a spiritual prostitute, changing churches like we change clothes,� Pablo snapped. �I won't go to pray at your mountain again.�
Siyaya tried hard to make his friend forget the painful experience. They stayed all afternoon listening to the radio and chatting about many things, including the: political developments in the country. Also the fast developing and wonderful world of cell phone technology. By that time Siyaya was convinced that Pablo would never return to that church again. He had divorced himself from it. Siyaya's concern was to find him a suitable sect or church where he would fit in. He had known Pablo from their early childhood and knew him to be the most curious man he had ever see. His friend did not only want to know about everything, but he wanted to experience it too.
He tried once more to get him to join another group so that he could satisfy his enormous curiosity: �Pablo, why don't you join the Shalom church?�
Sunzu, the founder of Shalom church, was also a pastor in Mzee church. Siyaya warned his friend that it was not a church, but a spiritual sect. He knew too that Sunzu was a member of the biggest church that had twelve pastors and the pastor founder Mzee. He knew too that Pablo wasn't any longer prepared to accept the so-called independent churches � but a new �sect?� Who knows...
He explained; �Shalom is not a church. It is a combination of Biblical custom and the African traditional customs. It will suit your curious appetites.�
�What is different in Shalom church?� Pablo asked.
Siyaya understood his curious friend; �Go, it is the kind of church that will satisfy your curiosity. But remember, you will have to tell them that you are married and that your wife is away for a month.�
�Why?�
�This is the kind of church you will like,� Siyaya said. �For instance, they only pray on Saturdays.�
That pricked Pablo's curiosity. He moved his chair closer to Siyaya and lowered his voice; �How do you know about this Shalom?�
�I know because my neighbour is a member of that church.� Siyaya answered. �They are not many � in fact, only a handful. I think there are less than 100 people in Shalom.� Siyaya knew very well that his friend had a fascination with anything out of the ordinary.
After having being disappointed in the S.C.C church, Pablo considered Siyaya's proposition to go visit this sect the following Saturday, the first week of the year 1991. He told himself that the lighting never strikes twice on the same place. Although he had been disappointed once, he was sure that he would not be disappointed again. He got the directions from his friend and without even letting him know, he went the following Saturday to that church. What drove him there, was because he wanted to know why do people would pray on Saturdays. Also the fact that the sect was situated very far from the city. He wanted to know what was good and special in that sect that people were hiding...
Shalom church was built out of mud bricks and was situated in the bush on a hill ten miles away from the city. When he arrived next to the church, a security guard stopped him from entering the building. He tried to look into the small hall that was built out of claw material and covered with thatch. He wanted to know why the church was built on top of the hill, and while he kept advancing he wondered too why the bush around the church was so short and why there were no trees around.
The fact of the matter was that the sect purposely built on the top of the hill to see from far if anyone, including the police, was coming. They made sure that they could see everybody approaching their place of worship. They were very private in their dealings and no one was to know what is happening inside unless he or she had special authorization to enter. Hense, the grass and undergrowth was kept short.
He was surprised to meet the man with the stick at the entrance.
Inside, he could hear a powerful drum and the sound of a very nice hot melody. He could also hear the feet of the jumping followers inside the church.
The man at the door greeted him with the customary �shalom� which means 'peace' in Hebrew.
Pablo responded with his own �hello,� and thereby did not get the password to enter into the church. He did not know that the password was in fact �shalom.�
He noticed that the church had no windows, but only a small hole in the wall. He tried to enter the building but the security guard held him back. �This not a church for everybody to enter,� the man said. �This is a sect and we have a lot of privacy in the church. Go into town and you will found hundreds of churches for you to attend.�
The ever curious Pablo liked the words 'privacy'. If something is hidden, he reasoned, then that means it must be important and valued. After all, the only reason gold is expensive is because it is rare. He told himself that he would discover the secret of life. He looked at the man and told him, �Brother, I really want to join you.�
He was not too concerned about the man trying to hinder his entrance, but decided to proceed despite the fact that the man still blocked his path. He didn't know that the tall, huge man in the doorway was a security guard. He was also not intimidated by the muscular build of the man either.
�Are you married?� the mountain of muscle asked him suddenly.
He hesitated for a moment before answering quickly. He reasoned that a slow, negative answer would jeopardize his chances of entering the sect he wanted to see. To sound more mature, he responded quickly, �Yes, I am married, but my wife went to visit her family 200 miles away from here. She may only be back in two months time.�
�Then when you bring your wife,� the man said resolutely, �you will be able to enter the house of God and we may talk.�
He wanted to enter even for 5 minutes to see what was going on in that sect. The beat of the drum were so enjoyable and powerful and he could feel the soil trembling. He could literally feel the joy of women and men inside. There he was, a stranger to the sect, hoping to enter for a better look, and there was the body guard, wanting the stranger to disappear as soon as possible:
Before he could move, the man spoke again, �When your wife comes back, bring her with you and you will then go through some kind of initiation before entering the holy house.
Pablo looked past the guard and saw the many shoes lined up outside the building. This intrigued him even further, but the guard looked as if he was running out of words as well as patience with this stranger that so desperately wanted to enter the building. Only then it dawned on Pablo that the man must be looking after the many pairs of shoes.
�Are you looking after those shoes?� he asked.
�I look after everything: shoes and the followers,� the man said. �This is not a sect, but we have our own followers praying inside.
Pablo wondered if this was some kind of a mosque or even if they had Muslim connections, seeing that they also left their footwear outside when they entered the holy place. Then he dismissed the thought when he heard that the songs that difted out from the building were praising and calling on the Name of Jesus.
On instinct he told the watchman, �I used to pray with pastor Sunzu.�
�Pastor Sunzu was in school when he was in that church,� the man cut in. �He learned the truth and now he his preaching the truth. The world, though, is still blind.�
These words pleased the curious Pablo. He simply loved what he heard. In S.C.C he hadn't found what he considered to be the true interpretation of the Bible. He hoped that he would find it here.
�Does your church identify with Muslims, seeing you pray without shoes?� he asked the man.
�We are Christian.� the man said flatly. �We are also the only church in the world that follows the commandments of the Bible. The only church who has the right revelation from God. Our prophet is Sunzu.�
The rhythm of the drums changed inside the building. It sounded heavenly to Pablo. There were no guitars or other instruments and the 10 or more rhythmic drums sounded so special to the curious visitor. He loved the regular changes and flow of the beat and rhythm.
The password for immediate entry was obviously at the discretion of the pastor. This brought him back to his former statement; �I know the church founder,� he said hopefully. �We used to pray in the same church with him, as I told you.�
�He is no longer a pastor,� the man told him. �He is a prophet of God like Jeremiah, like Job and other well known Biblical prophets. Look at our Bible.�
He held out a red coloured bible for Pablo to see. At the end of new testament were four additional chapters, written by Sunzu himself.�
One of the junior pastors saw him through that single hole in the builing and came to the door and watched the stranger suspiciously for several minutes. The service was continuing inside and the pastor finally addressed the security guard who obviously had to go in and take part in the worship service; �Go and get your Adam and Eve,� he told him.
Without a word the security guard immediately obeyed and entered the church, leaving Pablo standing alone outside. The new man at the entrance didn't even bother to greet him. To him, Pablo was just a stranger, or even an undercover cop, trying to spy on them.
Pablo didn't know what 'Adam and Eve' meant. He immediately started chatting to the pastor who had come to replace the security. He figured that they didn't want him to be alone outside in case he was there to steal the shoes.
�Do you really think that I will steal your shoes?� he asked the pastor.
The man at the door calmly responded, �No, we don't care about the shoes. But we do care about the Holy Spirit inside the church. I am here to ensure our privacy in the church.�
�What is so special with you?� Pablo asked him. �What is so different about you? All the churches use the normal Bible - why not you?�
The junior pastor knew that the watchman had already told the stranger about the password that was conditional upon entering the holy sect. As a pastor, he considered it important to reinforce the man's words, in case the watchman had not explained well enough to the stranger; �We use the Bible,� he said. �It is the same Bible that we use, but here we respect the words of God. The four chapters that our prophet Sunzu has added simply explains the Bible. He didn't add new things in those chapters. Nothing is new. He explained the Bible like the apostle Paul explained in his letters. Those four chapters are only letters, explaining God's fundamental truths about the church.�
Pablo wondered again what was so special about this church were they didn't want him to get in or even look inside. Now the truth was finally dawning on him that he was not wanted. However, he had left his house with one objective, and that was to enter Shalom. He pressed the man again; �Why don't you want me to go in?
�No way, you can't. Are you married?
�Yes, I am married,� Pablo lied again.
The man at the entrance had never met any man persisting this way. He came to the conclusion that maybe the young man who wanted to enter was simply immature and probably single. He wondered how a persistent man like Pablo could ever settle down and live in harmony with any woman. �You look like your are not married,� he said.
�I am married and have two children,� Pablo answered.
�Then bring your wife and you will be allowed to enter the church after an initiation.� He pointed to a small room apart from the church.
Pablo saw through a window that two men were talking inside the small room.. This was obviously the initiation room and it had many windows, unlike the main auditorium that only had one. This prompted his next question; �Tell me why that small room over there has windows but the big one has only one?�
At that very moment he saw two people entering the small room. They sat down on two chairs. There were about 5 chairs in all. Whereas the big room had one window and the small one had many, the small one in turn had no solid walls. The roof was supported by trees and the windows were built into makeshift planks and branches.
The junior pastor answered; �I told you, this is a private house. The small room over there, where you see the two men talking, is the initiation room where we teach people the rules of the church before they enter the big room. And there is only one window in that big room and the pastor is the only one permitted to look through it.
Pablo was excited and immediately wanted to join the people in that room so that he could instantly qualify to enter the big church. Inside, a man, that he believed to be one of the leaders, was now preaching to the enthusiastic support of the followers. They said 'amen' each time he took a breath, or paused or at the end of each sentence. He had never heard this kind of charismatic preaching before and didn't want to miss anything; �Can I go for the initiation now?� he asked hopefully.
�Okay, come next week with your wife and we will talk,� the junior pastor said. �And don't bring any children,� he added solemnly.
�Even the babies?� Pablo questioned.
The man turned out to be quite serious about not bringing any children to the church meetings.. All the mystery, the security at the door, the church on top of the hill, the nice drum music, the zealous preaching, the requirement of being married and of not being allowed to bring children, as well as the name �Shalom� really intrigued the curious man, attracting him even more to this mysterious place.
He decided that he had seen and heard enough and decided to go home. As he was leaving the premises, two men immediately joined the man at the door. They were obviously wondering what the man was doing at the door and why he had stayed there so long. They were always very alert and were scared of the police and possible under cover visitors.
To drive the point home unmistakably, a man called out to remind him; �No children. Only adults who are aware of what they are doing.�
Pablo stopped in his tracks and looked back. He saw the man at the door being replaced by another one who came from inside. This man was sweating. Then they all re-entered the church.
Pablo didn't know the difference between a church and a sect. Everything to him was a church and the two names meant the same thing.
Before going home, Pablo headed straight to his friend Siyaya. He wanted to report what had happened at that sect. Siyaya was his best friend who was living with his family. Pablo was used to Siyaya's family who all regarded him as part of their family too. They had known him since his early childhood and all lived in a big house. They always sat outside under the trees and the only time they ever sat inside was when it was raining. It was very hot in Tshale and most of the people were sitting outside they houses.
Pablo started explaining what had happened; �I went there and they told me to bring my wife. Should I hire a prostitute to represent me at the church?�
Siyaya wasn't surprized that Pablo wanted to enter into the church. He had heard about some of the rituals of that church, but wanted Pablo to see and judge from himself.
�Keep telling them that your wife is away,� he advised Pablo. �Then you can later change the story by telling them that your wife passed away in the village.�
�I like the church. It sounds very interesting,� Pablo told him.
Siyaya, however, wasn't interest in Sunzu's sect. He was determined to stay in his church which was S.C.C. �That church don't interest me,� he told Pablo. �But it is good for a curious man like you. I don't want you to leave Christianity, and for that reason, I prefer you praying, even in a sect, rather than living without Jesus.
While they were chatting, they saw the neighbour's wife entering his room with another man of the church. Siyaya and Pablo were outside the under the tree talking. After about an hour of Pablo's arrival, Siyaya's neighour arrived at his house. When he saw another man's shoes outside his door, he didn't enter his house. He first sat outside his house for about five minutes, and then he decided to join Pablo and Siyaya who were chatting next door.
Siyaya was the first to introduce them; �This is Tembo, my neighbour,� he told Pablo. �Tembo, this is my best and my only best friend. If you see him, you see me. His name is Pablo Tatiti. We only call him Pablo because he doesn't like his Tatiti surname. To him it sounds childish. He wants to join your church too.�
Although Pablo had known Siyaya for years, he didn't know Tembo because Tembo has just moved into the neighbourhood two months earlier. Tembo was the one who had leaked some of the sect's rituals to Siyaya. He was trying to win Siyaya over to their church by encouraging him to marry and to join the church that he,Tembo, called the best ever church to exist on this earth.
When Tembo heard about Pablo's intention, he asked him; �You want to come? Are you married?�
Pablo responded as his friend Siyaya avised him; �I am married, but my wife is away for two months.�
�It will be difficult, but I will tell my church colleague that I know you,� Tembo said.
�They told me to go through an initiation,� Pablo said.
�Don't worry too much about that,� Tembo assured him. �It's only one hour of initiation and then you will be allowed to join in the service.�
Pablo wondered why they kept asking him if he was married. Why they insisted on marriage and him bringing his wife�
While they were still talking, another man come out of Tembo's house. Pablo noticed that Tembo's attitude changed a little. The man wore the shoes that he had left outside. When Tembo saw the other man wearing the shoes, he greeted him from about 20 meters; �Shalom!�
The other responded with his own �Shalom.�
Tembo went and talked with him for about five minutes and then entered his house when the man left.
Pablo couldn't understand what was going on; �Siyaya, who is your neighbour?� he asked with a frown.
�The man who was here talking to us, Tembo,� Siyaya answered.
Pablo was really confused now, watching an owner acting like a stranger in his own home.
While he was still pondering the whole drama, he saw the woman, who he believed was Tembo's wife, come out of the house. He asked the inevitible question, namely, why would another man go into Tembo's house with Tembo's wife?
�You will understand at your initiation process this Saturday,� he was assured.
�But why do they pray Saturday?� he asked hopefully.
�You will get all the answers in the initiation process,� Siyaya said patiently.
Pablo tried to explain how it was impossible to get into that church. He told about the strange term used there, when he had heard the junior pastor call the security at the door to go get his 'Adam and Eve.'
�All those questions will be answered Saturday,� Siyaya told him again. �I've known you since you were fifteen years old and I know that you are a very curious man. The only church that can satisfy your great curiosity is Shalom. As for me; I am happy with S.C.C church.�
All the unanswered questions made him even more curious to know what was really going on in the Shalom church where they have secret passwords and initiations before entrance.
It was a long week of waiting for Pablo to have all those questions and mysteries settled. He prayed for Saturday to come as quickly as possible so that he could get the answers.
On the second Saturday of the year 1991, the meeting was to start at 8 in the morning and would continue right until 2 in the afternoon. Pablo was ready by 5 that morning. Before going to Shalom church, he first went to fetch Siyaya's neighbour, Tembo, so that he could introduce him to the other followers. He went to wake him up at half past six. Tembo patiently tolerated the inconvenience and agreed to help the curious man.
On the way to Shalom, Pablo was criticizing all the churches he had attended and told of how he had been humiliated after failing to perform miracles. It had left a huge scar on his heart.
On arrival, he was amazed that all the followers were greeting one other with the 'shalom' greeting. Many of the men had beards, many had their heads shaved and some of them carried sticks. The women all had they heads covered.
This time round, everything was easy for Pablo. They took him to the initiation room while the rest of the followers entered the big church with the single window.
The man who was to initiate him was in his early forties and had some gray hairs. He led him into the initiation room next to the church where there were only two chairs. Then the man started taking his identity down:
�What is your name?� he asked
�Pablo Tatiti.�
�Age?�
�I am twenty five.�
�Name of your wife?�
�Sylvia.�
�How old is she?�
�Twenty five too.�
Pablo was exited and was praying for the questions to end soon. Already in the church he could hear the fast and slow introduction beat of the drums. His told himself that they must be an heaven in that hall without windows.
Then; an unexpected question: �Excellent,� the man said. �Are you circumcised or not?�
For a moment he thought the man had gone crazy. He stared back at him and wondered if he had heard correctly.
The man repeated the question; �I said, are you circumcised?�
�That is my private business and does not concern you,� Pablo replied.
The questioner was insistent; �Before you can even think of entering the church you have to answer every question here,� he said. �Look, if you are not circumcised, it doesn't matter. Only answer yes, or no.�
At that moment, Nsunzu, the man who had turned into a prophet, arrived. He was carried in a decorated chair by four huge men wearing red clothes. The women laid their African garments down for him, forming a traditional decorated carpet. When he got out of his chair and walked over the clothes, Pablo noticed his hat that reminded him of those worn by the Popes of the Vatican. He recalled that years earlier, he had attended the same church as Nsunzu, when the latter was just one of the junior pastors. Now, however, he looked very different. In fact, he looked more like an African king than a man of God.
In total wonderment he absentmindedly answered the question; �I am circumcised...�
�You don't have to lie,� the man warned. �Anyway, we will see.�
That was strange! Why did the man say that? At that moment his attention was drawn by another strange spectacle; A woman was throwing water about and screaming; �The prophet is here, the prophet has arrived!�
The man who was initiating him said, �I think brother Tembo, who introduced you to us, has told you of some of our practices. We don't have any other gods except the God of the Bible. Shalom means hello, good bye and peace. You've heard us greeting each other that way. The church was established by the prophet Sunzu. He used to be a pastor in Mzee independent church.�
�I know him,� Pablo interrupted.
Because he was trying to teach him about the spiritual sect's philosophy, the man told Pablo to be very quiet and to listen without interrupting him. �Now, Nsunzu had build this church on God's revelation,� he continued. �God spoke to him and give him the rules on how to praise Him like true children of God. God created the universe and everything in six days and rested the seventh day. That is why we pray on Saturdays. Sunday was the seventh day that God rested. We don't have to do anything on Sunday, but rest like God did. We call Sunday the Sabbath. Exodus 20:8 is telling us to remember and respect Sunday � or the Sabbath. This is not a church where simply anybody can enter without the permission of God. You have to agree to God's rules first. It's different in other churches, where even criminals can enter freely without any problem or obligation. That is also why we are considered to be a sect, because of the privacy and exclusivity. We read all about the creation of the universe in Genesis chapter one. We don't allow children to enter our church because they are not adults and don't know what they are doing. Other churches, like the Catholic Church for instance, baptize even babies who don't even know the significance of that ceremony. We also don't wear shoes in our church because in Deuteronomy 25: 9 there is the command to take off one's sandals when approaching God. In those days of course they only wore sandals. Today we wear shoes � same thing. It a sign of submission to God. God spoke to Moses out of the burning bush in Exodus 3:5 and told him to take his sandals off in His presence. When we, here at Shalom, enter the presence of God, we do likewise. We are not allowed to smoke either. According to Psalm 18:8, smoke went up out of His nostrils, and the fire itself from his mouth kept devouring. Even medically speaking, smoke is not good for your body. Woman are not allowed to preach. According 1 Corinthians 14:34 woman must keep silent in the congregations. In 1 Timothy 2:12, the apostle Paul says that a woman is not allowed to teach, nor to usurp authority over a man, but to be in silence. Men are not allowed to have hair. After this session I will shave you. 1 Corinthians 11:14 says that nature tells us that it is a shame for a man to have long hair. Even 1 Corinthians 11:4 says that a man with long hair dishonours his head. Woman, on the other hand, must cover their head according to 1 Corinthians 11:5. Every woman that prays or prophesies with her head uncovered brings shame on her head. It is the same as having her head shaved. The Bible tells women not to shave their hair. If they do let their hair grow, it's a sign of masculinity. You may only take limited alcohol, the Bible is saying in 1 Timothy 3:8. Servants should not be given to much wine. Even eating; when you eat or drink too much it becomes a sin. Don't waste food, because thousands of people need food. We pray according to God's rules too. We pray naked. God created us naked. Clothes were made by humans. The animals were created naked and live naked and humans were created naked and must pray naked. It is Adam and Eve's sin that brought shame. When we are in the presence of God, we return to the first man and woman that God created. Look in Genesis 3:7 and you will see that after their sin, the eyes of Adam and Eve were opened and they realized that they were naked. That is why we want all the followers in Shalom to be married. In Job 1:21 I find that I came out of my mother's belly naked. All believers are part of one body, the body of Jesus. We are one and therefore share in pleasure with anybody's wife in the church or after church. If you want to have sex with your brother's wife, you leave your shoes outside his door. When he arrives and if you are still busy inside, he will wait for you outside. The same will be done to your wife too. We start our prayers with our church's anthem where we sing and explain the rules of the church. Then we praise God, thank Him and adore Him and pray for our various problems. Then we have the preaching. We have four preacher plus the church founder and we have 86 members. You and your wife will bring the total to 88 members of the church. After the preaching we have the offering. We don't force people to give an offering. According to Chronicles 29:9 we make voluntary offerings to God. We are not like Mzee who forces people to give money or donations. After the offering, we go to the most important part of the church meeting, where every man sleeps with the woman of their choice. We call it the Adam and Eve session. The writers of the Bible were ashamed to mention that the forbidden fruit that Adam and Eve tasted was sex. The prayer session is secret, and that is why the church doesn't have windows. We have only one window through which the pastors check if the police are coming. When the police do come, we make sure we're all clothed before they come in. We keep our shoes outside the church and the clothes next to us. The clothes must be close by to be able to put on before any policeman sees us. The policemen are used by the devil to disrupt our church service. If the city keeps growing so fast, we will move the church again to be far from the city to practice the words of God. If you so wish, you may get a stick or rod. This rod will be your power too. It will be blessed by the prophet Sunzu himself. It symbolizes power. Moses had a rod according Exodus 14:16. It says, 'as for you, lift up your rod and stretch it over the sea and it split it apart.' After the Adam and Eve session, we proceed to the announcements and then comes the final prayer session. The rod will come later. Right now I am shaving you so that you will be eligible to enter the holly house next week.�
After listening to all the rules, and accepting them, Pablo signed the document. It shocked him that he found himself wanting to go and enjoy the Adam and Eve ritual ceremony. To him it sounded like free sex. The curious young, energetic man wanted to enjoy it all. He wanted to know more about the rules, not thinking of the consequences.
Pablo was shaved that very day, and on the next Saturday, he went into the church were he found everybody naked. There were no chairs. The was plenty of singing and prayer though. Although there was no choir in the church, everybody sang in the room. About 10 people were beating the big and attractive drum. He loved drum when he was younger. Later he even joined the drumming team.
In that hot seat, he was wondering how they were coping. The church top was only partially covered and the people i that sect had to go naked. They had to enter the outer door that led to a small corridor and then to a second door.
The security guard at the door had a small ring. Once he hit that bell it meant danger and all the followers had to put their clothes back on as quickly as possible.
Before entering the main auditorium, everyone had to wash their feet in the basin of water just inside the second door.
Every session started with their anthem after which the Shalom rules were repeated. This was followed by 30 minutes of song and then 30 minutes of praise. Two hours of preaching was next where two different preachers spoke. The Adam and Eve session, which also lasted about 30 minutes, followed the preaching session. Here everyone was expected to sleep with a woman Next on the agenda was Moise's sermon where they talked about and were taught to imitated the life of Moises. Another session of full praise that lasted one and a half hours came next. It was during this session that Pablo arrived at the church the first time. Yet another one and a half hours of praise and song followed. It was during this time that Pablo had arrived at the church the first time. The final items on the agenda were 30 minutes of announcements and the final prayers, whereupon the meeting was concluded once again with the anthem.
There was additionally also a six hour prayer session every Sunday.
After attending this strange sect for two months, they wanted to meet Pablo's wife. This, of course, posed a little problem, beause if you'll remember, he was not married at the time. The first thing he did was to hire a prostitute to masquerade as his wife. He had no intention of getting married, and although he loved the church on the one hand, he wanted to complete his studies first on the other.
Everyone wanted to get a 'taste' of his so-called wife too.
Then, to add to his dilemma, the prostitute raised the price for her services. She knew he was between a rock and a hard place and took advantage of it. After a heated argument, he decided to fire her, whereupon she retaliated by revealing what she called Pablo's 'devilish' plan.
The members of the sect become very angry about his deception. He had made fools of them while their very existence and reputation depended on their sect. He look like he wasn't serious. They couldn't accept the fact that he had dishonored their rules.
Pablo was attacked twice by armed church members who called him a serpent, the one who lied to Adam and Eve. He managed to escaped the first time and was wounded in the second attempt. He tried to report the matter to the police but the police said they had heard this kind of complaint twice before and on both occasions they found all the people clothed and not naked as alleged, when they had investigated.
Pablo was seen to be a liar and the police assumed that they wanted to kill him because he owed them money, since both attacks had occurred late at night.
Siyaya felt guilty since he had introduced him to the sect and advised him to run away. Pablo relocated to Lusaka for a while, but when he ran into one of the church members in a popular market there, he realized that the world is indeed small. He realized that even in Lusaka he wasn't safe. For him to be safe meant that he would have to cross the ocean. With the help of the pastors in the new congregation he joined, he crossed the see in America.
What had happened in Pablo's life? How did he end up in such a mess? This was basically the story of his life and why he was so deeply disappointed in the differing interpretation of the most popular book in the world, namely, the Bible
Who and what is right and who and what is wrong? That remained his question.
We shall continue to look at how differently the Bible is interpreted by different people.

Hosted by www.Geocities.ws