Free from Fear

"So, what are we going to do about that? I don't want him anywhere near Rebekkah."

"I put an ultimatum to him, he either confesses before the whole community and begs for forgiveness, or we expose him."

"I suppose that's why he didn't say much at breakfast."

"Yes, and that's what bothers me. This is the first time that anyone has stood against him, and this person just happens to be the girl chosen by him to be his son's wife. My biggest concern is how he'll react. I hope that he has forgiveness in his heart, but I'm afraid not."

"What can we do?" Rebekkah asked.

"You two are the dearest to me right now, I want you to remain calm and don't do anything to upset him in any way. I have a call to make." She picked up her phone. "Miles, yes it's me. I'm sorry to burden you this early in the morning, but I think the time has come."

We couldn't hear what was said from, I assume, Miles Jensen, one of the elders.

"The stupid fool chose to force himself onto Rebekkah. She, to her credit, wasn't having any of this and screamed the house down, I'm surprised you didn't hear it. He denied it, of course, but there was no denying it. He's gone off to prepare for this morning's service. I have a horrible feeling that he intends to shun Rebekkah and her family. If he does that Simon has declared that he will go with them. Apart from this shunning being wrong in so many ways, Peter Cateness has skills and talents that this community cannot afford to lose. If he decides to go down that path, he has to be stopped. If he does, I think that it's time that we made our move."

"What move?" I asked as she ended the call.

"I have decided, Miles and I have decided that we should be together. He has been lonely since Magda died and I have been providing him with emotional support. One thing has led to another and your father isn't the only one to seek sex outside the marriage."

"What?" I stared at her in disbelief.

"Did you two, you know, last night?" She asked, changing the subject and looking from one to the other of us.

"No, why do you ask?"

"I need to know whether the sheets need washing." This is a whole new side to my mother.

"Does Father know about the two of you?" I asked, bringing the subject back on topic.

"Good lord no, until it affects him directly it will not enter into his thinking."

"If he goes ahead with our shunning," Rebekkah said, "There will be many more wanting to leave the community. The word of his God ordered indiscretions have spread, the girls have decided that they will ignore his wanting to keep it secret and have told their parents. Some have decided that he is wrong in this and probably wrong in other orders, while others are still afraid of him. We need to show everyone that he can no longer rule by fear."

"Let's not do anything today unless he decides to go ahead with Rebekkah's shunning." Mother said.

We left for the meeting hall. Myles was waiting for Mother and walked with us. We met Rebekkah's parents outside the meeting hall. "Hi Mum, Dad, I probably don't need to introduce you to Simon's mother, but this is Miles Jensen."

"I know Miles, how are you getting on without Magda?"

"Fine now, I have received invaluable support from Rachel." He looked at Mother, it was a dead give-away that there was something going on between them.

"How are you two getting on?" Rebekkah's mother asked us. "No lovers' quarrels yet?"

"As far as Simon and I are going, it can't get much better than it is right now, and his mother, our mother, she has been very supportive of us, she has helped us set up our new house, we've even chosen a room for the nursery."

"You aren't, please tell me you aren't?"

"No, we would have to have made love for that to happen, and we haven't got around to that, yet."

"Good for you. We have heard a rumour going around that there is going to be a shunning announced this morning, do you know anything about that?"

"No, but if there is, it could cause a major upheaval in the community." Miles said.

We passed through the regular door greeters who somehow seemed to be less than enthusiastic this morning.

Following the obligatory warm-up concert, my father stood at the lectern, his head bowed. "It saddens me to announce that we have a shunning to perform this morning. The Cateness family will no longer be a part of our community. This had been brought about by the rebellious behaviour of their daughter Rebekkah. As you are aware, Rebekkah was brought into my own home to prepare for her marriage to my son, Simon. She has not only dishonoured herself, by challenging God's teaching, but has actively tempted Simon to break God's laws regarding sexual intercourse before marriage. Simon, to his credit, has resisted her temptations.

Needless to say, because of her transgressions and her parents' unwillingness to chastise her, I have no recourse but to order the shunning of the Cateness family forthwith."

I stood, "If you shun Rebekkah and her family, you had better include me."

"How dare you go against God's wishes!"

"I am going against your wishes, not God's. He tells me to love everyone regardless of their situation in life. I was forced, against my wishes at the time, to enter into an arranged marriage agreement with Rebekkah. I, we, have grown to love and respect each other in a spiritual and emotional context, but not, until recently, a physical context. The reason that you are shunning her, and her family, is because she resisted your advances. You, Sir, are a megalomaniac, a hypocrite and a paedophile. I am ashamed to be your son."

"How dare you speak to me like that!"

"Do you deny my allegations?"

"Most emphatically!"

"Do you deny that, under the guise of preparing her for her role as my wife, you attempted to have sexual intercourse with her, even though it was before she reached the age of consent?"

"Yes, you have no proof to support your allegations."

"Ah, but I do have proof. We were aware of your penchant for having sex with young girls, including your own daughter, before they got married, to make them aware of what was expected of them in their forthcoming role as a wife. We concealed a video camera in her room and recorded the whole incident." We didn't but he's not to know that. "If you wish I can play it on the big screen for all of your followers to see. Would you like that?"

There was no answer. I was bluffing, just as I was certain that the last thing he would want is for the video to be made public.

"After witnessing your transgression, Rebekkah and I decided that we no longer respected you and your leadership. We are now joined together physically, though not yet sexually, spiritually and emotionally, and we intend to journey outside this community to formalise our relationship in a secular marriage ceremony. We do not want to do this, but you leave us with little option."

"You don't know what you are doing. You are defying God's Law, you will rot in Hell for all time!"

"You don't frighten us with your threats. To think that we, and all here, have been taught to follow your rules, your laws, and, in doing so, go against God's Law as written in the Bible. What Paul tells us in Romans chapter 12 verse 2 is that just because something is done a certain way doesn't make it right, we should search our minds to establish what is God's will for us. We are searching and have decided that you are not fit to lead us. I think that we should ask the people here to vote on whether the Cateness family, and me, should be shunned. Before we vote, how many of the ladies here suffered from you imposing yourself on them before they were married? Can I have a show of hands?"

First one hand, then two, until almost all of the women held a hand aloft.

"How many of you had yet to reach the age of consent when this happened?"

Again, hands were held aloft.

"So, not only did you transgress God's Law that states that girls, women, should know no man before they are married, and know no other man than their husband, but you have broken secular laws that prohibit a man from having sexual intercourse with a girl who has not reached the age of consent. You are not fit to lead this community!"

"And I suppose that you are going to say that you are?"

"No. I do not think that I am an any better person to assume that role than any other person, and I include women. I do not have the life experience needed to lead. My mother is better suited to that role than I am."

"You do realise that, in proceeding with this, you are destroying the community that we have built up here?"

"No Father, You have destroyed it. Someone once said that power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Your megalomaniacal use, or should I say misuse, of power has corrupted this community. But, it is not beyond hope if we, as a community, want to see it continue. The decision is no longer with you, but the people here."

"I will not have this! To this community I represent God, I am God! My word is Law and disobedience to the Law is disobedience to me and to God! If any of you wish to defy me you should leave now."

He looked at the congregation, a smile on his face. This smile vanished when he realised that every man, woman and child had stood and was heading for the door. "Wait! Let us discuss this."

"The time for discussion with you is over." Miles turned and replied. "When Rachel is no longer married to you, she and I will wed. You turned your back on her many years ago, you told her that she was too old for you. You didn't stop to think of how much that hurt a woman still in her prime. She no longer loves or respects you, she is beyond putting up with your debauched behaviour, she is beyond caring for, and about, you."

"You will all pay for this with eternal damnation! You will all rot in hell forever! There is no saving you! I am God! How dare you disobey God!"

The musicians placed their instruments on the floor and stepped down from the stage, followed by the singers. As I closed the doors he could still be heard shouting incoherently at no one.

"What happens now?" I asked Mother.

"We will have a meeting of this community at which a decision will be made as to whether we continue."

"I would like, if at all possible, for it to continue. My only wish is that power not be centred on one person. We have several people capable of forming a management committee. If the community decides to continue we should call for an election to fill vacant committee positions."

"It sounds as if you have been giving this some thought." Mother said.

"We have," Rebekkah said, "The more that we studied the scriptures the more we came to realise the dangers of allowing the situation to continue. We are warned to beware of false prophets, he positioned himself above a prophet or servant of God, he saw himself as God."

"I would have to agree with you," Mother said, "When this all began he was willing to listen to others, to accept advice, but all of that changed and he began to distance himself from us, we no longer existed in the management of this community. When a leader sees himself as God, failure is inevitable."

It was a different father who emerged from the meeting hall. His head was bowed as he shuffled toward us. "What happens now?" He asked.

I spoke before the others had a chance to. "As far as you are concerned, this s what will happen, if the others agree, you will address the meeting and confess your sins. You will ask for forgiveness and a second chance. If you do not do this we intend to take the evidence that we have to the police. You will be tried and convicted of the many instances where you had non-consensual sex with girls under the age of consent. You will spend many years in gaol and you know what happens to paedophiles in gaol, don't you?"

"What if you don't all agree with this?"

"You had better hope that we do, we will get back to you on this. I suggest that you give it some thought in the meantime."

"My," Rebekkah said, hugging and kissing me, "My man is so masterful, isn't he?"

"I hope that he won't get carried away with this power, I don't want to see history repeating itself." Mother said.

"It won't, not if my Rebekkah has any say in it." I said.

Mother suggested that we should go home and the four of us should have our mid-day meal and attempt to get our heads around what had just happened.

After the meal, Rebekkah and I did the dishes. "Mother," Rebekkah said, "Would you object to Simon and I going to his, our, room and get to know each other in a Biblical context?"

"I do not see why you shouldn't. She replied.

"And," Rebekkah looked from Mother to Miles with the all too familiar smile on her face, "Can you think of any reason why you and Miles should not do the same?"

Mother looked to Miles, and the look that passed between them answered the question.

I closed the door behind us and took Rebekkah in my arms, kissing her I said, "Please don't judge this performance too harshly, I have had no experience at this." I began to undress her, tossing her clothes into a corner of the room with a flamboyant gesture. When I had completed I stared in wonder at what I had only seen a fraction of, but now a vision stood before me. I kissed her, beginning with her mouth then her neck, her mouth, her ear, her mouth, her nipple, her mouth, the other nipple. She squirmed at the touch of my lips.

"Stop. It's my turn." She removed my clothes, tossing them into the same corner, just as flamboyantly as I had. She stood in front of me and admired my penis as it rose to point at her. She kissed me, softly on the lips and then my neck, back to my lips then slowly down my body until she reached my penis. "Hello there my good man, are you ready for this?" She kissed him, licked him and sucked him.

"Come." I said as I led her to our bed.

"I'm ready for you." She whispered to me as she guided me into her body.

The feeling going through my body, as he advanced and retreated into her, became more intense as the minutes passed. It was no longer a penis entering a vagina, or a cock thrusting into a sopping pussy, it was sopping wet, and my cock was thrusting into it, but what we had here was a man, me, and a woman, Rebekkah, joining physically with the spiritual and emotional bond that we had already cemented.

"Darling," Rebekkah whispered to me as she wiped her loss of virginity from between her legs. "Where is the end of the world that we were told would happen because of this? Was that just another lie?"

"That was the fear that he used to keep us in line. Once we realise that his words mean nothing we can begin to live without fear, to live with love."

"I wonder if Mother," Rebekkah had begun to call her Mother, "And Miles have consummated their relationship?"

"I think that there's every chance that they have, and good luck to them, I think living with them as parents has a lot going for it."

"It can't be worse than the alternative that's for sure."

After dinner that was not preceded by the obligatory prayer session, we sat and discussed the day's events and some thoughts on the future before returning to our respective beds.

It must have been midnight when there was a loud banging on the door, it was my father yelling at us. "Let me in! I want to talk with you!"

I heard the door open and a calm voice. "What do you want? Do realise what time it is?"

"I have been walking around for hours trying to understand what happened this morning, I'm tired and I want to get some sleep."

"You're not welcome here."

"But it's my house."

"It was our house, not yours, you are no longer welcome in our house. go find a hotel, oh that's right, you wouldn't allow hotels here, would you? Then go and find someone who'll allow you to stay with them for however long it takes for us to arrange the meeting where we'll discuss our future."

"No one will have me." He said in a resigned voice. He was beginning to realise the extent of the revolution.

"There is no one home at Miles' place, the door isn't locked, you can stay the night there."

"Why isn't there anyone there?" Then it hit him, Miles was with Rachel. We were waiting for him to get angry again, but he didn't, he turned around and walked slowly next door.

Things moved quickly. The Elders held a meeting to establish a management committee to control all facets of the commune's operations. Part of this was to ask for expressions of interest from commune members who would like to take up the role of Preacher. Each applicant would be vetted before undertaking training in sermon delivery and an introduction to scripture interpretation. It was impressed on them, that the Bible was open to interpretation, and that they would follow specific guidelines as to keeping the context of Jesus message of altruism and inclusion. Strict rules were set out regarding the process of shunning. This would no longer be the arbitrary decision of one person, but a committee would review the proposal before being putting it to a vote of all commune members.

After the Elders had met, Father was invited to meet with them to discuss his future.

"You have brought this commune into disrepute." Jonah Thorpe, the Chair of the Elders committee address Father. "You have turned what was originally a Christian community that worked together in harmony, into a Cult, one that went against our original goals. You have also committed crimes against the Bible in regards to the marriage contract. you committed crimes that will, inevitably, involve criminal charges being filed against you in court. As is often the case, all members of this commune will be looked upon in a similar light. We will, unless we very publicly dismiss you from this community, find that we will not be welcome within the outside world. The Elders of this community have been given no alternative but to ask you to leave this community and, we will be handing over the evidence of your crimes to the relevant authorities."

"I ask for the Elders to accept my remorse for what I have done and forgive me. I ask to be allowed to stay here while I re-establish my standing within the community. I realise that I allowed my power to corrupt me in such a way as to damage the good reputation of the members of this community."

"We have discussed this in great detail and, because you have placed us in a position that, to allow you to go unpunished and remain with us, we will ourselves, be breaking the law. We have concluded that, while we can forgive your crimes against God, we are not in a position to forgive your secular crimes. This can proceed in either of two ways, you can voluntarily leave and give yourself in to the police, or you can remain here and we invite the police to come here and arrest you. If you choose the latter, we will ensure media attendance."

"It appears that I have no choice." He said quietly. It took some doing but he rose, lifted his head high and spoke in a clear voice. "I bid you all farewell." With that, he left.

The Sunday meeting was underway when Jonah Thorpe mounted the stage to address the community. "Ladies and gentlemen, you will have noticed that our founder and leader is not with us today. There will be rumours as to the reason for this, so I have been asked to put to rest these rumours. There have been crimes committed by him against God and against secular law, that we can not allow to go unpunished. we have asked him to leave and to surrender to the police. These crimes, unfortunately, involve young women. There will, of necessity, be a healing period for these women so I ask that you remember them in your prayers and to also give them the emotional support that they will obviously need. I ask too that you give support to Rachel, Sarah and Simon as they work their way through these trying times. In deference to this situation, I think that we should spend the time usually set aside for the message, to offer our prayers and support for each other and the families of all concerned. The music team will provide suitable music for this occasion."