A Future History of the United States

Tim’s days fell into a predictable pattern; breakfast in the morning with from four to eight others present; an extended period with Dennis going over secular history; lunch for the two of them served in Tim’s room; more lessons; dinner with as many as twelve people, and finally some quiet time to himself before bedtime.

He still had seen no time keeping devices, so he was uncertain if he was really on a twenty-four hour schedule. With all the instruction he was receiving he had no time to wonder about this.

After a number of sessions with Dennis he was surprised one day when another man came in with Dennis. This individual was not introduced by name but only as his “Instructor in Religious Details.”

Tim asked for his name but the response was, “Just call me Teacher ‘A.’ I am here to teach you how to correctly conduct a Church service.”

Tim was confused by this response. “I’ve attended Church regularly, but I am certainly not qualified to be in charge of the service.”

“You will be by the time I finish with you. And not just any service, you will be qualified for the position of Archbishop! In fact, with what you have already learned here, you know more about the true history of the Church than most of the priests out there conducting services every week.”

Tim was stunned. “But I thought they all had advanced college degrees in Theology. How could I have possibly learned more than they have in such a short time?”

“What they have been taught is not Theology. It is ideology. There is a major difference. The schools no longer teach real history, either secular or religious. They teach what the rulers want them to teach. You probably noticed that there are no old books available to the general public. They have been confiscated and burned or locked away. The only books allowed to be distributed now are the ones that say what those in control want said.”

“That’s preposterous! No one could have that much control.”

“They can when anyone who crosses them ends up in prison or dead,” ‘A’ stated softly. “Think about what happened to you. Do you have any idea of exactly why you were hauled before the Archbishop?”

“I’ve been trying to figure that out ever since they pulled me out of bed in the middle of the night. I can not think of anything I said nor did that should have offended anyone. I was in church for all the meetings. I always said my prayers before meals, whether in private or in public. I checked my financial records each week to be sure the correct amount had been transferred to the Church. I was always careful not to say anything that anybody might think was anti-Church,” Tim paused for breath.

‘A’ replied, “you made one mistake Tim, and one mistake is all it takes.”

“I suppose you know what that mistake was!”

“Yes, I do. Four days before you were taken, you stopped in the library after work. In the master index of files you looked for ‘Charles Darwin’. Of course you did not find any of his works, but your request was flagged for review. Since you had to enter your name before you could access the index, it was a simple matter for them to find you and bring you in.”

Tim protested, “How can that be enough to get me before the Archbishop? I overheard someone say ‘I wonder if Charles Darwin could explain how the human race has gotten to the point we have?’ I was curious about just who Charles Darwin was so I tried to look him up.”

“Well, Tim, the Church considers him one of their worst enemies. He’s been dead well over two hundred years, but the Church is afraid that if his theories are revived their power could crumble. There is also another reason the Church leaders want to eliminate you, but I can’t talk about that now.

“What does the Church teach about creation?”

Tim thought ‘A’ was trying to change the subject. “What’s that got to do with what we are talking about? I want to know why I was detained just because of looking for information on some long dead man.”

“Calm down, Tim. I’m trying to explain this all to you. So please answer my question.”

Tim paused to consider his response, “Well, God created the entire world and everything in it in just six days a little over 6,000 years ago. Man is the crowning glory of His work, and was the last thing He created.”

“Tim, brace yourself for a shock.” He hesitated for much longer than usual. “That may not be the way things actually happened!”

Tim was too stunned to reply. This man was truly committing blasphemy! He was actually questioning God! Even the Bible he had been given by Ron started out by explaining how God had created everything in six days. How could ‘A’ make such a statement without God striking him dead?

After giving Tim a few minutes to think over what he had just said ‘A’ continued, “Darwin put forth a theory that contradicted the Bible creation story. He taught that all living things were not created just as they are now but rather that they evolved from simpler organisms. Even Man was not miraculously created but rather evolved from some apelike ancestor.”

By now Tim had regained his composure, “That’s blasphemy! It’s no wonder the Church doesn’t like Darwin.”

‘A’ went on in a soft voice, seemingly unaffected by Tim’s outburst, “Tim, you are an intelligent man. You like to think for yourself. You like to examine the proof of what anyone tells you. If this were not true, you would not be here now! We saved you from certain death at the hands of the Church partly because of this trait of yours. Hear me out. I will give you access to a number of books that explain Darwin’s theory, as well as other scientific subjects. There is much more actual proof of Darwin’s theory than there is of the Bible story. I am sure that it won’t take you long to see the fallacy in the Church’s teaching.

“Don’t get me wrong. I am not questioning the existence of God, nor am I questioning His actions on the part of Mankind. I am only saying that the Church has taken things much too far in the wrong direction. The Bible says that God is a God of Love. Do you think a God of Love would condone the way the Church is acting today?

“Your computer,” he pointed to the paper-thin object on Tim’s desk, “already has this information loaded on it. You’ve had a little experience with it. Just touch the Icon with the ‘D’ to start.

“We expect Claude back tomorrow. He’s bringing a pleasant surprise for you. I’ll be here tomorrow morning with some different clothes for you. You will need to get use to them before we send you out on your first assignment to help our cause.” After another pause he added, “Looking up information on Darwin wasn’t really the reason they detained you. That just helped them find where you were.” With this he quietly left the room.

Tim sat down at his desk. What have I gotten myself into? His entire concept of the world, religion, even life, was being questioned. After his recent experience with the Church he knew he had been rescued from certain death. He was still trying to understand why. What did they really want with him? Why did Ron and the others keep telling him he was very important in their quest?

Turning these questions around he thought, If what I have been taught here is true, why isn’t it being taught in the public schools? Was the Church suppressing these things for some reason? Am I really a threat to the Church? If so, how, and why?

Pushing these thoughts to the back of his mind he turned to the sheet before him. He touched the ‘D’ icon and started reading. He had always been able to read rapidly and retain almost all of what he read. He thought this was the way it was with most people, so he did not realize just how rare this capability was.

In the introductory portion of the work about Darwin, he found reference to James Hutton, a man described as a geologist who lived in the 1700’s. This said that Hutton had found proof that the world was at least millions of years old, not just thousands as the Church taught. There were also references to fossils of animals that were now extinct that seemed to be forerunners of animals currently living.

Tim was a fast learner and the more he read the more he understood ‘A’s’ comment that the Biblical description of creation may not be the way it actually happened. There were cross references that led him to articles on geology, biology, chemistry, and other sciences. He was so absorbed in his study he scarcely noticed when the room lights dimmed and the computer screen brightened to compensate for the changed conditions. He was still reading and wrestling with these ideas when Dennis rapped on his door and announced, “Breakfast time! We have that surprise for you!”