Deals with what one man can do with misdirection and hatred of his fellow man. The pursuit of love in a loveless society.
This crazy priest goes on a anti-COVID rampage and ends up meeting his match. That's really what it's all about. Good versus evil pretending to be good.
Excerpt
Chapter 1
IT WAS HIGHLY UNLIKELY it all started with one man, as is the usual claim in most accounts of what started it all when it comes to History, and investigation claims. Not that any other investigations are likely to be all that similar to this one and, yet, all too similar while still retaining that unique quality. Nor did it end with that same man. Or possibly it did. He just happens to be the one man that seems to be the perfect scapegoat to have the accusatory finger pointed in his direction. There is also the perfect antagonist, at least for this chronicle. The general consensus, however, of the few truly in the know, is that one man certainly played a major role in what came to be. Just another little man wanting desperately to be a big man, succeeding only in becoming a very dangerous man in need of being destroyed; which is so often the case with little men seeking power.
It was just that there had been an almost contempt for the rules, of the need for them and, far more disturbing, an almost hatred of all those who didn’t adhere to the beliefs, and way of life, of the followers of The Church of The Living God; of Pastor Horst Tobias Hiedler, the far too outspoken protester and agitator, who had openly and boastfully defied the Emergency COVID-19 Rules on so many occasions that even the Ontario Provincial Police had given up any hope of him ever coming to his senses, and seeing what totally un-Christian damage he was doing. The Pastor—or Reverend as Horst Tobias Hiedler liked to sometimes claim was his proper job title; at times even claiming to be an Apostle and a Prophet of God—was the first person to claim he and his congregation, and fellow members of the worldwide nondenominational, bastardized Christian organization, were not of this world. Not surprisingly, however, Hiedler was also the first to wave the worldly banner of freedom and rights and liberties as his excuse for refusing to abide by the Rules.
When the man first came into the spotlight, it was the rights and freedom flag that he waved so vehemently in the faces of those that wanted to hold him equally accountable for the mistreatment of children within his congregation. A number of parents had been forced to surrender their children to Family Services for having disciplined their children with severe beatings, basic imprisonment, food deprivation, and refusing them even the most basic medical attention. All of which was advocated by Pastor Hiedler and, in fact, by the worldwide Governing Body of the Church of The Living God. It was, after all, claimed Pastor Hiedler, written in the Holy Scriptures; actually, sermonizing in court, quoting from his bible.
Proverbs 13:24—Whoever spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is diligent to discipline him.
Proverbs 23:13-14—Do not withhold discipline from a child; if you strike him with a rod, he will not die. If you strike him with the rod, you will save his soul from Sheol.
Hebrews 12:11—For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.
Proverbs 20:30—Blows that wound cleanse away evil; strokes make clean the innermost parts.
Children had actually died after being refused medical treatment in accordance to the teachings of the Governing Body, and when that was pointed out in court, Pastor Hiedler, boldly stated he did not see that as negligence on the part of parents of the Church. He again used his claimed Bible directives as proof. After all, did not James 5:14-15 teach—“Is any among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up.”?
In obedience to the Lord and the Bible, Hiedler challenged that no wrongdoings had been committed. If those children had truly been worthy, then God would have cured them. It was clear that those dead children were unworthy of salvation, and where righteously taken from the earthy world to endure the everlasting torment of Hell for their sins and transgressions. That obscure and bizarrely interpreted scripture was proof enough, and Hiedler’s mind could not be changed. Even when the judge pointed out, rather sternly and with obvious contempt of the man, that he had missed the final sentence in Proverbs 5 verse 15: “And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.”.
When the court ruled and decreed the parents guilty of child abuse, and Hiedler just as guilty—although not being convicted—Reverend Horst Tobias could hardly wait to rush out of the courtroom to the waiting television cameras and microphones, and bathe himself in the light of media coverage it seemed he craved so desperately. There was no denying that Hiedler wanted more than his 15 minutes of fame.
There was certainly something about Hiedler that the news media, and anyone looking from the outside found somewhat unnerving. Perhaps it was the bullheadedness of the man, the aggressiveness that was injected into everything he did, coupled with the my-way-or-the-highway attitude that all combined to truly frighten people who had sense enough to see through his holier-than-thou rhetoric, and recognize the true danger in letting such a man freely spew his contempt for all those that disagreed with anything he said or claimed. There was a total disregard for the law and any rules and regulations that Hiedler felt he was above; even to a point that when he was treated leniently by the Court, fined paltry sums, rather than given a jail sentence for his unlawful offenses, the man refused to pay those fines claiming they violated his rights and freedoms of religion.
The wall of freedoms-and-rights-and-religious belief was the very thing that Hiedler seemed to build around himself and his congregation as a protection for doing whatever he felt was right. Refusing the children of his congregation medical care, vaccinations (necessary for school attendance), advocating the severe disciplining of children with much more than just a rod, were claimed as protected beliefs sanctioned and backed by bible scripture; the only true law. The law of the earthly world could not challenge or overrule that of God! To do so, according to Hiedler, warranted shouted cries of infringing upon freedom of rights and religion and, clearly, deemed totally unconstitutional—ironically the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms a product of the earthy world denounced by the Hiedler. The very principles found within the earthy world, were something the members of the Church of The Living God claimed to be no part of; the hypocrisy so blatant it perfumed the air around Hiedler, with an almost nauseating stench, as he ranted on and on about the abuses of power used against him and his followers.
It was only in what were so often called religious sects and cults that a man like Horst Hiedler could find and proclaim himself to be a pastor or reverend or prophet or apostle of God. Likewise, in most recognized religious orders training was required. To be a Catholic priest—not that some of them were without blemish and the very Vatican and papacy responsible for covering up numerous horrible atrocities—it required a college degree, a bachelor degree in philosophy or theology in order to gain entrance in to the seminary, followed by studies and the acquisition of a Master of Divinity before any thoughts of gaining the title of priest could be considered. The same Master requirement was needed to become a minister in almost all accredited organisations (with some noted exceptions like the Jehovah’s Witnesses who handed that title out to any baptised male member of the sect).
No such training or formal education had been required for Horst Hiedler to become a pastor, reverend, apostle and prophet of the Church of The Living God. The titles just seemed to be bestowed on Hiedler with the seemingly only prerequisites being a nice, bushy beard with enough grey in it to look distinguished and wise and fatherly, and a willingness to wear black and white. The standard uniform that was much like that of the Mennonite and Amish faiths. The Church of The Living God leaders were required to wear a crisp white shirt (or blouse), black vest, black trousers (or long skirt), either black collarless jacket or cassock, and shiny, but very plain, black leather oxfords—the blouse, and long skirt for females, of course.
The black and white uniform, worn by both male and female pastor-prophet-apostles, seemed to cast a very dark feel that complemented the outwardly mandatory fire-and-brimstone sermons that demonstrated the right kind of passionate and fury expected of God-fearing religious fanatics. There was a frightening sternness and brutality to all the leaders, male and female included. Even family members of the apostles and pastors and prophets and reverends and Governing Body of the Church of The Living God were made to wear the same drab attire. There was no deviating from the standard uniform, for that was what it seemed to be. Each soldier wearing the same uniform, and steadfastly obeying the dictates of their leaders, under what could only be labelled as an autocracy.
There was definitely a tyrannical heavy-handedness about Hiedler, and all the other pastors and Governing Body of the Church. The doctrine of the Church was claimed to be based on Bible truths and divine, unquestionable teachings coming directly from God. In reality, as is often the case with most sects and cults, it was often nothing more than a dogma concocted through picking and choosing random scriptures that served the purpose to advance beliefs and, yet, the addition of lone, unsupported, eccentric and obscure scriptures, added here and there, to give biblical credence to hypocrisies, that cropped up all too frequently, under the despotic rule of the leadership; Pastor Horst Tobias Hiedler a prime example of finding and using the unconventionalities from the bible.
There was the all too frequent use of scripture after scripture in order to convince followers that they, the Governing Body and all the pastors and reverends and apostles and prophets were, as the scriptures clearly and unquestionable stated, endowed with the very power and authority of Christ. They were the ones wielding the ultimate power over all others in the congregations, not unlike the Governing Bodies of so many other religious orders demanding complete control over the lives of the faithful followers. That power and supreme rule administered through fear and intimidation in one way or another. The very things that Hiedler managed to utilize so masterfully.
It was somewhat amusing that Pastor Horst Tobias Hiedler actually referred to Adolph Hitler in his rants, and propaganda attempts, as he stood in front of TV cameras and news media reporters making fiery claims that government authorities, and the law enforcement agencies, were no different than the Nazis of Germany. The Ontario Premiere, and his SS cronies, Hiedler fumed, were acting like the Nazis by taking away all freedoms and liberties, and persecuting religious leaders over the teachings of the bible that clearly instructed parents to beat their children in order to keep them free of evil. He called upon the name of Adolf Hitler as he quoted Psalms 13:24.
“He who spares his rod hates his son, but he who loves him disciplines him promptly.”
Hearts of Gold
Synopsis
by
Frank P. Whyte
Portland, Oregon is known as the City of Roses. Of course that’s an odd name for a city whose mere mention conjures images of driving winds and torrential ra
