Fire and Brimstone - The Calling

"Let a woman learn in silence with all subjection. But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over a man, but to be in silence. For Adam was first formed, then Eve. And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression." We sat in silence whilst he spoke. The whole congregation was tense. There was a woman behind him, with her hands tied behind her back and a white cloth sack covering her face. She wore a grey dress covering her arms, chest and the skirt falling down to her ankles. Women have to dress modestly, because men are weak in spirit and easily led into temptation. We all sat in rows, women on one side and men on the other. Sundays were for church, but church was also for sentencing. That is what this man was doing. This man is a Judge. Every city had atleast two or three Judges, appointed by The Disciples. The disciples are men chosen by God to lead our nation out of sin and put things back to the way God intended them to be. That's what Father said. The woman behind him has been accused and found guilty of reading the Holy Book. Reading is forbidden for women. Some older women still know how to, because of the way things were before, it was necessary. The younger girls have not even been taught how to. They don't need that skill. When they come of age, they will be married and expected to care for their husbands and children. Women did not need to know how to read for that. Reading and writing is strictly forbidden for women and if found doing so, you could be harshly punished. Father says that women are too weak-minded and emotional to read from the Holy Book. He says God has given men the wisdom to teach and lead their families according to His word and that if women are given the power to read from His Holy Book, they might become emotional and unaware of how to handle the responsibility and knowledge that comes with it. They will surely betray God. The judge stands stiffly at his podium, "Helena Coetzee, you have sinned against God, and you have brought your family to shame. May God have mercy on your soul!" I can hear my mother beside me, breathing loudly. My mother is a strong willed woman. That's not the best quality to have if you are a woman in The Republic of Ouranos. However, she has played a big part in the rise of the Disciples. She has taught the wives of the Disciples how to conform to more traditional ways of doing things. She is a good teacher. She also trains the daughters of the Disciples how to perform their wifely duties. She generally also hosts s*x - ed classes for women who come of age. They need to know what is going to happen on their wedding night. "What a disgrace." She whispered. She has long blonde hair and sky-blue eyes. She's very beautiful. The definition of a perfect wife. She wears a long brown dress with a white bonnet covering her hair. A face mask covering your mouth and nose is to be worn by women in public settings where men are present. They must be silent and obedient in the presence of men. They may not speak. I really hope nobody heard her. "According to the Holy Scripture and guidance provided to me by the Lord Himself, I hereby sentence you to a week of public display and 500 lashes to be received during this week." Helena is now starting to weep loudly. Her husband sits in the front row among the men. His lips are pursed, he seems embarrassed. Her husband is a general in the Army of Ouranos. Even high-ranking men's wives are not immune to the rules. Women are severely punished for their transgressions because they are supposed to submit to their husbands, who are the only ones who can receive words directly from God. Sinning against a man is like sinning against God himself. Since men make the rules and the rules are made according to guidance received from God. There are two men in black uniforms, dragging Helena out of the church hall. We all know where she is going now. They are taking her to the town square where she will be stripped down to her undergarments so her bare skin can be displayed. They leave the undergarments on, to preserve whatever decency you still have left after being sentenced. They have to take it off though, to administer the lashes. Women are generally so covered in padding that the lashes won't be properly felt if administered over the clothing. We are all dismissed from the hall. Mother grabs hold of my hand to lead me to the Lexus waiting in the street. Our driver, David, opens the car door for us and we enter into the back seat. The windows are tinted and the partition is rolled up. Mother removes her mask. I follow her lead and remove mine too. We both stare at each other morbidly. "Do you think her husband will forgive her, mother?" My mother stares blankly and says, "We shouldn't concern ourselves with others' affairs. The judge did what was right, he made an example of her. Now all we can do is pray that the women of our family should never disgrace their husbands like that." I turn my head to look out of the window. We drive for a while and then we pass the town square. In the centre of the square I can see Helena hanging weakly with her head and arms through the pillory that was erected for public punishments. There are two guards. One is stripping Helena and the other one is keeping watch so that no unruliness breaks out. However, the citizens know better than to defy the guards. Men have been strung up in trees because of rebellion. Treachery is punishable by death. My mother takes notice of me staring. She taps me on the shoulder and sternly says, "Don't stare at the Devil's Child. Your mind will be corrupted." Sometimes I wonder if this is all true. If women are really so insignificant to God and inferior to men. If women are really so weak minded that we cannot handle a task such as reading. I wonder why God put us here if we are of no importance. Then I remember. Procreation. That is my purpose. If I cannot procreate, I will lose my status as a high ranking woman and be turned over to the government. They always find a place for someone who cannot do the job that God has made them for. My best friend Carlien was married last year. Her husband turned her over to the government in December for failing to procreate. She was picked up by a bus in the middle of the night. Nobody has heard from her since. Mother says I needn't worry. I am a child of God. For surely he has blessed me with fertility. I am not a Devil's Child.