Chapter 129

1215 hours, local time,
Thursday, 24 July, 2014
The Church of the New Age
Beckley, WV

“Do you, Luther Mackey, profess faith in the true God, the King of Heaven, and wish to be baptized in his name and in the true religion of his worship and service?” I asked the interim Mayor and former Nazarene minister.

“I do,” Luther declared while standing in the baptistry of his own formerly Nazarene church.

“Then I baptize you in the name of the true God, the King of Heaven, and consecrate you to his service. Your Honor is the first convert in this town and you will become one of the Elders of the new church and of the community here. You will, of course, soon be married to the Elders Vera and Taissa Farmiga, as well as your own wife, Wanda. She will, of course, be baptized and ordained as well, not to mention married to the Farmiga sisters,” I declared now, even as Luther arose from the waters.

He was naked, of course, and he would not be clothed again that week. The next step was the baptism of his wife, Wanda, followed by their son, Boaz, and their daughters, Naomi and Ruth. Boaz was sixteen, Naomi was fifteen, and Ruth was fourteen. Apparently, poor Wanda got no break at first, but she had an extended one after that. She didn’t seem to resent anything about her childbearing process, in any case. Yes, they disrobed and remained nude as well. They were certainly easy on the eyes, including Boaz, though especially his sisters.

“I hereby ordain you, Luther Mackey, as an Elder and Priest of the Church of the New Age, and invest you with authority and office as a minister of said church. I consecrate you to this purpose in the sight of God, the King of Heaven. You are authorized to officiate and perform the rites of said church and empowered to teach the doctrines of the same,” I announced, even as I lay hands upon him as a blessing and consecration with God’s visible nod of approval.

“I accept this task and responsibility in all solemnity and sincerity,” Luther stated as he knelt before me and received the burden of office.

“I hereby ordain you, Wanda Mackey, as an Elder and Priest of the Church of the New Age, and invest you with authority and office as a minister of said church. I consecrate you to this purpose in the sight of God, the King of Heaven. You are authorized to officiate and perform the rites of said church and empowered to teach the doctrines of the same,” I continued the ordination process by ordaining and consecrating Wanda for her role.

It was now time to unite the Mackeys and the Farmigas in holy matrimony, the first of the polygamous marriages and families to form in that community. I summoned Vera, Taissa, Luther, and Wanda to the altar, where I prepared to officiate their nuptials. Rings were produced for the exchange of bands and vows as well. Three women and one man, naked as jaybirds, were suddenly joined by a youth and two teenage girls. Boaz, Naomi, and Ruth had decided to partake of this wedding as well. We all beamed, especially God, aka Richard Harris. After all, the union of Mackeys and Farmigas was only supposed to be a nucleus of a polygamous dynamic, not the completion of it.

“Do you, Luther, take these women, Vera, Taissa, Naomi, and Ruth, as your lawfully wedded wives, and this man, Boaz, as your husband, in addition to your first wife, Wanda, to have and to hold from this day forward, to love, cherish, and protect, for better or for worse, for rich or for poor, in sickness and in health, until death do you part?” I asked Luther first.

“I do,” Luther grinned.

“Do you, Vera, Taissa, Naomi, Ruth, and Boaz, take this man, Luther, as your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, to love, honor, and obey, for better or for worse, for rich or for poor, in sickness and in health, until death do you part?” I turned to the new spouses for their part of the vows.

“I do,” they all smiled as they spoke in unison.

“Then, by the power vested in me by Almighty God, and by the duly constituted authorities of this community, as a Prophet of Heaven, I now pronounce you man, wives, and husband. You may all kiss each other,” I formally declared the nuptials.

Indeed, they all kissed, even as I prepared the next phase of the wedding. It was time for Wanda to take spouses as well. It was time for her to wed the Farmigas and her own offspring, who were of age for it. Everyone seemed very thrilled by this, both because of the true dogmas, and because of Schumacher Syndrome, among other things. We were in the process of creating or building a transformative society, a harmonious, utopian community among the ruins of the old, ineffectual social order. There was a natural enthusiasm and excitement in that kind of enterprise.

“Do you, Wanda, take these women, Vera, Taissa, Naomi, and Ruth, as your lawfully wedded wives, in addition to your first husband, Luther, to have and to hold from this day forward, to love, cherish, and protect, for better or for worse, for rich or for poor, in sickness and in health, until death do you part?” I now inquired of Wanda in this lesbian phase of the wedding.

“I do,” Wanda blushed for a moment as she agreed to marry two actresses and her own daughters.