K.C.M.O.-Abduction: Christian Cults
During the summer of 1995, I was traveling through Kansas City Missouri. I decided to apply for a job opportunity at a leading telecommunication company. The hiring process of this company, required a minimum of 4 weeks before a decision would be made. So for 4 weeks, I lived and took on temporary assignments through- out K.C.M.O, as I waited to be hired at the telecommunications company.
It was incredible doing temp work in that great city. An amazing small business environment-with diverse growth within various industry. Something liking to the "All American Dream" of effort, individuality and liberty resulting in ones desires. I had just left the University of New Mexico, had the opportunity to utilize all the sociological skills, I had acquired. I was deeply interested and concerned with working class America and the future of working class America, pertaining to poverty. One of these assignments that fueled my social conflict interest, was with a regional automotive parts distributor.
I recall the CEO of this company, informing me of the future outlook of not only his company, but many of America’s mom and pop businesses. Like him, I saw huge Pac-Man eating giants, ruining the base of America’s small business. The feelings expressed from him, carried with me as I continued to temp through -out the city.
The week-end of the 2 week, I spent the day relaxing in Penn Valley Park. I looked over to see two young people playing bongo drums. They noticed me and approached me. They introduced themselves and asked me if I knew of Jesus. My initial thought was, “Wow look at these two hippie Christian drum players!!!” I informed them, that I loved my friend/our friend Jesus. Our conversation went on to joyfully discuss Jesus and what I termed Jesus Love. They were interested in why I was in K.C.M.O.
I explained the job I was being interviewed for and the waiting process. They then told me about where they live and work. From Penn Valley Park, they point to an older high rise building. They suggested that I should come with them to this building. The building was a Christian owned center, where by several jobs were available, living opportunities and faith fellowship. I informed them that I was only interested in the telecommunication job I had already invested time and interest in. They then stated, “that it is a great thing, that Christian organizations like the one they belong to, has the tools and access to offer other Christians opportunities to bolster their faith. If things didn’t work out for me at the telecommunications company, I really should look into their organization. “ They assured me that I could continue my educational studies and even develop my own job within the organization.But something about their re-assurance didn't feel right. It almost felt as if they were pushing me to forget about any other occupational desires: and become 100% devoted to the organization which they belonged to.
Week 3, I accepted another temp job at a legal firm. I alone with 3 other persons, were going to be working for a week, in one this legal firms archives warehouse. We were paired up and basically verified file boxes as we re-labeled them and then restocked them. The person I was teamed with, was amazing. He was full of faith and always made references to his life savior Jesus Christ. We developed a good rapture, discussing everything from music to Jesus/faith. Mid-week he invited me to have lunch with him and his fiancé. Before we went out for lunch we stopped by their apartment. She was a nurse and had to pick up something quickly.
While at their apartment, I noticed what seemed to be modeling composite card. I asked her was she the model. She informed me that she was. I had seen several modeling composite cards, which all seemed similar. But something about this composite card was so different. I was dazed looking at it, trying to figure out what was so faintly familiar. She asked me, what it was I was thinking. I responded, “I trying to figure this picture out, something about it, I don’t know…something about it is different than all the other composite cards I’ve seen…it feels different and the background and props are completely different…I don’t know – it feels and seems divine in a way.”
She smiled and took the photo and placed back on the table and suggested we leave. We picked up lunch at a Chinese restaurant and ate it at the hospital where she worked. After lunch me and her fiancé returned to our jobs. We arrived back in the warehouse around 1:00pm and went straight to work. The team that was opposite us (who usually made comments about us, always finishing our row first) were even with us at that point. As we started to work I started to feel a little nausea (stomach issues); I was thinking maybe it was the lunch-maybe the heat. Nonetheless I went back to work.
Next thing I remember is pulling a box towards me, like I had done all week. I looked over to see the team across from me, and they were nearly finished. I was lost in confusion, wondering what had happen. I looked at my watch and it was now 3:30pm. I asked my team partner what had happen. “Did I pass out or something? Why are we still in the second row? How did they past us? What happen?” He stood there and shifted his shoulders, nodding with a look of “I Don’t Know?” This made me even more confused. How could he not know what had happen. Nearly 2 and a half hours had past, and he couldn’t explain what had happen. We continued to work, and I simply let it reside for that moment.
When I got home, I searched my mind for a possible explanation. I keep refraining from the obvious, because it seemed so impossible. Could the bongo hippie playing Christians and the Nurse/co-worker all be connected. Where they some part of a Christian organization, something of which I didn't know how I felt about (at the time). I had heard of such organization and 2 prior had experience such followers. But for this particular moment, in this city and state, for some reason, I felt I had be abducted.
This abduction wasn’t alien/space or anything of that type. I felt that my team partner knew more than he was revealing. And that my comment to his fiancé about her modeling composite was truer than I could ever believe. I immediately thought about the drum making-playing hippie Christians I had met. I immediately also thought about some of my UNM studies, where by faith based collective groups were very real.
When I was at UNM, I went to Waco, Texas for an academic conference at Baylor University. While there, we took an excursion to the burnt remains of the Branch Davidians compound. While on the excursion we came across a large group of protesters. They informed us that they were Extreme Christians and that they had assembled from around the nations in Waco, Texas to protest against the FBI’s involvement with what occurred at the Branch Davidian Compound. They informed us that they needed to be presence at this event, seeming the FBI was doing PR retouch to minimize the event to the nation.
They knew we as students would be attending the PR event (which we did) and they wanted to make sure that all of those who would be able to attended the PR event, understood that this nation cannot allow centralized government to murder/attack/burn it’s citizen. This nation needed to remember Separation of Religion and State.
Today I look back on all of this. It still plagues me, as I have experienced stranger events till this day. The thought of Christian Cults still compound me with misunderstanding of my faith and it’s practice within the social environment. Listed below are some web-site regarding Christian Cults and Faith in the United States of America.
LINKS:
http://www.waltermartin.com/science.html
http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2014/03/31/sacred-and-profane-4
http://curiousmatic.com/5-insane-religious-cults-active-today/
http://www.christianitytoday.com/women/2014/march/raised-in-christian-cult.html?paging=off
http://www.spiritual-research-network.com/pseudochristiancults.html
http://www.sklatch.net/thoughtlets/pall.html
http://www.stopracism.ca/content/most-extreme-radical-christians
It was in Gethsemane Garden, where Jesus prayed and his disciples slept the night before his crucifixion. Jesus is in agony in the garden and prays to God. Maundy Thursday (also known as Holy Thursday, Covenant Thursday, Great and Holy Thursday, Sheer Thursday, and Thursday of Mysteries, among other names) is the Christian holy day falling on the Thursday before Easter. The English word "Maundy" comes from the Latin mandatum, which means "commandment." As recorded in John's gospel, on his last night before his betrayal and arrest. then "Crucifixed". It commemorates the Maundy and Last Supper of Jesus Christ with the Apostles as described in the Canonical gospels. This meal is the last time Jesus spends with his disciples and he tells them what is to happen. Maundy Thursday is the first of the three days of solemn remembrance
of the events leading up to and immediately following the crucifixion
of Jesus. 
