Chapter 11

The Deliverance of Władysław

March 1st, and we were all longing for spring. The winter had been a very mixed one, with alternate periods of much cold and mild thawing-out periods, leading to dangerously icy conditions. Temperature swings in Sweden can be enormous, rising and falling by as much as 20-30°C in one 24-hour period. The effect on my health was to give me one cold after another, which meant that Tom soon caught it, and then one by one half the family. That was certainly one disadvantage of a large family - the rapidity at which sickness could sometimes spread. Accordingly, Stan was very particular about hygiene. Hands and faces had to be washed regularly, people were expected, as far as that was possible, to drink from their own mugs, and to wipe down the telephone handsets after they had used them. Although the rules seemed annoyingly fastidious at first, they did make a lot of sense, and when we noticed the incidences of sickness dropping as a result, we soon came to appreciate his wisdom. This meant knocking new rules into the children all the time, and you know how tough children can be to teach when they don't want to be taught. To bring a child up in the admonition of the Lord (Ephesians 6:4), Stan insisted, required constant and patient repetition. And because the training is a lifetime's investment, it was definitely worth it.

Eating lots of healthy food and having a balanced diet with plenty of vitamin intake was also another of Stan's priorities, especially in the cold winters when immune systems needed fortifying. And once we had found some products which we believed were good and had proven their worth in the family, we started network-marketing them.

The arrival of Elisa and Salme into the family meant a definite improvement in discipline. Stan's policy was that every new wife who came with good ideas and principles should be encouraged to implement those principles through his headship. For the easy-going Poles, this was at first an unwelcome intrusion into their already well-established way of being. But this was no longer Raj and slowly but surely the Polish monopoly was disappearing as Stan brought in wives from other nations. Suszana, Isabel, Kryztina and Anna represented the "Polish contingent" with Sarah-Jane, myself, Andreea, Hanna, Elisa and Salme on the other wing. Kasia usually 'sided' with the Poles as they were her Slavic next-of-kin, as it were. But they were, for the first time since the arrival of the Estonians, outnunumbered, and they knew it. Not that in reality that made much difference because Sarah-Jane often went to the 'other side' in disagreements because of her attachment to Anna, and occasionally Suszana would come over to 'us'. So one could not really say that the family was polarised in any meaningful or detrimental sort of way, only that the balance of influence was gradually shifting. But there is no doubt that 'spheres of influence' emerged as wives grouped together to promote various ideas and family causes.

And so it was that during that winter Stan began to tighten up discipline in the family, largely at the suggestion of Elisa. We all agreed, of course, because we knew her ideas were sound, and if we argued a position out of anything but common sense and the scriptures, Stan would soon metaphorically trounce us. With the arrival of more children and wives, better organisation was in any case unavoidable in order to prevent bottlenecks in our routines. For there wasn't only our home to consider, but also the communal projects like home schooling and farming (especially in the spring and fall when there was planting and harvesting to do) which involved the other families too. This meant regularly conferencing with the other three patriarchs. Then there were those involved in network marketing, like Kasia and Hanna, and other smaller business projects. Coordinating the economic and burdensome taxation side was the very able Isabel.

In little over a month's time Karl would himself become a patriarch, and the fifth member of the colony's Council of Patriarchs. All the married women formed a Council of Matriarchs and came with suggestions for the Patriarchs. Both Councils would regularly combine into what was called the Patri-Matriarchal Council, under the headship of the Patriarchs. Those who were adults but not married, and full members of the Order, were also invited to participate but in a non-executive capacity. Thus Władysław and Karl were often present at meetings, and latterly Maria and Karin.

As part of her spiritual cleaning-up act, Maria had to get right with the Lord and obey His commandments. That included being baptised, which she had always previously refused in anticipation of one day leaving the community to start her own way of life. She had figured that she could be baptised in some other church, even though her father had said that she could as easily be baptised into Christ at Kadesh-Naphtali without committing herself to our Order. But in her mind's eye she had been unable - or unwilling - to separate the two. One of the first things she did, therefore, was to be baptised by Karl in the newly constructed indoor pool at the Conference Centre. As Signild wished to join our Order too, she was baptised at the same time as her future sister-wife, which I think was symbolically appropriate in view of their up-and-coming marriage. Linking family and spiritual life was always high on Stan's list. The two studied the Order's pre-chrism Bible course together in order to prepare for Chrism (Confirmation), as Karl would not marry either of them until they were full members of the Order in good standing.

It had been agreed that Signild and Maria would be betrothed to Karl on April 6th at the same time Stan would be fully marrying Elisa and Salme, when Björn would be betrothing Silvia, and Lars, Hilda. April 6th would be a special day, with six betrothals and marriages! What other surprises lay in wait, we wondered to ourselves?

Building Karl and his two future wives a new home was now an urgent priority though they knew it probably wouldn't be ready until the late summer or autumn after they were fully married. Though there was room enough in the Åkerstedt home, the young family-to-be understandably wanted to launch out on their own in harmony with the scriptural injunction, "Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh" (Genesis 2:24, KJV). One thing Karl hadn't worked out was who of the two wives he should fully marry first. He knew that there would need to be a couple of weeks at least between the two marriages and that by rights Maria ought to be married first but as Signild's father and mother would be coming up to the wedding and doubtless staying a few days beforehand at the community, this did not seem practical. If he married Maria first he could not exactly send her away while Signild's parents were there. And it would be obvious that something was between them when they met Maria who would, after their first unions, be utterly absorbed in her husband. Therefore the only logical solution was to marry Maria afterwards, when the parents had left and after he and Signild had had their honeymoon.

Maria hadn't liked it - understandably - but she was in no real position to kick up a fuss. There wasn't even a guarantee that she would be married in the summer if she hadn't made the progress Karl expected of her. It might even be postponed to the autumn. For whatever reason - pride at not wanting to be 'beaten' to the full-marriage finishing-line by Signild, or simply wanting to be with Karl as soon as possible - Maria did not rest easily.

The relationship between Signild and Maria was slow to develop with plenty of back-firings that were fortunately usually soon forgotten afterwards. They were not around each other a lot because of her being away at college, and come weekends Signild usually got most of Karl's attention. She was expected to be around the Åkerstadt home helping out domestically, which she didn't like, but Karl insisted that she start getting into the routines he expected before she could move into his new house.

Maria and the kitchen were not good friends even though Maria was a good cook when she wanted to be, and housework generally she regarded as being beneath her. What possible justification she had for this attitude was never made clear but Karl would have none of it. She was pretty unproductive in almost everything and Karl didn't want a dead-weight wife in his household, nor did he care that Signild should shoulder most of the domestic burdens. There would be equality of labour from the very start or no marriage covenants!

Maria was an anomaly and misfit in almost every way, and had it not been her experience with the angel, she would undoubtedly have gone off into the world and tried to make a career of something, though of what nobody could guess. The breeding of the idle rich was in her genes, from her mother's side, and would have to be 'outbred' by shere will-power. Karl did not look forward to the struggle any more than she did.

Not infrequently, Maria would be doing some cleaning around the house, suddenly down tools, and walk off in frustration. She would wander aimlessly about for a while, before coming back, knowing that Michäela would almost finish the job for her. Though Michäela took it in her stride, being more endowed with the patience that comes with age and maturity, Karl did not, and frequently tore a strip off his temperamental fiancée. The dressing-down usually did not have the desired effect, less so when Signild was around because she knew secretly Signild enjoyed seeing her future sister-wife dragged down a few rungs on the ladder of pride.

Signild did everything that was expected of her without complaining, for love's sake, but resented Maria's inconsistency which she rightly perceived as laziness. And she was to accurately but uncharitably call her a "spoiled brat" on more than one occasion.

It was all stressful for Karl. But he was young, and better able to cope than older men like his future father-in-law, though he often lacked the tact and wisdom that comes with maturity. Had he been marrying Maria in a monogamy-only situation, there would almost certainly have been acrimonious quarrels. In this respect, plural marriage was just what Maria needed, even if she didn't really want it herself. There would be no peace, though, until she desired it naturally and was not pursuing it out of perceived duress from heaven. When once she had complained to her father that the kind of plural marriage she had been called into against her natural will was no different from that practiced by the early Mormons, her father had given her a verbal lashing she would never forget:

"There's no comparsion. The early Mormons believed that they could only achieve the highest celestial rewards if they married polygamously on earth, and so were pressed into it. And their founder was allegedly threatened by a sword-wielding fallen angel to practice it, so he claims. But you were freely given three choices - hell, monogamy or plural marriage. You were never given a plural marriage-only choice like those early Utah Mormons were. If you had chosen the monogamy path, you would have been happily married with a man who loved you and would have had a sweet daughter. You would never have known what you missed in plural marriage. But you chose plural marriage because of the man you loved and because of fear of what you might lose out on if you didn't. You made your choice. What you've got to work out is your motives for doing so, and to get them purified before the Lord."

Maria did not like being scolded. She bit her lower lip, whined a little, and then turned her back to her father and walked off. Stan sighed in exasperation as usual. Though she knew her father was right, she would rarely admit it, and would try to convince herself that any changes she made in her own life had been by her own counsel alone. And she believed the illusion so strongly at times that she would forget she had ever been counselled in the first place. As a result, she would sometimes deny counsel had ever been given.

Everyone understood that the way Maria had been inducted into plural marriage was far from the ideal. But her's was a desperate case, and heaven had devised a desperate remedy. Karl and Signild would have much to bear on their shoulders in the coming years and only love would see them through the difficult times ahead. If ever plural marriage might be said to be remedial, it was certainly so in Maria's case.

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It was Friday evening and Władysław was back from Gävle for the weekend. He had picked up the Swedish language well, making him trilingual in both Swedish, English and Polish. He brought with him news that was not, however, to Stan's liking.

"Father, I've met a woman called Katarina Sköld that I'm getting very fond of. She's a medical student like me, and I'd like to bring her home one weekend in the very near future."

Stan frowned. Władysław should have known better than to want to bring someone from outside into the heart of a polygamous community and so risk word of their practices, which until now had been kept well concealed, getting out into the world.

"Well, son, tell me all about her. Is she a believer?"

Władysław hesitated. "Well, no, not exactly, but she's so sweet you'd think she was." He knew what to expect of his father but was independently-minded enough to stand up for himself.

"How do you reconcile that with your faith, Władysław? You know what the Scriptures teach about not being yoked unequally to unbelievers?"⁷

"We've not married yet, father, not even engaged," he said, pleading for some sympathy from him - "there's still time to win her to the Lord!"

Stan's frown did not go. "I do understand, but I think you know only too well of the dangers. I'm sure she's a delightful, intelligent and charming young lady. And she may well remain so for the rest of her life. But once a couple settle down into marriage, and the exhilaration of the first weeks and months of the marriage have passed, people who are in love start revealing other sides of their natures, and then the 'good side' presented during courtship gets pushed to one side once the moonlight of romance has been replaced by the noon-day sunlight of reality. How long have you know her?"

"About two months," he replied, not surprised by his father's response.

"And how deep is the relationship? You're more than just 'good friends', I suppose?"

Władysław nodded.

"And is the relationship mutual? Are you both equally as fond of each other? Or are you more interested in her than she is you?"

Władysław started to get uncomfortable. He knew that once he had broached the subject his father would leave no stone unturned. And even though he had wanted to keep this to himself for that very reason, he knew that he needed his father's wise counsel.

"It's mutual," he said.

"And have you kept yourself chaste, son?"

Władysław blushed. "Mostly," he answered.

"Meaning what?" asked his father, growing more concerned.

After some gentle questioning and coaxing, Stan learned that they had not only been kissing but petting as well.

"My boy, you are fool - you are opening the gates to Satan to take control of your life. Is this woman a virgin?"

She wasn't, but had had two boy friends before.

"You know as well as I do that unlawful sex opens doors wide to demonic infestation. The woman isn't a believer and has a set of morals contrary to your own. How do you know she won't dump you and try out some other men?" asked Stan.

"She's serious about me!" he insisted, getting slightly upset now.

"And she was probably serious about the two other men in her life too. Look, Władysław, you know how promiscuous the Swedes are. Half of all marriages fail here, and 70 per cent of all common-law relationships end up on the trash-heap. The Swedes sleep around - it's been a part of the culture longer than any other nation in Europe. And I wouldn't be surprised if she drinks too ..."

Władysław bowed his head again. There was no need to confirm what his father already knew.

"Son, I'm now going to describe this woman to you. She's medium height, blonde, long-flowing thick hair, blue eyes, square hands, a small upward-pointing nose, quite thick lips with a marked kink in the upper lip, large perfectly-formed breasts, small ears, wears earrings made up of small chains with dangling crystals on the end, wears a necklace made of polished stones, has bangles on both arms, doesn't wear make-up, and usually goes around in blue jeans and black teashirts. And the day she exposed her breasts to you she was wearing black jeans ..."

Władysław's jaw dropped and he spluttered: "How do you know all that???"

"Because, son, Yahweh showed it to me in a vision about three months ago. You stayed overnight at her parents' house after a big party. You were in the bathroom getting cleaned up whilst the rest of the house was asleep and she walked right in topless. And that's when the 'romance' started."

Władysław was speechless, but the worst was yet to come.

"She's a Satanist - a part of a coven in Gävle - and her parents are as involved as she is. In fact, her father is a high-ranking Satanist priest. He's wealthy because of it too - the house was pretty big, wasn't it?"

Władysław bowed his head in shame and still didn't know what to say.

"She wanted you to go to bed with her there and then but you refused. Still, her beauty overwhelmed you, didn't it, and you kissed in the bathroom. You went through the struggle of your life because you wanted her and yet knew it was wrong ..."

"You must have been praying for me, father, because ..."

"I've been praying for you ever since I saw the vision - day and night - because I knew you would face the temptation. If you had slept with her there and then, you would have been invaded by hosts of demons. And she lied to you - she's slept with so many boys and men - including her father - that she doesn't know how many. Those people are killers - there's an altar in their garden in a clump of trees, high up on a ridge - you may have seen it ..."

He had but had paid no attention to it.

"They've murdered there - there are bodies buried in their garden. I'm just waiting for the right time to report it to the police because I don't know how many coven members are in the local police force. They cover their tracks well. And the reason she's studying to be a doctor is because Satanists need doctors to deliver unregistered babies for their sacrifices ..."

Władysław was in tears. He had been a fool, and he knew it. He had walked right into Satan's lair and had nearly lost his soul. Stan told him that the next thing they would have done would have been to drug him and try to convert him to their cause. Failing that, they would try to kill him, because he was a Christian and a virgin.

"What do I do now?" he asked submissively, knowing his father would do what was right.

"We pray together, son, and you renounce the relationship and break all ungodly ties in the blood of Christ. Then we have to pray to know how best to expose this group. We have no evidence except the dead bodies, and I know where they're buried. If they get an inkling of suspicion, they'll dig them up and dispose of the bodies elsewhere."

The two men went into prayer together and Władysław broke the bonds of this unfortunate relationship. He had suddenly grown up into the reality of the world that his father lived in. He had naïvely thought that he would be safe from Satan's attention so long as he just kept on the periphery of the community, not getting too involved, and in that respect had been more heavily influenced by Maria than he had realised.

After the prayer cession together, Stan gathered Björn, Lars and Bengt to a special meeting to counsel with them. Between them the three Swedes started phoning around the Christian community to find out who the most trustworthy police officer was that they knew in whom they could confide, and eventually traced and got into contact with a high-ranking policeman in the Stockholm police force. He in his turn contacted other Christian officers and together they organised a raid on the satanist lair in Gävle the following day.

It was in the headlines of Sweden's leading newspaper, Aftonbladet, in the Sunday edition. It was billed as an anonymous tip-off. Four bodies were found - a man's, a woman's and two small children. The father and mother were arrested along with their teenager sons and daughter. Bengt's contact had wisely brought along the press so that when the Satanist temple was discovered in the house, it was properly documented. It was one of the biggest exposés in Sweden ever for the Satanists had always covered their tracks well. But there, on the font page, was the Satanist altar and the remains of one of the bodies.

The exposé was enough to encourage witnesses to stand forward and soon there was a full-scale investigation into murder, child abuse, pedophilia, and drugs - a Satanist's nightmare. The coven was broken but almost certainly regrouped and was relocated elsewhere. The two parents were jailed but their three children escaped prosecution. Katarina dropped out of medical school and providentially disappeared. It was the last, thank goodness, that Władysław ever saw of her. But he never forgot the lesson.

"How did you convince your friends in the police force to take you seriously?" Stan asked Lars who got the ball rolling.

"Oh, he's a good Pentecostal friend of mine who believes firmly in prophecy and visions," replied Lars. "And when I told him that I knew a minister who had seen this vision, and who had had a number of similar experiences which had all proved accurate, he took me on my word and prayed about it until the Lord confirmed it was right. He was sticking his neck out, and he knew it. But he's a man of faith who has walked with the Lord a long time, so I trusted him.

"They know about the Satanist problem though the police never officially acknowledge the problem exists because there are Satanists in the police force. The true believers in uniform have to trust the Lord's guidance because the Satanists are looking for every opportunity to compromise and get rid of them - they want to staff the police, medical profession and judiciary with their own people, as you know, Stan."

He did.

The whole affair seemed to wake Władysław out of his spiritual lethargy and for the first time he started taking more interest in Karin Åkerstedt who had been patiently waiting for him to take notice of her. The two were in conversation a great deal in the weeks to come. Whilst before Władysław would skip the odd weekend, and more often in the last couple of months, we all noticed that he was coming home every Friday evening and not leaving until the crack of dawn on Mondays, whereas previously he had returned to Gävle on the Sunday evening.

Stan watched the growing friendship with approvingly and interfered as little as possible. It was his prayer that Władysław would settle down and build a home for himself in the community and this now looked more likely. Spiritually, Karin was more difficult to pin-down, but time would reveal all.

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Karl looked downcast as he sat in Stan's office. Progress with Maria was painfully slow and he was less than enthusastic and wanted to postpone his betrothal to her to a later date. Stan was sympathetic.

"She's absolutely impossible. One day she seems pliable and open to what I say and the next she stands resolutely against me. Brother Królewiec, this isn't a romance, it's a war!"

Stan looked at him closely with a serious look on his face.

"You are right, of course Karl - you cannot betroth her until she has consistently demonstrated that she will be loyal and obedient to you. You cannot force her either. It has to come naturally ..."

"But it's not just that, Brother Królewiec, it's far more serious. It's as much a problem on my side as it is on hers..."

"Mmmm," said Stan. "Go on...."

"There are times when I feel warmth and affection for her, but it's not nearly enough for me to be able to say that I love her as a prospective husband. Most of the time I see her as a spoiled child who needs a good spanking..."

"You have my permission to 'spank' her," replied Stan, grinning.

Karl had to grin too, knowing Stan wasn't being literal, as such would be regarded as assault in liberal Sweden. To have a father-in-law like Stan was more than to his liking. The problem was with his daughter.

"But how do I love her when she is obnoxious? Worse, how do I feel romantic love for her??"

Karl looked desperate and Stan felt deep empathy for the young man.

"As I see it, Karl, you have to keep focussed on the equation. You and Maria both know it is God's will that you be husband and wife, don't you?" he asked.

"Yes, that we do."

"Well," Stan went on, "that is the first and most important stepping stone you have. It's the building block you must build your relationship on, because it's the patriarchal, marriage-by-providence way. I'm not saying it's easy, only that if you are faithful, and let love rule your heart - the love of Christ - the final result will bring you both great happiness ... and Signild too."

He opened a draw in his desk and pulled out what looked like a stack of visiting cards.

"This is for you," said the Patriarch, handing him one of the cards which was blue with golden writing on it in cursive script, which read:

"What does it mean?" asked Karl respectfully, after he had thanked Stan for it.

"It's Latin and means: "Love Conquers All". That's the only divine imperitive we live under because it's the motivating power behind all we do. It's one of the truest statements you'll ever live by. It doesn't, however, specify how long it takes to conquer all. Sometimes it can be instantaneous, sometimes it can take a lifetime ..."

Karl's heart sank at the thought of having to struggle with Maria for a lifetime. He looked at the card half believingly and put it into his wallet along with his credit cards.

"Did you ever have any struggles like this, Brother Królewiec?" asked Karl with a mixture of abject resignation and hopelessness on his face.

The canny-looking Patriarch grinned.

"Oh yes, my boy, oh yes," and then stopped short as though recollecting something from the dim past.

Karl waited hopefully, expecting a morsel of counsel that would give him some encouragement.

"There is no relationship that is problem-free ... you know that, I think, by just being around here. But some are harder than others. It took over twenty years for me to get things right with Maria's mother."

Karl knew a little about Stan's past but had not been told too much. The thought of a twenty year struggle with Maria did not seem particularly attractive. Stan noticed his reaction.

"No two relationships are the same. I was deeply in love with Maria's mother, but she only loved me as a brother, and we got off on a wrong footing. That is why I am advising you not to go into a permanent covenant until there is reciprocal affection which is deep enough to sustain you both through both good and evil days."

Karl nodded, glad for support.

"Maria's mother and I both received revelation from the Lord that we were to be married, just as you two have, but you need more than revelation. The Spirit must also work on your hearts so that there is mutual desire and attraction."

"But what about Isaac and Rebekah?" asked Karl. "Their's was a marriage arranged by God Himself. Wasn't there any attraction there?"

"Don't you remember what the Scripture says, Karl?

"And Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah's tent, and took Rebekah, and she became his wife; and he loved her: and Isaac was comforted after his mother's death" (Genesis 24:67, KJV)

"But what about Rebekah? What did she feel?" asked Karl earnestly.

"The Scripture doesn't say, but we know from the relationship that developed that they were close. They had their troubles, as you know, but it is clear they loved one another."

"If God called you and Suszana together, what went wrong?"

Stan paused again, not sure how much to share, but in view of the close family connection, he felt it appropriate to share more.

"She was in love with another man," said Stan, "and whilst she obeyed God in her mind, she did not relinquish her love for the other man."

"How terrible for you," said Karl sympathetically. "And what about the other man - was he interested in her?"

"No," said Stan, as he looked into the distance, and although the sting of the pain such events had once caused him were long gone, he spoke freely without showing any signs of sorrow. "But he was my best friend at the time."

Karl's head was swimming, wondering how Stan had managed.

"Suszana said that she tried to love me but her heart was divided - and no man can serve two masters. But you would have to ask her for a more correct answer."

Karl knew he wouldn't dare.

"Anyway," Stan went on, "the Lord told me that the marriage would only last seven years, and that was before we were married ..."

"You knew how long your marriage would last ... and you were able to live with that??" asked Karl aghast.

Stan nodded.

"But you forget such things in the heat of romance - it wasn't until near the end of our first marriage that I began to remember and was shown in experiences I won't repeat now that the time was short."

"Did Suszana know about the seven years?" he asked, still incredulous.

"No, I don't think so, at least I have no recollection of ever telling her. It was a burden I had to carry alone."

He stopped to take a drink of water.

"But the point is, Karl, that Maria isn't in love with anyone else. She wants you, and you alone. That she chose plural marriage in order to get you means that you have no competition, so it will be easier for you in that regard. And as a future polygamist, you should have no trouble loving two women, so that's another problem gone. But I admit I was in love with Suszana, and that is what propelled me on. Right now you don't feel that, and that, if I am reading you right, is your biggest worry."

"Yes," said Karl, "that's exactly right."

"What you are lacking, my dear boy, God can make up for. You just have to trust in that and in the meantime love her as a dear sister in Christ. Never lose your Christ-focus. Pray to the Lord that He teaches you to love her as He wants you to love her, and let Him do the rest. Only you must be willing, and you must be willing to put aside anything and everything which you know is sinful in your thoughts and feelings towards her. It is you, as a patriarch-to-be, who must love sacrificially, as Christ loved the Church (Ephesians 5:25). You must lead in love, not her. The woman's calling is to be subject to her husband (Ephesians 5:24). Do not wait for her to take the initiative to love. She is trying to submit herself to you - try to focus on that. It is for you, as the man, to love her first (1 John 4:19), even if she should never love you back. That is the Christian way."

A look of satisfaction came over Karl's face as the Spirit bore witnesses to the truthfulness of Stan's words. For years he had been taught this principle but now he had the privilege and opportunity to put it into practice.

"Now you have the chance to find out what you're made of," said Stan seriously, "and whether you're of true patriarchal material or not. I believe you are. I have every confidence in you, Karl, because I have every confidence that Christ is working in you, and in Him I have absolute confidence. You can do everything in Christ who is your strength (Philippians 4:13).

Karl thanked Stan and went back to work feeling spiritually refreshed. He would try to love Maria in spite of her behaviour, and remember that she was performing her act of sacrifice in trying to submit to him in righteousness. There was only a month to the betrothals so he would leave it in the Lord's hands. And if he felt unsure about Maria's commitment or his own affections, he would postpone as Stan suggested. In the meantime, he knew that her father and his, not to mention their mothers, were interceding for both of them.

When Karl next spoke to Signild he told her some of the things Stan had shared with him. It was important, he felt, that she be kept fully in the picture, and that she resist the temptation to be angry with her future sister-wife, no matter how irritating Maria might be.

"I often feel that Maria is two persons," confided Signild to Karl. "One minute she seems so mature and wise, and the next like a baby still in swaddling clothes. It's like there are two separate developments taking place in her at the same time and the two personalities haven't quite come together."

Karl was interested. Though human psychology was something he was not particularly experienced in yet, he had heard Stan and the others sometimes talk about schizophrenia¹. So the next time he was with Stan he brought up the subject for further clarification.

"I don't think there are two personalities," said Stan, "nor that we're dealing with schizophrenia, even though it might look like that. Schizophrenia is usually caused by some deep-seated hurt, often very early on in life - some say even in the womb. Psychiatry is a minefield as it is built on so many - often atheistic - assumptions. I prefer to look at things from the biblical perspective.

"Do you remember when Yah'shua said of the Pharisees, "Every plant which My Heavenly Father did not plant shall be uprooted" (Matthew 15:13, KJV)? Well, I believe that has an inner as well as an outer meaning - that the plants aren't just people acting without Yahweh's authority, but wrong seed-thoughts which sprout up and grow into plants of wrong thinking, feeling and behaviour. Every thought you plant grows up, like the wheat and tares parable Yah'shua taught (Matthew 13:24-30) about false Christians growing alongside the true ones. It is only possible to detect and safely pull up the false thoughts and their resultant behaviour when they have come to maturity. You have to be careful with peoples' minds and hearts because we're such complicated fragile creatures.

"Never suppose that you can straighten out all wrong behaviours in one day. Some of it may be so deeply integrated with the personality that it may take years to disentangle. Of course, Christ can, and sometimes does, intervene spectacularly to straighten out a mixed up soul, but one shouldn't always expect that. Often He lets us go through the long, slow and painful way of discovering the processes that led to our mental and psychological corruption so that when we have understood we can go and minister to others with the same problem. There can be many different reasons.

"Maria had her childhood interrupted by divorce but she has also got a set of powerful and complicated genes to wrestle with and understand," said Stan grinning. "So we have to wait until the right moment when she can see clearly what's going on inside her. She gets flashes of understanding - I think even you have noticed that - so we are coming to a point when she may be able to break out and be completely free. And the best way to do that is by loving the true plant so that it outgrows the other. Love is the magical ingredient, Karl. Remember the motto I gave you? "Amor vincit omnia". We must love people to health by zooming in and building up all the good that is in them. Do you agree?"

Karl nodded vigorously. He would, as a rule, visit Stan on average once a week for counsel and report back on Maria's progress - or, at times, regress. By now Signild was becoming a valuable ally and the fact that they were both focussing on someone else instead of their own romance was actually, unbeknown to them, deepening their own relationship on the spiritual level in ways they could never have forseen.

Though at times Stan seemed complex because of the sheer breadth of his knowledge, his core doctrines were simplicity itself, and everything he taught led back to them. Were I to summarise them I would say that Stan's motto was: "Love with all your heart and forget yourself," with the qualification that to "love" was to first love Yahweh and then love your fellow man, as Yah'shua taught in His 'Bilogue' (Matthew 22:37-40). And how right he was. It was the rule of thumb in our family and we never knew a time when it had failed us.

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¹ A psychotic disorder characterised by progressive deterioration of the personality, withdrawl from reality, hallucinations, emotional instability, etc.. A schizophrenic usually believes that he or she is two or more different personalities/people at different times.

This page was first created in 2002 Last updated on 3 August 2026

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