"Hogwash!
"'What a man does is always aimed at an improvement of his own state of satisfaction. In this sense—and in no other—we are free to use the term selfishness and to emphasize that action is necessarily always selfish.’ Those are the words of Ludwig von Mises, and they provide as good a definition of ‘selfishness’ as one is ever to encounter. When we ask others to subvert their own needs for the sake of the community, we are actually asking them to subvert those needs for our own purposes. In other words, we are asking others to sacrifice that which may bring them a state of satisfaction in exchange for our own. Any philosophy which will ask others to sacrifice that which we ourselves hope to obtain from that sacrifice harms the community by degrading the needs of each individual in order to achieve some sort of vaguely defined homogenous standard. Consequently, that philosophy dilutes the soul substance of all of us.
"You have all been the victims of a cosmic con job. I say to you, if a man such as Joseph Stalin or Adolph Hitler or Joseph McCarthy stood before you and asked of you what Jesus has asked, I dare say you would have had to be restrained from drawing and quartering him. Yet, because a man named ‘Jesus’ asks those sacrifices of you, you meekly accede to those wishes, not because philosophy has become somehow intrinsically more valid, but simply because of the identity of the one who asks it of you.
"The entire ability of the human race to ascertain truth by reason seems to have left it. Rather than evaluating the man by his policies, you accept the policies because of the man. You have been hoodwinked by a demagogue who seeks nothing less than the total spiritual enslavement of mankind.
"You are in the service of the anti-Christ."
Susan let those words imbed themselves in the psyches of the audience. Jesus’ face grew red with rage, but he was helpless to protest. It was a precarious moment. If he appeared too hostile or violent, he would lend credence to Susan's charges. Yet, he could not simply allow her words to go unchallenged.
Gradually, voices in the audience began to cry out in protest. No one argues in defense of the con man more vociferously than those he has conned, because not to do so would be to admit to a foolishness attributed to only the most naive and gullible. No one wanted to be identified with that group. So, the cries in defense of Jesus roared through the chamber, accompanied by calls once again for Susan's arrest. Some even dared suggest a more final solution to the Susan Morgan problem.
Susan finally continued. “You are all the end result of a subtle, yet relentless experiment in psychological conditioning. It was all right in front of your eyes when you were presented with the so-called ‘evidence’ of The Protocols of the Learned Elders of Zion. You all reacted in horror and immediately accepted the tenets of that document as fact, again, merely because they were presented to you by the man you know as Jesus.
"This was a classic case of hiding the truth right under your noses. The Protocols are a forgery. By that I mean they were unjustly and wrongly attributed to the Jews. The Protocols do, however, represent an actual document ... upon which the entire social order of the past two-thousand years has been constructed."
She raised her hand and suddenly it contained a thick ancient-looking text. Jesus drew back, realizing she was about to expose them. How...? Of course. Angelino!
"What I present to you today is a text entitled The Agenda of the Exalted Council of Most Highs. If you look on your desks in front of you, you will see you each have a copy of this document."
Murmurs of surprise circulated through the assembly as each of them discovered, much to their shock, the copy she referred to. Jesus seemed to go pale, then red with rage. Susan ignored him and continued. “I refer you to the opening paragraph, the one entitled ‘Preamble.’ Please follow along with me as I read it for the viewers watching these proceedings on television.
"'In the name of the Lord of Darkness, He Who we exalt above all other Deities, and in the name of his Prince, Who is to come, we hereby dedicate our lives, the lives of our ancestors, our fortunes, and all our labors to the design which we commit to the pages which follow, so we might consecrate the world and make it ready for the appearance of the Great Prince of Darkness, who will rule the world we thus make ready.'
"If you browse briefly through this document, you will quickly see, laid out in detail, the very plan which the history of Western civilization has followed. Is this sorcery? Is it some astounding work of precognition? No. It is a game plan to enslave Mankind to the will of the anti-Christ. And it is a game plan which has been masterfully implemented. In this document you will see the world in which you live. You will see the economic design of central banking ... the subtle strategy to remove children from the protective wing of their parents and put them under the tutelage of the state ... the slow disintegration of Christianity through secularism ... the outline for the steady indoctrination that would subvert the burning desire for liberty which is your natural state, and through a process of spiritual alchemy, transform it into a sheep-like desire to be protected from all harm and risk. You will see the plan written upon history, from the persecution of the Druids which began with Constantine, through the de Charnys of the 14th century—whose descendant sits upon the Council this very day—to the Freemasonry of DuMornay, to the Illuminati of Joseph Weishaupt. You will see it in the writings of Marx and Engels, in the establishment of an intellectual elite by Cyril Rhodes, in the creation of the Federal Reserve by Woodrow Wilson and a cadre of bankers, in the savage brutality of Stalin and Hitler, in the statist elitism of Franklin Roosevelt.
"In tiny increments barely noticed by mankind, you have been shaped specifically for the times in which we live, each generation a little more inclined to surrender ‘just a little liberty’ for the sake of the community, until now you are about to surrender your very souls to the Prince of Darkness, Himself.
"On the governing council of your World Coalition Government sit the very members of The Exalted Council of Most Highs, and it is this man, Jesus, whom they answer to. Will the scales now fall from your eyes?
"I come today to warn you of this, to open your eyes, if you have the courage to see. While you are still free, I ask you to consider what it is you do. Civilization, as we have known it, has crumbled all around you. Now, from its ashes you can choose one of two paths. There is not a third.
"Along one path lies material gain which you do not possess but which all share. On that path you can avoid the consequences of incorrect choices. You will no longer have the opportunity for fortune or greatness, but neither will you know poverty and defeat. On that path you yield your individuality, but you also will never be ostracized for your differences. On that path you will have all of your wants and needs provided by a system which will bestow upon those with the greatest needs, the fruits of the efforts of those with the greatest abilities. On that path lies the promise of a pastoral life of peace and harmony ... a life of no discord or strife or labor unfairly exploited.
"Or you can choose the more difficult path of self determination ... the path upon which accountability and responsibility lie in ambush at every bend ... the path where you may either enjoy the fruits of your own success, or bear the heartbreak of your own failures. On that path lies no guarantee of safety, no guarantee of material success, no guarantee of lack of want ... not even the guarantee you will eat today. On that path lies only one guarantee ... that you will be the architect of your own destiny.
"Choose wisely, my friends. The fate of your children rests on your choice.
"I carry within me the true Christ, in the form of the child I will soon bear. This child has been conceived without the touch of any man, but purely by the power of the infinite Love of the Creator. As the one true Christ once said, by their fruits shall ye know them. Know this man, Jesus, by the fruits he offers you.
"My child will be born into either world you create. It is up to you to determine into which world you wish to welcome The Christ.” As she began to vanish within a blazing white light, she said
, “I leave you now in peace. Go with God."
* * * *
DECEMBER CAN BE either a mild or a vicious month in the mountains of Colorado. That year it was in between. A heavy snow was falling outside the cabin at Serenity, but the temperature was thirty-five degrees. The men had all been shooed out of the cabin by Terianna, who had come to assist with the birth.
Steven Hamilton was pacing like a caged gazelle.
"Take it easy, Steven,” John laughed. “You'd think you were the father here."
"Yeah, I know, I know,” he agreed nervously, but continued pacing nevertheless. Harold, Arnold, Ray, John and Raji all laughed. MacArthur smiled. He and Raji had come with Terianna, saying there was no power on earth that was going to keep them from this birth.
John just shook his head with amusement and walked over to MacArthur, who was sitting on the edge of the porch, his coat clutched around him in an attempt to keep the snow from breeching it.
"You've been pretty quiet about all of this, Gregory,” he said lightly, as he sat down next to the former pope.
"I guess I haven't had a whole lot to say,” MacArthur agreed. “This whole adventure has been very humbling."
"I know what you mean. I guess science and religion both have a long way to go in terms of humility. Steven and I got caught up in our own quest for glory, too. None of us have totally clean hands in this mess, I guess."
MacArthur nodded in agreement. “It's interesting though. None of us are where we were when all of this began, and yet, in many ways we are all a little better off than we were before. We're certainly not the people we once were."
"You can say that again, Gregory. Here you are, once the fucking Pope ... oh, excuse me."
"It's okay, John. I've heard the word a time or two,” he smiled.
"Here you are, once the Pope. Steven and I were once two of the most respected scientists in the world. Ray ran a television newsroom. Arnold was in hot pursuit of Eugene Crowley. Harold was a United States Senator. Susan was an exiled television reporter. Now, here we are, witnesses to the greatest event of the past two thousand years. Who would have thought?"
MacArthur raised an eyebrow and smiled. “When did you become a religious man, John? I thought you and Steven were of the agnostic bent."
"Well, I'm not saying I've been converted or anything, but I have to admit I've had to acknowledge there are possibilities I had always been a little too quick to discount."
"I've had pretty much that same revelation myself,” MacArthur smiled wryly.
"You?"
"Sure, John. You don't think they make you the Pope because you are more holy than anyone else, do you? I was ‘pragmatic,’ all the while thinking men like Angelino were foolish dreamers. I think we know which of us had it right."
Raji came over to join them. “It is a glorious day for mankind, is it not?” he beamed. “A great day."
They all perked up as a baby's cry sounded within the cabin. Terianna emerged, smiling broadly. “Come on in, everybody. Greet our new arrival."
When they were older, they would tell their children and grandchildren angels sang that day. When they entered the cabin it seemed to glow from within with a supernatural light. Steven was sure he heard sounds that seemed like singing just outside the range of his normal hearing.
Susan smiled at them as they entered her room. The baby lay in her arms, looking at them with wise eyes. “Come in,” Susan said quietly. “Meet Angelina."
As if already recognizing her name, little Angelina cooed and waved her hands about at the sound of it.
"She's beautiful, Susan,” Steven managed to say, his eyes growing moist. The others milled about, trying to remain quiet, lest they startle the young infant.
"Welcome to earth, Angelina,” John said, taking her tiny hand in his. She gripped it tightly. “She's a strong one,” he laughed.
Arnold was next. He bent down and cooed to Angelina, “Hey, there, little one. You are so beautiful.” Angelina's eyes seemed to smile back.
"Greetings, little one,” Harold said. “We are all grateful for your arrival."
Raji, his bright eyes twinkling even brighter than usual, patted Susan on the head. “I have waited all my life for this day, Susan.” Then to the Christ child he added, “God be with you."
Tears were streaming down MacArthur's cheeks as he approached them. Susan looked up at him and they exchanged a silent greeting of love. Then, he looked upon little Angelina and fell to one knee. He bowed his head as he took her hand and kissed it softly. Angelina cooed in response. Susan felt a tear trickle down her face at this tender gesture of devotion from the pope who had once been such a hard man.
Terianna interrupted the moment. “Okay now, everybody out,” she said playfully. “Give them some peace and let them get to know each other a bit."
They all filed out obediently. As Terianna closed the door, she said to Susan, “Just call me if you need anything."
"Thank you, dear. I will."
Alone with Angelina, Susan held her close and hummed happily. “My sweet, sweet, Angelina,” she whispered. “How I love you."
I love you too, Mother, the tiny voice said inside Susan's head.
Susan pulled her child closer still. She was so filled with love for this little being she wanted to hold her forever.
"She's beautiful. Just like her mother.” It was Angelino. He had materialized beside her.
"Father Angelino,” she said happily. “Isn't she wonderful?"
Angelino ran his hand softly over Angelina's fine hair.
"Yes, Susan. She's remarkable.” He smiled widely as he stroked her soft head. Angelina looked up at him with wide blue eyes. “So, you named her after me, huh?” He seemed pleased by that.
"Well, she sort of named herself, to tell you the truth. It's a good name. Very fitting. She is a little angel, isn't she?” Susan beamed like the proud mother she was.
Angelino spoke to Angelina. “Such a big mission for such a tiny thing."
"I must go now, Susan. You two take care of each other. I will watch her progress. We all will."
"Thank you for coming, Father Angelino. It wouldn't have been the same without you here too."
Angelino vanished.
Susan touched Angelina's nose playfully. “Such comings and goings, hey, little one?” she giggled.
Angelina stared up at her. Thank you, Mother.
Susan smiled and pressed her cheek up the Angelina's.
I have much work to do.
"Yes, my little one. But I think you can be a child for a little while first."
I will not have the luxury of that, Mother.
"I suppose not, my dear,” she sighed. “You are a very special child, you know that, don't you?"
Yes, Mother.
"So many troubles of the world for you to heal."
Yes.
"I pray it will not be too much for you, my darling."
It will be what it will be, Mother. After all, it is my destiny.
The End
Thank you for reading Shrouded Destiny by Richard William Bates. We at Books Unbound E-Publishing Co. (www.booksunbound.com) hope you enjoyed it thoroughly!
Richard William Bates’ Biography
Richard W. Bates started life as a child. From there, it was all uphill. His childhood was spent in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Among his favorite pastimes was playing baseball. Any kind of baseball. He was a hardcore Milwaukee Braves fan. “I think the only thing I would change about my past is that I would have taken a crack at professional baseball. That, and I would have chosen to be been born into wealth and decadence."
A successful high school career ("Yes, I was a dweeb.") led to a Congressional appointment to the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs. It soon became clear that a military career and he were not a compatible mix, and he left after only eight months. After a short stint at the University of Wisconsin—Milwaukee, Richard found a career he could commit to. For the next thirteen years he was a radio disc jockey, w
orking at WRKR-FM in Racine and WOKY in Milwaukee. “The most fun job I ever had. It was perfect at the time."
He eventually left radio after attending a Mind Dynamics seminar. “It totally blew my mind. After that, I knew I had to learn to teach the techniques and methods I had just learned. It was one of the most rewarding and exciting periods of my life.” Much of Shrouded Destiny bears the mark of things he learned and studied during this period.
His desire to teach classes about the higher potential of the human mind led him back to Colorado. “I fell in love with the state when I was attending the Academy and knew I would return someday. I never would have thought it would be nineteen years, though.” In Colorado, he again altered course and taught himself computer programming. He landed a job teaching computer classes and had his own software development company. He currently is the programmer for Colorado's WIC program.
Richard resides in Littleton, Colorado with his wife Maryanne. His daughter Karen lives in the Milwaukee area and his other children, Christopher and Cari, live near Littleton. Cari recently made him a grandfather.
He is working on a sequel to Shrouded Destiny.
* * *
Visit www.booksunbound.com for information on additional titles by this and other authors.
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