The Ministry by Mark Anderson

1、The Ministryby Mark AndersonChapter 1 - Prologue Tom Kennedy, Rome, Italy Two Years From NowTom wondered to himself if he was just playing God. He was sure that history would decide for him, and he knew that history had a habit of being a harsh judge of character. He had never put himself forward as

2、 a God, or even a holy man. He was just a facilitator. Helping people find whatever it was they were looking for.He was closer to being a stage magician, he figured, than a religious leader. A flick of the wrist to divert peoples attention while he slipped an ace out of his sleeve. Because thats all

3、 there was to it. He just showed people what they wanted to see. And they loved him for it, well not him directly. They loved what hed created. On reflection, stage magician wasnt right. People can see the magician as he performs his wonders. Maybe a puppeteer was a better analogy. It was important

4、to keep himself disconnected from the main action he was pulling the strings safely hidden away behind the curtain.Tom Kennedy was not a handsome man, although he certainly wasnt ugly. Someone had once told him, without trying to be cruel, that his features would be classically attractive on any oth

5、er man. A mess of unkempt black hair topped his olive skinned face. Deep brown eyes sat beneath firm and straight eyebrows. His eyes penetrated in a non-threatening way, instead with an innocent curiosity. A strong jaw rounded off his face, which helped offset the boyish smile that forever played ac

6、ross his lips. There was nothing conventionally ugly or attractive about him, he was just plain looking. After meeting Tom for the first time, people were likely to only remember that he had dark hair. His face was plain enough to be forgettable. If he didnt speak, he probably wouldnt leave a lastin

7、g impression. And he knew that his distinctly unremarkable looks was key to what hed done. To what they had done.Today he wore a well tailored black suit with dark grey pinstripes. A fine white cotton shirt and striking red tie. He typically dressed well, and today was no exception although he had o

8、nly just started to branch out into the realm of colour. Until recently, he had been dressing entirely in black, better to hide himself in plain sight. His polished leather shoes were new, as was the suit, purchased from a local store that specialized in such overpriced fair. Im on holiday, he thoug

9、ht, what better time to overindulge in fine clothes than times like these. He was indeed on holiday, a well deserved one. He had achieved a lot over the last two years. Sitting outside a small caf on the Piazza Navona in Romes Baroque district, he watched the natives and tourists intermingling. The

10、locals moved fast, as they hurried to and from important errands. The tourists dawdled, their heads either pointing down at pocket maps or tilted up at the towering architecture that lined the Piazza. Tom wondered just how many of their lives he had touched, how many of these people were devout to h

11、is cause. Devout to his cause, he though to himself, who am I kidding? Most of the followers had never even heard my name. They probably never even noticed me. I am the man behind the curtain truly. He spotted a girl in the crowd, a native he suspected given her sallow skin and dark hair. She had a

12、red string around her left wrist. As he watched her make her way across the square, he wished he had given some obvious fashion to his followers, just so hed be able to recognize them now. Kabbalah followers had those lovely red ribbons on the wrist, that was clever marketing in Toms eyes. Maybe his

13、 followers should have worn head bands, or gold caps. But that had never been part of his plan, it wasnt necessary. Must remember that for the next time I start a religion, he thought with an inward chuckle.The private joke only brought back the familiar question, Tom thought to himself did I exploi

14、t people? The question and others like it had been running through his mind for months now. Did I cynically exploit peoples weaknesses just for money? Did I exploit my poor Eve? Eve, who was only trying to help people, trying to improve the world for everyone. She had come so far with his help, toge

15、ther they had achieved so much. Public rallies across Europe. Millions of books sold. Followers on every continent. A religion built from scratch. An empire practically. He finished the last of the espresso that resembled tar but tasted like heavenly caffeine infused nectar. He caught the eye of a p

16、assing waitress. “Un altro caff per favore”, he said without trace of an accent. With a couple more lessons, he thought, I could practically pass for an Italian.“Un momento”, she replied promptly and whisked back into the caf. Tom had his back to the caf and was watching the people in the square. He

17、 always enjoyed just sitting and watching ordinary people going about their ordinary business. He counted the many different tribes he saw in the Piazza that day, without straying far from the stereotypes Tom could make out Americans, English, Russians and South Africans in the crowd.Hed never had t

18、he chance to really see Rome before and he had some time to kill now. He would see some of the museums perhaps. Hed been in Rome before but never on holiday. He would spend his time leisurely while he waited for her. She was special in ways he hadnt expected. She had surprised herself over the last

19、two years and she had certainly surprised Tom. Eve would come to Rome, he was certain of it. Prime was coming here and Tom couldnt wait.Chapter 2Jane caught her eye from across the crowded living room and waved her over through the crowd. Yvonne was glad of something to do, someone to talk to. She f

20、elt slightly out of place at the party as it wasnt really her crowd lots of the men were in full suits and the women all seemed to be wearing pricey cocktail dresses. Yvonnes black halter top, punky plaid skirt and knee high black boots with a red swirling motive on the side didnt quite fit in.“Yvon

21、ne, Yvonne” said Jane excitedly, “this is the most eligible bachelor at the party.” The hostess turned to the tall man standing next to her. Yvonne smiled up at him and noticed he was drinking a beer, straight from the bottle. He was clad head to toe in nondescript black. Thank god hes not a suit sh

22、e thought.“Yvonne I am placing this handsome young man in your care for the evening. Im such a good hostess arent I?” Jane let fire a nasal laugh that turned heads. “Tom, this is Yvonne, and Id love to stay and watch the fireworks between you two young things but I have to go see where that bloody h

23、usband of mine is hiding.” And abruptly shed moved off into the crowd leaving the two strangers together without warning.He quickly corrected their host, “Actually my name is David, not Tom. Its nice to meet you, Yvonne.”A polite handshake was exchanged. “You two David”, said Yvonne. She sipped at h

24、er vodka concoction, “how do you know Jane?”The party was being held at the house of Jane Beatty. She was merely a friend of a friend, for both Yvonne and David. The hostess was an energetic socialite who loved to throw parties, so much so that she never bothered to come up with a pretext, she simpl

25、y called and told people when to turn up. She was never picky about the guest list either, but she strongly encouraged her friends to bring fresh faces.Jane and Derek Beatty lived in the leafy suburb of Kensington, an affluent area of West London. The house was located to the north of Kensington Hig

26、h Street, in what was largely considered the wealthy portion, not that the rest wasnt pretty wealthy in its own right. A long town house that spanned four floors, every room seemed to drip with privilege. Jane herself had come from a modest working class background but had struck it lucky when shed

27、married. Rumours about her marrying for money were generally assumed to be true. “Actually I only recently met her, this morning in fact. Ive been shopping for a new car, but as a poorly paid researcher Ive had to resort to second hand ones. Her husband is selling his. When I came to view it, they o

28、ffered me a coffee and later an invitation.” He smiled a disarming smile and Yvonne felt a fleeting sense of familiarity toward the stranger.“So here I am”, he said, “how about you?”Yvonne let her gaze move across the crowd. Music played at a sensible level and the revellers were beginning to unwind

29、, at least two couples had started dancing to the slow tempo of the music. “Similar enough story I met Jane through work about a week ago. Shes on the board of a charity were doing work for. We got talking, she invited me.”Yvonne dropped the level of her voice and leaned forward conspiratorially. Da

30、vid leaned in automatically. “To be honest”, she said, “I feel a little out of place. Jane was a lot less stuffy when I met her. I had a girlfriend from work who was invited and was supposed to come. We arranged to meet here. at the party. Stupid me. She bailed on the party but didnt bother to call

31、and tell me until I was already here.”David paused, then made an exaggerated examination of the people at the party, even grimacing a few times as his head swivelled around to better observe the people around them, then nodded again solemnly. “Yes Im afraid we are officially outside our comfort zone

32、.” Then he looked directly at her, and put his free hand on her shoulder gently. “Please never leave me”, he said with absolute sincerity. Yvonne laughed and looked down at her drink.*“Are you saying there is no God?”, she asked, eager for his answer.“No, Im just saying that the notion of God is man

33、 made. I dont know how the universe came about or why humans are here on earth, but I do know that when it comes to god, we constructed him in our image, not the other way round”, came the confident reply. By now the party had begun to wind down, as evidenced by the comatose stranger slumped in the

34、armchair, and the drunk girl dancing alone to the muted music. But this fact hadnt dampened the conversation between the two new friends. They had been talking in a corner of the party for most of the night. It hadnt started out so heavy, but the conversation had progressed at a fast rate through ma

35、ny topics to finally land on religion.David took a sip of whiskey and continued, “You see Yvonne, I cant tell you if there is or isnt a god, I can only point out how the notion of god has been manipulated, been used to shape peoples thinking. To control people. Pretty much forever.”The young Yvonne

36、Alford listened carefully to every word from her engaging new friend. She was 22 and, being the product of a strong Catholic family, never doubted growing up that there was a God in the heavens watching down on her. But lately, maturity had begun to chip away at that belief. She was beginning, very

37、tentatively, to question the teachings of her childhood.David Miller was, as usual, eager for an audience and his companion was clearly fascinated by what he was saying, which pleased him greatly. He was quickly taking a fancy to the beautiful blonde girl before him. As they discussed God and religi

38、on, he subtly eyed her healthy tan, her long platinum hair, her petite frame. Of course, David was not a theologian, it was a far cry from his chosen field of study, his PhD in Cosmology nearing completion in a few months. At least that is what he told people.But David saw the clear connections betw

39、een religion and general psychology, something he had always had a strong interest in. He liked to study the human mind and religion played a big part in many aspects of human behaviour. Something he knew well.“There is not that much separating the established religions and what we would call cults.

40、 They both evolve and change their teachings over time. They both have their own languages, special words and phrases. Special ceremonies and traditions. They both expect, and in some cases even demand, a healthy participation by their members.” This was a familiar discussion to David, and he was ge

41、tting into full swing. “Both have their own rituals, their own traditions. Really there is nothing separating them but their ages. Catholicism is a religion just because its been around for a long time.”Yvonne nodded and sipped her vodka cranberry. Davids mess of jet black hair, his slightly olive s

42、kin and deep brown eyes werent hard on the eyes, but Yvonne wasnt struck by Davids looks, they were average enough. What captured her attention so fully was the confidence he carried. When he spoke, it was always with authority. It was just the two of them talking, but as far as David acted, they mi

43、ght as well have been the only two people in the world. All of his attention was focused on Yvonne, and never once did his eyes stray when she was talking. Instead they stayed fixed on her, as he intently listened to what she had to say. If she was pushed for a word to describe him, it would be char

44、ismatic. “In fact, the existence of modern day cults just reinforces the idea that people have an internal need for religion. Almost a genetic desire for guidance from above. Without religion, or God, I suspect wed be living in anarchy.”“Anarchy? Dont you believe in the basic goodness of people?”, s

45、he asked almost naively. David grinned impishly, “As far as I can tell - goodness is another man made concept. When you examine humanity, you see were just animals wearing clothes. Somebody wiser than me said that, I stole it because I like it.” He laughed briefly, Yvonne just smiled. “Theres no goo

46、d and evil, theres just animals doing what animals do. You know yourself, when you give to charity you feel good inside. Is there any other reason we do good things than to feel better about ourselves?”Yvonnes face changed slightly, her eyes shifted just a little. But enough for David to spot and re

47、alize he was losing his audience. He hadnt meant to touch on human greed.“Dont get me wrong, I believe people can be good, and of course often are. I just dont think they are good for the reasons they might think. This is just my own brand of arm-chair psychology of course.” He lifted his glass, “An

48、d dont forget it could just be the whiskey talking!” He took a large mouthful for good measure.Yvonne let out a small polite laugh and again locked eyes with her fascinating new teacher.“OK then, if you think humans need religion, then religion is a good thing to have in the world, right? Cause were

49、 just animals and animals live in anarchy.” She raised her eyebrows in question.David took another sip of whiskey, giving himself a moment to formulate the right answer. “Yes I think it is. But its unfortunate that most religions, in my opinion, have been co-opted by people who are just seeking powe

50、r. Some people always lust after power, and will achieve it no matter what. Its true of politics also. To achieve a position of power, you need to have sought it out. You need to be self-centred, greedy and manipulative. Its an unfortunate fact of life.” He paused and lets his eyes drift off his att

51、entive student. “I guess it would make sense to start a new religion.”This peeked Yvonnes interest. Her voice raised an octave in surprise as she asked “a new religion?” David took another sip, this time to make his audience of one wait for his answer. He was aware of the fact that he enjoyed this a

52、ll a little too much.“Im just thinking as Im talking here but you could take the good aspects of all the religions Christianity, Judaism, Islam and the rest and start a new church that focused on the best aspects of each. Christianity says love thy neighbour which is good. In Islam they have the Zak

53、at which is a duty taught to all Muslims that they must donate part of their wealth to the poor and needy. Thats obviously a good idea to live by. I cant think of any others off the top of my head, but you get the point.”“Youre talking about starting a cult though, arent you?”“Well yes I guess I am.

54、 But like I said, the only difference between a cult and religion is how long theyve been around. The media has taught us to consider any new religion a cult and of course there are groups that use brainwashing and things like that to control and exert power, but there are also so called cults that

55、teach love and harmony. Look at the Hare Krishnas their members take vows to abstain from drugs, alcohol and gambling. They teach love and peace. Many would see them in the street with their bald heads, wearing their flowing robes, sporting very far-out haircuts and just write them off as crazy cult

56、 members, but they arent. Theyre just practising a young religion.”O(jiān)nce hed said it, Tom realised that wasnt actually true. The Krishnas were just young to the western world, but his point was made so he didnt bother correcting himself.“Hare Krishnas are the ones selling flowers in the airports righ

57、t?”, Yvonne had encountered them over the years and considered them a royal nuisance whenever she had the misfortune of crossing their path. She took a mouthful of her drink, as if to wash her mouth out. “Yes, thats how they raise money for their groups activities. Its a little capitalistic I suppos

58、e, so in our new super-religion we wouldnt do that.” David smiled his most disarming smile and studied Yvonnes reaction. “Our new religion?”, Yvonne laughed, “Im not sure you want me on board. Im probably the worst Catholic alive. I eat meat on Fridays, I blaspheme and I havent been to confession since I was a schoolgirl!”“If you ask me, if there is a God, whenever he looks down on what hes created, he probably blasphemes two!”They both laughed. David smiled inwardly, he had found Prime.Chapter 3