Rhiannon Brace’s autobiographical play The Promised Land gives us the best of two dramatic worlds – the ring of authenticity and a pleasing narrative arc (not always present in autobiographical work). Her website states that she 'creates performance from a female perspective' that is 'often rooted in personal experience and events'.The best of two dramatic worlds.
Here we are drawn into Brace’s childhood experience of the Worldwide Church of God, a conservative and fundamentalist Christian organisation with a head office in the USA. The end of the world is nigh, and this inevitably has repercussions – what is the point of making long term plans? Why go to school when we’re all about to be consumed in a lake of fire? (except for the faithful, of course, who will enter the Promised Land). Ultimately, though, how many years can you wait for the imminent end of the world?
Brace’s evangelical father (played with benign menace by Scott Swinton) tells us, as members of the congregation, 'Satan is not neglecting your children!', and every aspect of life has to be policed to keep the faithful and their vulnerable offspring safe - television and pop music are full of invitations into an almost universally sinful world. In terms of UK television, only Blue Peter gets an enthusiastic thumbs up. All else has dangerous content lurking like deadly rocks below the surface, ready to wreck all good intentions.
The only problem is that Brace is not faithful, she is indomitably guileless and with an innocence that becomes increasingly fragile as time passes. She is a musician who cannot understand why music can be sinful; a dancer who can only see beauty, and not Satan, in the ballet that she is learning and which ultimately becomes forbidden.
The perspective of personal experience makes this a tender piece of theatre rather than a cult-bashing diatribe, although the toxic nature of this kind of rule bound religious community is clear throughout. Being told that she will need to be subservient and obedient to her future husband leaves Brace bemused rather than angry and this is perhaps a key point: in the sheltered world of her community such statements are perfectly normal, even though it is the 1990s. In Rhiannon’s case, independent spirit (which, we are reminded, comes solely from Satan) remains subdued but it is still very much alive. Poignantly, we find that this remains the case despite much effort to subdue it. A tale of female resilience and survival, this is a testament to one woman’s authenticity and tenacity in a world that demands subjugation and threatens ‘disfellowship’ at every turn.
By Sebastian Beaumont
Novelist, journalist, co-founder of Yama Theatre and Fringe fan. Author of cult Brighton based novel Thirteen.
8 comments:
The durability and resilience of the human spirit in the face of extreme oppression and suppression is truly amazing. This was/is especially apparent among the folks within the Armstrong Churches of God culture who were the most powerless (women, children, homosexuals and people of color). Moreover, the fact that many of them survived the experience and later thrived is made more remarkable by the fact that some of them did not.
Unfortunately, it is also inevitable that some of the folks who read this piece will think/comment that their experience in Armstrongism didn't involve oppression or suppression. For them, Herbert at the helm of the Worldwide Church constitutes the good old days. They remind me of the way some White Americans regard the 1950's. They were having such a good time that they simply can't fathom the reality that a substantial number of folks weren't.
If one of us is chained, none of us are free!
Why? Because the potential of being chained exists, and can be inflicted upon any one of us at the whim of those whom we allow to exercise their power in that way.
Unfortunately, the tyrants in Armstrongism did not allow dissent or negotiation. They imposed a “love it or leave it” mentality on all the members. They taught us that if we objected to how they treated the most vulnerable, we were disagreeing with God. Just imagine if young Ambassador College students had objected to one of Rod Meredith’s little First Year Bible class skits depicting a gay person with a broom handle up his ass. Or accused Rod of racism for stereotyping Italians with hot, unstable tempers. Or Richard Plache for calling French men effeminate, or Hispanics “kind of dumb”. Don’t even get me started about what was said and taught about African Americans. But the leadership had us deceived into a corner. We believed that to disagree with them was to disagree with Jesus Christ, and the penalty was the Lake of Fire. If that doesn’t epitomize abuse of power, what does?
BB
Inculcate- The only time you ever heard this word was in church because you can't spell it without C-U-L-T.
I'm glad this play exists. Art and creativity were never encouraged in the COG unless it was the homogeneous family variety kind that was strictly pre-planned and monitored. People need to be reminded that cults still exist and be aware of how their thinking can be altered.
Watch Paradise Recovered by Andie Redwine and see if it doesn't make you recall your experience in the COG.
Art speaks truth to power and proclaims the emperor has no clothes. This is why every despot throughout history has tried to limit the destination of information and opinion. Anything that can be perceived as a threat to control and power is asphyxiated before it can breathe life and change into a body.
Another thing I love about art is new stories. Novelty is not something religion excels in. It's the same old cycle over and over again. Wouldn't a Bible study be more exciting if it was replaced with a compelling documentary or sci-fi program? Maybe Solomon had been to one too many services when he asked if there was anything new under the sun.
Miller Jones
My observation was that some members weren't oppressed. It's like the schoolyard bully. Victims are chosen on a risk/reward calculation. The worst members were left alone, and in fact helped enforce the toxic church culture. It's like traitors and collaborators in war time. For these, church was heaven. They have nothing but praise for Herb.
Disgruntled COG people deserved what they got. They were never really converted or believers in the first place.
Example.
True believers of the "Game of Thrones cult" currently find fault with the last episodes by complaining about coffee cups and plastic water bottles in some scenes.
If this type of diligent effort by wcg's fan base had been put into bible study, people wouldn't have found themselves in a mess anyway.
EVEN IF SOMEONE HAD SPENT MORE THAN THE AVERAGE time in wcg. catholicism or the southern baptists. Someone studying the bible like Game of Throne fans would never find oneself in a mess. Unless of course Dennis is right after all about the bible.
nck
There is no “converted” or “believers” about Armstrongism, nck! Just hallucination and willpower brought on by the ceremonial drinking of the Kool-Aid, and willpower exerted in adherence. Jesus never validated HWA by returning either by the original tight time frame HWA claimed was revealed to him, or even within the loosened version after the tight one failed. Since HWA stated many times that observance of his particular package of picked and chosen doctrines was pleasing to God, and the reason God would trust HWA to reveal the prophetic events to him, we can know that HWA’s doctrinal package was also bogus. The doctrines and the understanding of prophecy stand or fall together.
Clearly, nobody with the right combo has yet surfaced. Considering the horrible fruits, such a person could not come from within Armstrongism, or the Seventh Day Adventists, the Jehovah’s Witnesses, COG-7, or any other Millerite group. Those have all failed.
BB
So Nck, the HWA-Whitewasher-Guy blames the victims. Why don't you practise what you preach by joining one of these ACOG groups? They would appreciate your first, second and third tithe, with Dave demanding everything. The ministers would get a thrill bossing around a city slicker lawyer.
11;15
Reading the bible Dave Pack deviates so much from what it says that I decide to not accept your proposal. Regarding wcg I decided to leave that some decades ago. Reagarding HWA I followed his advice to blow of the dust of my bible and read it like a game of thrones fan. Therefore I started disagreeing with HWA since the age of 12 starting with a disagreement about his definition of "race". Moving into disagreement about time frames regarding nuclear winter and the possibility of a US invasion without logistic capabilities, but NEVER. about humam human and human god relations through mediation of christs sacrifice.
Nck
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