Latter-Day of the Dead (4 page)

I couldn’t quite establish what exactly had happened. “Okay, but…did you have your pants off?”

“Doc, can you just help me out here? I am in a lot of pain.”

I looked at the worry and embarrassment on his face and decided not to push. “At least tell me it wasn’t from a raccoon or else I will need to give you a rabies shot.”

Benjamin kept his head down in shame and slowly shook it side-to-side, indicating no.

“Let’s get it cleaned up so I can get a better look. This is going to sting.” I grabbed alcohol and swabs and was still concentrating on making sure shock could not be seen on my face.

He gritted his teeth and grabbed tightly onto the edge of the examination table while I tried to clean up the dried blood. After cleaning I delicately inspected the area.

“Multiple lacerations. It looks like the dorsal vein is still intact, which is a good sign, but we will need to get you outfitted with a catheter for the time being. I’ll get you some antibiotics to prevent infection or disease.”

“Will I be okay, Doc?”

“Beyond some scarring and general discomfort you should recover just fine, but….”

“But, what?”

“You don’t have to tell me what happened, Brother Benjamin, but my professional guess initially is that these lacerations came from what looks like human teeth, which can bring on a whole different level of problems.”

Benjamin sat silent for a moment before asking, “Like what?”

“The bacteria found in the human mouth are much more aggressive than other bacteria. Without the antibiotics I am giving you, the lacerations can become very painful ulcers. Normal human saliva has over forty different types of bacteria, and shoot if the person in question were to have, say, gingivitis or something like that the number of bacteria triples.”

Worry grabbed hold of Benjamin’s face. “Since you’re a doctor, I can, like, confide in you Brother Elias?”

“Of course, Benjamin. I just want to give you the proper diagnosis to get you healthy.”

“Okay, well….”

“Brother Elias, Brother Benjamin,” a voice interrupted from the doorway, “is everything alright?”

Benjamin rolled to his side on the examination table to hide his exposed lap, wincing in pain at the sudden movement. I stood straight up as the prophet entered.

Verdell Quinn was the self-anointed prophet and leader of our sect. He stood stoically in the doorway as Benjamin and I remained silent.

If I had to describe Verdell in two words I would probably use:
stained
and
face
.

He was an old but strong man with a vascular birthmark covering the left-side of his temple and cheek. I have read that people outside of our compound refer to these markings as port-wine stains. The mark was deep red, and had become thick and rigid in Verdell’s old age and was associated with the glaucoma in his left eye. The glaucoma created blindness in his left eye and turned it into a creepy silver color, offset by his regular blue eye on the right.

When I was a kid I snuck in a book from off the compound,
The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.
I always saw Verdell Quinn’s face when I tried to visualize the main character.

“Is something wrong, Brother Benjamin?” Verdell inquired, stepping into the office.

I watched Benjamin squirm to conceal his injury from the prophet. Verdell made his way over and placed his wrinkled hand on Benjamin’s shoulder.

“Our bodies are our temples; we must nourish them and treat them with the highest respect.” Verdell paused after the statement for effect, and used his other wrinkled hand to ensure the thin gray strands of hair on top of his head were properly placed.

“Yes, sir,” Benjamin agreed.

Verdell continued, “And we are so blessed to have Brother Elias here to aid in keeping us healthy and well. He has answered his calling, and for that we all reap the reward.”

I nodded in appreciation.

“I should let you back to your work, Brother Elias,” Verdell said. He headed back to the door, where two men from the priesthood awaited him. Before exiting, he placed his hand on the doorframe, and without turning around, asked, “Benjamin, did you leave the compound last night?”

Benjamin’s mouth gradually opened with nervousness. Before he could muster an answer the prophet had exited and closed the door behind him. A guilt-ridden Benjamin took a deep breath and gave me a forced smile, his kid teeth appearing in-between his desiccated lips.

chapter two

M
odern Mormons are following a false prophet. It’s true. Joseph Smith, Jr. was the founder of the Latter Day Saint movement. I hold him in great regard. Sometime in the 1820’s, he was visited by an angel named Moroni who led him to a buried book detailing the Christian history of the Americas.

If I had to describe this book in two words I would probably use
golden
and
plates
. The divine text discovered was written on thin, golden plates. He translated the ancient, unknown Egyptian language on the plates by placing a seer stone in his hat and reading the translated words through the stone. Once finished, he published these findings into what is today known as the Book of Mormon.

He organized and formed churches, feeling that God chose him to revivify Christianity to its true form of practice. Many people outside of our faith do not realize that Jesus came to the Americas after His resurrection.

In the early 1930’s, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints grew concerned with some of the tenets detailed in their Book of Mormon. They worked to distance themselves from a growing public concern around one of their core beliefs: polygamy. If I had to describe polygamy in two words I would probably use:
plural
and
marriage
.

What many people refer to as polygamy, we simply call
the principle
.

In the mid-‘30’s, the church had officially renounced the principle. In an attempt to assure followers also abided by this change in opinion, the church required members to sign an oath abandoning their belief in plural marriage. Failure to do so resulted in excommunication from the church.

The new stance on an old doctrine created a huge divide amongst believers. There was outrage for many who considered questioning the doctrine outright sacrilege. People began refuting this blasphemy; people including my Great-Grandfather.

My Great-Grandfather and a small sect of others began listening to a self-proclaimed prophet named Waynard Quinn. If I had to describe Waynard in two words I would probably use:
Verdell’s
and
dad
.

Waynard Quinn told the group he had received a revelation from God. God was very upset, as Waynard would explain, condemning those who had renounced polygamy. God asked Waynard to spread the word that plural marriage was not to cease.

My Great-Grandfather and the others believed Waynard’s testimony to be true. With this new revelation, the group now knew the only way to true salvation would be to leave the church and continue living the fundamental values of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

The group bought land in Kanab, Utah, in an attempt to remove themselves from the rest of the world. Considered one of most isolated cities in the United States, Kanab is cut-off from the East by the Colorado River, and provided the seclusion desired. We were nestled between majestic red cliffs and sand dunes. This is where our family still resides today.

Waynard Quinn, my Great-Grandfather, and the others established their own church, Brethren of the Last Days. They committed themselves to living the true righteous life as outlined in the Book of Mormon. Many people found truth in this commitment to the word and made their way to Kanab.

Brethren of the Last Days used the old church program known as the United Order to get as much land in Kanab as possible. If I had to describe the United Order in two words I would probably use:
American
and
Communism
.

In 1831, with his church struggling and nearly bankrupt, Joseph Smith claimed to have received a revelation detailing the Law of Consecration. The Law of Consecration would later become the backbone of the United Order. According to the Law of Consecration, each church member was to impart their land and money to the church. The deed of each property was now to be in the church’s name. The church would then assign each member enough property as deemed sufficient.

As people found their way to the group through the early years, all of their assets would be turned over and sold, with all proceeds going to the church. More and more acreage was purchased at each opportunity.

Once our self-made society was large enough we no longer allowed outsiders to join. We would build our congregation from the inside through childbirth, gaining members who had never been tainted by the outside world.

Our group, Brethren of the Last Days, practices both plural and placement marriage. The doctrine states that a man having multiple wives is ordained by God. It is a requirement in order for a man to receive the highest form of salvation. Most of the men in our group have at least three wives. There is also patriarchal doctrine which requires the wives to be subordinate to their men.

The placement part is handled by our prophet, Verdell Quinn. When a young woman becomes marriageable, which is when she is physically ready to bear children, the prophet will assign her to a husband. He receives the orders by revelation from God. He also has the ability to give and take wives to and from men according to their worthiness.

Because plural marriage is not recognized by the federal or state governments, we can remain financially viable without working off of the compound. The multitudes of wives are able to file for aid from the government as single mothers. Financial aid, grants, and food stamps are all readily supplied to our women and given to the church. Housing endowments and even free vehicles have been awarded to our
single
mothers.

So why do we do it? Celestial marriage. We know as truth that we will live through the eternities; that our life on this Earth is but the beginning of our journey. Celestial marriage will seal our wives, and all subsequent children, to us so we may be together in the eternal life to follow.

During the actual ceremony we make covenants to God and each other, promising to be obedient to all the Lord’s commandments and expressing our willingness to sacrifice and consecrate all that we have for the Lord.

Plural marriage is the only form of Celestial marriage. Modern Mormons claim their one-partner marriage as celestial, but they would be incorrect. They can look no further than their own scripture, Doctrine and Covenants Section 132, which specifies plural marriages only. Plural marriage is ordained by God, and is part of His plan.

Knowing that one will be sealed to their family for eternity is what brings forth the desire to expand that family as much as possible. Child rearing efforts begin immediately. A man may be sealed to more than one woman. A woman may not be sealed to more than one man. The covenant requires continued righteousness of the couple in order to maintain the sealing for the afterlife.

Because our true beliefs have outcast us from mainstream mindsets, we have been forced to live in seclusion from the rest of the world. But instead of looking at it as being cut-off from the world, we like to know we have cut the world off from us. Away from the moral decay of our times. Away from temptation, greed, addiction, filth. Away from a world that does not understand true Christianity.

We are the embodiment of Christian life. Those claiming Christianity the strongest in the outside world are usually those furthest from it. We are the restoration of Christian value. We have removed ourselves from the spiritual dissolution of others, and we will live for all eternity.

That’s really all I know about that.

chapter three

I
headed out of the medical station and stood on the rotted wood planks of the makeshift porch. I could see the prophet calling Benjamin into his office across the way. Leaving the compound without permission is not allowed. Most folks have never been off the compound. It’s the only way to make sure there is no opportunity to be corrupted by the wicked ways of the outside world.

There are a few exceptions, and I was one of them. Around my twelfth birthday the prophet received a vision that my calling would be to replace our original compound doctor, who was growing weak and dangerously aloof in his old age. I was allowed to get my schooling off of the compound. It was worth it to the prophet to risk sending me out into the world if it kept the rest of our community from having to seek medical attention from outsiders.

As a doctor I was tasked with a pretty broad range of duties. Not only did I have to tend to physical ailments, but I was also tasked with handling mental issues, which I was not qualified to do. These mental issues were more frequent than I would have imagined, and were uniquely found in our women only.