I know, I know, I’m moving on right? Well, I’m trying to, but this background research paper on the church by a journalist for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation is a fitting coda, I think. (Thanks to Gavin for the tip.)

I’ve progressed through a lot of emotions, over the last couple of years, as I have finally come to terms with what my childhood meant and resulted in for me. I freely admit, there are moments when I still regress, back to a comfortable and safe reaction. I’m trying to recognize that when I do it, and at least minimize the effects, if not necessarily eliminate them.

I have definitely reached a point where I can now accept that the church is an integral part of my past, and that it has shaped everything that I am. Whether or not that has negative or positive effects, here in the present however, is entirely my doing.

But read Scott Lupo’s paper. It is a good, neutral, and thorough overview of life lived, in a parallel universe, whose wormhole is shrinking closed, ever-so-slowly.

Soon, my friends, we will live entirely in a universe where there are, at best, a handful of small Church of God congregations (I include Junior’s fiefdom in this.) We will be the last survivors of an age that truly never was.

A bittersweet victory, to be certain, but one that provides a cautionary parable. We, alone, can stand outside of the control of other closed, high-demand groups, and say, “Wait, this doesn’t look good.” We have been here before, and we know what to watch for. We can be sentinels, based on our pasts, warning of petty prophets and false Armageddons, into the future.

Read Scott Lupo’s paper. It is a better coda to this site, than even I could provide.