THE SCANDINAVIAN CHURCH DREAM--Pt.1       10/11/74       DFO1274

       1. I WAS IN THIS HUGE BIG EMPTY CHURCH, A GIGANTIC CHURCH, SOME KIND OF SCANDINAVIAN CHURCH BUILDING WITH ABOUT 7,000 PEOPLE MEMBERSHIP. There was almost nobody there, just a handful of people. The preacher was trying to preach & it echoed like a mausoleum. He was really sincere but he was pouring out his heart to nobody. I was just a guest of somebody there, I don't know who, I don't remember. He was lamenting that nobody would come to church, sort of trying to give the people false hopes that some day they'd come or something, to encourage the poor people.

       2. WHEN HE WAS DONE I STOOD UP & TOLD THEM THE FACTS LIKE I USED TO. I did it really sincerely & I think I even cried, I was so sorry for them, & I told them this just wasn't the way, that the people were outside & they should go to the people & get them, & that they'd never ever do it the way they were trying to do it. The preacher got angry with me telling them, & the people listened but they didn't know what to think. He got very angry with me for telling them something different & he rushed off from the pulpit & did the funniest thing:

       3. HE HELD A MIRROR UP TO MY FACE & SAID, "THERE, LOOK! THAT'S THE KIND OF MAN YOU ARE, & YOU'RE TRYING TO TELL US WHAT TO DO!" Of course, that's very symbolic, that's the first thing they do: They start criticising you.

       4. SO HE STARTED PERSUADING THE PEOPLE AGAINST ME & THEY STARTED TO TAKE ME OUT OF THE CHURCH, when all of a sudden this huge crowd of thousands of young people rushed in singing & dancing & laughing & playing, & the people didn't know what to think about it! But they weren't church members at all, they were perfect strangers to the church, but they just sort of took over, running around & swirling around through the big huge building, singing & playing & dancing!

       5. THE CHURCH PEOPLE JUST STOOD BACK AGHAST! They were a little bit pleased, they'd been wanting a crowd, but they hadn't exactly expected this kind of crowd! So they turned to me & said, "You see, we've been telling you so, that they'd come some day." But I just smiled to myself, "Well, this isn't the kind of crowd you were looking for though, is it?"

       6. THEN THIS REALLY RADICAL OR FANATICAL GUY UP IN A LITTLE FOYER OR ENTRANCE BY THE PULPIT & he began to yell & rant & rave & spouted real radical doctrine like he was a Communist it seemed, & he was trying to sway the crowd of all these young people & lead them his way. So I went down there & shouted,

       7. "THIS ISN'T WHAT YOU WANT, EITHER!" So his tough guys grabbed me & started hauling me away out the back door. I seemed to know they were going to rob me & beat me up, so I began to yell for help--then I woke up! It seemed like I was brought in there as a guest & they were hoping I could help the situation, but then when I told them what to do, their leaders opposed me & said I was wrong!

       
Copyright (c) 1998 by The Family