Are you sitting uncomfortably?

Then I'll begin . . . (a story for C)

In a far off land there lived a primitive people unlike others around them. Where others had tattoos and piercings to please their gods these people had none. Where others engaged in sexual stuff with whoever and whatever they happened across, for it also pleased their gods and them too, this primitive group opted for monogamy and anything else was regarded as 'wrong'. The rest of the world worked hard at having possessions, status and things that 'made them happy' but the primitives just wanted to please their God. The others decided that they were themselves gods and that they owed nothing to any God character and sneered at the fulitle little lives of the primitives.

The primitives continued to believe that there was but one God who created everything (which of course included them) and wanted people to be kind, have relationships that mirrored the values and standards He, their God, considered to be desirable and be honest in their dealings. How the rest of the world laughed at such naivety!

Sadly, some of the primitives who were in charge felt that the world was passing them by and they began to wonder how they might engage with them. What kept the world from coming and spending time with the primitives? What was it they wanted?

It didn't take long to realise that what kept the two apart was the restrictive rules and requirements so treasured by the primitives. "If we keep the robes, buildings and other trappings but loosen up on the 'don't do this stuff', then we would be able to attract the world and we'd no longer be primitives," they reasoned. "Not only that, but if we persuade the primitives that this is merely a re-interpretation of the old ways, they too will be happy because they're still primitives and will think the world has joined them. Then everyone will be happy!"

So the world came and joined the primitives and many rejoiced because they were primitive no longer, yet as everyone could see, nothing had changed - there were just more of them. How the people in the counting houses cheered, this would bring them in in droves and, just as in the days gone by, there would be plenty of money and people to show how right the decisions to embrace the world had been.

Sadly, many of the primitives became hardened against the new ways and soon found themselves branded as obstructive. The revised primitive followers realised that they were the future and that the past had to be shed and so the unregenerate primitives were encouraged to leave 'for the sake of unity'. The primitives did as they were asked (some would say bitterly around the camp fire, 'forced') and this saw then (and their God) leaving the revised followers with the gods that the world had always had, merely re-branding them to keep up the appearance for those (obviously more enlightened) primitives who remained.

And those who left and those who stayed? That's a story for another day . . . hasn't been written yet!