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"You've got the new translation there's been so much fuss over, Maxie," said Harry.
"I'm afraid I don't pay much attention to those things...."
"Yah," said Stoney. "That what everybody says. Next thing you know, they got a pitcher of Groucho
Marx hangin' above the altar."
"I think you mean Karl Marx," said Harry.
"Him too?"
Maxie stared at them. "What's the matter with my Bible?" she asked. "I wasn't trying to do anything
controversial  I just wanted a good Bible. I don't have a lot of money to spend you know, and if I have
to go out and buy another one  I mean, I don't know how I'd be able to do it, what with groceries and
doctors' bills, and  "
"It's up to you, Maxie," said Harry. He knew that interrupting her wasn't rude. It was silence she feared,
and she didn't care who filled it. "I don't think the Winnowed Bible will hurt you, but I wouldn't use it
myself.
"What it is, is a sort of condensed Bible. Shortly after the last merger, the church had to come out flatly
and admit that if what it was saying was right, then Scripture had to be simply wrong in some places, and
must be ignored. The Winnowed Bible is the first attempt to separate out the portions they've repudiated.
They also made some textual changes, mainly in calling God 'she' exactly half the time. It's scheduled to
be revised every ten years.
"And of course they cut the 'hard passages.' And a lot of the miracles are gone. So are the bloody parts
of the Old Testament and the vengeful Psalms. They cut a lot of Paul's words, and even more of
Christ's."
"I told you it was comin'," said Stoney. "When they took 'Onward, Christian Soldiers' out of the
hymnbook, I told you it would come to this."
"What you're saying," said Maxie, "is that our church says that the Bible isn't God's Word anymore. Just
parts of it are. And only they know which parts?"
"That's about it," said Harry.
"And they're going to revise it again in a few years?"
"They'll be revising it regularly."
"So I've got a Bible with Planned  what do they call it?"
"Planned obsolescence. What the bishop would tell you, if he were here now, is that you shouldn't
depend too much on this Bible or any other, because only trained theologians can interpret Scripture
properly."
"That's not what I was taught when I was a girl."
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"They won't kick you out for being behind the times. As a matter of fact, they won't kickanyone out.
We've got seminary professors who don't believe in God at all."
"But when did all this happen? How did they change my religion without my knowing about it?"
Stoney raised a bandaged hand. "All you gotta do is to look at the signs of the times. I told you when
they made the Corn Ceremony a sacrament that we were on the road to ruin. But did anybody listen?"
Harry said, "Maxie, there are still lots of faithful people in the church. And even the ones I disagree with
most are sincere, loving people for the most part. We've got to remember that the Church belongs to
Christ. He'll look after it."
Stoney said, "Somebody shoulda told that to Martin Luther."
Harry shook his head. "Luther was driven out, against his will. There's still freedom to preach orthodox
Christianity in the NAPC."
"Well yes," said Minna with a smile, "but mainly in western North Dakota. There's a saying among the
pastors  'Whosoever believeth in Him shall not get a parish.'"
"Minna!"
"Nobody listens!" said Stoney. "The whole world is going to Helena in a handbag and nobody will admit
it! You know what's happening in our town? We got devil worshippers out on the old Tysness place,
doin' God knows what kind of heathen ceremonies and sacrifices. Farmers been missin' their animals,
and they've found some of 'em all cut up  what do you say  mutilated. Who knows what'll be
disappearing next? Little kids?"
"That's alarmist talk," said Harry.
"Everybody knows about it! You ask anybody on the street downtown. They're all scared."
"I've been to the W.O.W. farm, Stoney. There's no evidence those kids have anything to do with those
things."
"Evidence? You wait for evidence, they'll shut down the country on us! Sometimes you just gotta act on
what you know!"
"That's a dangerous way to think. You could end up doing things you'll regret."
"I'm not gonna sit by and watch my town go  pardon me Pastor, but I mean this  to the Devil,"
Stoney said. He got up and walked out.
Harry stared at his back as he left.
The couple who never spoke stood up together and the husband said, "I don't like to make a fuss,
Pastor, but Stoney's right for once. You don't know what's going on. But the town knows. We all know,
and we're scared. We'll be going now."
They left.
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