Dysfunction and the Kingdom of Matthias
The two main characters that are at the center of the work are Robert Matthews (nee Matthias) and Elijah Pierson. Pierson remained the dependent figure while MatthewsMatthias became the predatory figure. In fact, it would be Matthews that took over Piersons entire life and made a mockery of his religious order. This may lead many to wonder how such events can unfold and why someone in a position of perceived power such as Pierson would allow someone like Matthews to take control over his life. To understand such a scenario and to answer such a question, it becomes necessary to explore the two individuals based on their motivations and personality traits. The picture that derives from this, however, is not a bright one.
The archetype that typifies Robert Matthews is not one that we have frequently come across throughout American and, for that matter, human history. Arrogant and self-assured to the point of delusional, Robert Matthews was able to capture the hearts, minds, and imaginations of multitudes of people that were looking for a symbol of strength and salvation. In reality, such wants on the part of the populace are not exactly anything to be ashamed of. Most people that lived during the Second Great Awakening simple wished to live a just, pious, and religious life. They did so to make a better life for themselves and for their community. Unfortunately, this also opened them up for great exploitation. Sadly, a charismatic false prophet such as Matthews lured them into following him as opposed to following what truly would be in their better interest.
In terms of a historical analysis, you could say that the rise of such a marginal cult derived from the reawakening of American societys need for religious worship. The nation was founded on the principles of religious freedom and over the course of a century of war and expansion some of these themes had become lost. Manifest Destiny saw people seek meaning in their life but it was not as rewarding as spiritual awakening. Additionally, the aftermath of the Civil War created a very negative sentiment in people towards each other. The rise of the Great Awakening and the Second Great Awakening were symbolic of the need for spiritual rebirth in a nation that had suffered through the course of the past several decades. This opened the proverbial door for a person such as Matthias to take advantage of others.
The mere fact that Matthews began to see himself as a prophet names Matthias along should have been a major warning sign for most to stay as far away from him and the false worship that he was promoting. And, quite honestly, he probably did scare many people away. We will never learn of those people that heard his absurd preaching and then walked away from him never to return. Rather, we are left with the tales of those that followed his teachings and suffered from extreme misery as a result.
This does lead us to questions regarding how a person such as MatthiasMatthews can rise. Why is it that people will follow such a blatantly false prophet that espouses foolish theories that have no chance of delivering the salvation that is promised There reasons for such blind devotion vary. But, often, it is emptiness in the self and the need for a guider of the way that creates such a want.
Drawing a connection to the spiritual world is certainly not easy. It is not as if one can peer through a looking glass and actually see into heaven. As such, when a demagogue such as Matthias comes along, many people will see more in him than what he really represents. Rather than see him as a human being, they start to see him for something that is beyond earthly power. In time, people will see more into such a figure than what the person truly is. In many ways, by creating a prophetmessiah, there comes the notion that heaven can exist on earth and be attainable. From this, the worship of a religion falls into the category of a product as opposed to a process.
In other words, rather than live a life of religious self-discovery with an endgame being one that is not completely and totally known, a character such as Matthias becomes appealing because he presents a solution to the problem. He becomes a giver of the way as opposed to a pointer of the way. Such a character can prove very appealing to many even though what he offers is ultimately a dead end. Unfortunately, most people do not realize the fact that such an individual seeks to take advantage of them as opposed to provide them with the true salvation they seek and need. Sadly, they do not realize that such an end result is forthcoming until it is too late.
With Pierson, we have an individual that may hold a patriarchal position in his church but it is one that is held by a thread. In many ways, his position as a church leader defines who he is and this has its positive points and its negative points. In the one sense, being the leader of a church provides him with a sense of purpose and identity. This is, certainly, a good thing. The problem that arises, however, is the fact that his allegiance
his role creates a rather weak identity for himself. In other words, he is a patriarchal figure that really does not possess the true power required to be an effective leader. So, his role is more of perception than an actual patriarchal role with substance. Hence, he becomes more prone to being overtaken by Matthias.
In some ways, Elijah was becoming delusional. Elijah preached during the day and prayed at night, and sometimes Jesus appeared to give him further instructions and granted him new powers to carry them out. (43) This further creates the potential to be overtaken by one such as Matthias.
The dynamic of Matthias and Pierson extends beyond their own personal relationship with one another. It extends into a complete redefining of the relationship between the members of the congregation and those in charge of it or, more accurately, it redefines the relationship so that everything becomes more centered on Matthias. This should not come as a surprise considering the fact that Matthias remains little more than an out of control egomaniacal figure where the world centers on him. Granted, he may preach about the afterlife, God, and serving Gods kingdom on earth, but the truth is everything invariably points back to and serves Matthias.
Such traits are common among those that seek to take advantage of others. Their perceptions are poisoned because they only see themselves as being important and others exist to do little more than serve their purpose. Such narcissism will later extend into the way the cult leader (in this case, the leader is Matthias) will treat those under his subordination.
This can be seen in the concept of family relationships, clothing, and food. In essence, such items become a form of community property. But, this is not really the case because it is not the community that makes the mitigating decisions regarding how such items are to be owned or shared. For all intents and purposes, it is Matthias that is in
control of who gets what and how much of it they get. He is, in essence, the supreme leader that takes over their own personal lives under the guise of creating spiritual renewal.
A common practice among cult leaders is that they must control all those that are under their will. By having taking control of the various items needed for survival, the cult leader can maintain such a significant amount of control over those in the cult. As such, food, clothing, etc are doled out by the leader. This, in turn, forces the populace of the cult to look towards the leader not only for spiritual salvation they also must look towards and abide by the directives of the leader for their very existence.
Matthias is able to capitalize on such a scenario because it helps him to consolidate his power. This may lead some to wonder why members of the congregation would give up their own personal freedoms in order to empower Matthias. Again, it returns to the desire to turn over the process of salvation to another in order to turn it into a product to be acquired. For such individuals, it becomes the proper idea to hand over such authority because it allows them to achieve their salvation as a result. As bizarre as it sounds, people are willing to literally hand over their life and souls to another in order to achieve potential salvation in the afterlife.
In close relation to this, there are questions raised regarding the views and experiences of each man in regards to food and clothes and what they represent. In many ways, such items represent the actual lifes blood of human beings. As such, without such items it can prove to be impossible to live. When a religion takes the steps to provide such items, then those individuals who are the providers become the patriarchs with the power of life over death. This solidifies their powers immensely.
There is another benefit to such abdications of their own personal freedoms. In an attempt to gain salvation in the afterlife, the abdication of allowing someone else to make decisions for them on earth also provide them without having to make decisions on
daily life. Such an approach can superficially be noted as laziness, but there is far more to the process than this. Rather, it is the result of a collection of personality disorders that come together to find safe haven in such a cult.
This can be seen in the bizarre sexual conduct (misconduct) of the cult. Since all common sense and moral conduct has been undermined due to the presence of Matthias at the helm of the congregation, it is no surprise that sexual misconduct would follow. Such is often the case in situations where a maniacal charlatan is operating as the self-serving leader of the church. The dissolution of the congregations behavior into sexual shenanigans became the linchpin where the church would collapse. The reason for this is rather obvious whisper campaigns about how dysfunctional the congregation may be based on the odd behavior of its followers may be dismissed under a number of circumstances. However, no one outside of the congregation could look the other way at the obvious dysfunctions of a church that was taking part in perverse behavior. The role of a church is not to promote sexual abuse or misconduct. Once such misconduct becomes public knowledge, it will start in motion the outright collapse of the congregation. Such a collapse will invariable start internally as members begin to realize there is something seriously wrong with the church and that there may be something definitively wrong with the leader of the congregation. Once the followers begin to see flaws in the leader, it becomes difficult for the leader to maintain unbridled control. Specifically, with the revelations of such misconduct, the public grew suspicious of what was occurring in the cult. This, in turn, led to its collapse.
This should not come as a surprise since Ann Folgers seduction of Matthias set the stage for such errant and problematic behavior. Matthias had always maintained that the gentle way of marital partners led to unhappiness, particularly for women...Ann listened intently....her own attachments to the ideals of middle class marriage has apparently weakened. (119) Such an approach would assuredly undermine the moral clarity of how members of the Kingdom relate to one another. Hence, the cult would slip into the realm of a marginal cult. It was losing its moral grounding. However, the stage for such a conversion was rooted deeply in the fact that some would accept any facet of religious theory during the time period. Again, the Second Great Awakening was enormously popular and people responded to it with passion. Such passion gave way to flawed behavior at times.
Some may wonder whether or not the time period in which this bizarre nearly
lost occurrence in American history would have occurred whether or not the Second Great Awakening had taken place. Honestly, it is difficult to answer such a question because it entails much speculation. However, it would be safe to say the growth in religious fervor at the time allowed some false prophets to take advantage of the publics fervor. It was easier to do so in an environment similar to the Second Great Awakening than an environment where such religious popularity is at great heights.
This ties into why the kingdom never expanded beyond a marginal cult. Matthias actions may have been more outlandish than most, even mad His failure to codify and publish his revelations...doomed whatever small chance he had to enlarge his flock. (172) Why did it arise when it did Perhaps the flaws of Matthias approach made for a much more simpler organization to join and many people were more than willing to join in an environment that was experiencing a significant religious awakening.
On this note, the authors make an assumption that such religious groups along the lines of the Kingdom have a long and remarkably continuous history in the United States. Such a statement is really hyperbolic and not completely accurate. Yes, there have been similar instances throughout Americas history but their numbers are miniscule compared to the vast majority of honest and legitimate religious organizations that have served their congregations loyally. So, the authors notion is more than a bit overstated.
Additionally, problems with religious cults have existed all through human histories and cultures. In the Old Testament, we can look towards the tale of the god Baal. Baal was essentially created in a few hours in order to empower those that needed a convenient deity to present themselves as high rulers of Baals altar. So the issue of false prophets is nothing new as the Bible warns of such individuals since their presence was to be expected.
It still remains a wise idea to look at the history of Matthias and The Kingdom and to not forget what occurred. This way, it becomes possible to reduce the instances of such issues from occurring in the future. While this cannot be guaranteed, the mere fact that such awareness exists will reduce the potential for such further occurrences.
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