Just a quick post here to follow-up on an August 10, 2008 Beyond90Seconds.com video featuring a former member of Wayne Bent’s Lord Our Righteousness Church.
As regular readers of this blog may recall, *part one of Return to Castle Dome profiled former LOR member Johnny Miller. Although Miller had left the New Mexico church and moved to Arizona, his wife remained a loyal member of Bent’s flock in the Land of Enchantment.
Miller’s transition to the outside world was not without struggle. And when discussing his wife in Return to Castle Dome, a hint of the emotional toll appeared to reveal itself.
On Friday, March 6, I received an e-mail from Miller informing me that he is now divorced. He has given me his permission to publish that e-mail here:
Hello Mark,
Just wanted to let you know that my final link to the LOR has been officially broken. Lillian’s divorce from me was finalized 28 February 2009. The papers from the courts arrived yesterday. We are no longer married. Thank you again for your interests in this on-going drama and your up to date coverage. Even from prison, Wayne Bent still reaches out and effects souls. You have my permission to use this information in the on-going coverage of this story, in the event your readers want to know what became of my situation and status with Lillian.
Sincerely yours,
Johnny Miller
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(*note: The link provided to part one of Return to Castle Dome will take you to the video as it appears on Vimeo. This is for your convenience as the more recently published Vimeo version tends to load much faster than the version published last August.)
When one door closes, another will open. Johnny has a great big heart and someone will come along who can see that. I wish him all the best.
I too wish the best to Johnny after all he has been through.
It would seem that whether it was the ultimate intention or not, Wayne pretty much ended the idea of marriage in the normal sense at Strong City.
With him now removed and with some of those females still so young, what will happen to them?
It all is a sad and very complicated mess that Wayne/Michael created for his own person benefit!
So what is the point of following a messiah who leads to this kind of trouble? There seems to be only one answer to that. It’s to learn to take responsibility for one’s actions. If we don’t learn to do that in a way that overcomes our suffering, we get to learn that in a way that helps us to at least see the trouble that ensues when we do not act in a responsible manner. Such trouble might lead us out of the suffering of ourselves and into harmony with life. Or not. It depends on where we go with it.
Johnny, you are loved. I hope that you are awake enough now to read this and be able to understand the love that comes from beyond commonness and pretension. That love grieves for you and everyone that has been caught up in the false things of the world. That love is the source of everything that ever came “against us”. That love brings us out of the world of our own making, too. Follow that heart, no matter what that looks like. It’s when we step into Reality that we might start walking in Truth, and peace has a chance to overcome our busi-ness.
It has been the stated purpose of the LOR church that they follow Michael Travesser (Wayne C. Bent) toward the destruction of “the World”. They think that by doing “Father’s Will”, their actions are an integral part of the plan to destroy all the evil things, and to bring in an age of all things Holy once and for all. Well, it all might just work for them after all, but what they haven’t figured out yet is that it is their own fantasy world (as an example to all fantasy worlds) that is undergoing destruction (“Judgement”).
Of course, by their example, they believe they are the remnant few who are “Righteous” (their church) and are involved in this singularly important work. They must be careful to follow their “Father” faithfully. They do this “strange act” no matter how weird or bad or perverted it might look to the unfaithful mob surrounding their camp. And now, they expect supernatural forces (their idea of “Father”) to change the outcome of their chosen activities, as if cause and effect did not apply to them. This is all fantasy.
The “world” (human culture as a whole) is what we make of it. That’s why it’s in the condition it’s in. When we live in the real world, we can see the real issues that might be addressed there. Whether our kind can successfully clamour out from among the ruins we’ve already made of it, or not, shall be known in time. We’ll either wake up as a whole to deal realistically with the issues concerning it, or not. We are responsible for what has already transpired, and we are responsible for what happens next. Cause and effect.
In a very real sense, “Strong City” now deals with the discontent of the consequences of their lot. And also in a real sense, this little group’s behavior, as a microcosm of the world in general, reflects the way the world deals with the consequences of the actions of generations of humanity as a whole. We can find value in the example of the cult of Wayne C. Bent if we see the life lesson that plainly demonstrates the “Judgement of God”, which allows no one to pass without reaping the harvest of what one has sown within it. And similarly, Johnny’s story reflects perfectly the modification (destruction?) of his world, just like every one’s life reflects perfectly the consequences of their own actions within their own world. No one is exempt. But behind all of this is that love that desires us to be free.
So, once we can get beyond our little fantasies about things, and get back on track with Reality, we just might be able to move into a place where things turn around for us. We can do that on a personal level, or not. We can do that on a global scale, or not. Makes no difference to Reality. One thing is for sure though, Reality overcomes the fantasy we have about it, every time, just by being What It Is.
Blessings to you, Johnny, in your real life. -Craig
Thanks everyone for the kindest comments and private e-mails that I have received. I seriously have no bitter feelings or thoughts towards anyone, Lillian, or my friends at Strong City. i still regard them as my friends, I desire no hurt towards them and they need to know that I desire the best for all of them. I would welcome any of them into my home, and I wish for Wayne Bent that he receive fully everything that Heavenly Father has in store for him. This past 21 years has been indeed a full schedule of events for my life. I have seen everything under the sun, experiences high and low points, witnessed real bonifide miricles, and seen first hand true mercy and love from the hands of God. With what I know today I would not have traded any of this for anything else offered in this world. Even though I have lost a wife, I stand today complete in God and am at peace with my whole existance. God is Good, what more can I say. Every tomorrow brings with it newness of life, new opportunities to serve, love and experience life in it’s fullness. I am indeed free to be who I was created to be. I have learned soooo much from the LOR and my lifes experiences. My prayers and hopes are that we all involved in this drama called The Lord Our Righteousness find their sweet conclusions to the matters and learn more of the true God which runs the affairs of this planet without ever wavering from His Word and precepts. I am Blessed, and my blessings continue to grow daily. Thank all of you for being part of my life, and thank you Mark and Beyond90Seconds.com for offering this vehicle to express these events. things can only become better from this moment on. My this be your reality as well.
Johnny,
You’re welcome. Be well.
Best,
Mark