The Citadel (a cautionary tale)

The smoke and dust rose in an ever increasing pillar. Our beloved city was gone. In a moment of time it was no more. We stood together, in a small cluster, on the hillside, weeping and singing our laments. "Oh, Citadel, fairest of cities, beautiful sanctuary, our home in this new land. Gone! Gone! Nothing remains. Gone!"

We had come to the new land years ago. We were seeking a sanctuary, a place of freedom, a place to worship God in Spirit and truth. The road was long and difficult. Across the sea, down the rivers, to the west, toward the setting of the sun. For centuries we had been a people sojourning first here then there. Ever gong on, ever westward. We longed for a settled life, a place of security.

When we arrived at the valley we beheld the fertile lands, the merging of two great rivers, the rich forests. This was a place to settle, to build, to grow, to prosper. There was no king, no emperor, no supreme pontiff. We would be governed by the sacred scriptures, by the faith of our fathers that is found in them. In our new homeland we would trust in our God and serve our neighbor. Each man would contribute to the whole. Each week we would join together to hear God's truth and receive his gracious gifts of forgiveness, life, and salvation. Then we would go out into the land and live in faith toward God and in love toward one another.

This was our hope. It was the plan. But the plans of sinful men often go astray. Even at the beginning we encountered problems. Some of our group wanted to adapt our ways to the ways of the people of the land. They did not think it wise to be different, to stand out. "We must make them trust us, to feel comfortable with us." Others would claim, "They will be more likely to join us in our faith if we put away the old dusty ceremonies and non essential dogmas of the past."

So, we split into two factions. One was always changing. Always trying out new ideas from the people of the land. In short order they no longer taught the faith as our fathers passed it on. Their doctrines changed. They held ceremonies that resembled the ceremonies of other faiths. They thought us foolish for hanging on to the old ways. "You cannot keep your grandfather's ways forever!"

We thought them foolish and unfaithful to our faith for abandoning the ancient ways. How could one claim to be a follower of the faith when throwing away its teachings and changing the very ceremonies that helped to teach its truth and give its blessings?

Many of our people did not understand the fuss. "Why are your two groups always fighting? Can't we all get along?" An uneasy truce was reached. Both sides gathered with their own. Both looked with suspicion on the other. Both became certain that they were right.

Each side occasionally tried to exert control over the other. Neither succeeded until the last days of the Citadel. A man arose who used political power and rhetoric to fool those in the middle who just wanted to get along with everyone. His conciliatory words and his promises of better days caused them to give him support. "After all," they claimed, "if we agree on a few basic things it is enough." He was elected the First Servant. As First (as he liked to be called) he packed his Council with friends and fellow "new way" believers. Through executive privilege and through sweeping changes in the rules he forced the people to accept his ideas.

Those of us who thought the First to be teaching errors and leading the people in the wrong direction began to talk about leaving. It would be hard to leave behind our friends on the other side. But our people had left other places before. We had survived. We could do so again. Most of our group thought we should wait. "Maybe things will change. It will be alright if we just have patience." The few who saw the danger ahead reminded the others of the problems in the old land. "The First has taken on powers that are not in keeping with the scriptures and our father's faith. He is not acting like a servant, but like a dictator!"

At this time cracks in the Citadel walls began to appear. The builder's guild began to search the chambers below the Citadel to discover the problem. After surveying the storage rooms near the foundations of the walls they came back with distressing news. Their report said, "Years of neglect and certain unwise practices have created a dangerous situation. Some of the foundation bedrock has been weakened by cutting into them to expand the archives. The old theology books and histories of the people were placed in these rooms by the First to make room for the new library in the Council chambers. We had to move aside stacks of books and records to find this problem. Our recommendation is that the rooms be cleared out so new buttresses might be constructed to strengthen the walls. Remember the builder's maxim, when the foundations are weakened, the walls cannot stand." The report was not made public. The First demanded that the builder's guild swear an oath of secrecy. "We do not want to alarm the people with this news until we assign a task force to look into these opinions."

We got a copy of it. The next day it was published in the Daily. The uproar was amazing. That night the First addressed the people in the plaza. "This report in the Daily is not true. There is no danger. We will assign a blue ribbon task force to look into these allegations. But, I speak with every confidence that we are entirely safe. Please return to your homes and live your lives with the knowledge that your First is always vigilant and concerned about your welfare." That night we made plans to leave the Citadel.

On the last day our small group gathered by the west gate with our carts loaded with our few most prized possessions. As the first rays of dawn lightened the eastern sky and the first birds began to sing, the gates creaked open. The gatekeeper looked at us and remarked, "Headed west then? Wher'ya goin'?" We handed him a copy of the Daily and left the Citadel. As we reached the top of the hill the ground began to shake. A loud crack boomed across the valley. We all turned to look. In stunned silence we saw the walls begin to fall inward and disappear in a cloud of dust and smoke. The entire city was gone. When the foundations are weakened, the walls cannot stand.