The Sacrament Page #4

but I would love to get some

basics out of the way first.

Are you feeling better? Caroline mentioned

you were little under the whether earlier,

- so I hope this is not too much.

- Oh, yeah. I'm fine.

Great.

Okay, so first off.

Can I ask your real name?

Everybody here has been calling you

Father and I wonder how that started.

Well, it's a nickname.

I don't remember exactly when it

started, but it was many years ago.

Some people see anyone who extends

a helping hand as a father figure.

And yes, that's where it came from.

My given name is

Charles Anderson Reed.

That's a great name.

Where are you from and how

did all of this get started?

Can you take us through it?

Oh, I am from all over, friend.

I've been in every big city and every

small town. And you know what I found?

Poverty, violence,

greed and racism.

The foundations of a cancerous society

and I felt it to make a difference.

You see all these

people here tonight?

They all came here because

they had nothing.

They were born outcast.

Never given a chance.

I know, 'cause so was I.

Society turned its back on these

people years ago, but I never will.

I grew up poor. I know that pain.

I know what it's like to

lose hope, to feel trapped.

Well, there's none of that here.

You come down here and I'll

give you a place to live.

I'll give you a job, I'll give you

some good, I'll give you a bed.

- Whatever you need.

- That's right!

And we could live our

lives, friend. Truly live.

There is definitely a

sense of togetherness,

but I do wonder if this isolation

is the only way to achieve that.

Well, I had hoped not, but I believe

for the time being that's so.

You see, we built this

congregation over many years.

We travel around and preach a

good word, wherever we went.

And every stop we made we'd pick up

one or two of God's lost children.

You know what we found

more often than not?

It's a struggle to

bring people together.

America is coming

apart at the seams

because of the way it's being

run, and the values it instills.

Your government is failing, friend.

Now before you call me a communist or

socialist or whatever word you use

for somebody who tries to help this fellow

men, let me remind you of one thing,

all the great leaders who

have tried to achieve

what we have here were

struck down and killed.

That's right. Malcolm X.

Martin Luther King. Oh, my God.

J.F.K.

R.F.K.

Well, I'm willing to die

for what I believe in,

but why die fighting when

you can remove yourself

from the fight altogether

and create something new.

A place without violence.

Romans Chapter 12 verse 2.

"Do not conform any longer to

the pattern of this world,

but be transformed by the

renewing of your mind."

And that way you can test

and prove God's will.

God's good and pleasing

and perfect will.

That's what we do here, see?

We are continuing our

cause peacefully.

Surely you can appreciate that.

Absolutely.

Speaking to that point,

when we came in,

we noticed there were

a few men with guns.

If this is a pacifist community,

and it seems as if

it is, why the guns?

Is there some paranoia

about the outside world?

Today a woman even

called us outsiders.

Oh. You see, this is why

I don't like the media.

We have been speaking five minutes

and you're already looking for

some negative angle to explore.

Oh, no, I don't blame you,

Sam. It's not your fault.

You don't even know

you're doing it.

It's just the way you've

been conditioned.

Come in here from a

sick, violent society,

it's only natural that

you'd be less interested

in the beauty of our community than in

the guns we use to protect the borders.

I wasn't saying...

What we're doing here is radical,

Sam, there's no doubt about it.

And it is complicated, that's why

I want to explain it to you.

I have sympathy for your

misunderstanding. We all do.

We all used to think just like you.

Let me just say that there are

certain government agencies

that have been watching me and

my congregation for many years,

everybody knows that.

I do not keep it secret.

But I made a promise

to these people

that I would lead them

to a better existence

and that includes protecting them.

It's our home down here,

we have to preserve it.

That's understandable.

Yeah, see? I knew he'd catch on.

Living in that beehive New York

City has jaded you completely.

That's good.

So...

It must have cost quite a bit

of money to create all this.

Was it just through donations all

these people's life savings?

Oh, Sam.

I hate you, you

phrase it like that.

Is that what money means to you?

A life?

We don't worship capitalism

and materialism.

We came down here to

live off the land.

That's why America started,

but they don't allow it anymore.

Yeah, if you're not paying

taxes then you go to jail.

Exactly. That is exactly right.

Now, Sam, let me ask you

a question if I may.

Look around here,

look at all these people.

Do you see anybody who looks

like they ought to go to jail?

It doesn't look like it, no.

That's right.

I see you wear a ring on your finger.

You are married man, are you?

Yes.

Oh, that's good.

You love your wife?

Excuse me?

A simple question.

Do you love your wife?

- Yes, of course.

- And you'd do anything for her.

And what about that child

you have on the way?

Oh, what's wrong? You seem

caught off guard by my question.

Interesting when the shoe is

on the other foot, isn't it?

And I suppose you were wondering how I

knew that about your wife, aren't you?

Oh, relax, Sam. I'm just

making a point here.

You see, I love these people here

just as much as you love your

wife and your unborn child.

These people,

my family, my children.

And when you write this up for your

readers, I want you to remember that.

And when you start to

put that spin on it,

just know that you're

dealing with their lives,

with those faces.

Look at the joy on those faces.

Remember what you're

seeing tonight, Sam.

You have a great responsibility.

I hope you're aware.

I am. But we don't spin things.

We try to be honestly subjective.

We don't have an agenda, we're just trying

to document things that are meaningful.

Oh, yeah, that's right.

Caroline told me that.

That's why I agreed to this interview.

You know, I don't believe in the media.

I see it always lies

upon lies upon lies.

Anything that'll sell more copies.

But I look at you, Sam, and I

can tell you're different.

I can see that you care.

We try.

Yes, you do.

Well, are there anymore questions

or can we quit all this and get on

to the celebration we got planned?

We got a wonderful band.

I know you're gonna love him.

- I guess we're fine.

- All right.

Yo, so that was one of the strangest

interviews I've ever done.

Sh*t. Man.

Yeah, if you could see, I only...

Yeah, I only got through

about a quarter

of my questions and really I'm not sure

if any of those even got answered.

Everything just sort of got swept up in this

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