The Church of Lazar

It may be unknown to some what the Church of Lazar is, what exactly they believe, and why I decided to join. I'll try my best to explain, though I think may remember things differently.

The Church of Lazar promotes itself as a Christian church. You may know of a few local politicians who are part of the church, some are now currently in office. But make no mistake, this "church," like Scientology and The Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KOJC), is a cult that has perversed the teachings of Christianity for its own gain.

I came across the church around Febuary of 202X. It was a rather hard time for me and my wife, Helen, because she had suffered a miscarriage and it brought us both great sorrow for many months. We had just moved into a new town, and it just so happened that the closest church to our house was the Church of Lazar. We were charmed by the sermons, and I by the enthusiastic pastor speaking in front. He was charming, had the face one would expect to see in magazines and models and the voice of a mighty leader. It was after that first service that my wife and I had joined the church. I learned later on that he called himself 'Pastor Lazarus Hudenn.'

We soon began attending every sunday. At the time, the Church of Lazar was small, small compared to the thousands of followers the church would later on gather. But back then, it was possible to be close to Pastor Hudden. One day, we had shared to him our problems about wanting a child and Helen's miscarriage. Hearing this, Lazarus assured us that this was just a temporary hell that would bring us heaven. And immediately, he invited us to pray with him. He prayed a long, loud prayer, his hand on Helen's head as he prayed that she would concieve a healthy child. Members of the congregation were around us at the time, as it was the end of a sermon, and one by one, each of them surrounded us and began praying along at the same volume as Lazarus. It wasn't long before the building itself was echoing the prayers of more than twice a dozen of people. I myself was moved to tears.

Months later, Helen was pregnant. And she gave birth to a healthy baby boy. Ever since then, I thought that Lazarus was surely special. Not just to the world, but to me. The man was a miracle worker, and I would follow him to the ends of the Earth.

I learned later on what the core teachings of the Church of Lazar were. Lazarus preached that the path to heaven was through hell, but he was always vague about this. Some sermons, he said that it meant people reach for salvation after experiencing the hardships on Earth caused by their sin. Other times, he alludes to certain sinners having sins that they can't repent from because 'they have not yet felt hell.' Of course, I paid no mind to it, and simply saw this as normal theology then. Lived by it even.

As the church grew, Lazarus got more