The Way of Christ

"So all the people of the world got together, and since they loved God so much, they pooled their resources and knowledge into creating a giant tower to reach to the heavens. That way, they could spend time with God. Naturally, God, in His infinite wisdom, destroyed their tower and spread them all to different corners of the world. Then He made them all speak different languages so that they could no longer communicate and befriend one another," I said, continuing my daily sermon. The horses around me were enraptured by my stories of God and His loving brutality. He's so great.

It had been little over a week since I first arrived in this filthy town, and I'd already won most of the inhabitants over with my preaching. It turns out retarded, outcast, inbred horses are easy to convert to christianity. Who would have guessed? I even told the idiots that God would forgive them for all their sins, even the massive amounts of murder and cannibalism that they had committed thus far. The fools actually believed me, not even realizing that murder is one of the worst sins someone can commit. I successfully had the whole town wrapped around my finger.

Well, the majority of the town, anyway. There was a small group of horses that still denied my truth. The blasphemous curs spoke out against God and tried to get the other townsfolk to go against me. They had to be stopped before they became a problem. Now that I had been around for long enough, it was time to purge the town of the unclean.

I had already done small miracles for the locals. Mostly just things to prove that God had my back and was willing to grant me power as his chosen disciple. They were little more than tricks: turning pine cones into delicious meat, healing minor wounds, and cursing the wife of one of the heretics to cause their child to die at birth. Now it was time to show them God's real power.

I stepped to the edge of the wooden dais I had set up a few days prior and turned to my audience. Most of the town had gathered during my speach, including a group of heretics who were scowling at me from the back of the crowd. "God is great," I stated nonchalantly.

"God is great!" they parroted back.

"He's so forgiving and kind," I continued, pacing across the stage. "But there is one thing that he can't possibly forgive." I paused for effect and the horses inched their heads closer, enraptured by what I was saying. "He can't forgive those who don't love Him. He loves us all unconditionally, and all He requires back is for us to love Him unconditionally as well and to never question anything He does. You all have proven your love of God, and in return, He'll prove how much he loves you back in time."

The horses nodded enthusiastically and some murmurs of agreement went through the crowd.

"Unfortunately, one bad egg among the bunch will spoil it. One drop of deadly poison will dilute a whole bucket of water. One heretic will damn an entire town. There are those among you that oppose our loving God. They spit on his name and seek only to drag you all down to hell with them."

Now the crowd looked panicked, and their eyes instantly turned to focus on the atheists in the back of the group who had been openly speaking out against God all week, knowing that they were the ones to blame.

"God requires for us, as his children, to all love him and to turn others to the light. Fret not though, my friends. We can clean up this town yet. We must simply remove the problem."

"What!" Shouted one of the heretical horses from the back of the group. "You can't truly be suggesting that you want to get rid of us because we disagree with you?! We've lived here our whole lives. We have more right to live here than you! The rest of the town knows us, and they won't go along with your plan even if they're fooled by your ridiculous God."

I frowned. Clearly this one was more intelligent than the others. No matter, I'd simply make an example of him. Then no one would ever question my supremacy again. "You will not rock our faith with your vial tongue, heretic!" I called out, scowling at the horse that dared to speak against me. "I can see that you are a servant of the Devil, trying to keep Jesus and his love out of our hearts. Demons take many forms and seek to trick us with their lies. Let us show God how much we love Him by disposing of this spawn of hell!"

The crowd began cheering at my inspirational words, so it was time for me to get to work. I put my arms forward, feeling the power of God himself flowing through me as I prayed to him. My faith is strong, and so too is God's faith in me. "We pray that you smite this heretic, our divine God, who dares to mock your holy name. Please, give me the power to do your work so I may prove my love to you!"

My prayer was really just for theatrics. God knows how much I love him and offers me his power at a moment's notice, but I had to impress the town's people with my display so that they'd know never to question God. Suddenly, my hands began to glow a radiant light as from my palms sprung forth a swarm of hungry locusts. Their wings buzzed at full throttle as they raced through the air, their target in sight. Within a matter of seconds the swarm was upon the heretic, latching onto his skin with their clawed appendages and rending his flesh with their mighty mandibles.

He screams and whinnied in both pain and shock as the insects were literally eating him alive. Covered in his own blood and hundreds of the insects he fell to the ground, rolling and kicking out in an attempt to remove the pests from his skin. He was able to crush many, but more were buzzing around ready to take their places, and he couldn't keep them from forcing their way into his eyes and open nostrils. His screams turned into a pained gurgling as the locusts forced their way into his mouth and down his throat, ripping his esophagus apart in the process.

He continued to writhe for several minutes before he finally bled to death. The crowd watched on in complete horror as the hungry insects continued to feed, literally stripping the flesh from his bones before their very eyes. Then, as suddenly as they had come, the locusts scattered, leaving the heretic's skinless corpse to rot. Without the buzzing of insect wings, the plaza fell silent.

Eventually the horses began returning their attention to me. I tried to hide my smug smile as best I could, but it was no use. I was just so damn smug, I couldn't help but smirk. "Who else wishes to question God?" I asked, already knowing the answer I'd get from the cowardly horses.

The heretics instantly threw themselves to the ground on their horse knees, begging and pleading for me to show them mercy. I considered just giving them the mercy of a swift death, but no. I was here to convert these disgusting horses, not slaughter them like the dogs that they are. Instead of brutally slaying them all in God's name, I simply told them that if they were to let God into their hearts, He wouldn't harm them. None of the horses ever spoke against God after that day...