Category : Stories

Sub Category : YoungAdult

 
    M.Lnette Hume 
AKA Martha Williamson
AKA Martha Nesbitt

 The older chruch women scolded Lilly for reading her Dime Store Novels. Almost daily the elder ladies of the churh cautioned the young wife , If you keep reading those cheap romnance novels it will lead you into  a life of sin . Lilly agreed with her adversaries there is a lot of ' loose living ' in these pages.

  Lilly had discovered a hidden secret to the Romnce novel one she believed would hold up in any church inquisition . Between the lines of lustful living were moral lessons. Lilly was confident if those who sat to condemn her ever read one of the stories they blindly dispise they would discover hidden below the surface was a moral lesson. The ' sinful ' women in these novels always pay for their immoral ways .

Many of the heroines were giving therir bodies to men before marriage , some were slipping around and having forbidden affairs with men other than their husbands. In some of the novels women were having babies out of wedlock . Many of the women were flirting with men teasing them enticing the men to commint fornication and adultery . Lilly argued the the scenes of every romance novel are taken from life . shamelessly, Lilly argued " Woman shall not be entertained by the Bible and church alone .

The church had banned Romance Novels declaring any woman who reads sucn filth shall be removed from the chruch roll ; her name shall be stricken from " The Lamb's Book of LIfe " until such time as she will  repent , renounce her lustful ways and return to the pure word  of God.

The woman of the community refused to be seen near Lilly's house . They forbade their daughters to visit Lilly or socialize with her in any way . The pressure was on Morgan to restrict Lllly's immoral reading habits . The men of the community and the church demanded Morgan curtail Lilly's lustful ways . The men counseled Morgan , " As the Head of the household God holds you accountabe for Lilly's actions . For the sake of your soul and the souls of your children you must take Lilly in hand .

Morgan knew what the men were suggesting he do. And if he found it to be necessary he would not hesitate to take a strap to his wife . He would not be pressured into disciplining his wife by men who failed to maintain order in their own homes. Gossiping and judging others were as sinful as reading a Dime Store Novel. Those men were envious because Lilly could read and their wives couldn't

The members of their community held prayer vigils for Lilly, They hoped the power of prayer and the chruch would turn Lilly from her wickedness. Driven by Christian Compassion they secretly placed pryer cloths inside her home between the pages of her romance novels.  In Christian Love they sprinkled sacred olive oil above the door and along the windowsills of her home .

The pastor annointed Lilly and Morgan with annointing oil and prayed for them . The church held exorcisms in the entrace and exits to their home .

 Lilly continued to explain , in every novel there is a price the un- Christian woman has to pay for the sins she has committed . Lilly explained again for me these novels serve as a reminder of the things I should not do . I find my dime stroe novels to be miniture lessons in morality .

This ended the condemnation of Lilly .



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Lamb's Book of LIfe "