the division, (standard:Inspirational stories, 1578 words)
Author: stanley mcqueen kentucky backwoods writer	Added: May 15 2009	Views/Reads: 2987/2000	Story vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
down threw the ages man has difference of religions, folks see different for a lot of different reason, but God has called all men to peace not divisons..

(the Division) 

The ridged that overlooks our shack is standing in corn, and its mid
July and hot , and on this ridge with shopping hoes in our hands , we 
three make up the turner clan, paw bares the name of Denver and maw her 
handle is Sara and I am called Daniel Turner, guess you could say that 
we are the poorest folks in these part of Muddy Fork county, 

We are so poor that paw don't even own a mule to plow our corn ground
and he has to borrow a mule to plow and turn our ground in the spring,  
our little hillside farm is about to steep for a cow to stand on and 
its rocky ground , we grow enough corn to sell to in the fall, and 
every year we grow a big garden and mammy cans our food  for the 
winter, we get by just by the skin of our teeth, neither paw and Maw 
can read writing or write , I have learned to write going to the little 
one room school house that set down in the valley where they teach 
lesion that goes to the eighth grade. Its hard to make end meet here in 
Muddy Fork, most everyone that lives here are poor like us, Today is 
very hot and weed threaten our corn patch and the three of us are 
cutting the weed our between  our corn rows, its hard work , but must 
be done to keep the weeds from taking over our corn, I don't mind 
chopping out weeds but what I do mind is paw and maw arguing over their 
religion, Mammy she favors the holiness Church and paw favors the hard 
shell Baptist , each attend different churches, Mammy church is called 
the goose Rock chapel holiness church , and paw church is called the 
goose rock hard shell Baptist church, Every time we work in the corn 
fields together they always get into a argument and they create a bad 
fuss , today on this hot July day the fuss has started, Maw she is 
hoeing beside paw and they are neck to neck, maw she roared out  Denver 
you remember the other day when we was discussing our religion and our 
differences and you said that the hard shell Baptist was on the mark in 
the good  book, well husband I am bound to strengthen you out on that 
subject, it is known that the hard shell Baptist take a snort of 
whiskey now and again, and I would grant you that you could dig around 
in every corn crib of the hard shell Baptist Folks and find a jug of 
whiskey, she said” 

Now see here woman us hard shell Baptist take a drink for medicine and
the like, but we don't drink for the feel good just for a bad cold or 
the like Paw declared” yep that what I thought you would say Mammy 
roared back , all you want to do is start trouble paw told Mammy. I 
will defend my church said Mammy and I don't aim to have you telling 
folks that the hard shells are the only true church as you often do 
when we visit the neighbors, all you like to do is put down us holiness 
church , our pastor said last Sunday that he wished the holiness church 
would move its members out of this valley so we could get more members 
to join the hard shell church, you all don't believe in picture shows 
and lip stick and long hair and beards , and just about anything that 
isn't important really ,. We Baptist believe that the lord look at the 
heart of man not the face or the body but the inner man paw declares” 
Yes and you all will allow about anything, drinking and cussing, and 
swearing, and lying, and adultery, you all don't believe in handling 
snakes or nothing , you go and put on you Sunday best clothes and go 
and set and listen to that soft spoken so called preacher of your 
congregation , just to get your ears tickled mammy proclaims' That 
about enough about my good hard shell Baptist brother and sisters, and 
now our son Franklin knows who starts these discussion and he want ever 
want to go to church because of our bad light we are setting forth 
before him paw said” yes and its all your fault Mammy hammered back 
‘and if he goes to hell it will be laid to your charged no mine mammy 
snapped” You're the one that starts this ever time we get to working 
these corn patches you have to run that mouth of yours against my 
church paw reminds Mammy . I did not start this it was you that always 
brings our difference up maw declared' Just as sure as this corn is 
green there will be hard shell Baptist in heaven, I seen the light when 
I got religion in a hard shell Baptist church before I married you I 
was born again of the lord spirit , and then I was dumb enough to marry 
a holiness  woman that all she wants to do us make fun of my church, 
paw face was red and he was mad and mammy was too, I thought this 
conversation had went far enough, I expected maw to wrap her chopping 
hoe around paw neck, so I desired to put my two cents in and maybe get 
this arguing stopped for one and for all.. Could I say something to 
each of you I spoke up and mammy and paw took notice of my voice, yep 
son go ahead and speak your peace mammy said' You two are both missing 
the point on religion,  now mammy your bible says not to argue on the 


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