The Christian Homesteading Movement
(Page 2 of 8)
March/April 1971
By Hal Smith
"An average day," he said, "begins usually before sunrise with Psalms, continues with a breakfast of cattle-grade corn meal and powdered milk—which takes getting used to—and is followed by a full day of work at a comfortable pace."
RELATED CONTENT
From planning your home to laying out garden beds, long-time homesteader Steve Maxwell offers advic...
Whether you have 40 rural acres or an urban container garden, everyone can discover the art of home...
Heritage breeds are a great option for those with a small acreage. The breeds are hardy and versati...
The Good Life as lived by one young family in the British Columbia Kootenay Mountains....
For many land-hungry homesteaders, Alaska has always been the "last frontier": the one area where p...
The work might include trimming apple trees, cutting firewood, gardening, gathering herbs or washing clothes. There is no electricity or running water, so water has to be hauled up from a spring.
Grace is said before meals. Aside from corn meal, the diet consists of potatoes, oat meal, squash, beans, peas, beets, turnips, wild and domestic greens, apples, nuts, wild berries, goat's milk and herb teas. Hunting small game is allowed, but the farm's residents are usually vegetarians.
After lunch there is an hour for discussion, reading (quietly or aloud), recreation (usually horse shoes or whittling) or a nap. Work then continues until supper. After that a few chapters of the Bible are read and discussed. The last act of the day is the singing of Psalms and a prayer.
"Richard's view of life is that we must seriously attempt to better ourselves continuously or face Hell," Dick said. "Although he's friendly, his scene gets heavy, especially after a guest passes a little time here.
"The novice with serious or semi-serious intentions can get a lot of good technical advice if he or she cooperates to a degree. Richard's outlook on religion is interesting and inspiring, and he makes a fine friend. It's well worth a letter and a visit of some length."
A talk with Richard Fahey and a survey of CHM's literature makes it clear that these homesteaders are conservative politically as well as religiously, though ostensibly the group has no political character. However, articles extolling private enterprise and individualism—for example—have appeared in the movement's bi-monthly paper, The Homesteader, along with attacks on the "Welfare State." Patriarchy, private property, voluntary poverty, celibacy and virtually total abstinence from the money economy (bartering wherever possible) are encouraged.
The movement is multi-denominational, though the Catholic division is apparently the only active one. The group has a constitution and a governing Council of Regents. This is probably the most revealing paragraph in CHM literature:
We are concerned with the perfection of each individual, knowing that the world can never be reformed without the reformation of self first. We believe that, while many good and selfless people are striking at the branches of social evils, the root—the stability of the family—is neglected. Most people are not, can not, be social reformers, but they are parents and have the sacred duty to form their children and themselves in the likeness of God. Failing in this, it matters little how many hospitals they build, books they write, or cures they discover. Succeeding in this, they have the success that counts for eternity.
Page:
<< Previous 1 | 2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
8 |
Next >>
