In a huge country like America, there is room for every way of life and every form of religious practice. The traveler should therfore not be surprised if he comes to regions where people still move around in horse-drawn carriages because they regard all the achievements of this world as the devil’s work. And he must expect to come across a lonely settlement somewhere far out in the countryside, where things happen that he actually believed were part of the past.

This collection of episodes is about such settlements. They are usually located far away from any major city and are often not even on the map. The people living in these settlements have withdrawn into this seclusion because here they can live out a form of faith that ties in with the way of life of the people described in the Bible as the chosen people of God.

They see themselves as God’s people of modern times and are convinced that the only true faith that is acceptable in the eyes of God is to live according to the traditional example of the Old Testament. That’s why they adhere to the original principles of faith and if these expressly permit polygamy, then this law is higher than any human law.

The woman is there for the sake of the man, says the Lord. She owes him absolute obedience and he has the right to chastise her if she defies him. With the cane. With the whip. Just as he sees fit. Because she is his property. He has paid her father a bride price and so she belongs to him and he can do with her whatever he wants.

The same applies to children. According to Mosaic law, they belong to their father. He is their owner and therefore has all rights over them. According to the law, they owe him unconditional obedience and he will chastize them if they do not show him respect.

In other words, if either a daughter or a woman resists her owner, she will simply get the cane, the leather strap or the whip. After all, this is what God wanted.