My name is Isabella Van Wagenen and for several years I was a member of a religious cult called Kingdom of Zion. Outsiders have a nastier name for a farm community that was transformed into a religious compound. They called it the Kingdom of Matthias, referring of course to the founder, Robert Matthews. Mr. Matthews was a self-styled prophet who decided to renounce Christianity and made the declaration that an Old Testament type of religious movement will come to pass. He was the self-appointed leader of that movement. I was attracted to this religious cult because of two compelling forces within my personal life. First, I was a former slave. Second, I yearned for the mystical side of Christianity. I still believe that there is such a thing as a mystical side of Christianity, but it will not manifest itself in personalities like Robert Matthews.

I was drawn to the Kingdom of Zion like a moth to a flame. However, the attraction could not be considered as love at first sight. It was a complex personal journey that brought me to the feet of the Prophet Matthias. I was born a slave.

As a slave, I had a first hand encounter of how the white people treated Negro slaves as if they were beasts of burden. I never felt equal to white people, and they made me feel that I was a member of a subhuman group. They justified their terrible acts towards me through a perverted belief system. However, I became a Christian, and ironically, I was attracted to churches established by white people.

Within my spirit there was a longing to experience God, in the same way that Biblical characters were able to experience the spiritual realm. At the same time, there was a secret longing within me that white people can be transformed, and therefore, their view towards Negro slaves can be modified as well. Imagine my surprise when I met Elijah Pierson. At first glance, Mr. Pierson had the same external features, and he sounded like the slave owners that I hated for the most part of my life. However, Mr. Pierson and his wife were different from the other white people.

Kindness of Mr. and Mrs. Pierson convinced me that they were genuine Christian believers. I became a part of the religious movement that Mr. Pierson started. Nonetheless, I have to acknowledge that great things have a beginning and an end. In the case of Mr. Pierson, his dark days began when his wife died. However, I was still a loyal servant to Mr. Pierson.

One day, in May 1832, Robert Matthias came to visit Mr. Pierson. I was the one who opened the door of a meeting house and I met him face-to-face. He introduced himself as the Prophet Matthias. He was like a Bible character that came to life. The words he said were not like the religious leaders from the rich and affluent white churches. He was what I envisioned a prophet to be, and when I saw him I wanted to serve him in the same way that I served Mr. Pierson.

Mr. Piersons acceptance of the Prophet Matthias bolstered his claim as the man of God. From my point of view, Mr. Pierson was an authority when it comes to discerning the character of a person. Aside from the mystical aura that the Prophet Matthias projected to his followers, I was also drawn to him because of the way he was able to create a community where all members were treated as equals.

I felt acceptance and a genuine concern from the members of the community. From my point of view, there was a community where whites and blacks could coexist. It was also a utopian world for me, because in the beginning there were genuine relationships patterned after the New Testament Church. However, the external appearance proved to be short lived.

I began to feel disillusioned by the movement and its leader  the Prophet Matthias  when members of the community began to embrace a strange religious doctrine. Mr. Robert Matthews persuaded the members of the community that each person had a soul mate or there was somebody that was meant to be their lifelong partner. I was stunned when Mr. Matthews made the declaration that his soul mate was a married woman. Mrs. Ann Folger, together with Mr. Folger, owned an estate wherein the Kingdom of Zion was established. More importantly both husband and wife were members of the said religious community.

My suspicions deepened, and my disillusionment with the group reached the critical point when adulterous relationships were consummated within the said group. But the most problematic consequence was that I had no partner, therefore, all the household chores were given to me, while newly created romantic relationships prevented others from helping me to clean the house and cook food. The straw that broke the camel's back, so to speak, was when I learned that even the newly married couples were not faithful to their new husbands and wives. It was the turning point for me.

It was discovered later on that Mr. Matthews was a fraud. As a result the members of the Kingdom of Zion started an ugly quarrel. The incessant fighting spilled outside the borders of the religious community. The movement was revealed in the local newspapers. Afterwards I decided to leave the group when I was caught in the crossfire of the fight between Mr. Matthews and Mr. Folger.

I learned to be wary of self-proclaimed prophets. I do not associate myself with religious leaders who believe that they are better than others. As soon as a religious leader started to talk about his self-importance, that is the signal for me to leave the group. I also realized that the Bible must be followed, and it is wrong to selectively obey the commands of God. I was reminded of the fact that the Bible warned against the evil of adulterous relationships.

I am now a wiser person when it comes to judging the character of men. The whole experience opened my eyes to see the link between a man's words and his actions. Words spoken must be followed by an authentic action to verify the claim made beforehand. In the case of Robert Matthews, I did not demand the same level of honesty and integrity from him.

I still believe in the Bible and the Christian way of life. In fact, after the fiasco of Robert Matthews I dedicated my life to helping those who are in need, especially those who suffered from the impact of slavery. Although the Kingdom of Zion was one of the darkest episodes of my life, I learned so many things during the time spent in the company of charismatic leaders. I learned how to speak with confidence and authority. I used that experience, and the skills that I learned in the said setting to develop my ability to persuade people that slavery is not from God.