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Isobel Hocken, MorelloCherry Raymaker and Calliope Simon flying around at Lake Abyss
Despite the strict rules, Lake Abyss provided a congregating place for old and new friends who had once frequented Truth.
Three constant visitors were the threesome seen above, all (despite the rules) dressed in black and in clothes "suggestive of idolatry"). This quickly became a sore point with me, as you will learn.
One of Abner's Bible Studies at his Lake Abyss site, showing his associates and fake avatars, with henchmen sent to listen to and spy on guests.
Even More Hypocrisy
There was, in September 2007, a shift away from the ALM site (Truth island) to Abner's new set-up, a private island called "Lake Abyss". Typically for Abner, he'd bought land owned and located next to a BDSM Vampire cult, whether on purpose or by accident we could never know.
Lake Abyss was a barren place both in vegetation and human warmth, but it did provide an alternative gathering place for the Truth clan, free from the watchful eye of California Condor and the continuing sniping and disapproval of the place in general.
The Idolatry Tour
Abner started as he meant to go on. He installed all his overhead display boards, plus some more even more lurid ones, underneath the water of the lake and pointed to the tour with a large sign "Into The Abyss". If anyone did venture down into the depths of the lake, they would have been dismayed or even shocked by what they saw.
As well as the boards he'd used on Truth (seen in the photos attached to the previous page) he added more features he considered "idolatrous". Idolatry - whatever it meant to him - was the keynote of everything Abner opposed. I frequently tried to pin him down on what idolatry meant to him, but he didn't provide a sensible answer. There were screenshots of BDSM people on SL, demons and vampires, various winged avatars, and photos of celebrities in the real world, movie stars and rock artists etc, all of whom - to Abner's way of thinking - illustrated the "evil" that he'd come to oppose.
The Rules
In addition, boards on the island warned of the rules for visiting. For Christians these included "anything that might present even the slightest any risk of being idolatrous. This includes black or mostly black outfits, wings, goth, heavy-metal (etc) ..." and the sign warned that the list would be changed and updated frequently. You could never be sure what would come under Abner's disapproval next.
As I already knew, Abner was mentally deranged and trying to escape the guilt and sin of his own life by blaming everyone else. Everyone in his life became "evil" and "idolatrous" because that is how he saw himself. His hatred of women was a cover for his own libidinous thoughts that he couldn't admit to...this became obvious when he and a gullible SL user called Zandi Muni (pictured here) "became an item" on Lake Abyss.
It was gossiped that Abner was already visiting BSDM sims under another name, but also we witnessed Zandi turning up on the island in pony-girl outfits and bdsm accessories because she'd forgotten to change. We heard that the couple were planning to meet in real life, too.Zandi seemed besotted with Abner and defended him whatever he did or said. But Morellocherry told me that "she left the group, and then started dressing like an SL hooker, and her excuse was she doesn't have to live by Abner's rules any more - she came on dressed in a hentai outfit with half a top on the other day."
Certain favoured people like Zandi Muni and Isobel Hocken were allowed to dress and do as they pleased on Lake Abyss, and Calliope was tolerated because she had Abner and his friends running scared about what she might do to them if she was banned (LOL) while the guns were well and truly out for me.Paranoia and Suspicion
Things took a downward turn when Lake Abyss started to be seriously "griefed". Of course, it attracted the usual cast of anti-christian characters, but it seemed like Calliope was up to her old tricks, and from the way Abner was eyeing me up, it looked like I was implicated in the attacks. This started to sound VERY familiar.
Abner had already taken against me and my husband, having decided we were "rebels and anti-authority", partly as a result of California Condor's input on Truth (Abner said I "deserved the ban for defying authority") and partly because he couldn't find a way to intimidate or out-reason me on theology.
Abner was absolute on one thing: it was HIS WAY OR THE HIGHWAY and he proudly set himself up as absolute Lord and Ruler of his estate. Anyone who dared to "defy his authority" (basically by disagreeing with him) was asked to leave, or ejected and banned. This happened to me a few times, but the ban was lifted after a couple of days and I'd go back.
No Kind of Church
However, never one to put up with stupidity and ignorance, I couldn't keep my mouth shut during Abner's illogical rants. In addition, I started coming to Lake Abyss simply to warn new users NOT to expect Christian fellowship there.
It was billed as the "Christian Gospel Community" so newbies would turn up looking for a Church, or in the case of unbelievers, looking for help and advice. Lake Abyss wasn't the place to find it, and I felt a kind of pastoral duty about it - I suggested they look elsewhere, and gave them landmarks to other, better, places of fellowship.
For myself, I never feared a spiritual battle or a theological argument as I'd been long enough in the faith, with my hands on the wheel, to combat any nonsense thrown at me. This seemed just to confirm to Abner that I was bad news - a strong woman who could speak up for herself. All women ought to be "under authority" according to the Righteous One!
Abner began to be totally paranoid about griefers, believed every ridiculous lie that Calliope told him, and set up security guards, watchers, and other devices for monitoring the island. I came under great pressure when everything I said and did was viewed with suspicion.
I happened to turn up on Lake Abyss wearing an attachment that I'd forgotten about - a face light that happened to incorporate a simplistic person-radar. It told you who was online and how far they were away. Abner nearly had a cow, and it needed to be explained to him that it wasn't a weapon or anything to be scared of. (Of course I had to remove it.)
Showdown at the Abysss Corale
One day, I was feeling angry at the way my friends (and other unsuspecting visitors) were being abused on Lake Abyss. We had gathered there in the early days because it was novel, low-lag, and a place to meet friends, but that had all been spoiled because Abner and his henchmen (mostly Adonijah Eliphas) would immediately drop down onto any visitor and play the rules game.
I'd grown irritated by the pettiness, the indiscriminate condemnation, the hypocritical and prejudiced attitudes that sought to damn some unfortunates (Like Robert Weeks) for having differing beliefs, or dressing in what Abner considered inapropriate clothing, and let others "get away with murder".
Isobel Hocken (seen on the right) - who usually dressed in Goth, or a variety of black rock-chick outfits - was never reprimanded.
Me being deliberately provocative and wearing a black goth-style outfit to test the waters of "Lake Condemnation".
Was Abner's hatred of black and goth universal or intended to condemn some and accept others?
I pointed this out and asked why. I was told "It's because we love Isobel". Ah, I see, people you like can do what they please. How impartial is that?
I happened to have in my SL clothing collection a number of outfits I would wear when the mood took me. None of them too raunchy or revealing , but some were black, or leather, or had a Goth slant to them. (I've never been into Goth in real life, but on Secondlife it's sometimes nice to let your hair down and play the dressing-up game.) It seemed ridiculous to me that I - exactly the same person in real life - could be "accepted" wearing a skirt and jumper but half an hour later could be pronounced "evil, idolatrous and not a Christian" when my avatar wore a black outfit. In a mischievous mood, I decided to test the theory and make a point about false piety, by turning up at Lake Abyss wearing a black top and trousers. (see opposite) Even I was astounded by the reaction...
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