Barbara Heinemann Landmann - Christian Metz Dies, 1867.

Christian Metz Dies, 1867.

Barbara's testimonies sometimes seemed harsher than those of Christian Metz.

One gathers from the "still living witnesses" that these later ordinances of the "Old Sister" were a great cross to Christian Metz who was constantly called upon to "adjust the difficulties." (Shambaugh, 1908)

Christian Metz died in 1867, at the age of 72. Barbara, the same age, was now the Community's sole Werkzeug. She continued in this role for another 16 years, until her own death in 1883, at the age of 88.

Her testimonies were no longer tempered by Christian Metz. Shambaugh (1908) reports on some of her denunciations.

Barbara freely denounced "godless marriages"--marriages made without the approval of the Werkzeug. Shambaugh (1908) reports that "on this very account she was the cause of a good many withdrawals from the Society during her later years."

Barbara condemned photographs, basing her condemnation on a commandment given to Moses:

Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. (Exodus, 20:4)

The Elders approved of this denunciation. In November 1873, after the annual Untersuchung, they ordered the annihilation or surrender of all photographs. Furthermore, they ordered a General Assembly in each village in order to read aloud to the people a testimony in which the Lord condemned idolatry.

Barbara denounced Christmas presents. The Elders concurred. In December 1873, at a Sunday meeting in each village, the Elders read aloud the testimony of 1849 dealing with the "desecration of the Christmas feast through too many vain and sensual gifts."

Barbara viewed general reading with disfavor. She held that the reading of newspapers was the chief cause of the "retrograding of the young people." She condemned reading for entertainment as "soul dissipation" and as "diverting the mind from heaven and the things which are of the Lord." She denounced reading for knowledge with equal severity, since it is written in the Bible that "knowledge puffeth up" (1 Corinthians, 8:1) and that "in much wisdom is much grief; and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow." (Ecclesiastes, 1:18).

Her denunciation of reading was in keeping with her disdain for intellectual achievements. She believed that the Lord would reveal all that a person needed to know. In 1878, under the influence of Inspiration, she told an Elder who was of a scientific turn of mind: "It is not necessary that you should possess so great knowledge gained through pondering over the wonders and secrets of God."

In 1880, she denounced the planting of ornamental trees.

See ye to it then that all trees not bearing fruit be removed from the house, for they belong to the pleasure of the eye. You indeed have the opportunity to plant a fruit-tree instead, in which the Lord and all sensible people take pleasure. (Jahrbuch, 1880)