As for why retainer sacrifice emerged in the first place, “When you establish a new form of government, especially one that relies on a single divine or semi-divine ruler, you have to convince a huge population that you’re in power, and control over life or death is one of the best ways to do that,” said Campbell. “And it seems likely that there was already belief in an afterlife. Why else would you need objects in your tomb? Why else would you need to take your officials and servants into the afterlife? This suggests they’re going to have a function after death. If you just want to kill people to display your power, you could pick a bunch of poor farmers and nobody would necessarily care.”
— Jennifer Ouellette, “New forensic evidence supports Egyptian “retainer sacrifice””
We currently conduct a full worship service on the first Sunday of each month, and discuss a different short reading each of the remaining Sundays.
At 6:00 p.m. on Sunday, 11 October, we will open with a very brief service and chalice lighting, followed by our discussion. Robert Helfer will lead the service and discussion. We will be exploring a bit of ancient religious practices through our discussion of “New forensic evidence supports Egyptian “retainer sacrifice” by Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 5 October 2026.
The article, “New forensic evidence supports Egyptian “retainer sacrifice””, by Jennifer Ouellette, can be found here.
Please Join us for Worship.
Our services are Sundays at 6:00 p.m. Eastern Time on Google Meet and in person at the Progressive Women’s Association Event Center, 305 Washington Ave. in downtown Clarksburg, behind the Courthouse. A coffee hour, a time for discussion and socializing (including Google Meet participants), follows from the end of the service until 8:00 p.m. More about us.
If you prefer not to be seen, video is optional. If you would like to participate online, please email westforkuu@gmail.com for details and a link, or for help with using Google Meet.
We would love to have you come worship with us.
Children are welcome.
The building is wheelchair accessible, with an accessible restroom. You may park on the south side of the building, which is marked reserved for the PWA, or the north, where the reserved spaces are available on Sundays.
Email westforkuu@gmail.com or use our contact form for more information or write to us at PO Box 523, Clarksburg WV 26302
