Religion - Christian Perspectives

Hello Everyone. My topic today is about religion. Perhaps it is because of the passing of Jerry Falwell (scourge of society). I was digging through some old emails that I wrote to a girlfriend of mine. This anonymous person is a Jehovah’s Witness and is tormented by guilt. I wrote her this letter a few years ago. I thought some of you might enjoy reading it, so here it is….

Dear *******,

Here are some examples of forgiveness: King David had a man killed because he wanted to have sex with his wife. God forgave him. Have you killed anyone for sex? Don't you believe that your sins pale in comparison to King David. How about Jesus? He forgave a prostitute of all of her sins. Have you screwed as many people as a prostitute? If Jesus forgave her, why wouldn't he forgive you? The bible says that Jesus died as a blood sacrifice to atone for mankind’s sins. Accept the gift that God gave you! You are already forgiven in his eyes. Stop walking around hating yourself! This is man's way, not God's! 10,000 elders could stand in front of me and tell me that I am condemned. Are they more important or carry more weight than the sacrifice of Jesus Christ who died so that my sins could be forgiven? I don't think so! Jesus was brutally butchered so that we can live free - so that we can have joy and happiness.

I know that the things that I am saying are considered heresy / apostasy. You must think about these things, though ****. I know that you don't like to think. You like to feel. This is why there is a national anthem! Music makes people feel. Many times, it is easy to control people thru feeling. No one stops to think, "hey what’s going on here?" when they are caught up in a feeling. You feel the closeness, the togetherness, the oneness of belonging to a group. It is comforting to be a part of something greater than yourself. This is how humans do things - tribes, villages, states, religions. There comes a time in life when we must think about things, or else we will just go with what is easiest - what everyone else is doing - what we have always been told to do. That is not searching for the truth. That is conforming to the social norm. What can be wrong with questioning? If the truth is the truth then it holds up to scrutiny, right? That’s what makes it the truth. We must ask ourselves a fundamental question: does God want us to walk around feeling guilty all of the time, afraid that we are going to perish at Armageddon? This is control by fear. Using the emotion/feeling of psychological fear to manipulate the mind. Does God need to manipulate thru fear? No! God is love remember? The fruits of the spirit are Love, joy, peace, goodness, kindness, faith, long suffering. I am a father. I want my children to have JOY!! Isn't God more loving and understanding than me? How much more does he want you to feel Joy?

I am afraid to send this email to you. I am afraid because I know what these words represent. Your wonderful father and brother, how could they be wrong? Rusty has no right to say these things!! Who does he think he is anyway? Maybe they weren't wrong. Everyone must find his or her own path. They walked their paths with dignity and honor. You are always trying to please everyone else, *** - your family, the congregation. You are a spirited, bright soul, ****. This is how God made you. It is difficult for you to follow in their footsteps. You are going against your natural flow. You try and try, but there is a yearning, a longing that goes unfulfilled. You read the publications, you study and attend 5 meetings a week, but something is still restless inside of you. It is not this way for everyone! The path that you walk is easier for some because it fits their disposition. Jesus said that he was the end of the Law. He said that the law would now be written in the hearts of men/women. How many publications and books do we need to serve God? You shine like the sun, ****. Your light is beginning to break through the illusion that you have found yourself in. You may brush these words off now as irrelevant, but eventually you will come to understand. It really all comes down to love or fear. Which is the stronger? Shall we live for the illuminating inspiration of Love, or shall we cringe in fear at the thought of death and destruction? How do you think Jesus would answer? He would tell us to have FAITH in his sacrifice. He would tell us that he died so that we could have joy and peace. He did not die so that we could hate ourselves! This is the GOOD NEWS!

I love you more than life itself ******. I always have and I always will. I would gladly, without hesitation die for you! I would walk through the fires of illusion and darkness just to be by your side. I would travel to the ends of the Earth to find you if you were lost. If you hate me and fear me because of the things I have said, then I will go away from you. I don't want to, though.
Rusty