Prayers for you

Published On: February 10, 2015|Categories: MRFF's Inbox|0 Comments|

Accessibility Notice

This post was created on the previous version of the MRFF website, and may not be fully accessible to users of assistive technology. If you need help accessing this content, please reach out via email.
Hello! I just read the most unbelievable story – or it would be unbelievable if I haven’t had an encounter or two with certain types of “Christians” myself. The article included several examples of the mail you receive and I felt compelled to apologize. I am sure you realize this but not all Christians are so filled with hate and acrimony. Some of us can even spell! Some of us have compassion. Some of us even have a sense of humor (though according to my teenage son that is something I lack). When I read my bible I find that I am encouraged to go out and smile at people, open doors for them, wait patiently for my turn in line, let someone pass on the street without screaming obscenities, engage in intelligent, respectful discourse with people that do not think exactly like me, and basically be a nice person. My faith in Jesus Christ encourages me to see every other person on this planet as a human being, just like me, with the same hopes, dreams, fears, needs. . . we are all children of God (or whatever other name you wish to use for him or her – hey, I’m flexible). We are all the family of humanity, traveling together, hoping for a little peace in our souls.
And so, as a woman that struggles daily to be a good Christian, I am going to pray for you. I’m not going to pray that you die or even that you eat shit (trust me, I’m pretty sure that’s worse than death as I once tripped in a cow patty filled pasture and so I can speak with some authority on this) as so many of my “Christian” counterparts have hoped for. Instead I will pray that you continue on your journey with peace, hope, and a great sense of humor. That you continue as you have, fighting for the personal and religious freedoms of your fellow human beings, with much success. I pray that you will be safe from the hate that some people spew because they seem to have read their New Testament incorrectly. And I pray that, in time, you will find that hate mail comes so rarely that you haven’t the material for another book and have only positive messages to post on your website from people that support you.
(name withheld)

Dear (name withheld),
Mikey generously shared your email with me.  I hope you won’t mind if I reply on his behalf as well as mine.  You strike me as someone who’ll understand how busy he is, constantly receiving, dealing with, and following up on pleas for protection from the religiously domineering sort.
First, I’d like to thank you for your wonderful letter!  It is the rare kind, and I do hope your prayers are answered, so it becomes the predominant filler of MRFF’s in-box.
Second, I’d like to disagree with your son.  I think you gave a great sense of humor — especially that bit about the cow pasture!
Finally, I’d like to thank you for not saying that the others “aren’t real Christians.”  Some try to, you know.  It’s called the “no true Scotsman fallacy.”  It’s enough that the poison-pen authors consider themselves Christians.  And, besides, wouldn’t it be judgemental of anyone else to argue otherwise?
I hope you’ll keep following Mikey Weinstein and MRFF’s work.  In fact, if you’re interested in helping us, we could use another good writer —  especially one with such a good sense of humor!
Sincerely,
A long-time MRFF volunteer

 

Share This Story

Leave A Comment