A Nice Letter from a Reader

While I disagree with this woman's conclusions about God and the singular organism nature of the Bible, I sincerely appreciated her tone. Her letter is below:

I found your blog because I am keeping up with the Gothard drama. It is riveting.  

I do not blame you for your anger for having been raised under legalism and patriarchy or even for becoming an atheist and calling something that does not exist all sorts of names.  It is like you were hit with a teddy bear full of nails, constantly being told how warm and cuddly it was, but your senses told you different.  (Smart man, you were right to question.)  Nobody in their right mind would even hug any stuffed animal after that. 

(BTW, in a college class I took, the professor told the story of a toddler who every time he was presented with a stuffed animal, the “researchers” would make loud banging noises.  In essence, like Pavlov’s dog, they were conditioning him to hate or be afraid of or at least have a dislike for soft cuddly things. Even though the stuffed animals would never hurt him and were still soft and cuddly those researchers ruined it for the little boy to ever enjoy a stuffed animal.)  

Under religion, my husband, who was min. of music, ed and youth in a bapt. church,   was called into the pastor’s office and asked “what is wrong with your wayward wife?” I had ridden my horse to church along with a little girl who rode her horse to church.  (it was the only way she would come to church, you think we would get credit for getting the kid to church) geesh! this same pastor told me I was to wear dresses at all times and not have pets because of the image wer were to keep !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  

at another church, we  went through a partial  Gothard thing in the 80’s, wives being subservient, feminine, keepers of home and children,  and obedient and fruitful.  I stood out like a sore thumb...I hate dresses, do not wear make-up, love horses, did not want to have children, did not care about keeping house, have cats, dogs and horses. had a full time career teaching in public school, (while our church pushed home school as the only way God would bless) did nothing except put all sorts of guilt on me...why was I different, must be something wrong with me, etc.  I tried it but was not me and was NOT happy.  That and 2 tornadoes hitting our house  in 3 yrs was driving me to a nervous breakdown.  I hashed it out with God, not man, until I got a hold of Him, heard directly from Him that He had made me a certain way and it was not sin.  God does not make cookie cutter christians.  when they all begin to dress and act alike, I figure their salvation has become slavation. 

Too bad that men get the wrong idea about christianity and turn it into a religion with all sorts of rules. The original rules in the OT were meant for the Israelites, who became the Jews. They lived under a theocracy and God used them to destroy the evil in the land (like the cultures that burned live babies as sacrifices to their gods) . In the NT, Jesus affirmed only the moral rules of the OT and  left only 2 rules for men to follow, love God, love others. (I have trouble with both, so I am glad I am free of any other rule.  My husband, not so much. he still likes that submissive thing, even though he won’t admit it.) 

As a  free thinker and problem solver and my mind is always turning trying to solve life’s big and small problems.(would I believe in God if I lived in a country where christians were really persecuted for their faith?)   

Anyway, if you got to the bottom of this letter, and I do not blame you if you deleted it in the first sentence, I want to tell you how sorry I am for all you had to suffer.  I hope you find your way and healing comes to you.

 I didn't destroy the letter. Again, thank you.

Love,

I. C.