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To: Jerry
Sent: 13 July 2001 20:35
Subject: Re: Your Websit
Hi Jerry,
I'm sorry to hear your wife and child are in hospital and I don't want to
stress you out with opposing views and arguments, so I'll mostly just point you
to a couple of calm articles I wrote that I think will answer your
queries.
In summary, rather than being a crusade against Christianity, my website is
primarily a support site for other ex-Christians, and from my feedback it seems
to work quite well in that regard. Ironically the arguments against Christianity
have been mostly shaken out of me by Christians who write to debate. Sometimes I
initiate a debate for subjects that really interest me though, but nevertheless
I think you will appreciate that a complete change of world view is likely to
leave one interested in examining it and what makes people tick on both sides of
the fence.
I'm sorry that my website makes you feel sad, but there is really no need
for that. Indeed a vast improvement in mental health and fascination with the
world is a common hallmark of people's discovery when they cease being
Christians. I write about this at a number of places on my site (peruse my
feedback for details) but a summary is in the quotes from ex-Christians at http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~slocks/quotes.html Frequently churches tell Christians how unspiritual and unfulfilling a life
outside of Christianity (or "without Christ" etc.) will be. However this
is quite contrary to what ex-Christians find, even when our experiences as
Christians were deemed to be very good by us at the time.
I hope that is at least interesting material and your sadness will soon
lift when your wife and daughter return from hospital, and also that you may see
others as more interesting than sad. Remember too that there are many of
different religious persuasion (e.g. convinced Muslims) who may be mourning for
both my and your "lost states." As I said to Jim Moretz http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~slocks/feedback/jim_moretz.html I
really haven't lost anything in my inner life since I left Christianity and
there is no need to mourn me, just as Muslims, Hindu's and Hare Krishna's need
not morn my lost state (or yours). You can see all this in detail on my site.
None of us can please all those of different viewpoints, so I am already
reconciled to always being mourned by somebody somewhere. The common reaction to
this is to claim that I (and all the other ex-Christians) couldn't have been
"real Christians" in the first place. If you feel this way then see http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~slocks/seek.html
I hope this helps and that all goes well for you and your family, and I
thank you for being open enough to read opposing views and give them thought.
Whatever our views, for me the main thing is that we can all get along and find
each other interesting rather than a sad case!
"I have never met a man so ignorant that I couldn't learn something
from him."
Galileo Galilei
"The important thing is not to stop questioning. "
Albert Einstein
and just incase that looks too heavy...
"I am not young enough to know everything."
Oscar Wilde
"A witty
saying proves nothing."
Voltaire
"I hate quotations."
Ralph Waldo
Emerson
:-)
Best regards,
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