Wow...Hate Mail

I was away this last weekend, as I was down visiting in-laws in Nebraska. Upon my return on Monday, I checked the parish mail box. Lo and behold, I received the following piece of hate mail:


Front
Back


This does, of course, reference the front page picture the local paper ran of me a few weeks back regarding our annual St. Francis Day Blessing of the Animals. And then for kicks, added with this anonymously hand written letter were two little booklets, one of which had some of the following pages excerpts:
Front


Middle Page 1


Middle Page 2
I have decided to leave out the other more inflammatory pages and booklet. Suffice is to say, I'm going to burn in hell like all the rest of the Roman Catholics (and Anglicans, Eastern Orthodox, Lutherans, and a wide range of other Protestants).


I don't even know where to begin with this. I would have actually theologically responded to the author, had there been a return address. I will likely respond to the basic theological question(s) posed here in subsequent days.


For purposes of this blog entry, I would only note that St. Paul urges Christians that their "Yes be Yes, and there No be no." (Matthew 5:37). And if you have a grieveance with your brother or sister, "Go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over. (Matthew 18:15)." In other words, Christians should not send threatening and anonymous hate mail.


And, so you know, Episcopal priests can quote scripture as well because that King James Bible you are reading...we came up with that as well. 

Comments

Undergroundpewster said…
The blessing of the animals celebration is a theological issue that I would not mind seeing discussed. I come from a place where the shrimp boats get blessed each year when the season starts, and we do bless our animals especially when they are served as part of a nice dinner.

A local secretary once smiled and told me, "Oh you go to that church. The one that blesses animals..."
She did it in a nice way.

Those anti-Catholic pamphlets have a way of showing up in my mailbox sometimes too, and I am Episcopalian! If the sender only knew all the things that went on in TEc, I would have double the incoming mail that I have now.
10/25/2011 3:02 PM
Jane Ellen+ said…
"Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains, your judgments are like the great deep; you save humans and animals alike, O Lord." Psalm 36:6

No, it's not a full response; but it has corked selective literalists in the past...
10/26/2011 1:25 PM
The Archer of the Forest said…
Hmmm...I may use that.
10/26/2011 8:28 PM
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