Admiration for you Jay!
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| Admiration for you Jay! | Posted on Dec 21 2008 at 7:15pm by |
| I have known of your ministry for quite a few years now. Been on your mailing list for years, once talked via email to one of your staff members that used to be from Ohio. Over the years I have lost my faith and have now turned atheist. For me, a secular, atheist Americain it is extremely important to see parts of the religious community progressive with their thinking on things socially and the world around us. One of the biggest pet peeves is mine is knowing how long it took for the church to open up to the ideas of women's rights, minority equality but yet, those people now that are "freed" from the persecution in many ways, many of them will not even stand up for the rights of another surpressed people, the homosexuals. Sometimes I feel like as an atheist, I feel surpressed myself just because of how taboo "atheism" is. Especially being an atheist with Christian tattoos on his arms, and not to even mention the fact that I have tattoos, mixed it all in, its incredible to me now, how we as human beings sometimes get so safe in our little worlds that we forget about the people who get austricized, judged, persecuted. I admire how you have continually, together, worked towards a better relationship with your father. That's a big issue for me, because, since 1990, I have not had a "normal" relationship with my father. We went 3 years of not talking, then about 7-8 months this year of not talking. Communication issues may be what the problems is for us. We're both two stubborn men, and we can be very vocal about our communication, but for me, its about opening up to him. I find him to be the wisest man I know of, but yet, because of 18 years of constant rollarcoaster like of a relationship, no matter how much my perception of him has changed over the years, it is extremely hard for me to open up to him without my defenses going up. I'm 27, and I do not know what I could really give to you as advice, but I will say this much, just keep up every effort based in the best ability that you and your father can do Jay. For me, the minute he came back in my life, somehow, someway, it was the best thing that I could have had happen to me. The day he called me, a man, was the best day of my life and he called me that in front of other people. I am sure you are realizing how important it is to have some kind of relationship with your father, but in the times where it gets frustrating, and hard, never give up. I get frustrated at times, how him and I can be with each other. Him and I are so much alike but at the same time, we're so different. Him the conservative man, and me the young liberal non-believeing son. I try to keep those differences away until appropiate times of discussions. Just never stop trying Jay :) I hope you and your ministry continually try to build the gap between the undesirables of the church and also the gap between people like me, the secular world. It is very important, at least to me, that we all work together, to make this world a better place. All these years I have tried to keep up with your ministry and even after I have lost all my faith and belief, I still see hope coming from the church from certain groups in Christianity and I will always consider your ministry and what you all do as part of that. May your holidays be good this year Jay, and thanks for all that you do. My mother lives out in Pennsylvania now, and I am hoping to go and take a trip to New York and I hope to check your ministry out when I can do this. Joe P.S. I apologize for any spelling or grammar errors. | |
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| Admiration for you Jay! | Posted on Dec 21 2008 at 7:15pm by |
| I have known of your ministry for quite a few years now. Been on your mailing list for years, once talked via email to one of your staff members that used to be from Ohio. Over the years I have lost my faith and have now turned atheist. For me, a secular, atheist Americain it is extremely important to see parts of the religious community progressive with their thinking on things socially and the world around us. One of the biggest pet peeves is mine is knowing how long it took for the church to open up to the ideas of women's rights, minority equality but yet, those people now that are "freed" from the persecution in many ways, many of them will not even stand up for the rights of another surpressed people, the homosexuals. Sometimes I feel like as an atheist, I feel surpressed myself just because of how taboo "atheism" is. Especially being an atheist with Christian tattoos on his arms, and not to even mention the fact that I have tattoos, mixed it all in, its incredible to me now, how we as human beings sometimes get so safe in our little worlds that we forget about the people who get austricized, judged, persecuted. I admire how you have continually, together, worked towards a better relationship with your father. That's a big issue for me, because, since 1990, I have not had a "normal" relationship with my father. We went 3 years of not talking, then about 7-8 months this year of not talking. Communication issues may be what the problems is for us. We're both two stubborn men, and we can be very vocal about our communication, but for me, its about opening up to him. I find him to be the wisest man I know of, but yet, because of 18 years of constant rollarcoaster like of a relationship, no matter how much my perception of him has changed over the years, it is extremely hard for me to open up to him without my defenses going up. I'm 27, and I do not know what I could really give to you as advice, but I will say this much, just keep up every effort based in the best ability that you and your father can do Jay. For me, the minute he came back in my life, somehow, someway, it was the best thing that I could have had happen to me. The day he called me, a man, was the best day of my life and he called me that in front of other people. I am sure you are realizing how important it is to have some kind of relationship with your father, but in the times where it gets frustrating, and hard, never give up. I get frustrated at times, how him and I can be with each other. Him and I are so much alike but at the same time, we're so different. Him the conservative man, and me the young liberal non-believeing son. I try to keep those differences away until appropiate times of discussions. Just never stop trying Jay :) I hope you and your ministry continually try to build the gap between the undesirables of the church and also the gap between people like me, the secular world. It is very important, at least to me, that we all work together, to make this world a better place. All these years I have tried to keep up with your ministry and even after I have lost all my faith and belief, I still see hope coming from the church from certain groups in Christianity and I will always consider your ministry and what you all do as part of that. May your holidays be good this year Jay, and thanks for all that you do. My mother lives out in Pennsylvania now, and I am hoping to go and take a trip to New York and I hope to check your ministry out when I can do this. Joe P.S. I apologize for any spelling or grammar errors. | |
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