MAN-O-MAN

To: Pastor Dick <dick@negativland.com>
Date sent: Mon, 07 Dec 1998 14:22:58 -0700
From: "M Tice" <feeorin@thedoghousemail.com>
Subject: man-o-man

Uh . . . Dick?

You REALLY need to get your head together, friend. Try a little less dogma and theocratic idiocy and whole lot more SPIRITUALITY.

You a bona fide minister? Man, I gotta tell ya, dickie, the god (lower case g in this case) that you have constructed in your own image would best be left to the black leather, hood, and chains sites.

You NEED HELP!

Your OBVIOUS racist beliefs aside ("Ba Ba Black Sheep" and Satchmo together on the same hate page? Give me a break!), you have some real problems with music appreciation--i.e., YOU DON'T appreciate it, nor anything else (well, besides the Leviathanistic beastial god you bow to, that is). Ya know, Jesus did not look like that Swedish-looking bloke that so commonly is passed off as being a "portrait" of the man (yes, Jesus was indeed a man-- remember that "so fearful that he sweated blood thing that took place the night before the Crucifixion? or the COMPASSION and FORGIVENESS that He showed His FELLOW man? or the FACT that He did have--of all things--a MOTHER (wow; you mean to tell me that God and a WOMAN created Jesus? ya--man had NO PART in that [paraphrazing Sojourner Truth, there] ah .

Dick? get over yourself. Narry a man has ever "saved" a soul; it takes Christ to do that--not you.

Frankly, people (yes; you are a human being) like yourself set Christianity back 2000 years. Hmmmmmmmm . . . seems that would be a few years before it came into existence, yes?

PRECISELY! Point being, you are as far from what Jesus preached and LIVED (you honestly think He would be all caught up in your McCarthy-esque witch hunt? Give me a break! He'd be out doing something tangible with His life: probably working with minorities, the hungry, the homeless, hey! maybe even work ing with AIDS patients?)

You're a sip away from going "jim jones" on us, dick. If you can see your reflection in the mirror, then you are not an evil warlock, witch, demon, or other satanically-controlled geek.

Actually, I am surprised to find you use the Web, evil tool of lucifer that it is ;)

Louis "Satchmo" Armstrong has brought and continues to bring more warmth and understanding to people's hearts than you could ever hope to. Do you even know ANYTHING about Jazz? . . had Mr. Comstock, et al., not decided to rid New Orleans of the influence of the "demaon rum," prostitutes, and other vices (check your WWI era history-- the goal was to keep servicemen who were stationed at nearby bases out of harm's way) the Jazz musicians who plied their trade in the broth els and clubs would not have moved upriver to Memphis, St. Louis (St. Louis Armstrong perhaps?), Kansas City, and Chi-town.

Imagine that! Theocentric, megalamaniacal pseudo-religious zealots not unlike yourself, misguided and disuaded though they were--and you may be-- created Louis Armstrong. That is to say, had Comstock and his bible-thumping flag- waving (groan!) loonies not run Satchmo out of town, he'd have neve r headed up the Big Muddy and found a place and a name for himself as Jelly Roll Morton's sideman in Chicago.

YA MAN! Is there a JUST God or what? =)(=

THAT, my foolish friend, is cosmic justice on the Deific scale non parriel!

Ya, buddy; your people created Louis Armstrong, and my people thank you for having done so. You really need to get a life. Maybe one that can bear the light of Christ? I mean, sheesh, Jesus did not sing those absolutely musically horrific Wesleyan hymns. Nawwwwwwww . . . Jesus sang Jewish folksongs. Music of the people stuff. He was a commoner--really. (Remember the Pharises, right?)

Oh well, this has gotten WAY too long.

I will ask my friends to pray for you. It helps, ya know?

I'll ask God to interceed. Course, don't be alarmed if nothing happens: God always hears our prayers; sometimes, though, he says "no."

dick? it all comes down to this: "just what ARE you afraid of?"

look in the mirror when you ask the question; there you shall find your answer.

Peace,
your brother in Christ.

From: Pastor Dick <dick@negativland.com>
To: "M Tice" <feeorin@thedoghousemail.com>
Subject: Re: man-o-man Date sent: Mon, 7 Dec 1998 18:13:10 -0800

Dear Brother in Christ,

Thank you for your letter. I appreciate your concerns and dedication to your own beliefs, which are obviously based around your keen intellect. In spite of your anger and disrespect, I'll be happy to apply God's truths to your point of view, and pray that you will be a better person for it.

You are correct when you say that I NEED HELP! I most certainly do, and by the power of Jesus Christ, I receive it. I'll be the first to admit that I am less than perfect, and without Him I am nobody. Each and every day, The Lord bestows His blessings upon me, simply for the asking.... even though the more and more I read His Word, the more I realize that I am undeserving of His mercy. How marvelous it is that he allows us lowly and pitiful humans to fall before Him to receive forgiveness for our transgressions.

In response to the race issue, it seems that you missed my point entirely. Please go back and re-read the text. You will notice that all of the children's songs listed have the same melody. This is a melody that is shared with the song "What A Wonderful World!" If you don't believe it, give it a try:

Baa Baa Black Sheep, have you any wool? Yes sir, yes sir, three bags full, And I say to myself, what a wonderful world....

Funny how that works, isn't it? So to imply that I intentionally included "Black Sheep" as a racial slur is pretty far off the mark, don't you think? And yes, I do appreciate all kinds of music, thanks!

As far as Jesus' appearance is concerned, ANY believer will tell you that we cannot say for sure what Jesus looked like as He walked the earth. In His present form however, He is a SPIRIT, and to apply physical characteristics to Him is wrong. I am assured however that when we enter God's Kingdom, we will not be separated by racial issues, for we will all be the same race, even if we were of a different one on earth.

To make my next point, I will share with you some information which is true and precise: There are four things that a person can say to a man of God to show his ignorance about the Holy Bible. One is to speak of Adam and Eve eating from the "apple" in the garden. Even a young Sunday School child is taught from the beginning that there is no mention of an "apple" in any version of the scriptures. It is stated that they ate of the "fruit," and it is never established as to what kind of fruit it is. Another misconception among those who lack Biblical knowledge, occurs in the story of the prophet Jonah being swallowed by the "whale." The Bible never specifies what type of creature devoured Jonah, as it is referred to as a "giant fish." Not a "giant mammal," mind you, but a "giant fish!" Also, look in the gospels for the story of the birth of Christ. If you can find a reference to how many "wise men" there were, I'll eat every word on this screen! This leads me to your misconception. The Bible NEVER said that Jesus "sweat blood." Please look more closely at this one, and you will find that it says that "His sweat was as it were, drops of blood falling down to the ground," which means that His sweat fell LIKE drops of blood. To argue this point any further would be trivial, so let's not.

However, to say that Jesus Christ the Savior had a MOTHER, is far from a trivial matter. In fact, it is blasphemy! Is this to imply that Joseph impregnated Mary and gave birth to a mortal man, or are you siding with the Roman Catholics by declaring Mary the "Mother of God?" The fact is that Mary was simply a young woman, chosen by God Almighty to carry the Son Of God in her womb. To assume that she is worthy of glorification for this task is not Biblical. Even Jesus Himself did not acknowledge Mary as His mother, but instead rebuked her, saying "Woman, what have I to do with thee!" The birth of Christ was the arrival of God in human form to the earth, therefore He has always existed. The "creation" as you put it, of Jesus Christ was not by any means a combined effort between God and man, and man should take no credit for it, for Jesus Christ IS God.

I would like to thank you though, for your wonderful remark that I am setting Christianity back 2000 years, as I was only hoping to set it back about 50! I guess I should set my goals higher! But seriously, what's wrong with setting things back? There was once a time when mankind truly feared the Lord, and wouldn't dare break his laws or question the power He has over us. I receive foul letters every week from those who refuse to accept His truths as I present them. Today's society seems to have no qualms about shaking its fist in the face of an angry God.

Also, despite what you might think about our family of Believers, we DO NOT shun issues involving minorities. Our church van pays a visit not just once, but four times a year to various Christian rescue missions in the most vile parts of the inner-city, delivering our discarded furniture and clothing. Our missionaries work tirelessly in some of the most remote parts of Africa, clothing its natives and building churches so that they may come to the Lord. Our musical ministry is not limited to "Wesleyan hymns." In fact, this year's Christmas program includes the song, "Go Tell It On The Mountain," a popular Negro spiritual, and our doors will always remain open to any minority family who might wish to enter in and worship with us.

Finally, you are correct in your statement that God always answers prayer. I have this blessed assurance, because it is written in His Word. I pray each day as I have always done, praying that God will continue to make me more like Him. I don't think that He would ever say "no" to a request like that. Do you?

Only because He died,
Pastor Dick

Prev. Letter		Next Letter
Mailbox	Relevant Jukebox Selection	Jukebox