6.23.2011

Some Christian Email

emailIf you write an atheist blog, you are going to get email from Christians. It is inevitable, and it is something I encourage you to embrace. Ideally, it will provide you with some insight into the Christian mind. And if nothing else, it will be entertaining.

From what I've observed over the years, there are a handful of motives that lead Christians to email me. Some clearly want to convert me with the latest "clever" Ray Comfort argument that they always assume I've not already heard. Others want to remind me of their hell, something which seems to delight them to no end. And still others feel the need to threaten me with assault or even death at their own hands.

But there are some Christians who don't fit neatly into any of these categories. Consider the following email as an example:
God bless all of you. May he wrap you in his loving arms and welcome you all into his kingdom.

Whilst you do not believe in Him the almighty father loves and accepts you for who you are. Of Course he is saddened that you have chosen to reject him but he is a forgiving father and e is waiting to welcome all of us into a close personal relationship with him (sic).

May the love of God shine on all of us
At first glance, this could be read as an attempt at conversion. But if that is what it is, it is far less blatant than most I receive. What strikes me most about this one is how truly childlike it is. It is not that I assume a child wrote it - I don't necessarily assume that. But it suggests that the author has not spent much time thinking about the world which he or she inhabits.

My other observation concerns the use of the word "whilst" at the beginning of the second sentence. I have noticed that many Christians who email me seem to feel the need to "biblicize" their writing like this. Fascinating!