Godspam in my inbox.. again!!!!

[JonathanChance]

I'm sure you have all seen this one......



> > Be sure to read the whole thing. It get more
> > interesting as you go along.. . .can you tell
> > I'm at home today??Subject: Something to think
> > about.
> >
> >
> >
> > In light of the many perversions and jokes we
> > send along to one another for a laugh, this is a
> > little different:
> >
> > This joke today is not intended to be a joke,
> > it's not intended to be funny, it's intended to
> > get you thinking.
> >
> > Billy Graham's daughter was interviewed on the
> > Early Show and Jane Clayson asked her "How could
> > God let something like this happen?" ( regarding
> > the attacks on Sept. 11 ).
> >
> > Anne Graham gave an extremely profound and
> > insightful response. She said "I believe God is
> > deeply saddened by this, just as we are, but for
> > years we've been telling God to get out of our
> > schools, to get out of our government and to get
> > out of our lives. And being the gentleman He is,
> > I believe He has calmly backed out. How can we
> > expect God to give us His blessing and His
> > protection if we demand He leave us alone?"
> >
> > In light of recent events...terrorists attack,
> > school shootings, etc. I think it started when
> > Madeleine Murray O'Hare (she was murdered, her
> > body found recently) complained she didn't want
> > prayer in our schools, and we said OK.
> >
> > Then someone said you better not read the Bible
> > in school... the Bible says thou shalt not kill,
> > thou shalt not steal, and love your neighbor as
> > yourself. And we said OK.
> >
> > Then Dr. Benjamin Spock said we shouldn't spank
> > our children when they misbehave because their
> > little personalities would be warped and we
> > might damage their self-esteem (Dr. Spock's son
> > committed suicide). We said an expert should
> > know what he's talking about. And we said OK.
> >
> > Then someone said teachers and principals better
> > not discipline our children when they misbehave.
> > The school administrators said no faculty member
> > in this school better touch a student when they
> > misbehave because we don't want any bad
> > publicity, and we surely don't want to be sued.
> > There's a big difference between disciplining,
> > touching, beating, smacking, humiliating,
> > kicking, etc.). And we said OK.
> >
> > Then someone said, let's let our daughters have
> > abortions if they want, and they won't even have
> > to tell their parents. And we said OK.
> >
> > Then some wise school board member said, since
> > boys will be boys and they're going to do it
> > anyway, let's give our sons all the condoms they
> > want so they can have all the fun they desire,
> > and we won't have to tell their parents they got
> > them at school. And we said OK.
> >
> > Then some of our top elected officials said it
> > doesn't matter what we do in private as long as
> > we do our jobs. Agreeing with them, we said it
> > doesn't matter to me what anyone, including the
> > President, does in private as long as I have a
> > job and the economy is good.
> >
> > Then someone said let's print magazines with
> > pictures of nude women and call it wholesome,
> > down-to-earth appreciation for the beauty of the
> > female body. And we said OK.
> >
> > And then someone else took that appreciation a
> > step further and published pictures of nude
> > children and then further again by making them
> > available on the Internet. And we said OK,
> > they're entitled to free speech.
> >
> > Then the entertainment industry said, let's make
> > TV shows and movies that promote profanity,
> > violence, and illicit sex. Let's record music
> > that encourages rape, drugs, murder, suicide,
> > and satanic themes. And we said it's just
> > entertainment, it has no adverse effect, nobody
> > takes it seriously anyway, so go right ahead.
> >
> > Now we're asking ourselves why our children have
> > no conscience, why they don't know right from
> > wrong, and why it doesn't bother them to kill
> > strangers, their classmates, and themselves.
> >
> > Probably, if we think about it long and hard
> > enough, we can figure it out. I think it has a
> > great deal to do with "WE REAP WHAT WE SOW."
> >
> > Funny how simple it is for people to trash God
> > and then wonder why the world's going to hell.
> > Funny how we believe what the newspapers say,
> > but question what the Bible says.
> >
> > Funny how you can send 'jokes' through e-mail
> > and they spread like wildfire, but when you
> > start sending messages regarding the Lord,
> > people think twice about sharing.
> >
> > Funny how lewd, crude, vulgar and obscene
> > articles pass freely through cyberspace, but
> > public discussion of God is suppressed in the
> > school and workplace.
> >
> > Are you laughing?
> >
> > Funny how when you forward this message, you
> > will not send it to many on your address list
> > because you're not sure what they believe, or
> > what they WILL think of you for sending it.
> > Funny how we can be more worried about what
> > other people think of us than what God thinks of
> > us.
> >
> > Pass it on if you think it has merit. If not
> > then just discard it... no one will know you
> > did. But, if you discard this thought process,
> > don't sit back and complain about what bad shape
> > the world is in!
> >
> > Are you thinking?
> >

[Jinto]

Yes I am thinking... I'm thinking that this is a load of crap.

Any plans regarding a response?

[SanDiegoAtheist]

> > Be sure to read the whole thing. It get more
> > interesting as you go along.. . .can you tell
> > I'm at home today??Subject: Something to think
> > about.
> >
> >
> >
> > In light of the many perversions and jokes we
> > send along to one another for a laugh, this is a
> > little different:
> >
> > This joke today is not intended to be a joke,
> > it's not intended to be funny, it's intended to
> > get you thinking.


No it's not. It's intended to provoke an emotional response. In fact, in every instance provided in this email, the DESIRED (but not necessarily correct) thought is prewritten right into the script.


> >
> > Billy Graham's daughter was interviewed on the
> > Early Show and Jane Clayson asked her "How could
> > God let something like this happen?" ( regarding
> > the attacks on Sept. 11 ).
> >
> > Anne Graham gave an extremely profound and
> > insightful response. She said "I believe God is
> > deeply saddened by this, just as we are, but for
> > years we've been telling God to get out of our
> > schools, to get out of our government and to get
> > out of our lives. And being the gentleman He is,
> > I believe He has calmly backed out. How can we
> > expect God to give us His blessing and His
> > protection if we demand He leave us alone?"


I'm interested in finding out exactly how one tells a supposedly omnipresent deity to "get out" of ANYWHERE? Moreover, this is patently false - indeed, it appears that the schools & government (and citizens) are more religious than during the majority of the existance of the United States - certainly Church attendence is at a 50 year high. The restriction, of course, is on FORMAL SUPPORT for a given religion - and if you don't like that, tough - it's the first amendment of the United States.

Despite what many religious conservatives seem to think about the First Amendment, it protects THEM just as much as anyone else. After all - I wonder if the fundies have considered that if we were to VOTE a particular SECT of a particular religion into office (as opposed to just a particular religion which is implied in this chainmail, even though the writer no doubt has a specific sect in mind) - it'd be Roman Catholicism, which has the most members of any single specific religious group in America.

What exactly would the writer of this particular piece of trash think of the Catechism being taught in his/her son or daughters school - or of statues of saints in public courtrooms?

Didn't think of that, now didja?


> >
> > In light of recent events...terrorists attack,
> > school shootings, etc. I think it started when
> > Madeleine Murray O'Hare (she was murdered, her
> > body found recently) complained she didn't want
> > prayer in our schools, and we said OK.

Of course, she actually had nothing to do with this court ruling - again, this is simply untrue. And again, I wonder what the particular fundy who wrote this would think of a school prayer that began "Allahu Akhbar", and finished with praising Mohammed instead of Jesus?

If you want to live in a country with an established religion, might I suggest looking at the examples of those countries? Iran springs to mind.

And of course, I wonder how the person squares this obvious logical fallacy of "after, therefore because" with the evidence that FAR more secular countries, such as the UK, France, and other European nations, have FAR lower rates of violent crimes?

Incidentally, terrorist attacks are at least partially BECAUSE we have self-identified very strongly with a religion that they feel opposes theirs (a feeling which is echoed very strongly by a great many fundamentalist Christians in the US). Is it REALLY surprising that if you demonize Islam, Islam will demonize you? The Religious Right has been unswerving, unstinting, and unapologetic for their complete and total support of Israel above the rights of the Palestinians in occupied land - I find it not surprising at all that Islam would be rather hostile to them, and by extension, the country which they strongly influence the politics of.


> >
> > Then someone said you better not read the Bible
> > in school... the Bible says thou shalt not kill,
> > thou shalt not steal, and love your neighbor as
> > yourself. And we said OK.
> >


Oh please. I've yet to see anyone STOP anyone from reading the Bible in school. In fact, you can even TEACH the Bible in school - you simply can't INDOCTRINATE children in the Bible at school. How would YOU feel about your children being indoctrinated in the Q'uran, which ALSO teaches those thou shalt nots.

However, in the interest of fairness, the Bible also teaches many things which this author doesn't see fit to mention here - things such as genocide (see "the Flood"), misogyny ("women should be silent in Church", and many other pronouncements from Paul), slavery (the Bible lays out specific rules as to how slaves are to be aquired (conquest is a primary one), how they are to be beaten, and what recompense is due the slave owner if another person kills that slave), and so on.


> > Then Dr. Benjamin Spock said we shouldn't spank
> > our children when they misbehave because their
> > little personalities would be warped and we
> > might damage their self-esteem (Dr. Spock's son
> > committed suicide). We said an expert should
> > know what he's talking about. And we said OK.

Dr. Spock's son committing suicide is a non-sequitur, unless you can show a linkage between Dr. Spock's disciplinary methods and that suicide.

And the fact is, studies HAVE shown a link between harsh discipline (of the type espoused in the bible), and violent tendencies later in life. That's evidence - something for which there is precious little of in this particular email.

> >
> > Then someone said teachers and principals better
> > not discipline our children when they misbehave.
> > The school administrators said no faculty member
> > in this school better touch a student when they
> > misbehave because we don't want any bad
> > publicity, and we surely don't want to be sued.
> > There's a big difference between disciplining,
> > touching, beating, smacking, humiliating,
> > kicking, etc.). And we said OK.
> >

See above.

Incidentally, I believe, although this is just my opinion, that children would be a lot less in NEED of discipline of ANY type if their parents actually spent time to teach them respect, for both theirselves and others. This, btw, is one thing strong physical discipline directly ATTACKS. The message of strong physical discipline is "Might makes right" - and thus, the message you're sending is that you should only obey someone stronger than you - this, of course, is very likely to backfire in the teen years, as the strength of the child approaches, and then surpasses, that of many adults.

On the other hand, if you teach them to RESPECT others, and that Might does NOT make Right, then you have instilled a thought process that can be successful throughout their entire life. Unfortunately, this takes time - as it demands that the parents EXPLAIN to the child why they discipline when they discipline, and also EXPLAIN why certain acts are right and wrong - beyond "Because I said so (e.g. Might makes Right)". Unfortunately, from personal experience, I've discovered the MORE religious a family is, the LESS likely they are to EXPLAIN their behaviors - but that might have something to do with the fact that they adhere to a very authoritarian "Might makes Right" God, therefore they see little wrong with it themselves.

> > Then someone said, let's let our daughters have
> > abortions if they want, and they won't even have
> > to tell their parents. And we said OK.

As opposed, of course, to their little daughters going to back alley coathanger abortion clinics without telling their parents, then bleeding to death of internal hemmorhaging 5 days later. This IS what happened before Roe vs. Wade, whether you like it or not.

> >
> > Then some wise school board member said, since
> > boys will be boys and they're going to do it
> > anyway, let's give our sons all the condoms they
> > want so they can have all the fun they desire,
> > and we won't have to tell their parents they got
> > them at school. And we said OK.

Ah, more Christian Right propaganda - ABSTINENCE ONLY. Sadly, the FACT is that in countries with realistic sex ed, the teen pregnancy and VD rates are LOWER by far than in our own - and we have about the most restrictive sex ed of any of the modern nations. No studies have shown ANY solid benefit of abstinence only sex ed, and that form of sex ed is, if the writer doesn't know this, a very COMMON form in the US.

> >
> > Then some of our top elected officials said it
> > doesn't matter what we do in private as long as
> > we do our jobs. Agreeing with them, we said it
> > doesn't matter to me what anyone, including the
> > President, does in private as long as I have a
> > job and the economy is good.

Yup, I completely agree with this. Godly Shrub will never have a BJ in the Oval Office - but I'd much rather have Clinton getting a knobber and actually RUNNING the countries economy by LISTENING to real economists - rather than Bush's right wing cabal that has utterly screwed up our economy and can't seem to figure out that cutting taxes to the richest 1% is NOT going to pump more money into anything but those richest 1%'s bank accounts.

> >
> > Then someone said let's print magazines with
> > pictures of nude women and call it wholesome,
> > down-to-earth appreciation for the beauty of the
> > female body. And we said OK.
> >

Considering that pornography has been around since time immemorial, and that, frankly, much religious art from the middle ages happens to look MUCH the same as a Playboy pictorial, I can't even imagine what these people were smoking - maybe rolled up Bible scraps?

> > And then someone else took that appreciation a
> > step further and published pictures of nude
> > children and then further again by making them
> > available on the Internet. And we said OK,
> > they're entitled to free speech.
> >

Oh really? When and where did this happen?

Last I checked, child pornography (which differs significantly from the above in that the child cannot meaningfully consent), was reviled and outlawed not only in the US, but just about everywhere in the world.

This email is getting less and less fact-based as it runs on - methinks the writer just got a good head of steam on, and said "Damn the facts, I'm going for FULL EMOTIVE OVERLOAD".

> > Then the entertainment industry said, let's make
> > TV shows and movies that promote profanity,
> > violence, and illicit sex. Let's record music
> > that encourages rape, drugs, murder, suicide,
> > and satanic themes. And we said it's just
> > entertainment, it has no adverse effect, nobody
> > takes it seriously anyway, so go right ahead.

And the Christian masses ate it up - meanwhile, much of us atheists, from personal acquaintance, watch TV shows on the Discovery, Learning, and History channel. Maybe why thats why WE can point out the errors in fact that this writer is making throughout the post, and HE/SHE can't.

While I certainly agree that the overload of violence has a negative effect (and studies bear this out), I find it interesting that sex is linked in this writers mind with it. In point of fact, if you look at European television, you find much LESS violence, and much MORE sex - and, interestingly enough, you find those cultures have both LESS violence, and LESS sexual problems such as STD's and teen pregnancy. While there apparently is a link between showing lots of violent imagery and violent tendencies, it appears the link between showing of sex and sexual problems is much less apparent.


> >
> > Now we're asking ourselves why our children have
> > no conscience, why they don't know right from
> > wrong, and why it doesn't bother them to kill
> > strangers, their classmates, and themselves.
> >

A good question, but aside from the heavy doses of violence on TV, it doesn't appear that there is ANY link whatsoever between the behavior above and this observation. In any case, I'm not sure this observation is valid - while there are certainly incidents like Columbine, this is by far the exception, not the rule. I could just as easily make a case that because of examples set by people such as Jim Jones, Andrea Yates, and many other HIGHLY religious people, who committed violence BECAUSE of their religious beliefs, that RELIGION was the cause of the above. Of course, I won't, because the link isn't there - neither is yours.


> > Probably, if we think about it long and hard
> > enough, we can figure it out. I think it has a
> > great deal to do with "WE REAP WHAT WE SOW."
> >


I suggest you do a little more thinking, rather than simply buying unexamined everything you hear from the pulpit.

> > Funny how simple it is for people to trash God
> > and then wonder why the world's going to hell.
> > Funny how we believe what the newspapers say,
> > but question what the Bible says.

Simple. The papers generally back up their statements with facts and evidence. The Bible provides neither - and in any case, the Bible contains plenty of wanton violence, illicit sex, and profanity. Have you read it?

> >
> > Funny how you can send 'jokes' through e-mail
> > and they spread like wildfire, but when you
> > start sending messages regarding the Lord,
> > people think twice about sharing.

Because some people respect that others may NOT believe as they do? In any event, I've received many email chain letters of this type, so this is also quite evidently false - even though I wish it were not, since the reasoning exhibited in the typical godspam is poor enough that I think reading them kills off a few million brain cells.

> >
> > Funny how lewd, crude, vulgar and obscene
> > articles pass freely through cyberspace, but
> > public discussion of God is suppressed in the
> > school and workplace.

See above. Respect for others beliefs is pretty important to me - I'd hope they would be to you, but I've found that most fundamentalists exhibit precious little respect for any beliefs but their own.

> >
> > Are you laughing?

No, I'm deeply saddened that a human being could write this type of tripe, and honestly believe it. I'm deeply saddened that the writer of this email could use the problems of violence in our society as a wedge to attempt to convince others to circumvent the very basis of our country, respect for different beliefs.

> >
> > Funny how when you forward this message, you
> > will not send it to many on your address list
> > because you're not sure what they believe, or
> > what they WILL think of you for sending it.
> > Funny how we can be more worried about what
> > other people think of us than what God thinks of
> > us.

Given that I'm an atheist, I'm probably one of the people that you believe are the problem. Given that I've never once been arrested, hold a very good job, behave extremely morally (more so than most theists that I know of), haven't lifted a hand in anger against another human being in my adult life, support charity, and believe in respect for others beliefs, even if I may not respect the belief itself, I probably confuse the heck out of you.

> >
> > Pass it on if you think it has merit. If not
> > then just discard it... no one will know you
> > did. But, if you discard this thought process,
> > don't sit back and complain about what bad shape
> > the world is in!


If I were to pass it on, it would be with my comments attached, so everyone could see just how poor the reasoning in this email was, and how emotionally manipulative it was being, without making any attempt to be factual, correct, or HONEST.

Funny how a Christian could put aside honesty in the pursuit of their agenda.

> >
> > Are you thinking?
> >

Yes. I can tell that you weren't though.

Cheers,

The San Diego Atheist

[JonathanChance]

Wow that response was golden!!!!!
:notworthy
Your response is now residing in the inboxes of everyone that that godspam was forwarded to.

[SanDiegoAtheist]

Why thank you :)

I had a bit of time to kill today, and I absolutely *HATE* that particular godspam, so I decided to write up what my reply would be to anyone who actually sent it to me. Glad you found it useful as a reply. Gotta admit though, I was a bit acerbic in my tone, but I guess that is simply mirroring the similar tone of the email.

Cheers,

The San Diego Atheist

[sensate]

I think the response to that awful godspam should be written from the point of view of an Afghani woman who lived under the tyranny of the Taliban.

[Shake]

[b]> >
> > Then some of our top elected officials said it
> > doesn't matter what we do in private as long as
> > we do our jobs. Agreeing with them, we said it
> > doesn't matter to me what anyone, including the
> > President, does in private as long as I have a
> > job and the economy is good.
> >
Then some of top religious officials (cardinals, bishops, etc.) said it doesn't matter what priests do in private so long as they do their public jobs. If they find out some allegations against some priests might be true, they'll just move them to another part of the country where they can have new vict... er, subjects for their personal ministry. :eek:

[Kintaro]

Whoa. We might need a whole forum or separate community for godspam debunks.


As for the response, it's solid gold.

[lpetrich]

Or create a site for collecting godspam and debunking it. Something like a Snopes (http://www.snopes.com) of godspam.

Also, when looking for stuff in the Koran on various offenses, I found:

[5.38] And (as for) the man who steals and the woman who steals, cut off their hands as a punishment for what they have earned, an exemplary punishment from Allah; and Allah is Mighty, Wise.

[Comquirk]

Sorry to revive a dead thread, but I just received my every first Godspam ever, and immediately hit "Reply All" and sent this here gem.

Thanks, San Diego Atheist!!!

[lpetrich]

It may be fun to create a sort of anti-godspam, such as describe how pitiful Mother Teresa's alleged miracles are by the standards of medieval saints and Biblical personages.

[Consistent Thinker]

Originally posted by SanDiegoAtheist
What exactly would the writer of this particular piece of trash think of the Catechism being taught in his/her son or daughters school - or of statues of saints in public courtrooms?

Actually, some protestant denominations use the cathechism or something similar (I was sent to lutheran confirmation classes). The fundy movement is intimately tied to protestant christianity, but some of these fundies, like my dad, are members of old protestant denominations that are very close to to catholicism in terms of style, but little else.

By the way, your response is good.

[AmbiguousUbiquity]

Ugh.....I got one today myself. From my "best friend" supposedly. Anyway, I'm sure you will get a kick out of this:

> > THE ROOM
> >
> > 17-year-old Brian Moore had only a short time to
> > write something for a
> > class. The subject was what Heaven was like. "I
> > wowed 'em," he later told
> > his father, Bruce. "It's a killer. It's the bomb.
> > It's the best thing I ever
> > wrote." It also was the last.
> >
> > Brian's parents had forgotten about the essay when a
> > cousin found it while
> > cleaning out the teenager's locker at Teary Valley
> > High School. Brian had
> > been dead only hours, but his parents desperately
> > wanted every piece of his
> > life near them-notes from classmates and teachers,
> > his homework.
> >
> > Only two months before, he had handwritten the essay
> > about encountering
> > Jesus in a file room full of cards detailing every
> > moment of the teen's
> > life. But it was only after Brian's death that Beth
> > and Bruce Moore realized
> > that their son had described his view of heaven. "It
> > makes such an impact
> > that people want to share it. You feel like you are
> > there." Mr. Moore said.
> >
> > Brian Moore died May 27, 1997, the day after
> > Memorial Day. He was driving
> > home from a friend's house when his car went off
> > Bulen-Pierce Road in
> > Pickaway County and struck a utility pole. He
> > emerged from the wreck
> > unharmed but stepped on a downed power line and was
> > electrocuted.
> >
> > The Moores framed a copy of Brian's essay and hung
> > it among the family
> > portraits in the living room. "I think God used him
> > to make a point. I think
> > we were meant to find it and make something out of
> > it, " Mrs. Moore said of
> > the essay. She and her husband want to share their
> > son's vision of life
> > after death. "I'm happy for Brian. I know he's in
> > heaven. I know I'll see
> > him.
> >
> > Brian's Essay: The Room...
> >
> > In that place between wakefulness and dreams, I
> > found myself in the room.
> > There were no distinguishing features except for the
> > one wall covered with
> > small index card files. They were like the ones in
> > libraries that list
> > titles by author or subject in alphabetical order.
> > But these files, which
> > stretched from floor to ceiling and seemingly
> > endless in either direction,
> > had very different headings. As I drew near the wall
> > of files, the first to
> > catch my attention was one that read "Girls I have
> > liked." I opened it and
> > began flipping through the cards. I quickly shut it,
> > shocked to realize that
> > I recognized the names written on each one. And then
> > without being told, I
> > knew exactly where I was.
> >
> > This lifeless room with its small files was a crude
> > catalog system for my
> > life. Here were written the actions of my every
> > moment, big and small, in a
> > detail my memory couldn't match. A sense of wonder
> > and curiosity, coupled
> > with horror, stirred within me as I began randomly
> > opening files and
> > exploring their content. Some brought joy and sweet
> > memories; others a sense
> > of shame and regret so intense that I would look
> > over my shoulder to see if
> > anyone was watching.
> >
> > A file named "Friends" was next to one marked
> > "Friends I have betrayed." The
> > titles ranged from the mundane to the outright
> > weird. "Books I Have Read,"
> > "Lies I Have Told," "Comfort I have Given," "Jokes I
> > Have Laughed at." Some
> > were almost hilarious in their exactness: "Things
> > I've yelled at my
> > brothers." Others I couldn't laugh at: "Things I
> > Have Done in My Anger",
> > "Things I Have Muttered Under My Breath at My
> > Parents." I never ceased to be
> > surprised by the contents.
> >
> > Often there were many more cards than I expected.
> > Sometimes fewer than I
> > hoped. I was overwhelmed by the sheer volume of the
> > life I had lived. Could
> > it be possible that I had the time in my years to
> > fill each of these
> > thousands or even millions of cards? But each card
> > confirmed this truth.
> > Each was written in my own handwriting. Each signed
> > with my signature.
> >
> > When I pulled out the file marked "TV Shows I have
> > watched", I realized the
> > files grew to contain their contents. The cards were
> > packed tightly, and yet
> > after two or three yards, I hadn't found the end of
> > the file. I shut it,
> > shamed, not so much by the quality of shows but more
> > by the vast time I knew
> > that file represented.
> >
> > When I came to a file marked "Lustful Thoughts," I
> > felt a chill run through
> > my body. I pulled the file out only an inch, not
> > willing to test its size
> > and drew out a card. I shuddered at its detailed
> > content.
> >
> > I felt sick to think that such a moment had been
> > recorded. An almost animal
> > rage broke on me. One thought dominated my mind: No
> > one must ever see these
> > cards! No one must ever see this room! I have to
> > destroy them!" In insane
> > frenzy I yanked the file out. Its size didn't matter
> > now. I had to empty it
> > and burn the cards. But as I took it at one end and
> > began pounding it on the
> > floor, I could not dislodge a single card. I became
> > desperate and pulled out
> > a card, only to find it as strong as steel when I
> > tried to tear it.
> >
> > Defeated and utterly helpless, I returned the file
> > to its slot. Leaning my
> > forehead against the wall, I let out a long,
> > self-pitying sigh.
> >
> > And then I saw it.. The title bore "People I Have
> > Shared the Gospel With."
> > The handle was brighter than those around it, newer,
> > almost unused. I pulled
> > on its handle and a small box not more than three
> > inches long fell into my
> > hands. I could count the cards it contained on one
> > hand.
> >
> > And then the tears came. I began to weep. Sobs so
> > deep that they hurt. They
> > started in my stomach and shook through me. I fell
> > on my knees and cried. I
> > cried out of shame, from the overwhelming shame of
> > it all. The rows of file
> > shelves swirled in my tear-filled eyes. No one must
> > ever, ever know of this
> > room. I must lock it up and hide the key. But then
> > as I pushed away the
> > tears, I saw Him.
> >
> > No, please not Him. Not here. Oh, anyone but Jesus.
> > I watched helplessly as
> > He began to open the files and read the cards. I
> > couldn't bear to watch His
> > response. And in the moments I could bring myself to
> > look at His face, I saw
> > a sorrow deeper than my own. He seemed to
> > intuitively go to the worst boxes.
> > Why did He have to read every one? Finally He turned
> > and looked at me from
> > across the room. He looked at me with pity in His
> > eyes. But this was a pity
> > that didn't anger me. I dropped my head, covered my
> > face with my hands and
> > began to cry again. He walked over and put His arm
> > around me. He could have
> > said so many things. But He didn't say a word. He
> > just cried with me.
> >
> > Then He got up and walked back to the wall of files.
> > Starting at one end of
> > the room, He took out a file and, one by one, began
> > to sign His name over
> > mine on each card. "No!" I shouted rushing to Him.
> > All I could find to say
> > was "No, no," as I pulled the card from Him. His
> > name shouldn't be on these
> > cards. But there it was, written in red so rich, so
> > dark, so alive. The name
> > of Jesus covered mine. It was written with His
> > blood. He gently took the
> > card back. He smiled a sad smile and began to sign
> > the cards. I don't think
> > I'll ever understand how He did it so quickly, but
> > the next instant it
> > seemed I heard Him close the last file and walk back
> > to my side.
> > He placed His hand on my shoulder and said, "It is
> > finished." I stood up,
> > and He led me out of the room. There was no lock on
> > its door. There were
> > still cards to be written.
> >
> > "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens
> > me."-Phil. 4:13 "For God
> > so loved the world that He gave His only son, that
> > whoever believes in Him
> > shall not perish but have eternal life." If you feel
> > the same way, forward
> > it to as many people as you can so the love of Jesus
> > will touch their lives
> > also. My "People I shared the gospel with" file just
> > got bigger, how about
> > yours?
> >
> > IF THERE IS ONE EMAIL THAT I HAVE READ THAT NEEDS TO
> > GO AROUND THE WORLD, IT
> > IS THIS ONE, PLEASE PASS THIS TO EVERYONE YOU KNOW,
> > CHRISTIAN OR NOT! "LET'S
> > FILL OUR OWN FILE CARD" AND MAY GOD BLESS YOU ALL!
> >
> > You don't have to share this with anybody, no one
> > will know whether you did
> > or not, but you will know and so will .........

Do you think it was the "Christian or not" wording that made her send it to me? Ugh, I hate getting this crap.

[DigitalChicken]

Check out snopes...

They have something to say about this:
http://www.snopes.com/rumors/wheregod.htm

DC