A Painting with a Broad Brush

We have a lot of things that we do for entertainment when on vacation, one of which visit family and friends in other parts of the country. While I don't make it a habit to watch a lot of news during that time, I do pick up a newspaper form time to time in whatever part of the country we might be visiting. During our visit in Illinois last week, I happened to see a "Voice of the Reader" article from a regional newspaper called "The Southern Illinoisan" also known online as The Southern.com. The article went like this...

Choose to act in love
To the Editor
On Sept. 12, we witnessed the largest gathering if immoral people to ever set foot on our National Mall. This was a gathering of those in our country who lie, deceive and slander their fellow citizens, but worst of all, slander the President of our country. They are fundamental hate mongers who act without any conscience or any sense of responsible behavior. everyone present at the National Mall incident, if they passed away the next day, would have awakened to an eternity to be spent in Hell.
Lying, deceiving and slandering are not the characteristics of the children of God but those of the children of Satan. These are the "forces if darkness" that we are warned about in the Word. These people have a long track record of these immoral activities and the Word is very clear that "He who continues to sin is not a Child of God." If they are not the children of God, they automatically become children of Satan. Each one of us is, by choice, either a child of God or a child of Satan. These people on the Mall, by their immoral behavior, have decided they will follow the Evil One.
Those at home who support these activities have identified themselves as being children of Satan without knowing it. God commands that "we are to have no fellowship with the forces of darkness." When we join the "forces of darkness," we automatically forfeit or hopes of salvation for the Word says "Without holiness no one will see the Lord."
Liars are on the list of those in the Word who will never see Heaven. It is evident that those on the Mall do not believe the Word or they would exhibit love rather than hate that so dominates their behavior.
Ron Doerge
Christians for Justice
Marion

Now, I have read a lot of material on the 9/12 D.C. event, but this has got to be the most insidious, hate filled, misguided, reality lacking bit of rhetoric I have ever read. Talk about being judgmental! And of everyone who was there OR sat at home and supports the activities and the meaning of the event.

I spent three days in D.C.. I was there on the 11th, 12th and 13th. I never saw any hatred, any lies, or any deceit on any sign, or come from anyone's mouth. While there were some signs that may have been deemed distasteful, none, and I mean none, that I saw, were actually hateful. There were no arrests, fights, disruptions, drunkenness, no great amounts of trash left behind, no property damage etc., etc.. My point here, I suppose, is that I would just like the writer of the above quoted letter to the editor to point out the lies, hate and deceit. That though, will never happen, once again the messenger and not the message has been and will always be attacked.

I post here, along with the above letter to the editor, the name and address of the writer's company.
Ron Doerge
Christians For Justice
12327 Bahama Dr
Marion, IL 62959-8679
Phone: (618) 964-1024

Also, following is the address to direct letters to the editor of The Southern Illinoisan. Send letters to: Voice of the Reader, The southern Illinoisan, P.O. Box 2108, Carbondale, IL 62902 or E-mail letters to: letters@thesouthern.com or to Gary Metro at: gary.metro@thesouthern.com or call Gary at 618-351-5033.

Please feel free to write Mr. Doerge or Gary Metro and let them know how you feel about the judgmental nature of this letter to the editor. Incidentally, in the instructions for letters to the editor, The Southern Illinoisan states that " Letters that are libelous or attack individuals or entities personally are not published"... Really? Let me read that letter again.

I vow, as long as I have a voice, I will not be shouted down, shut down, talked down, spoken over, or spoken at. I vow I will always speak my mind and I will not let thee folks who spew the sewage, like posted in the letter to the editor above, speak without fear of challenge. I will always challenge them on the merits of their verbiage and not the salvation of their souls. I only wish they would see fit to do the same for those of us who know what we believe and do our very best to live it on a daily basis.

In God I Trust
Have a Great Day and a Better Tomorrow
ADW