Anonymous Animosity

by Daniel L. Bamberg
reporter and columnist


I recently received a negative snail mail concerning my column "Everybody Has One". I welcome both negative and positive feedback for all of my work. At the same time, however I request one thing from everyone. Please at the very least leave your name. In some cases my column has actually hurt feelings, and I can't exactly apologize or explain a misread without knowing who to apologize or explain to. Furthermore, it is a cowardly act to remain anonymous while responding to a column. This is an integral ideal the Centreville Press takes seriously. We do not print anonymous "letters to the editor" and we do not take anonymous quotes on reports unless it is a polling of the general public as was in the case of the article about the Centreville City Council not meeting for over a month.

I would however, like to respond to this horribly misguided and cowardly letter I just received. I will not use my column to respond to anyone but will be using the new blog for such purpose. I hope you all feel secure enough to continue sending in your letters with your name included. I assure you if healthy debate is what you desire, I am more than willing to oblige. In order to follow our own principles here at the Centreville Press I cannot and will not post the letter itself. So you are all going to have to trust me in regards to its content.

If someone decides to send a response in to an article or column they should take a breath and consider grammar before writing. Some of this letter was confusing due to the atrocious misuse of the English language. The most confusing sentence was where the anonymous man suggested an atheist doesn't believe there is no God. This would suggest they believe there is a God, because they do not believe there is not a God. This is the reason using double negatives hurts the argument for anyone. A person who suggests I do not understand the meaning of the word hypocrite (as was stated in the letter) should make sure they understand the English language at the very least.

I admire that this man is a Christian. Congratulations I love Jesus too. Perhaps one day we will meet in that place we are both destined for, become friends, and understand one another. In the meantime however, we are here in this place where the world rarely makes sense. It makes even less sense when a Christian would actually suggest he or she (or any Christian for that matter) is not a hypocrite. I will not make assumptions concerning this person's biblical education and studies. At the same time it is imperative I point out what proper biblical study will reveal. Christ came to save us because we were hypocrites. Man needed salvation because man was hypocritical. The author and advocate of early Christianity, known as the Apostle Paul suggests not only are we all hypocrites but he himself couldn't escape sin or hypocrisy. In Paul's explaination of the inescapability to sin, he describes being of the flesh as a curse bound to sin. This doesn't excuse sin. It simply suggests if man could escape sin he'd be able to save himself. Thus, Christ, whom the anonymous letter's author speak so highly of would have never been born in the flesh, died in the flesh, as a perfect offering for our sins.

I find it atrocious that the author of this letter suggests that I am somehow not a Christian because I support (as the column of topic suggests) the rights for everyone to have their opinion, voice their ideals, and worship in the way they choose. There is a truth that flies over the heads for much of the "Bible Belt" South. We live in a secular society, like it or not. Jesus lived in the flesh within a hypocritical spiritually legal society and a Godless secular society. Christ said "render unto Caesar that which is Caesar's and to God that which is God's." The soul of man is God's. God chooses where to put the soul he owns based on the belief of man's heart, due to the irreverence of a man's actions. In other words we are sin holding something of God's. If we do not submit our souls willingly and acknowledge that they are God's possession, we are judged on every sin we've committed eternally.

I am not on the side of any religion outside of Christianity based on ideals and principles. I am not a Universalist, as this letter clearly seemed to lable me. I believe in one true God and his son who is equally God. At the same time I stand on the side of every religion outside of Christianity for the sake of liberty and free will only. In a secular society it is illogical and crude to stake my rights for worshipping my God without defending the rights of someone else to worship their God. This doesn't mean I have to agree with their beliefs. It also doesn't mean a non-Christian and I can't get into healthy conversation about spirituality or that I cannot present my testimonial of faith to such a person. The only time a religious practice of any kind should be denounced or criticized in open court is when its masses inflict actions which strangle the essential liberties of others. Furthermore, one who has complete faith in Christ should not go about on an unspiritually charged crusade to change the world. Christ never told us to break down temples and raid the synagogues. He told us to follow his commandments, pray for each other, and charged us to testimony. I ask of you if tearing down other faiths were God's will why did Paul not destroy the Pagan statues in the towns he visited? Instead he applauded their faith and introduced them to Christ as their "unknown God." Moses was punished for throwing a temper tantrum due to people's lack of faith. Peter pulled a sword on a Roman Soldier sent to arrest Christ and was chastised not praised for it. The author of this letter goes on to ask me how I feel about Muslims since the attack on 9/11. Well, I feel they were zealots who acted out violently. At the same time I have a brother in law who is a Muslim. He's one of the friendliest and warmest people I have ever met. He also talks 90 mph and asks a million questions. He's a wonderful man with a wonderful family. I would no more consider him my enemy than I would want him to consider me his enemy because of what Christian zealots have done throughout history. Lumping people into extreme categories because of the actions from a few is precisely what I am against. I feel there is no difference in labeling Muslims murderers and labeling black people (insert racial slur). It is ignorant, small minded, and unfounded.

To suggest I do not even know myself is ridiculous and completely unfounded as well. This anonymous author goes on and on about how he stands for Christ. He suggests if he was faced with a blade to the throat he's still stand proudly and profess Christ. I would suggest many of us don't actually know ourselves until we are faced with ourselves. In other words until we are faced with a blade to the throat to suggest one won't deny Christ is unfortunately something only God knows. Remember Peter who walked with Christ, learned from Christ, saw the miracles Christ performed first hand, loved Christ, and was going to kill for Christ denied Jesus three times after the crucifixion. Jesus told Peter he would and Peter thought the notion was ridiculous. Then he did it anyway. He didn't even stand up for Christ in spite of Jesus suggesting Peter's denial before hand. I pray for the strength to fight for the name of Christ if need be. I pray for the strength to never deny my Lord. I never fall into the vanity of assuming my faith is stronger than it is until I am faced with a test of faith. My faith has survived many ordeals, as I am sure is the case for the author of this letter (or any Christian for that matter). The strength of Job is proper Christian ambition, but claiming one possesses such until it's been put to the test is frankly a deeply horrid vanity. In the end many forget as King Soloman suggested in Ecclesiastes "Vanity of vanities, all is vanity." In some cases, as in the case of this anonymous person's letter a boastful exclamation of faith is vanity as well. Don't fret, we can't escape vanity, we can only hope to contain it.

The certain column magnified by this cowardly author "Man on the Phone Doesn't Appreciate my Tone" was simply suggesting that I stand up for the right to be human and be judged only by God. After all my first name in Hebrew translates to "God is my judge." What the author of the letter labels judgmental was actually quite the opposite. Don't get me wrong I, like all have had moments where I've placed myself wrongfully in the court as judge. I am, after all, a hypocrite. I was implying that as humans we have a right to our individual ideals and to look nowhere except to God to have them judged. God didn't say not to judge anyone, by the way. He said "do not judge lest you be judged." This simply means if you are guilty of something do not judge a person for it or else have it come back on you for your sins. When I labeled "everyone" a hypocrite in that column I clearly mentioned myself as one also. I am a hypocrite and thank God for giving me the strength to vulnerably admit that I am. Thank God for showing me that I as a Christian am deserving of his strict judgment against me and will forever be deserving of it. Thank God that his judgement will ease upon me due to Christ finding me. My salvation wasn't a get out of hell free card. I had to accept the burden and the blame for my actions which resulted in the mutilation, torture, death, and mocking of the only being who was ever innocent. We judge murderers all the time. Christians however forget the irony that when you accept Christ you are accepting guilt and blame for murder of pure innocence. This is the metaphor of the faith. Christ died as a result of man's sin. God sacrificed his son because our sins could only be bought off by the sacrifice of innocence. Abraham was asked to kill Isaac, because we had come this far in our hypocrisy. God sent his son in order to preserve our world without murderous sacrifice. Yet we as Chrisitans judge murderers as the worst of us all. If that is not hypocrisy, I don't know what is. As Christians, however we as asked to plead guilty of murder in order to be forgiven. We are hypocrites and murderers, and if Christians can not admit that then I don't see how Christ can be considered your savior, personally.

One last word before I go. The author of this letter boastfully (hypocrisy?) stands up and suggest he'd die a horrible death of beheading for his Lord and Savior. Yet he wouldn't sign his name or leave an address in his standing up for Christ to me (a Christian reporter who accidentally insulted this man with an ink pen). I think he or she may need to really do some soul searching. If you are too afraid to stand up face to face to little ol' me I don't think you have a chance at the hands of a anti-Christian zealot.