Received 2.26.2000

Dear Closet Atheist,

I happened upon your website while looking for something about Prop. 22 and wanted to let you know that I enjoyed it.

I work for a company of eleven people, nine of which are Fundamentalist Christians.   I would describe myself as an agnostic humanist.  So for eight years I have bitten my tongue while listening to my coworkers opinions on life, religion, morals etc. at least I have one like-minded guy who shares a similar viewpoint as me.  He has been there longer than me and I don't know how he survived on his own.  Some of these people are so extreme that I hear them talk about how awesome the Son of Sam Killer is because he has been born again in prison.  I think to myself how absurd their notion is that this guy who killed about eight people is on his way to heaven because he has accepted Jesus Christ as his savior while his innocent victims, who may well have been all around good people, are now just starting their eternal sentence in hell if they themselves did not proclaim themselves Christians at the time they met their most unfortunate earthly fate.  I think this to myself but say nothing out of fear that making my position known will affect my status within the company.

These people make no secret that they pray about taxes, property values, business deals and anything else they could use a little luck on.  I just have to laugh-- to myself of course.

I'll close with this observation.  In the second Tyson - Holyfield fight, overtly Christian Evander Holyfield as well as others claimed that God would reward him with a victory over Muslim Mike Tyson.  If this is in fact true, that God would control the fight by having Tyson twice bite Holyfield on the ear and be disqualified making Evander the victor, one thing is certain: the Lord works in mysterious ways.

Just thought I'd put my two cents worth in.

An amused browser.

My Reply:

You have my sympathies. Eight years is a long time to work in such an oppressive environment. Since fundamentalists believe that every faith but their own is incorrect, they can pretentiously take the "moral high ground" and it can make them inconsiderate and intolerant. This is why they don't feel that unsolicited attempts to convert people or broadcasting their beliefs in inappropriate settings is disrespectful. They are doing God's work! They are right, you are wrong, end of story.

Your stories about the Son of Sam and the Tyson fight are further proof that most Christians get their beliefs second hand without thinking about them critically. How people can so fervently embrace things that make so little sense, is amazing. But as you point out, the Lord is mysterious. Very mysterious indeed.

Thanks for taking the time to write.