Letters to the editor: 07/25/02

Church member does not accept rejection

To the Editor:

I am a single, divorced woman who has no children. This rejection tells me that as such I have no worth in the body of believers, no purpose beyond obeying the orders men would issue as to where I can sit, what positions I may hold within my church, and even what ages and genders I may teach.

It tells me that I am assumed to not have the intelligence to understand God's Word, or any need to live it beyond existing under the domination of men who may or may not be true servants of Christ.

It tells me that I cannot experience a deep relationship with Christ or be taken into the interior castle of His presence because as a woman I do not possess the necessary attributes to do so. They tell me that I cannot follow the Sacred Path, that I cannot practice the presence of God, and that I cannot be what Christ would have me become simply because I am not a man.

And because I am not a man, they would have me believe that I am nothing and worth even less; I am condemned three times over - I am divorced, I have no children, and I am not a man. These people do not, however, define who I am - God does. I am living proof that they are wrong about my church and they are wrong about me. I believe that as Christians it is our responsibility to build people up and not to devalue them simply on the basis of gender. I have always been taught that we are to love even the apparently unlovable and that we need to turn our cheeks as many times as it requires to build them up and not to destroy them.

This apparently is not the concern of those who voted to reject us; they seem to seek merely to destroy what they do not begin to understand. Looking at us from the outside, what impression must those who see us have of Christians who reject each other based solely upon antiquated gender roles?

When I speak of my church, I do not mean the building that stands on Main Street; I am talking about the people who worship there. They are the church. They are among the finest, dedicated, most caring and compassionate people I have ever had the privilege of meeting. They accepted me exactly as I was and have supported me through many difficult times in my life; they have lovingly helped me to change my life to fit into God's plan for it.

They loved me when I was unlovable and prayed for me when I did not deserve it. I thought that beyond worshiping the Lord, churches were about caring for each other, sometimes in spite of our differences. Perhaps I am wrong.

In the end, there is some comfort in being rejected. Our Savior was rejected and despised by men; He was crucified for what He believed. He would truly understand. When we are called in the Scriptures to "come, all ye who are heavy laden," I don't see that there is an unspoken gender requirement.

My question to those who voted to reject us is this: When you come to that final judgment day, what answer will you give the Lord when He asks you, "Why?"

Merry Broughton

Franklin

Lost dog story has happy ending

To the Editor:

This story did have a happy ending as depicted in Brett's letter, as only a 7-year-old would write: "Someone stol my dog. We didnt no who did it. She was gon 2 weeks. We got a cal from the animal hous. The man said ther waz someone caled and said a blak dog came to his hous. He has 2 boys, Jeremy and Johnathan. We went to his hous and Midnight was there. The man and his 2 boys took good care of my dog and I thank them."

It seems that when you are about to lose faith in humankind, there are people like the man who called from the animal shelter and Billy Baldwin and his two sons, who are there to restore that faith.

We live in the Balsam area and our dog ended up at the Baldwin residence on Tilley Creek in Cullowhee. Midnight had not walked there as her feet had no signs of a long trek. Most people in this situation would have run the dog off, but the Baldwins took her in, fed her, called their neighbors in an attempt to find her owners, and eventually called the animal shelter.

Our family, and especially Brett, extend our heartfelt appreciation for all the Baldwins did. To all those who cared, God has your rewards on file; to the person or persons who took our dog, your reward will be of a different nature.

Donald and Jeanette Parris

Sylva

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