Correspondence: God's E-Mail

Recently I received a forwarded e-mail, of the religious testimonial sort, from a sincere and well-meaning friend who clearly had no idea the kind of gruff response such a story usually rouses within me. The subject line, however, asked why none of the recipients ever seems to forward these kinds of messages. Being conscious that no one is born fully educated and experienced, and not wanting to sound like some self-righteous ass, I attempted to reply thoughtfully.
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While I am unsure as to whether you ask this question idly or in all seriousness, I do hope you will take a moment to choose a favorable answer from those below:

)Sadly, not everyone is as sweet, good-natured, and disarmingly naïve as you.

)Others may have quibbles to do with your religious views versus theirs. Catholics, for example, often cast a suspicious eye on anything that might be Protestant or Evangelical. Jews and Muslims, though they think Jesus was all right, don’t believe his mother was a virgin and are tired of being persecuted for that. Hindus and Buddhists just roll their eyes and wonder what all the fuss is about.

)Some may seem to share your beliefs, but are in fact just paying lip service, having come to doubt the validity of their ancestors’ stories, and fearing a resulting conflict with friends and family over their skepticism. This is how the Amish stick together, by ostracizing anyone who dares to believe differently…out loud.

)Others, heaven help them, may be atheists. Such people are as fond of make-believe as anyone else, only they wish to draw a healthy line between fantasy and reality, and are perfectly capable of believing in the ultimate goodness of other people and that life is worth living, without needing to be misled about it. (The universe is a wondrous and beautiful place, after all. Much of the joy in life comes from seeking to understand it.) To an atheist, such stories only have value as literature. To understand how an atheist would perceive such an e-mail, replace all references to God or Jesus with “Tooth Fairy.” And have pity on those poor atheists, for they often started out as anything but skeptical, and have had to swim against a rising tide of fear, hate, and ignorance directed toward them by none other than their friends and loved ones.

I do hope you find this in some way enlightening or amusing; if not, don’t worry. It is always good to see your name pop up in my Inbox. Keep in touch!

Very truly yours,
Andy