Keep your hate and faith to yourself

Posted on by Ellen Foltz

I would like to comment on last week’s letter from an “Uncle Remus” in Hendersonville [“On Religion, The Gulf Oil Spill, and Our Hypocrisy,”  June 30 Xpress]. If people seem to be steering away from Jesus, perhaps what they are really steering away from are fanatics who preach fire and brimstone. Any religion gets a bad name and is misunderstood when fundamentalists begin preaching their interpretation and telling others how to live their lives.

I’m so glad you have a direct line to God, Uncle Remus, and [that] you know what is going to happen to certain people and what hell is going to be like — “a burnt Earth with no sun, no graze, no animals”, etc. …

I’m sure there are plenty of religious/spiritual people who keep their beliefs to themselves and do not push their opinions on others.

It is my feeling that one’s spirituality should be between themselves and their higher power. If they are not spiritual, the same rule should apply: Don’t push your opinion upon others.

I would like to close with a quote from Anne Lamott: “You can safely assume you’ve created God in your own image when it turns out he hates all the same people you do.”

— Ellen Foltz
Asheville

SHARE

Thanks for reading through to the end…

We share your inclination to get the whole story. For the past 25 years, Xpress has been committed to in-depth, balanced reporting about the greater Asheville area. We want everyone to have access to our stories. That’s a big part of why we've never charged for the paper or put up a paywall.

We’re pretty sure that you know journalism faces big challenges these days. Advertising no longer pays the whole cost. Media outlets around the country are asking their readers to chip in. Xpress needs help, too. We hope you’ll consider signing up to be a member of Xpress. For as little as $5 a month — the cost of a craft beer or kombucha — you can help keep local journalism strong. It only takes a moment.

About Webmaster
Mountain Xpress Webmaster Follow me @MXWebTeam
View all posts by Webmaster →

Before you comment

The comments section is here to provide a platform for civil dialogue on the issues we face together as a local community. Xpress is committed to offering this platform for all voices, but when the tone of the discussion gets nasty or strays off topic, we believe many people choose not to participate. Xpress editors are determined to moderate comments to ensure a constructive interchange is maintained. All comments judged not to be in keeping with the spirit of civil discourse will be removed and repeat violators will be banned. See here for our terms of service. Thank you for being part of this effort to promote respectful discussion.

3 thoughts on “Keep your hate and faith to yourself”

  1. D. Dial

    I don’t believe people are steering away from religion any more than they ever have.

    I do think they steer away from the hate filled-hellfire and damnation type of religiosity “Uncle Remus” seems to think he has the right to cram down our throats.

  2. Joseph Barcia

    I agree, D. Dial. I would say more people are willing to express in public spiritual beliefs which sometimes do not fall into rigid, prescribed categories.

  3. cwaster

    Some of the worst atrocities in history have been committed in the name of religion.

Leave a Reply

To leave a reply you may Login with your Mountain Xpress account, connect socially or enter your name and e-mail. Your e-mail address will not be published. All fields are required.