Understanding Jesus Through Buddhism (Unsent Letters Religion Theme)

Jesus,

I was forced to believe in you at an early age.  Relatives made me attend church at an early age, prodding me to open up books full of songs that praised you.  I never understood who you were, but I sang and praised you to make my relatives happy.  They even dumped water on my head, telling me this would cleanse me of the Devil.

When I entered high school, my friends told me I had it all wrong.  They said I was in the wrong denomination, a denomination that promoted evil and worshiping false idols.  I didn’t understand them.  They told me in deep earnest that I needed to stay away from this church, that I needed to allow myself to experience the power of your love by joining their congregation.  I never quite understood why this was different, but they said it was, and I believed them.  My church would bring me into a fiery pit after death, where your love would not be experienced.  Scared and confused, I joined their congregation hoping to make everyone happy. (more…)

Dear Catholic Church (Unsent Letters Religion Theme)

Dear Catholic Church,

As a Catholic who left the church many years ago, I’m sure you think this letter will be full of repercussions. After all, I am an ex Catholic…well, sort of.

I left the church because I divorced my husband. Yes, I had very good reason to leave him and was told that I could apply for an annulment, but he would have to agree. He didn’t agree. For my own safety, I did not want him to know where I lived and so I let the opportunity of annulment go. That was years ago.

I went on a journey of discovery after that; a journey that lasted more than twenty years. I became very metaphysical then, spiritual instead of religious. I was very enlightened. I read everything I could read and attended classes and meetings with others of like mind. You see, from the time I was a very young child, I had experienced very strange things–things that couldn’t be explained. I decided that religion was for the comfort of man and not for the comfort of God. (more…)

Dear Christian Woman, by Linda St.Cyr (Unsent Letters Religion Theme)

Dear Christian Woman,

I’m not even sure where to begin. You are yet another reason I doubt the preachings of your Christian religion. You called a group of fellow writers “heathens”, “evil” and “sent by the devil” all because we were not following your religion. Well, I take offense to that. I may not be Christian, which I readily express, yet neither are you if you go about disrespecting those of us not of your faith.

It is truly offensive that without ever meeting any one of us or learning where we have come from or why we have chosen our religious paths that you would arbitrarily call us names. The worst part was that you didn’t  just call us names but you tried to have God on your side by calling us those names in a Prayer. (more…)

An Uncaring God, by Lucinda Gunnin (Unsent Letters Religion Theme)

Dear God:

Please don’t take this letter to mean that I am not still mad as hell at you.  Some days merely trying to believe in your existence is difficult. Today, I believe. I’m just not at all convinced that you care about your creation.

I wasn’t always this cynical.

As a child, I was so enthralled with my relationship with you that I wanted to tell everyone I knew how much I believed. I was at your church four or five days a week. I went on mission trips. For more than a decade, I thought you were my best friend. Life was tough, but I believed that God works in mysterious ways and that someday the struggle would be worth it. (more…)

I Believe, by M.J. Anderson (Unsent Letters Religion Theme)

Dear Rob,

I’ve written so many letters to you… so very many, and not one of them was ever intended for you to read. I suppose it was more my way of talking to you in a tangible way, a way where others wouldn’t think I was crazy.

You see, there was a time when I wasn’t quite so sure of the existence of God, a creator of all creators, some unseen and unknown force in the universe that was all, created all, was both not and part of it all. My life had been hell on earth, and the only bright spot up to the point in time when I doubted creation, doubted God, was you, Rob.

And then you died. (more…)