Mail Bag
I received an email today, asking for advice. Here's the body of the message.
Dear Annie,
My daughter has joined a COVEN!! I have no idea what to do! She is 13 years old and since school started this year there has been a big change in her personality. She has started dressing all in black, wearing strange makeup and listening to music which I can best describe as death rock. She has become very anti-social and demanding. Last week when I took her shopping for *clothes* and *cd's* she walked in front of me and refused to speak to me! I tried to make up for whatever I did to upset her by buying her a new earing for her nose, but she just refuses to be civil anymore!
Now she has joined this COVEN!! She told me she is going to be initiated on Friday night at a big party in the woods.
I am afraid, Annie. Since her father left us this summer I have lost my little girl. Please tell me what I need to do to make her like me again.
Signed,
Loving Mother in Lousiville
Can you believe that letter? Here's my reply.
Dear Loving Mother,
Are you on crack? Cut the purse strings, keep her home from the "party" and call the cops! What is wrong with you? You are her mother not her friend. She doesn't need to like you, she needs to respect you. Right now she views you as a bank and you seem to view her as your means of validating if you are a good person.
Give me a break! Grow up, treat your daughter like your daughter and get your ass to Church and find yourself a new man. Make sure that this time you hold on to him. I suggest a wicked pre-nuptial agreement that will screw him over so bad financially if he leaves that he won't dare say boo to you. And if he's rich, you can send bratty off to private school.
In His Love,
Annie
I mean, how stupid are some people? There is just no such thing as common sense anymore.
Dear Annie,
My daughter has joined a COVEN!! I have no idea what to do! She is 13 years old and since school started this year there has been a big change in her personality. She has started dressing all in black, wearing strange makeup and listening to music which I can best describe as death rock. She has become very anti-social and demanding. Last week when I took her shopping for *clothes* and *cd's* she walked in front of me and refused to speak to me! I tried to make up for whatever I did to upset her by buying her a new earing for her nose, but she just refuses to be civil anymore!
Now she has joined this COVEN!! She told me she is going to be initiated on Friday night at a big party in the woods.
I am afraid, Annie. Since her father left us this summer I have lost my little girl. Please tell me what I need to do to make her like me again.
Signed,
Loving Mother in Lousiville
Can you believe that letter? Here's my reply.
Dear Loving Mother,
Are you on crack? Cut the purse strings, keep her home from the "party" and call the cops! What is wrong with you? You are her mother not her friend. She doesn't need to like you, she needs to respect you. Right now she views you as a bank and you seem to view her as your means of validating if you are a good person.
Give me a break! Grow up, treat your daughter like your daughter and get your ass to Church and find yourself a new man. Make sure that this time you hold on to him. I suggest a wicked pre-nuptial agreement that will screw him over so bad financially if he leaves that he won't dare say boo to you. And if he's rich, you can send bratty off to private school.
In His Love,
Annie
I mean, how stupid are some people? There is just no such thing as common sense anymore.
Comments
You know Christians by their fruit and sweet swelling aroma (as the scriputres say) and your fruit is spoiled and your aroma has an unsavory stinch.
Colossians 4:12 "Walk in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time. Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man."
The Bible says that it is what comes out of the mouth that defiles a man.
(Matthew)
God don't like ugly. (I purposely wrote it that way)
T- Truthful
R- Rich in Jesus
O- Obediant to the Word of God
L- Loving to all
L- Living live according to HIS word
By the way you rant and rave you sound more like a K.K.K. REDNECK. You would get along with these people very well...your more alike than you'd like to think.
In Him
TROLL
I know you live in Kingsport Tennessee though. :)
RACK! Now either make screen name and use it when you speak to me, or go back to trolling your mama.
I must be getting under your skin? I actually like your boldness, and thunder. I just think that you would catch a lot more bees with honey, than what your using as bait. But like I said before I'm not responding to you anymore. People like yourself can't be reasoned with, can't take the truth, and they surely can't take the come backs. Take care of yourself MS. K.K.K.
Whacko. :D
Your reply did seem a bit harsh. And I being a male particular took to heart the comment about the prenup. I haven't read your whole blog yet so I can only comment in limited capacity.
You are right, she needs to act like a mother. Not a friend at this point in her life. She needs to take control and figure out how to point her daughter back to a non distructive path. However she should do that in a way that will encourage her daughter to not only seek out the exact opposite of what her mother may be teaching but also research and develop her own path to God if that is what she wants to do. Encourage her to look not only at Christian beliefs but also encourage her to read and develop ideas about the other Monotheistic religions of the world. Such as Judaism, Muslim, and Islamic beliefs. Encourage her to find her path on her own. J
Just from reading what I did of the letter. It seemed like she is rebelling agianst something that is being pushed at her. So what does she do, goes the exact opposite way.
Maybe instead of damning her for this path she has chosen for the moment, go this way. "Okay Daughter you have chosen this path, why did you chose this? What is that attracts you to this? What is it that you think is right?" After listening to her and asking questions to understand it. Give her options. Maybe something like "Okay I can understand why you might want to search out the truth in your own way, but will you listen to me as I just listened to you? Look at this with me. And maybe present her with a few good books to read that are not the Bible. I mean books that actually debate the differances in Religions and can give some evidential arguments other than "You just have to have faith" Here are a couple of good books to get her started. "One True God" By Rodney Stark and "A History of God" By Karen Armstrong. Here is a wonderful website that I enjoy quite a bit about her. www.powells.com/authors/armstrong
This can get into a debate. All I am really saying is. Instead of chastising her and driving her farther away. Encourage her and redirect. Help her find her own way through life. Isnt that what being a parent is about anyway. At some point you have let your child swim, you just hope they swim down stream with the currant not agianst it. But if they do go upstream, eventually they will get tired and figure out going the other way was much easier. But they have to figure that out on thier own.
I need to be harsh. It is the only thing that works with people like this. I speak from experience. You can't baby people. They know they are doing something wrong, they WANT to be told what that is. I don't go for PC tolerant wishy washy crap, I answer emails to supposed "Christian" women who are unempowered, single and LOST.
They need to be shaken up, they don't write to me expecting me to coddle them. They KNOW what they need to do but all the PC crap these days misleads them and they get confused.
I straighten them out and trust me they are THANKFUL!
Sorry I offended you as a man by telling this woman who was deserted by a no good sack of crap to BE CAREFUL and PROTECT herself in the future. Actually I'm not sorry, PRENUPS FOR ALL!!!!
Don't get mad at me, but understand you have NO IDEA what it is like on our side.
Jesus went in to the temple and smashed stuff up left and right.
But on the other hand, He also extended love and acceptance to the tax collectors/prostitutes/leprous/etc.
I guess it depends on the context. Usually you can tell if the other person is genuine anyway. My own strategy is if they are truly interested, then I am honest and humble and forthright. But if I can tell they dont care what I have to say, they just want to pick a fight, then I give em a fight :)
Although I am not sure what you mean by "our" side.
I agree that a parent needs to be strict to keep their child safe. But to what extent does it become to much, or even worse abuse. (NOT SAYING SHE OR ANYBODY IS ABUSING THIER CHILD) A parents job is to provide a solid road for thier child to walk upon and discover the wonders and miracles of this world. However a child cannot do that if they are not allowed to gaze upon those wonders and miracles. If you want to teach a child something, dont you have to teach them the WHOLE truth, not just part of it? Like you cant teach a child to count to ten using only even numbers. How can he do that if he doesn't know what a odd number is? So you have to teach both sides so that he can count to ten using only even number or odd numbers. Right? Wouldn't learning about life and the God be the same way?
Myself I dont understand the "Iron Fisted" approach. Yes some poeple you need to just shock them into reality. I dont deny that.
I love Theological Debates. As long as they are kept civil. Trouble is so many people have trouble doing that.
What I did I did out of love. If she empowers herself, she will love herself. Because right now, she doesn't. And if she doesn't love herself, she can't love anyone else and no one will love her. That to me is too sad to for me to do nothing.
And if these women get angry and yell at me....guess what? It's probably the first time in their lives they yell at someone. GOOD! I hope they get mad! Mad enough to wake up!
Both sides? What do you mean? Christianity is truth, why should children be taught lies?
Agreed the path she is walking down is a very dangerous path indeed. It can lead to no good, and ussually only leads to more pain. I hope the daughter does find a way from that darkness. I hope the mother of that letter is reading this also.
We have differing approachs.
Are you wishing this condescendingly so that she may hear the "truth" from you?
Do you attempt to undermine my teaching of a sister in need?
Christianity is A truth. For me it is not THE truth. But in order to make a informed decision on something as great as your religion you need to know all the "truths" you have a available. Muslims believe their Koran is the "Truth", Jews believe that the 1st Testament or the Canaan is the "truth", and Christians believe that the Bible is the "truth". If you were raised in a Muslim home you would believe that is the truth. To find the absolute truth about God. I believe that a person has to look at all those religions. Find the truth hidden in that. And even maybe look at what is not in the Bible. Such as the Book of Enoch, The Book of Mary, Book of Joseph, etc. There are countless of books that were not included in the Bible because the religious leaders at that time when the Canaan was assembled didn't include them. I should be able to make the choice myself on whether I want to read those. Not a person that lived 1500 years ago. And since the Bible was assembled by man(Speaking of the books included in the bible) who is to say that is the truth. How do you know what they are trying to teach is the truth and not what they want you to believe for thier own well being? For instance "The book of Mary" speaks of Mary Magdelain as the 13 apostle. When your church leaders want you think she was nothing more than a prostitute that worshiped Christs feet to seek redemption. When it is now widely accepted among Theoligens that she was a apostle, was never infact a Prostitute and walked with Jesus as an equal with the other Apostles. Why would they teach this. To teach that woman are not equal to men. Can you imagine what would have happened to society in the 3rd century AD if women actually thought they were equal to men? As taught by the bible? You would have been able to VOTE ALOT earlier that is for sure.
I want to know all the information that is available to me. History is not what actually happened. But what somebody decides you should know. Truth is what somebody wrote it to be. Not what it is really. If that makes any sence.
The reason i would she would read this is. To give her another avenue IF your suggestion doesn't work for her. I was not saying I am right you are wrong. I was simply giving her another oppinion.
My wife is working on a religous think piece for school tonight that I am helping her with. i will post it on my blog when it is finished so you can give me or oppinion. And in turn her your oppinion also. You might find it interesting.
But as I said I cannot claim to speak for this woman, or for Annie. I do know that Annie has helped many women in her time, and unless you are a woman who has gone through the sorts of things Annie or this woman have gone through, I recommend that you like myself stay out of it, and let Annie help her as only she can.
Its not like she is trying to teach men or anyway, so who cares. She is trying to teach women. It is sexist for a man to think they can teach a woman better than a woman can.
Sorry I dont agree that Christianity is the ONLY truth. If that was the case. Then God would never have put any other teaching on this planet. The truth is. Christianity is the youngest of them all. So of you were to think about it. The more you make a copy of something the more distorted it gets. And if God really did Create Adam and Eve, then Adam and Eve would have known the truth about GOD right. If Adam and Eve were real it is estimated they survived around 10,000 BC. That is alot time to pass and alot of poeple to pass the same story mouth to mouth then pen to paper. How much has God gotten Distorted? How much of the original truth is still there? If you were to follow this reasoning then Christianity is the Farthest from the Truth. And maybe in essence a complete lie taught to poeple just to control them into doing what the church wanted them to do. Such as starting wars so the church could gain the riches of other religions under the guise of Sacrement.
Now that is not what I believe. So do not attack me. I have not attacked Annie. If she feels I did. That was the last thing I was wanting to do. As I stated. I was simply stating an alternative. If she didn't want anybody to comment on the advise that she gave then she should never had posted it. I do not know you so dont attack me. We can get into a Theological Debate. But be prepared. But come with something to back up your statements. And no personal attacks.
However, I'm not sure I agree with this: "It is sexist for a man to think they can teach a woman better than a woman can."
Im sure there are lots of areas in which a man is a better teacher, and other areas in which a woman is a better teacher.
to quote an old gentleman: "Men have taught me about war and the gospel, but it is the women, always the women, who have given me heart, shown me what love meant, and taught me about... life."
I have read Against Heresies, I have read the gnostic gospels, I have read the writings of the early fathers and I have made an actual informed decision.
The Gospel of Mary is a fake. Learn to deal with it, it will make your life a lot easier.
So all the books left out of the Canon should be read and decided upon? You think that there may be truth in these books just because they were left out? Or only the ones which were deemed heresy? Or only the ones which weren't found until Nag Hamadi? Because there are LOTS of kooks out there, and they were around 2000 years ago too.
Should we debate if there is truth in rubbing semen on our bodies to make us holy? That is in one of the unincluded books. So is a whole list of foods which are either sacred or profane. Give me a break!
There is only ONE truth. I will pray for you. I think you are close, but confused.
I commend your work I really do. If you are actually helping poeple. I just have trouble reading some of what is in your blog and believing it came from the Bible or a Bible and Jesus Loving Heart. I have a friend that is a Witness and he isn't even that Strong about what he says.
What I mean about the truth. In order to find the truth you need to be able to look at all sides of the equation to figure out what is actually real. What the truth actually is. I believe over the centuries the truth has been clouded in order to favor those that will benifit.
PLease dont interpret this as a condemnation on you. It is not. You have found your path so who am I to condemn you for that? In fact I congratulate you for that. You have done what many never do. Your path is not my path. But please dont condemn me for my path that I have chosen or tell me that I am wrong.
If you have not created this Blog in order for poeple to come togather and discuss the topics you present in a civil manor then I misunderstood. Understanding of course you have gotten flamed unnessarily. As I said. They are acting no better than the extremests they condemn.
Anywoo. I enjoy your blog. If you like I would more than happy to return and comment.
" I just have trouble reading some of what is in your blog and believing it came from the Bible or a Bible and Jesus Loving Heart."
Wow, thanks! Is that civil debate?
Everyone is welcome here and every voice is equal. You can make your case any way you wish, but when it starts to get personal it's not debate but simply ad homs. If you want to rant go ahead but sliding crap in like that won't go unnoticed by me.
That said I hope you stay.