Thank you for writing on “Abusive Eschatology”
11 August 2020 |
Dear Editor:
Such great and powerful articles, “Abusive Eschatology” and the one preceding it on the close of probation!
People who did not grow up as we did cannot possibly understand living decades with that constant spiritual knot in your gut. My father is 100 years old now, and was that faithful Adventist country pastor his entire life. We love each other but cannot “go there” in our conversations. A sweet and loving man, but I wonder: has he ever questioned this once even after years and years?
I cannot imagine the consequences to so many, starting with the tragic and horrifying thing that happens when an innocent and lovely child grows up with their God-given will pushed aside and usurped entirely by “obedience.”
I left the church long ago, but it’s amazing how some things linger in your memory, and as a result, in your physical body. I know so many people for whom letting go fully has taken many, many years. The idea that there are still people pushing this is not just abusive, but tragic.
There are parts of Adventism that can be very healing, like being part of a supportive community. Then there are the other parts. The tragedy is what’s left, vs what could have been.
Clayton Moore
Sacramento, California
