And here is what I had to say to
this:
Dear Mr. Jonathan Edwards,
I would like to begin by asking you on what grounds do you have the right, nay audacity, to speak of such matters as you have? Good sir, with one moment I may spit upon your image in utter contempt and the next pity you. I am at something of a crossroads in what exactly to make of you. Do you show the true value of the religion you profess to teach, in whatever perverted sense of the word you have chosen? You do show its resolve, and that scares me as all extremes scare me, but for entirely different reasons than the ones which you may want me to possess. I will graciously admit you are a man of no average intelligence, but that only serves to increase my confusion concerning your utter lack of logic and common sense. Of course, I'm sure a minister of the only true faith must be wary of these dark and evil qualities which plague the rest of us. But, I am not here to attack Christianity, but instead your beliefs which I believe stray somewhat from that aforementioned religion. According to you, your god is eternally burning with a strong hatred of us all. You say that your god holds us over the very flames of Hell, that the best of us are hated no less than the worst of us. For what reason then, if he takes such a cruel pleasure in our torment, does he not just drop us in and be done with us, the eternally imperfect? In fact, your god sounds a lot like your devil. While your devil takes pleasure in our pain, your god takes a certain pleasure in our fear, and you, my good sir, are nothing more than what we would consider a terrorist, a terrorist being, after all, one who instills terror in others. Is that not what you do by attempting to persuade your audience, or, rather, by clutching their hearts in a sick and black shroud of fear? You may consider yourself fortunate for living in a time when ignorance was prevalent throughout the world and the literate were considered elite. If I had been alive in your time, rest assured that my conscience would spur me into action against you. I would not seek an end to your sermons for any contempt I have of you, but for your actions which strike against my soul, and I am compelled to parry. If your god so readily uses fear, your god is a fool. If your god gave us freedom, what is your god's reason to motivate us to take one course of action over another. Is that not self-defeating? It is akin to flipping a coin where both sides are the same. Beyond that, you believe that your god gave us everything that makes us what we are, correct? As such, your god granted us love, courage, and the ability to commit great acts of good. Since I am fairly certain that your god knew what these things were before your god so graciously granted them to us, surely your god knew of their potential, and your god, in your god's infinite wisdom, must have seen that these good qualities made truer bonds than fear and suffering. Your god must have seen that any false bonds are prone to breaking. Your god must have seen that we would realize this eventually, despite your very best efforts. That, my dear sir, is where you are wrong and fail, at long last. If your evil was a present one, I would feel motivated to continue my ravishing of your message and your style. However, the hour grows late on the night directly before this assignment is due, and as such I must bid thee well. I hope that your god let you feel the flames of that most joyous and final of fates before you were carted back up to whatever heaven you believe in, for you, good sir, are not evil – just your beliefs.
Ever Sincerely,
Felagund
(Note - this letter was an assignment for English class. We were to write as if he were still alive)