Ted: I grew up in a wonderful home with two dedicated and loving parents, as one of 5 brothers and sisters. We, as children, were the focus of my parent’s lives. We regularly attended church. My parents did not drink or smoke or gamble. There was no physical abuse or fighting in the home. I’m not saying it was “Leave it to Beaver”, but it was a fine, solid Christian home. I hope no one will try to take the easy way out of this and accuse my family of contributing to this. I know, and I’m trying to tell you as honestly as I know how, what happened.
As a young boy of 12 or 13, I encountered, outside the home, in the local grocery and drug stores, soft core pornography. Young boys explore the sideways and byways of their neighborhoods, and in our neighborhood, people would dump the garbage. From time to time, we would come across books of a harder nature - more graphic. This also included detective magazines, etc., and I want to emphasize this. The most damaging kind of pornography - and I’m
talking from hard, real, personal experience - is that that involves violence and sexual violence. The wedding of those two forces - as I know only too well - brings about behavior that is too terrible to describe.
Here's the rest. It is probably the most bone-chilling yet fascinating interviews I've read! He's also very introspective and it seems that God's grace has somehow reached him in the end...
Through this article it is evident that sins, whether big or small can worsen if we don't exercise control. We may begin with what we think of as "small" sins - like not attending mass weekly, then monthly, then yearly. Or, having one cigarette a day, to two, to half a pack. Cheating on a test once and getting away with it, then twice, then depending on cheat sheets.
"The price of liberty is eternal vigilance."
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3 comments:
Wow! That is a fascinating read!
I have no doubt that the last part must be really challenging for Christians:
"You told me (and I have heard this through our mutual friend, John Tanner) that you have accepted the forgiveness of Jesus Christ and are a follower and believer in Him."
Particularly from a Protestant perspective, this means that he's "saved." But my guess that this would really challenge what Christians feel about the legitimacy of the profession of faith and the extent of God's mercy and forgiveness. Imagine being in heaven with him, particularly if he had murdered a woman you were close to.
Wow, that was so crazy. I spent my whole free block reading about this and looking up his history. Wow!
Interesting point Pat!! I think this may be a real life example of the prostitutes, tax collectors, and here, murderers are entering Heaven before we are! It should give us hope and humility that God's mercy and grace is greater than our sins! Which means, it's not too late to REPENT! :D
I think it'd be a bit easier to swallow being in Heaven with him while knowing a woman he murdered just knowing that in Heaven our knowledge will be more perfect than it is now. Think about how fully and intimately God knows both him and his victims and loves all of them infinitely.
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