What Are We Teaching 
E-Mail    Russell Day, Spirituality Editor   Bio/Address

    "Jesus died on a cross for you! God sacrificed His only son so your sins could be forgiven! There's not a one of us without sin! We're born into sin! Each of us is a sinner! Let us pray..."
    Perhaps not these words, but every minister I've met in prison preaches the same damned thing. Talking to convicts who are already outcasts of society, they tell us we're nothing but filth in the eyes of God, just wretched sinners. A person who is told he is no good will learn to believe it if it's told to him enough times.
    Not only are we wretched sinners, but we're doomed to a life of fire and brimstone because we're so ugly in the eyes of God. Most people in jail have already lived an ugly life. They've already endured their private hells. The suffering they've endured has already scarred their souls. What does fire and brimstone matter? The more these ministers preach this frightful and negative dogma, the more useless their congregations feel, the more it seems God has turned His back on them.
    These portions of biblical teaching are by far the dominant teachings in prison systems, and yet, only comprise a portion of the Bible itself. I don't understand this. Are ministers working on some religious Scared Straight program? Are they targeting their audience to drive some message home for people to change their lives? Why are fear and negative reinforcement the primary tools used, especially with men and women who need spiritual guidance the most? Are we teaching them to love God or to fear Him?
    My grandmother was a very spiritual person. As a child, she shared many of the stories the Bible had to offer. Once she told me I was a temple for God. She explained that there was God, His son Jesus and the Holy Spirit. She said the Holy Spirit was the piece of God that lived inside of me, and that's why I was a temple for God. I didn't understand that as a child, but now I do.
    God created all things. His love knows no boundaries according to the teachings. If we are temples for that spirit, don't creativity and love exist innately within us? Aren't these the qualities we revere in God? If so, why do we fail to encourage these in each other? The large majority of people in prison have decent hearts. They have creativity and love inside pleading to be expressed. Instead, these feelings are suffocated by a minister telling them they'll burn in Hell. The hope is lost when all we focus on is condemning people for their sins. I have to question what message we're really getting across. What exactly are we teaching? Are we encouraging inmates to become better people, or are we just condemning them again and again? What are we teaching? What will we reap?

Reader Comment

Dear Mr. Day,                                                    01/12/2001

I'm sorry that the ministers in your prison only give you the first part of the story. Most of the Christian message is of love and forgiveness. The message is that God loves you very much and that you are very special to him.

So, why are your preachers telling you something different? Well, it's true that we are all sinners and should go to hell. As you said, we already know that. But God loves us so much that he has made it possible for us to go to heaven even though we don't deserve to! He loves us so much that he sent his son to pay for all of our sins - past, present, and future. However, if we don't realize that we need a Savior, we are unlikely to welcome him into our belief system. My guess is that your preachers are trying to help you to understand that you really do need a savior. Then they will get to the second part of the message and let you know that there is one, ready and willing to rescue you.

The Christian message is meant to make you feel good and blessed and thankful, not condemned. In fact, that's what so great about it. You can never be condemned again!

God is very aware that every man and woman is special and has great gifts -- creativity, love, decency, hope, etc. In fact, this world would be a sadder place if he had not created you, Russell, with your special gifts.

I hope that you and the other inmates will get past the hellfire part of the message and listen to the rest of it. I'll admit that there are too many judgmental Christians. But there are also too many people judging Christianity by only looking at a few surface pieces. Since you have the time, read the Bible. I think you'll like the God you find in those pages; he's the God your grandmother was trying to tell you about.

a friend on the outside, Janet

Most of the message of the Bible is about love, not about hellfire and damnation. But in order to welcome a savior, you have to understand that you really do need to be saved.

 

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