Blackmail

I don't like junk mail and I am not talking about those you find in the letter box. I am talking about those silly chain letters that people circulate via email; the type that ends with "send this to xxx people and you will be rich/misfortune will strike you blah blah blah....

So I do not have a habit of reading them more so forwarding them. I find people who forward this type of letter silly... imagine Microsoft giving $$$ to people to forward email (have anybody figure out how they are going to trace all these emails in the first place) or misfortune will strike you (if so I must have died a thousand death by now) BUT and this is a very big but the type of chain mail I hate the most are those with a religious message that goes something like:

"It is easy to pass jokes or foolish photos but when it comes to God, sometimes you feel ashamed to forward to others because ,............"

This latest one I got ends with:

If you are not ashamed in doing this, please, follow Jesus’ instructions. He said (Matthew 10:33): “But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven". If you are not ashamed, send this message... Only if you believe in Him."

It is not right to coerce people to forward things about religion using this method. Things like that should be all about free will and personal belief and not because some one makes you out to be ashamed of your own God! That is emotional blackmail!.

I am not ashamed of anything but as a matter of principal I do not forward chain mail of any sort and secondly I understand the sensitivity of sending religious materials to friends etc. Yea I can hear some people out there saying "but it is your duty to evangelise, spread the word of God blah....." and I agree but there is a time and a place for this and using chain mail with a threat of the wrath of God or ashamed of God is not it.

It will only turn people off just like those pompous rich people in those upmarket churches here who speak with a "my religion is superior to yours, therefore I am superior to you and you better believe in my God or you will go to hell....." attitude.

So good Christian friends out there - if you are reading this. thank you very much for your thoughts but please do not send me any such email in future. If you must share, set up a blog like a good friend of mine does and I will happily go there and read of my own free will.