My First True Hate Mail

Or hate comment -- and meant to be such.

I have received mysterious comments before, but usually the hurt and sting of them was unintentional. Email and comments can be misread very, very easily. I usually assume that the person who posted it was another beloved child of God and was made, like I, in the image of God (Imago Dei) and that a hazy reflection of God can be seen in that person. And that to dishonor that person would be, in some small way to dishonor that image of God. Yeah, I'm really idealistic.

I know there are times I am to call people to accountability -- but I try to do a call to accountability in love, not in harshness.

So when a person intentionally means harm or hurt to another, it really confuses and bemuses me. It makes me really sad. Well today I received an email from Haloscan that read:

"It means the one, holy, Catholic and apostolic Church will continue to teach the truth and heretics such as yourself will be disappointed." Signed by one Andy, with no email or homepage.

I had to search my blog to find the posting that he posted on and it was a rather reflective one about the new Pope. It was not a stinging rebuke or a condemnation -- I was just wondering what this Pope will mean for this hurting and broken world.... The original posting is here. Is this posting so easily misread?

I guess what shocks me is the ease that "Andy" used the word "heresy." I confess the Nicean creed -- as does he, if he is a Catholic. I am rather Orthodox in my theology. The most radical part of me is my belief system is that I am not orthodox in being ordained as a woman. One of my best friends (who is very active and on staff at the local Catholic church) and I have talked long hours about this -- we both have realized that the role of woman in the ministry is different that the role of men. My position is much like an abbess in a 12th century monastery, with eucharistic privledges. This is something I am still thinking about -- not a fully developed thought, but in progress.

Heresy? I wonder that this world is so ready to consign so many of its member to the flames of hell....

(p.s. does anyone know how to find the original posting when Haloscan sends a mail like that and also does anyone know how to track down IP addresses??)