Good Friday

I was raised believing in Christ.  But I was taught principles quite different then what Christ taught.  Through my experience, I learned what Hell is and that it is a place on Earth not somewhere else.  A few years ago a fellow college student emailed me and asked if I believed in evil.  I shot back an email asking if he actually wanted to know.  No point sharing what I believe if the other person was just throwing out idol academic questions for sport.  His next email convinced me he really wanted to know.  I wrote that if you have ever met a person with evil in their heart, you never doubt that evil exists in the world.  I forgot so much of my life.  But when questioned about evil I never had any doubt in my mind that it exists.  When my memories were being pieced back together, I remembered why I never doubted that evil exists.  Now, labels are patched on like psychopath or some other label implying that they can't help the way they are.  Unfortunately, I have met a person that chose to inflict pain on others for the pure pleasure of watching them surfer.  I know what evil feels like.  I have experienced it.

My belief in Christ is equally unwavering.  I don't expect everyone to believe as I do.  I appreciate the beliefs of other religions and ideals.  I appreciate all wishing to make the world a better place.  For myself, my belief in Christ is deep and wide.  Today the Christian world celebrates the day Christ was Crucified.  Some believe that it is horrible to celebrate such an agonizing death.  Some do not believe it happened at all.  My stand is that Christ understood what needed to be done.  Christ understood that sometimes you suffer something hard or painful to gain something much better and larger.  I believe that Christians celebrate the completion of a task that none of us could do for ourselves.  Christ died for our sins today.  He was punished gruesomely and unjustly for sins committed by others.  The Earth groaned at the injustice.  Today, I remember that Christ died for me.   In a world where there is great evil, there needs to be greater love.  "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten son." This was done for me that I might experience the good.  I have felt His great love.  He opened the path out of Hell.