Montana Letter to Editor

Letters for Sunday, April 28, 2002

* Christian group

Pick on someone your own size

What an embarrassment for the Christian faith! Here's the setting:

It was this beautiful Saturday, during the Wild Walk Parade in Downtown Missoula. For those who have never attended, that's the kick-off event for the International Wildlife Film Festival. Mainly, the participants are children of all ages dressed in some kind of animal costume (with their parents tagging along for support).

We round the corner to Caras Park, and there they are, the cultish group of clean-cut young people with their signs proclaiming their fire-and-brimstone version of Christianity. A middle-aged man is their ringleader, the same man who had just been standing on the corner of Higgins and Broadway yelling his message while the young folks handed out Death-to-Sinners pamphlets.

I have no problem with various expressions of the Christian faith (Admittedly, I prefer more positive ones as that better embodies Christ's message). But what came next really was an outrage.

At the time our group of children came by, I saw that one young woman in the group was holding a huge, color photo of an aborted fetus.
Thankfully, it was turned away so it was difficult to see. I approached her and said that I hoped she had the decency to keep it turned away and she stated she did. However, I later learned that her decency lapsed, and within 10 feet of all these kids she shows her picture. I have no idea what these sick people were trying to accomplish, but it certainly did nothing to promote Christ's message.
Teresa Turnbull,

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