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Let My People
COPE

Reclaiming Freedom

My name is Ms. Lane Elizabeth Parrish, and I am an American woman who believes deeply in the teachings of Jesus Christ. I have been raised in both the Episcopal and Lutheran church; attending Sunday service, christian summer camp, and respecting a deep family history of leadership in the church. However, my bond with the Lord did not deepen until experiencing the youthful agnosticism that led to studying the bible, its historical interpretations and the subsequent social consequences, and my blood’s history with the holy book. What I have seen is God’s evolution. Although man may desire the old ways of justice through revenge, punishment, and exile because of earthly emotion and fear, the development from Old Testament to New displays a learning on His part similar to that of parents learning how to raise a child. At first, we believe force and strong authority are the solutions to behavioral complications, but adolescents rebel against authority and the strategy to guide them must change. We ask why God allows horrible things to happen, why people have such access to the darkness within themselves and why nature rules the timing of disasters and therefore our lives. An integral trait of a good leader is to guide their people without taking control. The community must have free will and autonomy, which is not to say that we should exist in a state of anarchy, but like the transition from childhood to adulthood, after an education of life and the world, our lives become our own and we stand on our own two feet. I understand that you have the best intentions for our country as a representative, and you do everything in your power to do what you believe is right. I am writing to you to express that I have concerns, arising from first my conscience and then my studies, that the actions taken to protect the best interests of our country are born from the desires of man over those of God. The fair justice about which I have been raised to learn and believe is not what I am seeing now bestowed upon my fellow humans. I am seeing fear used in a way that separates people from God by not allowing His judgement to reign. We are turning away our neighbors, instilling the fear that encourages the question of whether they have been abandoned. I wonder every day why the people who claim to share my name in Christianity leave Christ behind and use his name only for the vanity of power. Of course, it is none of my business what any person believes as long as they do not cause harm - but what I believe is that the harm bestowed upon the sojourners in our country is antithetical to what you claim to believe. I worry that neglecting the effort and beauty of God’s growth and love will not earn you the esteem you want, neither in the world’s eyes nor in those of the Lord. I will not hide my face nor my name, although I do realize the threat that comes with speaking the truth. But just as my ancestors in British Colonial America fought in the revolution for our freedom to become the United States of America, Jesus has fought for my privilege to have eternal spiritual freedom, and I cannot fear the retribution of man when He has allowed me the strength to speak for my brothers and sisters. Thank you for your attention to this matter.

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